Mad Father is the game I played last in this series. The premise is intriguing--a mad scientist father who abuses patients and the daughter who finds out about it. Very disturbing, but very intriguing! I'm not sure that I can claim that this game actually says anything about abuse or family dynamics (or, if it does, it's rather lukewarm/shallow and not worth talking about), but it is a fun game to play.
The setting of this game is also one of the more fun settings that I've discussed on this site so far. Ib's art museum is creative, for sure, and the game uses that to its advantage, but there's something so familiarly unsettling and spooky about a Victorian mansion. Every character has Victorian outfits, and the whole game has a gothic, Sweeny-Todd-esque feel about it. I love it. I think it's perfect for the mad scientist story they're trying to tell.
Despite the premise being more disturbing than the other two games being discussed here, however, I would say this one is the least troubling in terms of how it makes you feel. It's a fun, shocking romp that never quite feels entirely realistic, which, in this case, makes it more effective at simply being entertainment, in my opinion. It would be a very good game to play with a mug of hot chocolate and a close friend.
