Kujlevka

A bit rough around the edges, suffers from some translation problems,there is also some mismatch between the english dub and the english subtitles, and the story at some points can be a bit hard to grasp, so i would only recommend grabbing the game for the experience and if you like the genre when it's on sale. Not a bad game but more like middle of the road of a recommendation.

Good idea, boring execution.

What an awesome hidden gem of a game. Fantastic voice acting, writing, decent staging, not too much to do except think and enjoy the choices while the story unfolds. ---edit--- I put more time into the game and it feels like it, as a whole, it assembled a lot of great ideas and rushed them and then made them a bitter pill to swallow. The choices become less realistic and more like it doesn't matter what you choose. There are some different unlocks in the dialog, sure, and cool achievements, but it just slowly unhinges as a game that feels rushed overall the more you play.

Kujlevka is a narrative experience that thrives on atmosphere, ambiguity, and the quietly surreal, presenting a story that unfolds more like a dream than a traditional adventure. Developed by Callback and published by Crytivo, the game situates you in a remote Russian village in the early 1990s, a time defined by uncertainty and post-Soviet disillusionment. You play as Valery Potikhonchenkov, a wounded veteran whose solitary existence is upended when a UFO crashes directly into his home. From this unlikely premise, the game builds a meditative journey through personal trauma, societal collapse, and the ineffable strangeness of first contact. Rather than leaning into science fiction spectacle, Kujlevka uses the alien encounter as a prism through which to explore human fears, desires, and contradictions. The moment the UFO lands, the village becomes an improvised visitation center, and Valery, by virtue of circumstance, becomes its gatekeeper. Much of the gameplay unfolds at a simple wooden desk, where villagers approach you with their hopes, grievances, and delusions. You decide who gets to enter the spacecraft, supposedly to commune with the extraterrestrial visitors. These scenes…

A wonderful game in a great setting and atmosphere, also with colorful characters. It was recommended to me as similar to Disco Elysium. It is somewhat similar when it comes to certain themes, style and humor (and I suppose gameplay). As I enjoyed DE, I enjoyed Kujlevka. It was a great experience and I definitely felt that a lot of love and thought was used for its creation. I had a great time and I cannot recommend it enough.

This is a surprisngly polished and rich game that deceptively looks simple. It is humorous and surreal, I'm not sure I understood the ending, but it's quite alright, there's multiple of them depending on your choices. The alien communication mechanic wasn't immediately obvious. Spent maybe half the game not calibrating my responses. I loved the pop-culture and political references. I also loved how the game isn't sci-fi focused, it's more of a philosophical take on facing the unknown. The game is really worth it. 8/10