Sometimes you see a game trailer so weird and wonderful you just think, “Yeah, I have to play that.” After just a few minutes with Ena: Dream BBQ, you’ll see why it’s racked up almost 25,000 reviews in just two short months.
Ena: Dream BBQ is an odd game. Rooted in surrealist inspirations and made by the creator of a web series named Ena, playing it makes you feel as though you’ve stepped into the world of a Salvador Dalí painting. You play as Ena, someone with a face split down the middle in a way that makes it look as though one side is facing you directly and the other is side-on – it’s trippy, and most of the other characters are just as bizarre.
If you’ve never heard of Ena, that might be because it came out just three days after Schedule 1, the viral drug-dealing simulator that’s taken the gaming world by storm since it hit the shelves.
The reviews, which currently sit at ‘Overwhelmingly Positive,’ are also out of the ordinary. “I don’t really fully understand a single thing that’s happening, I am just here to poke at ENA with a stick, investigating her like a weird bug,” reads one.
“This game has done unfathomable things to my psyche and has inspired me deeply. I will not rest until I have played it 400 times,” states another.
I can see why people are so taken with it. The art is gorgeous, the characters are intriguing, and even though I don’t fully understand what’s happening, I’m having fun. Even the menu opens itself up in Ena’s hands – a wonderfully diegetic touch.
Best of all, Ena: Dream BBQ is completely free-to-play, so there’s really no reason for you to avoid it. Get it on Steam here. Play it before Steam Next Fest when you’ll be too busy playing new games to catch up on old ones.
If you’ve already entered its strange world, try out some of the other best free games available right now.