Have You Played... Knee Deep?

All the world's a stage, as some idiot once said. This is literally true in Knee Deep, an adventure-slash-mystery game set in weirdo small town Cypress Knee, but that plays out on a large theatre stage. The locations are all bits of set. They rotate in and out. The walls drop away. It's fun.

It's also, probably, trying a bit hard to be Lynchian, but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. You play as three different characters over the different acts of the Knee Deep, investigating the suspicious death of a past-his-prime actor, and your actions and dialogue choices change the possible outcome of the game.

The cast of strange supporting characters, all called things like Chip and Lurlene, are as intriguing as they are known tropes. Corrupt politicians! Family feuds! Small town jealousies! UFOs! The FBI! Murder! Swamps!

But what I liked most was seeing how the fake sets were designed to look like, well, plywood sets, but also segued into feeling real. It's very smart, how it's all done, and well worth a play through the play. There's a free demo on Steam if you fancy tickling your fancy.