MeinMMO demon Cortyn has succumbed to taboos. Why a game on Steam convinces despite tough themes, we reveal in this article.
For some weeks, “The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” on Steam has been smiling at me. An interesting graphic style, appealing characters, and 97% positive reviews ultimately led me to buy it despite “Early Access” to see what makes the game so special.
So here’s a little warning: If you have a big problem with (taboo) topics like cannibalism, suicide, incest, or crude language, you should close this page quickly. But since I know your morbid curiosity – enjoy reading.
“The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” is a mix of RPG and horror game, with the focus clearly on the story and the (disturbing and grandiose) characters. Here’s the premise:
Andrew and Ashley are locked in their apartment. This has been ordered by the state, as some city areas are apparently infected with a novel, strange parasite and placed under quarantine. While the TV says they care for the infected and provide regular support, Ashley and Andrew have not received any food for weeks.
But let me say a few words about the two siblings:
The 22-year-old Andrew Graves (“Andy”) is relatively reserved. A bit frail, but certainly good-looking and somewhat listless. He is more calculating and forward-thinking, only his sister sometimes makes him impulsive. He sees himself as her protector and tries to keep her from the biggest foolishnesses – but often lets himself be led into nonsense by her.
The 20-year-old Ashley Graves (“Leyley”) is extremely possessive towards her brother – she has quite a brother complex. She ruins every relationship for him and has led him to many missteps since childhood. She has been such a difficult child that even the parents have turned away from her, and she would basically be alone without her brother – which drives her to want to bind him to herself even more panically.
As is typical for siblings, they are almost always arguing, and the tense mood of quarantine with dwindling food only adds to them going for each other’s throats – which they usually quickly regret but find it hard to overcome their own shadow.
After both have had several weak spells due to lack of food and have thought about simply jumping off the balcony together, something changes. They hear loud, mysterious music from the neighboring apartment.
The two climb over the balcony and witness their neighbor attempting a demonic summoning, which only partially succeeds and leaves the cultist dead in the end.
After the initial shock is overcome, they see it as salvation: meat.
Andrew resists the thought, but Ashley quickly warms to the option and swiftly convinces her brother that this is the only way to survive. This is the first step on their path of complete moral decay.
One thing leads to another and after successfully escaping their apartment, the two try to survive in the world and find out what this parasite is all about, how the demon summoning was supposed to work, why they have not received food support, or why their parents have never contacted them again.
Gameplay is functional, but completely sufficient
Now let’s get to the game’s gameplay. It is, unfortunately or fortunately, quite simple. Most of the time, you just have to solve small puzzles. When Ashley wants to cook something for her brother, you first gather the ingredients. To build a bridge between two balconies, you must first install a wooden board from a cupboard.
The gameplay is nearly inconsequential and merely a means to create a bit of interaction and differentiate the game from a pure “visual novel”. There are decisions that also have an impact on the story, but these are relatively rare so far.
The positive aspect here is that you can interact with many objects (and characters) often to learn different thoughts or views from Ashley or Andrew. It’s just a bit of “bonus story” if you’re interested in the environment and the thoughts of the two protagonists.
However, you shouldn’t expect exciting gameplay, because this game lives 99% off the gripping story and complex gameplay elements would only get in the way of that.
Taboo breaks in rapid succession – and done very well
It is clear that one must talk about the two major topics of the game that cause plenty of memes, discussions, and also criticism. Because the game addresses an impending incestuous relationship between Andrew and Ashley and cannibalism.
On one hand, this is a loud taboo break, and one can see it clearly as a “marketing stunt” – but from my perspective, that would not be fair. Because these themes are portrayed very well and despite the “RPG Maker graphics” coherent, disturbing, and simultaneously exciting.
It is the small details that make it so good, convincing, and often a bit uncomfortable, and I found it brilliantly implemented:
- A small animation consisting of just two graphics, where Andrew intimidatingly holds his sister by the chin and then lightly strokes her lips.
- An animation of three graphics, where Andrew smears his parents’ blood over Ashley’s chin, her nose, and then her mouth (the two are truly, truly insane).
The majority of the game takes place from Ashley’s perspective, allowing you to follow her thoughts and emotions. This doesn’t make her views any less reprehensible, but at least makes them more understandable in many ways. They are just well-written, fascinating characters.
For me, unique is the balance between “character moments” and the speed at which the story progresses. Because although the game lives off the story and dialogues between Andy and Leyley, sometimes so much happens so quickly that you feel like you’re in a fever dream (and sometimes that is also true). Here is a small sequence of events (spoiler):
An evening visiting Ashley’s and Andrew’s parents
- You break into the new apartment of the parents to get some money.
- The mother comes home earlier than planned and you shift to the lie that you just wanted to visit.
- During the dinner, you try to maintain the facade of an intact family, while the mother makes it clear that you need to find your own apartment in the morning – preferably even two, so that the siblings live separately.
- The mother lets Ashley sleep in the basement while Andrew is supposed to stay on the sofa in the living room – as if she already suspects some “danger” between the two.
- Ashley sneaks to her brother at night, crawls to him, and tries to convince him to tie up the parents and perform the cultist’s ritual to gain the demon’s favor.
- The mother comes out of the bedroom again to talk to Andrew and “tell him something about Ashley,” before she sees Ashley kneeling hidden in front of the sofa.
- Ashley lures the mother into the basement while Andrew is supposed to search for a rope, experiencing the unpleasant situation of having to search through the parents’ sex toy inventory.
- After Ashley has tied up and threatened the parents, she leaves Andrew on guard to look for some necessary items for the ritual.
- While tied up, the mother tries to convince her son. When he refuses, she directly says to his face: “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”
All these actions happen within a time frame of perhaps 10 or 15 minutes. It is a barrage of situations and moments, where you watch in disbelief yet with morbid curiosity and keep thinking in the best Gordon Ramsay manner “Uh, spicy”.
Crude language that makes everything more convincing
I was particularly impressed by the general coarseness of the game.
While many other games are already considered provocative when a character says “Fuck!”, “The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” has consciously not set that limit. This makes the characters more realistic and relatable. They speak as people would speak, and this gives all the dialogues a suffocating yet fascinating realism that I miss in many “big AAA games”.
Especially during the arguments between the two siblings, who do not hold back, you really get the impression: These are people. These are siblings who tell each other what they think without restraint and can even insult each other viciously in anger – and that in a really nasty way.
This is actually only topped when you find out what voice messages Ashley has left for Andrew’s potential girlfriends on their voicemail. They are so malicious, so raw, and so full of consuming jealousy that I would prefer not to write out the words, which is why I’d rather just show you this as a screenshot:
It’s not finished – and that’s bad
The only really major downside for me is that “The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” is still in Early Access. This means that the story ends after the 2nd chapter and you have to wait for the continuation. This happened after about 4 hours of gameplay.
But the world and the characters are equally convincing and disturbing. I can hardly wait to see how it continues with Ashley and Andrew – and what moral boundaries they will still break.
If you want to experience a gripping, disturbing adventure with two equally great but terrifying characters, you should get this game. For just under €10, you can’t go wrong here and get to see many moments that you can think about with fascination and/or disgust.
I can hardly wait to see how the story continues, whether Ashley will “get her brother” and how many corpses will still pave their way or fill their plates.
