The color palette helps a lot in that regard, because most of the time the world is entirely green – as if illuminated by one of those old neon lamps. Still, there is an uneasy feeling that is perpetuated through the entire game. Those strange little details adds up when creating a compelling horror atmosphere – though you aren’t likely to be actually scared, nor you will you feel surprised by jump scare style moments. From time to time you get to play through memories from Bulb Boy’s past, and you see curious stuff like giant frogs, instant-growing plants, or mothdog – whose ears are actually little insect wings. Not only are there a good number of different creatures (each with unique and creative visuals), but even the more banal aspects of the game’s universe seems to follow a strange and bizarre inner logic. The art style is a perfect match to the craziness of Bulb Boy’s world. The most obvious comparison would be with something from Tim Burton, as the characters are both creepy and cute at the same time. To add to this charming design choice, everything – from the characters to the world you walk through – is drawn in a stylish 2D art style. You hear the gibberish from the characters, but only get a hint of what they mean with small illustrations shown in speech bubbles. The game’s narrative (including the dialogue) is told entirely without the use of words. Undoubtedly, Bulb Boy’s presentation is its superior aspect by a mile. Alone and scared, Bulb Boy has to do what he must in order to find and rescue his beloved family. The boy, his grandpa, and his adorable mothdog are having a good time together – but then sleep time comes, and with it invades a myriad of nightmarish creatures.
The surrealist adventure of Bulb Boy starts after a short sequence in which you meet the members of the titular hero’s family. Although not perfect, Bulb Boy features all of those characteristics, and performs in an overall outstanding way. Many adventure games are also well known for their charming art-style and charismatic characters – such as Day of the Tentacle or Broken Age. Lone Survivor, Home, and Cat Lady are just a few examples of how exploration and puzzle solving can blend well with a scary setting. Historically, we have seen some adventure games flirting with the survival horror genre.