Maggie's Apartment

Cute, beautiful, artsy, witty, heatwarming, heartbreaking, action-packed, morbidly hilarious -- there's nothing that cannot be said about this short, one-room point-and-click drama.

as a kid, i spent a good chunk of time watching student art films on youtube. they had a level of quality and dedication i was completely unused to in indie animation, and a gritty, strange charm that captivated me! maggie's apartment, from at-the-time(?) calarts student anatola howard, bleeds the same energy as those sorts of films. it's offbeat, witty, weird, and utterly charming. it's a little rough around the edges. progression is halted behind lengthy dialogue trees, where it is hard to discern flavor text from critical dialogue. some puzzles are obtuse. the audio mixing is a little spotty. but this game didn't draw me in for its gameplay; the point-and-click gameplay is more of a means to an end, if anything. the appeal here is for the game's art, and the art is wonderful! the animation is flowy, weighty, and is a joy to just sit down and watch! characters don't just "go" from one place to another; they stumble, fumble their way through windows, are very physically present in the world. the writing is fun to read and listen to, and there's so much charm on display! the game cares deeply about its mood over all: the diegetic radio music and sounds of the city, the soft and highly intentional color space, the ui and aesthetic of the world wants the player to sit and immerse themselves completely. the game is also absolutely gorgeous. pretty much every screen in this game could be sold as an art print! this is a game that takes pride in its art. it's not the most polished point-and-click game i've played, but there is a very clear artistic vision here, and it executes.

Quite a lovely game! A wonderful point-and-click adventure that reminds me of old 1990s indie animations, Steven Universe, and the Triplets of Beleville. Fun, essentric characters with a lovingly made art style! Maggie is also utterly adorable. Even with a shotgun. That being said, there were two minor issues I had with the game (past the normal issues associated with point-and-click moon logic), sometimes, I felt that the conversations were a bit convaluted, overly long and purposefully confusing. Likewise, the drag and drop system was poorly explained. AKA, you're supposed to grab the item and drag it to where you need it on screen. Despite that, I found the story to be lovingly written, and quite fun. I do hope you well on your future creations!