The Coffin Of Andy And Leyley – Game Review
“I’m your little doll, come and play with me”
-SUICIDAL-IDOL, Ecstacy
Spoilers
The Coffin Of Andy And Leyley is a popular horror rpg still in early access.
Cannibalism and codependency!
Caught in an extremely toxic sibling relationship, our awful heroes must survive starvation, as well as each other. How will you escape death and the consequences of your actions?
The art style is great. I love the aesthetic and tone of the game. I would compare the story to the tv show The End of the Fucking World. I’ve also heard it compared to the game Omori. It is really edgy and quirky but never feels cringy or corny. The gameplay is mid, you just look for things and do puzzles. Better gameplay than most visual novels, but nothing innovative. This game shines in the decision making. The story will either go down the burial or decay route depending on what dialogue option you choose. By the end of chapter 2 this leads to vastly different storylines.
Andy and Leyley have been quarantined in an apartment forever. By the time we meet them, the wardens of the apartment complex have stopped giving them food. As they begin to starve they hear their neighbor summoning a demon that kills him. Out of food and hope, they decide to chop him up and eat him. This starts a chain of events that leads to several murders, arguments, and mysteries. A bit of a shocking premise even for an indie horror game. Wait there’s more!
The dynamics of this sibling relationship have brought this game to meme infamy. Andy and Leyley have a strong relationship. Their world is each other, and all that matters is how they will do whatever it takes to survive. It isn’t until the end of chapter 2’s burial storyline that the brother and sister have a vision of a possible future where they do have sex with each other. This prompts a discussion between the two on whether their relationship is incestuous or not. A huge portion of this game’s fanbase is made up of incest porn addicts. They seem to want this to be some weird, sick incest simulator. This misses the entire point of the story. These characters are bad people doing bad things. They have a demon kill their parents and then eat them.
The most valuable aspect of the game for me was how it displays emotionally abusive females. Leyley controls her brother using every manipulative trick in the book. Her entire self-worth is based on him being her toy. This is the modern man. I don’t know any other piece of media that displays female-on-male abuse like this does. This is great because it’s important for young men to see the signs of these toxic foids before they dedicate their souls to them. Many sensitive young men that haven’t had much luck in life will worship the first girl that calls them cute, and women will notice this and string you along for the rest of your life. Leyley has Andy kill a young girl just because this girl showed an interest in him. As the story progresses, she has Andy do more and more depraved things to ensure he only relies on her. Leyley makes it clear that having sex with Andy would only be another play for keeping him around. This is no different from toxic relationships married men can find themselves in, where their wife uses any leverage she can find to keep her slave around. Anyone that has ever been in a relationship (platonic or romantic) where they felt like a prisoner can relate to Andy. I feel that the male “doormat” character is usually played for laughs or romanticized in most depictions. This game is almost a warning on the dangers of toxic relationships.
For what it is, it’s pretty good. The hype owes a lot to perverts, but it stands firm on its own. A unique story in a visually appealing interactive package. I’m excited to see how the rest of the game turns out now that the developer has a steady flow of cash and clout. Play the demo here or buy the game here.
4/5
