Metamorph is heavily inspired by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Our main character is a high school girl dealing with insecurity issues and a difficult home life, and she is slowly, or in this case rather quickly, transforming into a cockroach. Despite her struggles, she still looks forward to school because her crush is there.

Visually Intriguing All Around

First off, the game’s aesthetic is great, truly. The 2D art cutscenes are beautiful and really detailed, ranging from very pretty to increasingly horrific and eerie as her transformation progresses. I just wish the 2D cutscenes were more visible. Sometimes they were on screen for only a few seconds, making it hard to fully appreciate the visuals. I also wish there was a way to hide the text to better take in the artwork.

The actual in-game gameplay outside of the mini-games uses a low-poly PSX style, and I really enjoy it. It is very blocky and aliased, yet it effectively conveys a cluttered and infested atmosphere as she becomes more like the roach she dreads becoming. There are also moments, like on the rooftops, where the flowers look beautiful, and I think the developers did a great job with the low-poly aesthetic.

I enjoyed the various mini-games throughout the experience. Although they are simple and sometimes a bit janky, like the first-person mini-game, I found them enjoyable due to their unique visuals. I think they were a great overall addition to the game.

Shallow for a Purpose or to its Detriment?

If you are even slightly interested in this game, it is worth trying, especially since it often goes on sale for just $2.99, which is definitely a fair price. However, I do have a few issues with the game. I feel that some of the dialogue and characters are very shallow. This is probably by design since the game aims to showcase how societal expectations and maintaining a public persona can turn people into unpleasant versions of themselves. Still, I think this idea could have been explored in a more subtle way to make it more impactful.

This issue can also work in the opposite way at times, not just by making the characters too obnoxious. Take the main character’s crush, for example. He’s always nice and seems to say the right things, but it almost feels inhuman. You could argue that we’re projecting an idealized version of a person onto him, but I didn’t fully get that impression while playing.

Another issue, which ties into the previous one, is that you need to restart the game to see certain characters’ missions. However, replaying the game for those missions feels a bit demotivating because you may not even want to engage with those characters. Personally, I think since the game is so short, it would have been better to have the chance to complete all the quests in one run, but that is more of a personal preference than a true complaint.

Final Thoughts on Metamorph

Overall, Metamorph was an experience I didn’t regret trying, and I see huge potential in the developer’s future games. However, I felt it was missing a sense of depth that I would have liked in a work like this. Considering that this is the developer’s first project, it’s impressive. I really hope to see more work from everyone involved, from the 2D and 3D art to the music and writing. It is a very cool visual experience that could use some refinement in its dialogue and writing progression, but it’s a promising start, and I will definitely follow their future projects.