Nepenthe (2018)

Developer: Yitz
Publisher: yours truly
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 95 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.9 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A hand-drawn RPG that feels like a weird, self-aware dream, mixing frantic bullet-hell combat with a darkly comedic and surreal story about memory loss.

hand-drawnstrangedarkly funnybullet hellaction rpgatmosphericstory richmultiple endings

What players say

Players praise the hand-drawn art style and compare the combat to Undertale, but opinions split on the humor and story. It is short with multiple endings, though some find the movement sluggish and the peaceful combat repetitive.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.