Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk
A 2020 psychological horror visual novel about trauma and a bag of milk.
Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk (written in sentence case with an ellipsis) is a psychological horror visual novel from 2020, created by Russian developer Nikita Kryukov. Its story follows an unnamed woman who goes to a nearby grocery store to buy a bag of milk, but struggles with the effects of severe trauma. The player takes on the role of a voice inside her head, with whom she carries out an inner monologue.
The game was released on Steam by Missing Calm on 26 August 2020. A sequel, Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk, came out on 16 December 2021. On 11 November 2022, Forever Entertainment brought both the original and its sequel to the Nintendo Switch.
The plot opens from a first-person viewpoint, as the player accompanies the girl to the store to pick up milk for her mother. Her walk is made extremely hard by her inability to form a hypothetical sentence to the cashier, and by an obsessive realization that one foot is on asphalt while the other is on grass—forcing the player to guide her in walking properly. Inside the store, the player must remind her to get the milk and pay, a task complicated by hallucinations and trouble communicating. Outside, she walks near a gas station and is nearly struck by a truck; later, she hallucinates a bear passing by. The player can choose two ways to confront her about her problems, but only one of these paths leads to her breaking the fourth wall and imagining she is speaking directly to the player. During this conversation, the player learns about her past traumas, including her father's suicide and the mental struggles that followed. The player then interrupts and advises her to go home. She explains that her medicine causes "terrible and unpleasant melodies," which stop once it wears off. After spending time on her apartment rooftop, she goes back inside, where her mother orders her to bed.
Critics praised the game's distinctive visuals and storytelling. Lilia Hellal of Rice Digital called it a memorable indie gem with a strong production style, thanks to its disturbing retro art and foreboding droning music. Jesse Grodman from DreadXP found the visual style, writing, and aesthetics fantastic, and noted the game's effective handling of mental health, suicidal thoughts, and familial abuse. Kyle Caldwell at Pixel Die described it as short and tight, surprisingly effective at making the
- Developer
- Nikita Kryukov
- Publisher
- Missing Calm
- Release Date
- 26 August 2020
- Platforms
- Steam (initial), Nintendo Switch (11 November 2022)
- Genre
- Psychological horror visual novel
- Nationality of Developer
- Russian
Lore & Background
The game begins from the first-person perspective, where the player accompanies the girl to the grocery store to pick up a bag of milk for the character's mother. The girl's walk is made extremely difficult by her inability to hypothetically speak a sentence to the cashier, and by her obsessive realization that one foot was walking on the asphalt, and the other on the grass, to which the player must try to teach her how to walk properly. Once inside the store, the player must navigate and remind the girl to get the milk and pay for it, which is made difficult by her hallucinations and inability to properly communicate with others.
Once outside, the character walks close to a gas station and is nearly struck by a truck; separately, she hallucinates a bear passing by. The player can choose two ways to confront her about her problems, but only one of these paths leads to a fourth-wall break where she imagines she is speaking directly to the player.
Reader's Guide
Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk is significant for its distinctive approach to depicting severe trauma and mental illness through interactive storytelling. Critics praised its unique visual style, described as 'disturbing retro art' with droning music, and its honest handling of suicidal thoughts and familial abuse. The game's short length was noted as surprisingly effective in making players care about the protagonist. A sequel, Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk, was released on 16 December 2021, continuing the story with fully animated cutscenes and branching paths. The game and its sequel were ported to the Nintendo Switch on 11 November 2022 by Forever Entertainment. The game's legacy lies in its unflinching portrayal of mental health struggles without offering a magical fix, a quality praised by critics such as John Walker of Buried Treasure and Kerry Brunskill of PC Gamer.
Did You Know?
- The game was published to Steam by Missing Calm on 26 August 2020.
- A sequel, Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk, was released on 16 December 2021.
- The game and its sequel were ported to the Nintendo Switch by Forever Entertainment on 11 November 2022.
- Kohei Fujita of IGN Japan placed the game at eighth on his personal 2022 game of the year list.
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