Zelle

About Zelle

Zelle is a point-and-click horror adventure by the Japanese maker Fuming, released on Steam in 2019 and later on iPhone and Android. You see its world through the eyes of Emerada, a young girl who has to find her way home through a castle and its grounds on a strange night.

The game is told by Zogzo, a Reaper who acts as your guide and promises moments when your hair stands on end. You move from room to room, look at what is there and talk to the castle's residents: a boy who loves to dance, a moon-faced man who adores children, a kind Reaper. Some are comical, some are unsettling, and the art swings between painted rooms, anime portraits and rough, grotesque demons.

The demons are the danger. When one attacks, the scene turns into a battle in which you click the rosary at the right moments to drive it off, and the store says they will do anything to devour you. A Steam player mentions having to backtrack after failing an encounter. The store warns that parts of the game show blood and gore.

Zelle suits players who like story-led Japanese horror adventures such as Ib or Mad Father and do not mind a mix of fear and odd warmth. It is a few hours long, saves automatically and needs a keyboard and mouse on PC.

How to play Zelle

1. Click around each room to look at objects and find the way onward.
2. Talk to the castle's residents for hints about where to go next.
3. When a demon attacks, click the rosary at the right moments to drive it off.
4. If you lose an encounter, expect to backtrack and face it again; the game saves automatically.
5. Keep exploring inside and outside the castle until you find the way home.

Tips

• Watch the timing of each demon before clicking; well-timed clicks win the fights, not fast ones.
• Revisit rooms after talking to residents, since what they say often points to where you have not looked.
• Play with sound on: the music sets up the attacks.

Questions