FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Games

A Game About Cyberpunk Ladies in Supermax

‘GirlJail’ is a game about romantic arson and bullet hell.
All screenshots courtesy Lachlan Cartland and Alexander Ocias.

I am extremely terrible at bullet hell games. The last time I even attempted anything that mechanically feels like GirlJail, it was Undertale, and I famously stopped a few hours in. But there’s something very appealing about Lachlan Cartland and Alexander Ocias’ game, which was made in 48 hours during a jam.

In it, a sexy neon cyberjudge finds you guilty of “romantic arson.” From there, you take your tiny heart in its UnderTale-sized box, and you dodge bullets, lasers, and fireballs.

Advertisement

The gameplay is compelling, even if you are very bad at it. But I am also pretty much here for the aesthetic. Gorgeous pixel art depicts the cyberjudge herself, with harsh fluorescents marking the projectiles you need to avoid to keep it going. The music by sintecta is maybe the best part.

It’s all a short, sweet, cyberpunk fever dream, and I’m very glad that frequent Waypoint contributor Cameron Kunzelman passed me the link late this afternoon.

You can download GirlJail for an impressive array of platforms on its itch.io page.

Have thoughts? Swing by Waypoint’s forums to share them!