After nearly 10 years of waiting, the sequel to one of the weirdest games I've ever played is finally almost here
Albino Lullaby is intensely bizarre. It's a horror game, except it's not really horrific, just creepy, silly, and... well, weird. Honestly, I don't remember much about it in the way of detail because it's been almost 10 years since it came out—but man, I remember it being weird.
It was intended to be the first of an episodic series—the full title on Steam is Albino Lullaby: Episode 1—but nothing was ever seen of the promised follow-ons. Until now: Alice's Lullaby, set to launch on October 8, sets players off on a quest to rescue Alice from the Grandchildren (those scowling-weiners-with-teeth things) in an appropriately warped world where you'll travel back and forth through time, attempting to "unravel the metaphysical mystery of the Grandchild Cult and find out why they call you the monster."
It's hard to say too much about Albino Lullaby, not for fear of spoilers but simply because so much of the experience is a descent into what the hell is going on here? The game world is visually striking and the audio deeply unsettling; a big plus for folks who don't like jump scares is that, as far as I recall, Albino Lullaby doesn't have any. It can be startling to spin around and find one of the Grandchildren bearing down on you, yes, but it's really all about atmosphere.
"A game where you run away from evil french fries might sound more absurd than terrifying, but that’s kind of the point," we said in our 2015 preview. "Albino Lullaby walks a fine line between horror and comedy, creating an experience that is neither laugh-out-loud funny nor overtly frightening, but instead nightmarishly surreal."
Alice's Lullaby promises to go deeper into that style of psychological horror, with "fresh gameplay mechanics and a compelling story that invites players to confront the haunting world of Styx once more."
"Alice's Lullaby uses horror conventions to explore themes of trauma and perception, inviting players to look closer and find the unsettling answers hidden beneath the surface," Ape Law founder and creative director Justin Pappas said.
There's been some understandable controversy around Albino Lullaby over the missing follow-up episodes. The game was originally sold with a season pass including all three episodes, and episodes 2 and 3 were available for separate purchase as well. That's the crux of many negative reviews on Steam: Quite a few of them praise the game but throw it a thumbs-down anyway because the promised new chapters never materialized.
Ah, but there is some hype, too.
There's also been a change in how Alice's Lullaby is being sold. It was originally listed as DLC for Albino Lullaby, requiring the base game to run, and while that store page is still in place (as is episode 3), it's no longer available for purchase. Alice's Lullaby, which no longer carries the "episode 2" bit in its title, is now an entirely separate game.
Pappas told PC Gamer the change arose in part from a desire to move away from the Albino Lullaby title. He was first informed of the potentially negative connotations of the term by a friend with albinism, and then later contacted by an organization called Under the Same Sun, which exists to protect Albino people in Africa from violence, asking him to change the name.
"They informed me that in some parts of Africa, Albino people are feared and even killed for their body parts to be used in shamanistic quackery," Pappas said. "That sealed the deal and we're doing what we can to move away from Albino in our title without blowing out our brand recognition or causing more confusion."
It's not mentioned in the announcement, but Pappas also confirmed that anyone who purchased the original DLC or season pass will get Alice's Lullaby on launch day.