Unable to sleep, I stumbled upon this game through a recommendation in my social circle. To be honest, the cover art doesn't really give any indication of the game's content...
The story takes place during the "chaotic period before the collapse of the Soviet Union." The female character is wearing a Soviet school uniform, not a maid outfit. The frequent mentions of carpets in the game further indicate the time period. The animation is a short film of Soviet Winnie the Pooh from 1969, just like the "Well, Just You Wait!" animation in Atomic Heart, which only people from the 70s would recognize.
The game uses many fragmented clues, and there are many ways to interpret them. Most of the items aren't particularly important, and each person might have their own interpretation. Whether it's about Laila abandoning her innocence or a near-death experience, both interpretations are plausible. Even if the player randomly searches for items in the apartment, it doesn't feel out of place.
The game features several emotionally impactful twists, including a scene I thought was the ending, only to find the vehicle had turned into a pile of wreckage, symbolizing emerging from hardship but being unable to return to a normal life. In a situation where I expected a bad ending, Nika gave the player a glimmer of hope for escape. "I don't want to die, but I want to escape all of this," this sentence is arguably the core of the entire game. For the protagonist, one of her hopes for survival is the stray cat she adopted. As I also take care of 20 stray and disabled cats, I can truly understand Laila's feelings.


