Cape Hideous betrays its name by being strangely captivating

One of the worst things about the industry today is that there are just so damned many games coming out at any one time. One of the best things about it is that there’s no end to the variety between them. A game can be about basically anything, and developers are constantly exploring how far they can push “anything.”

I’m not sure Jake Clover’s Cape Hideous is about anything. I’m not even sure it’s about something. It could be! Maybe I’m just too daft to see it. However, from what I can tell, it’s just one really strange slice of life told with an extremely ugly but captivating art style.

You’re dropped with little explanation on a ragged but massive ship on the ocean. You play as a woman who smokes three pipes simultaneously; an impressive feat, to be sure, but you’ll soon meet those who can juggle more. The ship is headed toward a nasty-looking storm, but whether they’re going toward it intentionally or not isn’t really revealed, even by the end. However, the ship is in extremely rough shape, so there’s work to be done if it’s going to weather it.

You aren’t told what you should be doing, but you can only move on a 2D axis. Pick a direction and see where it goes. You’ll eventually find a knife, and then you’ll find that you can climb the mast. Along the way, you’re treated to the sights and sounds of the other inhabitants of the ship as they work away. There’s not really any indication that you’re the ship’s captain or anyone important, or even if there is a captain at all. You’re just left to explore.

The most striking thing about Cape Hideous is that it’s, well, hideous. The whole production looks like it was created in MS Paint with a trackball mouse. The fill bucket has been worked hard. However, it doesn’t demonstrate a lack of artistic ability. On the contrary, the ship is alive with fine, elaborate detail. There are a lot of moments where it makes great use of perspective to give everything a surreal quality. Its lo-fi, almost childlike art style is no doubt deliberate.

The goal of the game, if you can call it that, is to simply explore. As you do, the protagonist will start pulling down flags from the mast. She’ll also meet characters, and while many of them are ignored, there are some exchanges, as well. There is no dialogue, however, and the surreality is often at its peak during character interactions.

You’re never directed where to go, at least not explicitly. There are only so many places you can go (you’re on a boat, after all), so if it’s not obvious what you’re supposed to do at that point, you’re never far from figuring it out. The fact that you’re never told what to do but never left wandering gives Cape Hideous a much more organic feeling than you’d probably expect from any 2D walking sim.

Which is perfect since Cape Hideous is entirely vibes. The quiet ambient sounds of work, wind, and the sea can be heard beneath an acoustic guitar-heavy soundtrack by magicdweedoo (of Dryft City Kyngs fame). The store page also suggests in all-caps, “BEST EXPERIENCED WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS, WITH NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES.” I didn’t do that, but I can see where that would be beneficial.

But when I say that Cape Hideous is entirely vibes, I mean that it’s entirely vibes. If you haven’t picked up by now, it’s not a game aiming to provide a challenge or some unique gameplay hook. It’s a 2D walking sim without any sort of puzzle element. I hate that, and that’s something I need to warn about, but I understand that even among people who enjoy these sorts of games, there’s generally a mood for it.

It’s also a very weird and art-forward game. As much as it looks thrown together, there’s a substantial amount of depth to its aesthetic. Repeated playthroughs allow you to glean more information from the environments, and the sound design meshes with what’s going on so well that it might as well be a scripted cartoon.

Because it so deftly handles its presentation, it works as more than just an art project. You don’t have to fully grok any sort of message from it or even understand the story that is being told. You can simply immerse yourself in the gelatinous vibes of maybe pirates. There might be substance abuse involved. I’m not sure. I’m not entirely confident that I understand what the hell is going on in Cape Hideous.

Which is fine. It took me just North of a half-hour to get through it, and I have no regrets. It does what it needs to do, provides a unique and memorable experience, and then sets sail again. The best part about the state of game development right now is that games can be about anything. And Cape Hideous is certainly anything.