The island exploration game Welcome to Elk will be released on PC on September 17. The felt-tip pen art may seem whimsical, but this is a game about real people and their stories, some of which are surprisingly dark.

You wouldn't know it just by looking at the beginning of the 15-minute demo, which is available for free on Steam. It begins with a surreal dream sequence in which the protagonist Frigg sings karaoke with a talking llama in a pirate hat. Totally normal by dream standards.

"Welcome to Elk" is full of mini-games, and in this sequence you can press W, A, S, and D to make Frigg sing along. It's fun and kind of spooky. After waking up and exploring the island, Frigg skips off to meet his friends and go to the pub with them. I have to pour the perfect pint. I have to tilt the glass at just the right angle and get the perfect amount of bubbles. It's a terrible job, but oh well! This was the direction I thought "Welcome to Elk" was headed, an adventure with fun, silly mini-games. But suddenly everything changes.

After a casual chat with a character about her family shamelessly eating squirrels, I was transported to a painful memory that took me completely by surprise. You can see what happens in the screenshot above, but I don't want to spoil it. After this scene, a black-and-white video clip plays, in which a man recounts a real-life harrowing incident involving a character in the game.

[8] "Welcome to Elk" seems to be full of such testimonies, and developer Triple Topping says that through these video clips, we get to meet the real people who inspired the studio to create the game. While I'm a little more anxious to explore the island, I'm definitely looking forward to playing more.