Bad Cheese is a new psychological horror game from solo developer Simon Lukasik and published by Feardemic.
You play as a little mouse who has been left at home with Daddy for the weekend.
Bad Cheese draws a lot of inspiration from 1920s animation. Its Bad Cheeses art style, which initially caught my interest. Growing up, I have fond memories of staying up late with my father and watching Ren and Stimpy, and Bad Cheese has those same disgusting vibes. I love it.
There is a grainy filter that can be turned on and off via the settings that shakes and crackles the visuals like an old film reel. Mixed with the disgusting close-ups of grotesque farm animals and insects. This paired with an excellent audio mix of screaming and creaking, it’s next-level unsettling.
Gameplay
Bad Cheese is played in first person as you explore your house, completing chores to keep Daddy happy. Think Cinderella, except disgusting, and if you don't do your chores, you get the belt.
Tasks like cleaning Daddy's shoes, peeling potatoes, doing the dirty dishes, and finding Daddy’s pills.
There is a little bit of combat, which is tied to your chores. Like, early on, you will be removing some spider webs. Turns out the spiders don't like you destroying their homes. So you must squash them with a fly swat, then vacuum up their corpses. Which leads to a unique boss fight.
As you explore this horror house, there are several snacky collectables to gobble, slurp, and devour in the form of bags of crisps and Kielbasa Sausages, and after meeting the rest of the family feels like a bit of a coping mechanism for this poor little mouse.
Currently, there is no chapter selection, which makes all the collectables missable. So, if you're looking for a completion, make sure you gorge on everything before you move on.
There are a few jump scares that I will admit got me on occasion, but the real fear comes from the constant tension of completing your chores quickly and quietly. Remember, kids should be seen and not heard.
Verdict
Bad Cheese isn't your traditional horror title, but it leaves you feeling uneasy and a little bit sad. It's a very short experience which took me a little over 90minutes to complete my first time.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Bad Cheese and would recommend it to anyone who likes things on the weirder side of life. However, without the ability to chapter select, any missed collectibles means a completely new playthrough, which might be a turn off for completionists.
Bad Cheese was reviewed on the Xbox Series X
Bad Cheese is available now on PlayStation 5, PC (via Steam), and Xbox Series X/S
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