Technical Information

Developer: Cloak and Dagger Games
Publisher: Cloak and Dagger Games
Release Date: November 14, 2014

Lou has just moved to Lisbon. Not long after, he meets Catarina at a bar and decides to meet her again in his favorite park.
The game follows the day of their meeting in the park. What will fate have in store for them? Will there be love beyond the bar?
This is a short point-and-click game with a 90s vibe and a big plot twist!

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

It’s clear that all of the game’s graphics were made from photos. This gives it a certain charm and a strong 90s vibe. The animations are great, just like they used to be back then.
However, the game offers very few assets, which gives a sense of visual poverty. Even though it’s a short game, it could have included more elements in the scenery to increase player interaction and make players feel more immersed in the story.

The UI and HUD are simple and easy to understand. In my opinion, they are extremely functional.
What would I change? Nothing. For the purpose and scope of this game, it’s just right.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

The game has no music, only ambient background sounds such as birdsong and wind. This creates a sense of being in a park, but I wouldn’t recommend playing without headphones, as the audio is barely audible otherwise. In some interactions, sound effects help make the gameplay more realistic and immersive. However, there is no voice acting, which ends up making the game feel lifeless in parts where the protagonist speaks.

Gameplay

The game is quite short (I finished it in about an hour), but it is very well scripted. Based on Steam reviews, I already knew it was short, but it ended up being a bit longer than I expected.
All events trigger subsequent ones, giving the story and gameplay a strong sense of linearity and keeping the player curious about the ending.

The pacing is entirely focused on Lou’s feelings and expectations regarding the meeting. You end up wondering what will happen—whether she’ll be friendly or give him a hard time. With each passing moment, you imagine a different outcome.
The game’s climax is its plot twist. It was what surprised me the most and ultimately makes the game worth playing.

One interesting aspect is that the game takes place in Lisbon (Portugal) and includes some Portuguese language elements. I found it interesting to see this mix of languages during gameplay.

The only thing I didn’t like very much is the limited number of interactive elements. If there were more objects in the park, there would be more justification for the protagonist’s monologues and interactions, increasing curiosity and preventing the experience from feeling so brief.

Replayability and Game Retention

The impact of the plot twist is what makes the game worth playing. I only see value in replaying it to earn achievements, as the game doesn’t retain the same charm on a second playthrough.