The Cat Lady

About The Cat Lady

The Cat Lady is a psychological horror adventure written by Remigiusz Michalski under the name Harvester Games and published by Screen 7. It first came out on Windows in December 2012 and reached Steam in December 2013. It is the second game of the Devil Came Through Here series, between Downfall and Lorelai, which the store sells together as a trilogy.

The story follows Susan Ashworth, a lonely 40-year-old with no family, no friends and no hope for a better future, who is on the verge of suicide. Her only company are the stray cats of her estate, which is how she got the name the neighbours use for her. One day she learns that five strangers will come along and change everything. Where it goes from there is best left for the game to show.

You play with the four arrow keys alone. Left and right walk Susan through each scene, up uses what she stands next to, and down opens the inventory; Esc brings up the save menu. Names of things she can use appear as she passes them, and much of the play is working out which item belongs where to move the story on. Every line is voiced in English, and now and then you pick what Susan says, which changes parts of her story and the ending a little. Cutscenes cannot be skipped.

The look is its own: dark, collage-like scenes that mix painted and photographic textures, often in black and white with a single colour or a splash of blood. GameSpot's reviewer described Susan as looking cut from a magazine and laid over old Polaroids. A 70-minute soundtrack by micAmic and guest artists comes with the game. The store states it contains occasional graphic violence and gore, strong language and infrequent frontal nudity, and recommends it only for players over 18.

What sets it apart from other horror adventures is how seriously it treats depression and suicide. GameSpot gave it 8 out of 10 and wrote that it may sometimes freak you out without outright scaring you, because the horror serves a portrait of Susan. It won Best Story at the Adventure Gamers awards for 2012, the store notes.

It suits players who liked Harvester or Fran Bow: slow, story-first horror about a damaged mind, with real adult themes and sudden bursts of cruelty and violence.

How to play The Cat Lady

1. Start a new game and follow Susan into the opening scene.
2. Walk her left and right with the arrow keys; the names of things you can use appear as you pass them.
3. Press up to use or talk to what Susan stands next to, and down to open the inventory.
4. Pick up items and use them from the inventory on people and objects to get past each problem.
5. When a conversation offers a choice, pick what Susan says; some choices change how her story goes.
6. Press Esc to open the save and load menu.

Tips

• Walk through each room fully; the labels for things Susan can use appear only as she moves past them.
• When you are stuck, try every item in your inventory on every labelled object in the room.
• Save often from the Esc menu, so you can go back and try a different answer in a conversation.
• Cutscenes cannot be skipped, so set aside time for a chapter rather than playing in short bursts.
• The soundtrack comes with the game in your Steam library's Music section if you want to hear it on its own.

Questions