Calendula seeks to keep the player off-guard and unsure, starting from a moment when the player still hasn't mentally transitioned into being a presence in a game's world. They likely never will make that jump as they're confounded by errors, bludgeoned by disturbing imagery, and hurled back to the title screen.
Glitches whisper in your ear that you're progressing, but are you? You're still on the title screen, after all. The game hasn't started yet, has it?
Calendula is a short, experimental game that has found a unique kind of horror that can be completed in under an hour. Its focus on the intertwining of technology and the human body is unique and placed within a ‘broken game’ narrative makes an interesting experience. The story, at times, can be rather vague, but this is to leave room for interpretation. Whether the balance is right between the two is down to player preferences.
GameCrate: "Blooming Buds Studio describes its recent title, Calendula, as "a game that doesn't want to be played." While that may be true in regards to the game's core theme, I honestly believe that this is a game that's just begging to be played. Or rather, it's begging to be observed, analyzed, and dissected. Because, while it's not exactly what you would expect out of a video game, it's still very much worthwhile, especially if you dig experimental projects with intense audiovisual presentations."
GameCrate takes a look at some of the latest indie releases, as well as upcoming titles to get excited about.
Aggelos looks really promising! I love the art style and characters in the trailer. Will definitely check out the demo.
