HomeFeaturesMediterranea Inferno
Mediterranea Inferno takes you on a beautiful hallucinogenic anxiety holidayIn Summer no one can hear you scream
In Summer no one can hear you scream
Image credit:Santa Ragione
Image credit:Santa Ragione
I may be playing on a Steam Deck on a rainy day, but the bold colour contrasts and the desperate enthusiasm of the dialogue really get over the feeling of a too-hot summer, of trying to force fun and recapture a friendship when you all want different things. The most intense segments of Mediterranea Inferno are the Mirages, visions that merge past and present and metaphor, giving explicit form to each character’s wants and anxieties. It’s unreal and yet a distillation of reality. It’s quite an intense ride so far, but it’s a good one.
Image credit:Santa Ragione
But it’s tense. Everyone is on edge. The game’s intensity of colour is almost headache-inducing even as it’s beautiful, nailing the characters and imagery to the back of your eyeballs. It’s not subtle, but it’s not meant to be, and it’s extremely effective as a result. It’s weird and a bit sinister, hallucinatory and dark, and you get the feeling it’s only a few degrees away from a slasher movie. To the extent that I’m not a big visual novel gal, you might call it a visual novel for people who don’t like visual novels - except it’s not embarassed about what it is at all. I haven’t played Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star, the previous game from the same creator, but now I want to.
