It's a party and you're all invited! Aaron might have not received an invitation by mail, but he's got front row seats to repeatedly die for!

Previous The Sexy Brutale Experience

  • Skimmed over reviews from Destructoid and The Jimquistion the day before release.

Initial Expectations, Hopes, Dreams, Fears

  • I liked the art design.
  • The idea of a story-drive time puzzler intrigued me.
  • Would it require perfect timing and become frustrating?
  • How smug would the characters/world be, similar to Braid?

What actually happened

Much like the confused masked protagonist who awakens in the middle of a decorated room at noon on a seemingly random Saturday, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Sexy Brutale. A strange and oozing woman entered the room and began to explain my abilities to me. Restarting the day at noon. Listening to my surroundings. Leering through keyholes like the literal creeper that I was. That's how I was taught to watch the first victim get shot to death. Back to noon.

The second time, I had a mission. Figure out how to save the victim's life without directly and physically interfering with him or his killer, lest the masks that they were wearing magically levitate off their heads and murder me. Not waiting to try out this "mask death", I listened and peeped my way from room to room until I came upon the murder weapon. Let me just take this gun before the killer does. Seems like the right thing to do. I realize the rifle is bolted down and I've apparently been skipping arm day at the gym. The victim bites the bullet again. Back to noon.

A haunting performance awaits in The Sexy Brutale

This time, I follow the victim's routine and pocket a blank round that falls from the safe he searches. I insert the blank into the secured rifle with ease and await the attempted murder. The trigger is pulled with a piddly pop, leaving the killer confused and having to ready the real bullet. The victim chucks a candlestick from across the room, knocking the killer out cold. I may not know who the man I just saved was, but I'm feeling pretty good. I'm rewarded with a very important power, then surprise. Back to noon.

Will I keep playing?

More accurately, I've already played it again and completed the story! The Sexy Brutale is a well-crafted experience that put its hooks into me after the first stream and encouraged me to finish what I started.

While the game takes place entirely inside the confines of a mansion with attached casino, becoming increasingly familiar with the layout is necessary to solving the puzzles within it. There are some collectibles I missed and some stones left unturned, but something tells me I'll be visiting the walls of The Sexy Brutale again.

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