Bear's Restaurant
Spoiler version!
Developer: Odencat Inc
Publisher: Odencat Inc
Genres: JRPG
Content Warning: This spoiler filled review discusses such topics as Death, Murder, Suicide, and Child Death. Reader discretion is advised.
All I can really say about this game is Wow. That went places I really wasn't expecting!
I didn't know about the afterlife aspect going in, but it makes it pretty obvious before the first five minutes is up. And if you haven't picked up on the clues of people disappering after they eat, or being able to straight up go into their head, it makes it very clear the first time you leave the restaurant and head to the "Station." There, you find the train to Heaven.
Honestly, it starts of super chill, if a little sad once you start looking into the memory shards. Bianca's is of course, tragic, and Dave's demise was sad in a frigtening way. Dying alone is one of my big fears, not having someone there in that last moment, people not knowing I was just...gone. Giang's is probably the most messed up, once you realize that the nurse going to hell was very very likely the one who murdered him.
Hiroki's death was something all to common, but a very good reminder to take breaks if you work a 9-to-5 desk job. You can actually get strokes or heart attacks from sitting too long if clots form in your legs. Not that that was the only cause here. Exploitive workplaces, known as Black Companies in Japan, are a huge problem that plagues the country, taking advantage of the culture of over-valuing "hard work" and manipulating its employees into giving up their lives and their rights for a company that literally does not care if they die, usually not even paying them very well either. And many office workers do die from this, if not from the health complications of being forced to work long, grueling hours with little to no rest, then almost certainly from their own hand. It's incredibly bleak. The "work ethic" comes at a massive cost.
Aya's is death is an issue that many women face, but very few want to talk about. What happens when you say "no" to the wrong man? At best, they accept the rejection and move on, but let's be real, a lot of women have had experiences with their "no" going wrong, not being respected, and at worst, some women are needlessly murdered just like Aya.
Arthur's is...sad but not really tragic, if that makes sense? He's an old man at the end of his life, ready to leave this mortal coil, happy and satisfied. It's more sad for the loved ones he left behind, but really gets super morbid when you think about his family finding him in that position.
But Cat's hit me the hardest. She seemed like a pretty strong kid to be honest, but was bullied for an unknown reason. The game's cast are from all over the world, though half of them are from Japan, where the devs are from, and Cat's school looks very much like a Japanese school. This is entirely speculation on my part, but I hypothesize that Cat was bullied for being mixed race. Her dad is very much a big nordic man, and he would stand out a lot if they did indeed live in Japan. I can empathize with being mocked for being mixed race in a very homogenous country, and it is not fun.
Her death being an accident rather than suicide, like it hinted at early on, honestly makes it all the more tragic. She didn't want to die. Her life was cut short by the myopic actions of a bunch of little brats who couldn't seem to grasp that people are people.
I can't even fathom how strong and patient Bear is, keeping the secret all that time, never telling Cat until she remembered on her own, just in case she wasn't ready. It was likely partially out of guilt, but through it all, he remained her dad and did everything in his power to keep her safe and happy, even if she didn't know who he was.
The second act of the game is a rollercoaster. What starts as a cute yet sad story about sending people to the afterlife with fond memories of their life morphs into a tale of a father's love and willingness to make whatever sacrifice neccesary, even at the cost of your own existance. It cuts deep. Its a love we all deserve from our parents, but unfortunately quite few ever truly recieve. I can't imagine my own parents ever making that kind of sacrifice for me, and it hurts. But at the same time, seeing this, even if it's fiction, reminds me that there are people out there who absolutely give their children all the love and kindness and support they deserve. They should be the norm, nay the expectation, but this isn't a perfect world where that is the case.
Through all of this, Cat's relationship with Nighty is probably my favorite part of this game. The fact that she looks nihility in the face and reaches out a hand in friendship touched my heart. I was on the edge of my seat worried for these poor fictional pixels, wanting them to be able to just be happy!
Mercifully, they find that happiness, and you get to learn more about them in the sequel, Fishing Paradiso!
Also, I found this part with Dave to be super funny.
Gotta love that gaming classic, Bearsona!
Review posted 2023/09/11