Form Detective: The Raccoon Who Lost Their Shape

The Raccoon Who Lost Their Shape [Itch page] is a strange game about an unnamed raccoon medium who possesses the ability to converse with recently deceased Shape People. Shape People, for those of you wondering, are simply shapes with faces who, in this instance, seek your inter-realm services in order to connect with other shapes that've passed on. Its themes of self-discovery and morality remind me of Wadget Eye's The Shivah. It's also free, so you can come to your own conclusions yourself.

"People come in many different shapes. Literal shapes. Shapes with faces on them. Shape people," explains the raccoon protagonist in the game's opening segment. "Many years ago I discovered I had an ability...the ability to contact shape people who had died, their souls trapped forever in the SHAPE PERSON DEATH REALM."

The blue pentagon featured in the header image above is your first customer. He's a condescending, obnoxious chap who claims his recently departed circle friend has left behind a locked cupboard in his library, and he wants to know where he's left the key. In order to successfully summon the deceased, you require a personal effect, thus the pentagon hands you a book. You shuffle towards the room at the back of your office, hands stuffed deep into your pockets, the tail of your blue lab coat swaying as you go. You approach the purpose-built alter, offer up the item, and then this happens:

As it transpires, circle and pentagon were never friends - gasp - the cupboard in fact houses a deadly trap designed to thwart anyone who should find themselves nosing around in circle's business. With this information, you can either return from the séance and relay the truth, or lie and get pentagon back for being such a prick. As you meet with more clients, you'll uncover more about the otherwise guarded raccoon 'hero', his backstory and why he's so determined to track down a dead crescent Shape Person.

In just half an hour or so, The Raccoon Who Lost Their Shape tells an interesting tale, and is the work of the folk behind Seven Weeks of Cat Monarchy. And it's free! Check it out in-browser over on Itch, or download it there for Windows and Mac.