Draft:Lost in Vivo (Video Game)

Lost in Vivo is a psychological horror game by Akuma Kira, published in 2018. The player chases after their support dog, Dani, who has become lost in a sewer during a storm. As the player progresses they descend into a surreal series of areas where they must acquire weapons to defend themself, and solve puzzles revolving around psychological horror elements. The player can also find tapes throughout the main game to play short horror scenarios which thematically relate to the central plot, as well as play several secret modes and other scenarios from the main menu.

Gameplay

The game is played from a first-person perspective. The player can acquire four weapons over the course of the game, a sledgehammer, a "Ruger" pistol, a shotgun, and a kitchen knife. The sledgehammer serves as the player's first melee weapon which can attack and block, the kitchen knife being a faster alternative. There is a finite amount of ammo present in the entire game, so ammo must be spent carefully to ensure the player doesn't run out. Enemies vary from smaller, re-spawning enemies that block the player's path, to larger area-specific enemies that either can only be avoided, or must be dispatched with an alternative method, usually by progression in the given area. The game also initially features a whistling mechanic where the player can whistle to hear their dog bark in response, indicating the correct direction to go. This mechanic is used several times but not relevant for most of the game; despite this, the player can still whistle at any time.

Plot

While walking their dog, a heavy thunderstorm suddenly rolls in and sweeps the player's dog into the sewer. The player follows their dog into the sewer, whistling to follow the direction of their dog's barks. The player progresses through areas including a subway, an abandoned mine, a laboratory, and several other surreal puzzle sections. Each of the areas is thematically related to body image or mental health, culminating in a final confrontation against a large monster, "The Siren," seemingly representing negative self-image. The final area of the game after The Siren requires the player to fight through a series of difficult enemies and emerge from the sewer to find their dog Dani on the surface. This is the "Good End," though Several alternate endings can be achieved. These alternate endings include the "Bad End", "Really Bad End", and the "Nightmare End."

The player can achieve the Bad End by choosing to not enter the final gauntlet, instead exiting to the surface by a ladder before the final area, leaving Dani behind. They exit to a text screen telling them they failed to face their fears. Very early in the game, the player can achieve the Really Bad End if they shoot Dani with the pistol during an early section in the sewer. The player exits the sewer to a dark sky with Dani slowly dying next to the sewer grate, followed by a text screen telling the player they have rejected their journey, and their fears have only grown. The same text screen can also be found by repeatedly trying to leave the sewer at the start of the game, skipping the sequence where Dani is found dying. The Nightmare End can be achieved by returning to The Siren's corpse after it is defeated and fishing a child's skull out of its' head. In a secret area in the final gauntlet, the player can offer the child's skull to a large tree. Upon exiting the sewer, the world seems to be consumed by darkness and the text screen describes a hellish landscape.

The plot is largely metaphorical and not intended to be interpreted literally. The title and endings suggest the game represents the journey of the protagonist to salvage their self-image.