Looking Up, I See Only a Ceiling is another in a long line of games making its way over from PC to consoles, with it being available on Steam since March of 2023. It also has to be the game with the longest title I have ever played, and I’m still not sure where the title fits into the narrative of the game. Maybe I missed something during my thirty-minute playthrough (yes, half an hour is all that’s needed to play through this), but I don’t think I did.
But that is the mystery of this game. It all seems a tad weird on the surface, but there is a strong message being played out throughout about the burnout and depression that can happen during studying and in life. Luckily, there are some options available to you once you have finished your playthrough, which will shed some light on the plotline and messaging that run through the game.
You play a non-named protagonist who seems to live on their own and is clearly struggling through university life. The game opens with you in the bedroom, having to get ready for the day, and before you can do anything, you need to get across the flat to the kitchen for some breakfast. The way the game works is like a first-person point-and-click. You have icons laid out across the screen, which, when selected, give you a description of the item or scenario that might be playing out. The same system is in play when you want to move rooms, and there are a couple to navigate before you get to the kitchen.
It all starts to get weird when you have finished breakfast and move into what you think is a new room that hasn’t been explored yet, only to find yourself in a room that the character was not expecting. In this room is a shadowy figure who will be instrumental in the game moving forward. From here, we go to spoiler territory, but needless to say, it’s an interesting ride.
Looking up, I See Only A Ceiling graphically is very nice. All presented in this gorgeous, hand-drawn manga-esque style with this grainy haze to everything. It’s a memorable style that you won’t forget in a hurry and gives the game this originality that some games lack. This being a point-and-click style game, it’s always important to have clear icons, and where some in this genre fall into the trap of having too many on screen at once, here it’s simple, clear, and easy to grasp with only a handful on screen at any one time. This is impressive, as the playing area is only a small part of the screen, with the rest of the screen dedicated to the writing and blackness. Another trap of the genre is poor writing, and although it’s not going to win any awards in this game, it did the job, clearly telling you in the best way possible what was happening and successfully giving the protagonist some back story.
As I said earlier, you’ll be done in half an hour of your first playthrough, and for many, this will be an attractive proposition (myself included). With the plethora of games that are thrust upon us these days, it’s always a pleasure to experience a game in such a short space of time, especially a psychological adventure like this, but I wouldn’t mind slightly more. It felt like it was over before I knew it. Luckily, there is a different ending to find, and you can hit the newly unlocked explore mode to extend your playtime.
The explore mode starts in the future, with the unnamed character returning from a shopping trip. It’s in this mode that you have the freedom to explore the flat and find clues to what happened and the lore of the story. It’s a nice touch, as that means we didn’t get bogged down in the main game with a tonne of writing, letting the player decide if they want to learn more about what was actually happening. Overall, you are spending an hour to an hour and a half with the game, and it’ll leave a mark on you.
I’m happy I spent my time with Looking Up, I See Only a Ceiling, and I join many others who have experienced this already on Steam, with many positive reviews. The cool graphical style, moody music, and intriguing plot will leave you wanting more, and the message it gives will hit hard for many in the same situation and maybe help others that do not understand the issues young adults can face. With the different ending to unlock, the explore mode to add longevity, and the attractively low price (£2.99 on Switch), all in all, it ends up being quite an interesting little package.
Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
Release Date: February 29, 2024
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 & Xbox Series S/X
Price: £2.99