Horror is an interesting genre across all media, especially in gaming, and few pieces exemplify this better than Who’s Lila. Developed by Russian solo developer Garage Heathen, Who’s Lila is a 2022 point-and-click horror game that flew under the radar for many. This may have been a result of its avant-garde mechanics and uncomfortable themes, but also the fact that it’s a Steam-only game. You can’t get this game on consoles, and as of this writing, there are no plans to bring it to any Nintendo, PlayStation, or Xbox console.
Big-budget, flagship horror IPs like Resident Evil and Silent Hill adopt the tropes and tendencies of cinema. Even more cerebral and thought-provoking titles, like Dead Space and Silent Hill 2, leverage the language of film: the camera follows the player, cutscenes play out like film scenes, there are attempts at photorealism, and so on. Who’s Lila, similar to other indie horror games like Signalis and Mouthwashing, shirks these conventions in favor of the freedom offered by interactivity. And like those examples, it is all the better—and more frightening—for it.
What Is the Story of Who’s Lila?
Who’s Lila is something of a murder mystery, but not in the way that you think. Players assume the role of a young man named William, who is living alone while attending school. Much has already transpired by the time the story begins, and various flashbacks, dream sequences, and other surrealities make for an appropriately disorienting plot. Naturally, it’s a plot that is almost impossible to discuss without getting into major spoilers, but know this: Who’s Lila explains its opaque, eccentric story quite clearly over time, despite being very confusing at first.
The story is one of identity, experience, and the nature of reality, and its non-linear construction drives home these broader thematic points. It’s quite an elegantly spun narrative, one that puts the player in uncomfortable situation after uncomfortable situation, even making them do things that they don’t want to do. It’s through this disorientation, as well as the loss of control (an ever-precious resource in video games), that Who’s Lila truly communicates its more horrifying messages.
Put another way, Who’s Lila might not make you jump out of your seat with terrifying monsters or heart-pounding setpieces, but it has a good chance of keeping you up at night through its subtleties. The more you think about the game’s story, lore, and the actions of the principal characters, the more powerless you feel. It’s not the sense of powerlessness that accompanies running out of ammo or facing a crowd of menacing foes, but a sort of existential, cosmic impotence, which sticks with you more than any monster design ever could.
Who’s Lila‘s does suffer from several unfortunate localization issues; for example, its English translation has many spelling and grammar errors. This doesn’t detract much from the game’s overall strengths, but it’s worth noting before jumping in.
Who’s Lila’s Game Mechanics and Controls Steal the Show
Who’s Lila has an interesting story, but most first-time players will be sucked in by its mechanical novelty, which goes hand-in-hand with its overall presentation. Navigating through in-game environments is done through conventional point-and-click mechanics, but you may notice that almost half the screen is occupied by a close-up depiction of William’s face. This compartment of the display is reserved for Who’s Lila‘s main mechanical feature, a sort of social simulator.
At certain points, players will get a preview of what William is going to say in conversation, while having a set amount of time to click and drag parts of his face to make the correct expression. For instance, if someone is cheerfully greeting William and he is responding in kind, the player should probably drag the corners of his mouth upward to make a smile. Doing otherwise, such as pulling his eyebrows down to create an angry countenance, can lead to unique character interactions, plot beats, and even entirely different endings.
It takes 2-4 hours to beat Who’s Lila.
There’s an inherent uncanny valley aspect to this gameplay gimmick, but Who’s Lila kicks it up a notch by occasionally forcing William into certain expressions: a grin will creep across his face when someone is crying, or he will make a look of pure terror at a seemingly innocuous comment. Players have to wrestle with these inappropriate expressions to avoid unfavorable outcomes with NPCs. This gameplay elevates the aforementioned theme of control, as the player, as William, is losing control over their most valuable tool: their face.
Who’s Lila Has the Horror X-Factor
“Uncanny valley” is a phrase used to describe Who’s Lila, but the broader experience defies such simple categorization. It has an undeniable sense of showmanship, like a skilled magician leading you along through illusion after illusion. Gameplay regularly gets turned on its head or remixed in unexpected ways, and the story’s nonlinear qualities keep it consistently engaging, even when it’s not making much sense. It even recontextualizes genre-independent mechanics like saving and loading, implementing them in unique ways.
Who’s Lila is yet another example of indie games’ potential for innovation and ingenuity; there’s really nothing else quite like it. It’s a shame that it hasn’t made its way to consoles yet, even if its face manipulation mechanics work best with a mouse. It’s not a very technically demanding game, nor is it costly, so if you have an “okay” PC, it’s a can’t-miss experience.
