I have started playing Slay the Princess, a indie horror visual novel with hand drawn art. Its fully voice acted and has weird time stuff. Its a good game, its even on gog, if you like that kind of thing. Some spoilers ahead, although I haven't finished the game yet. Oh and a CW/spoiler for the game:
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In one of the endings you commit suicide in a very violent way. Its obvious its coming, I'm not sure if its avoidable or if sensitive players should just cut that story loop short. I don't remember if there's any gore in that particular ending, but there is gore in other endings.
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The game immediately feels eerie. The atmosphere is full of dread. You can try to turn around, but are unable to actually do so. If you test the barriers of the game, you are pushed to the cabin. The cabin starts bare, with only a knife on a table. You grab it, or don't, and enter the basement. The narrator reminds you repeatedly through this whole process how dangerous the princess is and how important slaying her is, and how it must be done immediately.
There's a lot of dialog options in the basement. None of them work out for you, the player. She is a demon. A trickster, who can't be believed. Once in the basement, unless you stick exactly to the script you die. Sometimes you can kill her first. If you try to leave the basement, another (unknown) character locks you inside. Its too late to be saved at this point.
Assuming you don't get the "good" ending, after you (and possibly her) die you get brought to the beginning. Things change, depending on how you died and what dialog options you chose previously. The cabin changes, the state you find her in is different, you get different dialog. You start to splinter, there are more voices in your head. The voice of the broken, of cold. Your internal monologue becomes chaotic. But in a way, nothing changes. You are still supposed to kill the princess, and it becomes much harder. I'm not sure if there are any "good" endings past day one. If you don't defeat her perfectly and live in the void the narrator gives you, you become trapped in a cycle of violence. You die more, you get more voices, she becomes more powerful. It feels completely hopeless.
One of the endings (I don't completely remember how to get back here but I believe you have to kill her enough times?) she, this creature, possesses you. You hear her voice within your own head. Telling you to bring her to the rest of the world. That can't happen. She has proven herself to kill you if given any opportunity. You can't befriend her. I threw myself into a void, killing both of us. She is twisted and sick. Vengeful. She needs you to let her out. Once you start engaging with her, you are already doomed. She can't be entertained at all. If you do kill her at the very beginning and live, your life is empty. Floating in a void, told you are happy.
Maybe I'm a bit, but this is the most hopeless a game has made me feel. This game reminds me a lot of depression. I haven't finished the game yet, there are more paths I need to explore. There's an overarching plot line I haven't seen through yet. And I'm hoping to watch a video essay or two about the game, just to make sure I haven't missed anything and to hear other's thoughts on the experience. Anyway, that's my thoughts on the game at this point, its quite the experience for me.