ANCORA QUI

Being a teenager is quite simple in certain regards, such as the fact that you do not have to worry about going to work and paying rent, but it’s quite difficult in other regards. Kids can be very mean when they want to, and school is where most of them prefer to express their annoying personalities. Hence, life can be hell for those who cannot adapt or integrate with the rest of the crowd.

A short story about bullying

ANCORA QUI is an exploration game with free movement and point-and-click gameplay mechanics, in which you get a glimpse of what it means to be bullied. The story is pretty strong, although it must be mentioned that most of it is still written in Italian, which is a bit of a bummer. On the other hand, you can figure out what everyone is talking about just by observing.
In essence, the game provides you with the possibility to see the events from many different perspectives by changing characters every now and again. The goal is to figure out why children are bullied, although it might not be clear even after you finish the game. There’s a lot of symbolism involved in the story, so it may not make sense the first time around.

A Groundhog Day-like scenario

Thankfully, it all seems to be stuck in a continuous loop, much like in the classic movie starring Bill Murray. Hence, the days repeat themselves and the bullying never ceases, which in turn gives you more time to figure out what everything means and maybe how to find a solution. Granted, the game is not very polished in this regard, not to mention the fact that it may be difficult to understand.
As for the graphics, the game looks surprisingly nice if you consider the style used to bring the school to life. The low-poly models and the lack of high-resolution textures might be hard to stomach for some people, but there’s a simple beauty to it all if you take the time to observe it. In addition, the lighting is very nicely integrated and it works wonders for the atmosphere.

A neat experiment that can make you think

Even if ANCORA QUI is a bit rough around the edges, the game still has the power to make you think about certain things, especially if you have any traumas regarding bullies. On the other hand, it needs a more hands-on gameplay and a full English translation.