To Hell With The Ugly
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About the GameYou’re Rocky, a 20 year old young man with a certain charm that doesn’t go unnoticed. After a night out at the Zooty Slammer, you wake up in a strange hospital, kidnapped and drugged.
Whatever they did to you last night, they did it. And now it’s too late for apologies, you need to get to the bottom of this…
Rocky style.
Finalist in the 2023 IGF awards in “Excellence in Visual Arts” and showcased in the 10th anniversary day of the devs, To Hell With the Ugly is an adventure game set in a 1950s LA film noir setting.
Play as Rock Bailey, a blond and handsome young man who systematically refuses all advances made to him. To the dismay of everybody around him, he stubbornly saves himself until the day he turns 20.
Everything changes when he is drugged and kidnapped outside the Zooty Slammer jazz club and wakes up in a strange hospital. They stole something from him, something very personal, and he wants revenge. Help Rocky get to the bottom of this mystery and find out the truth behind it.
To Hell with the Ugly is an adventure game with a focus on narration. Rocky has already lost part of his pride, he won’t shy away from combat if it takes him closer to the revenge he seeks. With his journalist partner Gary, they will have to gather clues from crime scenes and use them to make assumptions and solve puzzles, explore all the nooks and crannies of 1950s LA and let their fists do the talking in turn-based combat.
To unravel this mystery, you must:
- Investigate Los Angeles in the 50s, explore its darkest corners, meet the locals and immerse yourself in this film noir atmosphere
- Fight for your freedom, let the fists talk in turn-based combats based on timing, precision and amazingly beautiful hair
- Gather clues and information, investigate crime scenes, and make the right choices to solve mysteries.
A film noir set in 1950s LA
Explore 1950s LA like you’ve never seen it before, in this homage to noir movies. Discover the hidden side of the city, a sordid / gruesome investigation centered on the disappearance of the most beautiful inhabitants and human experimentations.
A stunning art direction
A breathtaking 2D world combined with fully animated cinematics and an incredible, bold art direction that bring the city of Los Angeles to life.
It’s jazz all the way down
What best describes 1950s LA than jazz music?
Carry out your investigation to the smooth rhythm of the jazzy soundtrack of To Hell With the Ugly!
Boris Vian reimagined
To Hell With the Ugly is an adaptation of Boris Vian’s satiric work of the same name, reimagined for the 21st century. Delve into the absurd and acclaimed work of the famous French author, brought to you by La Poule Noire and ARTE France.
Mature content :
– Explicit nudity
– Hand-to-hand and weapon combat
– Light sexual content
– Experimentation on humans
To Hell with the Ugly provides users with the following options :
- adjust text size
- adjust the color of each different category of text : dialogues, thoughts and highlighted words (subtitles/captions are not yet adjustable).
- reassign keys (on keyboard only)
- adjust the speed of the virtual cursor
- activate or deactivate the “”hold for running”” option
- skip fights
- adjust audio tracks separately
- pause game play at any time during the game
Steam User 20
I read the book before playing this game, and I gotta say I prefer this version. The story flows better, and we don't have to watch 2 sex scenes back to back, and there isn't any unnecessary rape.
I think it's good for this story to be brought back, because despite it being one of the most bizarre books I've read, To Hell With The Ugly has something to say. And it's nice seeing it said in a more polished, frankly better written manner. I do wish that the idea of "in a world where everyone is conventionally beautiful, the ugly will get all the attention" was more emphasised, as in the book, but it's still in there.
Also, thank you for giving Sunday Love a more active role! The characters in general feel more complex, and just better overall. I think that's a sentiment that could go for the whole game, tbh.
It's a lot shorter than the original novel, but honestly that's just because they've trimmed the fat, and it's better for it.
TDLR: A really fun, albeit short, improvement over a forgotten novel. The art is also gorgeous, but you didn't need me to tell you that
Steam User 27
omg I've been waiting for the release of this game since i tried out the demo early last year and I'm so happy it's out. I just finished the playthrough of the story and I'm so happy I played it
The story was so good and I loved Rocky's attitude, it was just a vibe. The graphics and animations are done so well. My favourite one being Rocky's healing animation. The game is a point and click but the fighting and the mini scenes had quick time events and problem solving which kept the gameplay fresh
The only thing that through me off was how short it felt, I was like "oh i finished?" Not thats a bad thing I just wanted to play more, omg dlc???
about to go play again for some of the achievements I missed but omg good job guys :DDD
Steam User 7
Next time just tell me what you want for breakfast
Short and breezy point and click detective game. Has some fighting, quick time events, logic puzzles, and stealth elements. Nice game for a rainy afternoon, not too short but also doesn't overstay it's welcome. Story takes a turn that I was not expecting.
Steam User 5
I dunno, its fine. I really like the aesthetics of the game, real nice to look at. Its short to which is nice for what it is.
Gameplay wise, the puzzles are fine, if not very complicated. combat tho, doesn't need to be here, its simple and feels like padding, only plus to it is its easy so you can get through it quick enough.
maybe wait for a sale or something but if you have an afternoon to kill, you could do far worse than this.
Steam User 10
TL;DR: I had fun! 7/10, you should try it out.
Now for the longer version.
Rock Bailey is everything I usually dislike in a protagonist. You see, he is very conventionally beautiful, and, as a consequence, he's lived his entire life being adored by people who didn't care much (at all, actually) about his personality. He is vain, unbelievably selfish, and has no social skills. In fact, all the people -- especially "beautiful" people -- in the game are like that. Women in Rock's group of friends who are trying to date him, the girl he likes, and even his mission partner.
No one cares about anything or anyone but their appearances, and very openly so. It's an exaggerated but unique setting for a game, but it works.
Pros:
-- Art Style. This game is beautiful. All the characters, animations and cutscenes have lots of thought and work put into them. Special recognition goes to healing animations -- those were delightful and had so much personality. Especially Mike and Noonoo's.
-- Story. I haven't read the original novel. I can't judge whether or not the developers did a good job adapting it, but I did enjoy what we got. That being said, it's not perfect.*
-- Fighting and stealth systems. They're not phenomenal, but I appreciated their being there at all. I'm not a big fan of the visual novel genre, so without anything to do besides reading dialogue, I wouldn't have picked this game up, no matter how pretty it was.
Cons:
-- *Story. There was no character development to anyone. Except for getting a bit of a reality check by the end of the game, our protagonist has learned nothing.
-- Characters. I get it that their being shallow was the point. But I was really hoping for at least some chemistry and developing relationships. There was none. With the exception of, maybe, Gary Kilian and Nick Defato, there was no depth to anyone involved.
-- Ending. We started this journey for selfish reasons and came out the same person. We're just a bit lost now.
Trigger warning for implied (and, arguably, partially shown) SA. I'm talking about Rock, when he gets recaptured by the nurses at the beginning of the main story line. That moment, in particular, is treated very very casually in the game.
Steam User 2
A funny game. Art and audio are really top tier quality!
Steam User 1
Love the style, love the music, love the atmosphere and how the story dragged me in...but it goes by so quick! I really wish there was even a single chapter more! Also, the ending is a very melancholic one.
I got this game with a 40% discount( if I remember correctly) and for the fun I had I'd say that was a steal on my part. While the game deserves its full price, if the length of it is giving you concers, maybe wait for a 15% discount.
9/10 for me, for sure.