I love this game, but I feel like it is very badly represented. Not even because of the whole incest thing, but just the overall context and style is totally different from how it is portrayed online. I added a few spoiler censors just in case you want to go in 100% blind, but they're all very general and early stuff that you'll see an hour or less into the game at most.

Number 1; people describe this game as if you are going to feel like you're actually participating in a demon ritual the whole time. That couldn't be farther from the truth, at least in my opinion. The "rituals" are honestly so over the top and stereotypical horror that they aren't scary, more just goofy. The cultists are constantly and clearly presented as morons, and the demon is clearly presented as an evil manipulator. So if you're worried this is going to be one of those things that feels unironically occult and presents the literal devil as a great guy, this game is absolutely NOT that.

Number 2; You've probably heard this game described as something along the lines of "brother and sister get trapped in their apartment after the parents abandon them, they start practicing cannibalism to survive." That might technically be a correct description, but it's quite misleading. This description makes it sound like the entire game is set in this apartment and the siblings like, literally hunt down dozens of neighbors for food. In reality, the games setting moves on from the apartment less than an hour in, and they only ever eat one human meal.
The main emotional driver in the story is NOT all the bad things the siblings do, but the siblings' relationship with each other as they do it. I think the game is clearly written this way intentionally, take for example the fact that any crimes the siblings commit in the present are shown in a way that that they seem unimportant (or less important than they should) or routine to the two, but anytime you have a flashback to the siblings' childhood, or they have a long conversation in the present, emphasis is put on even some very small details. I don't consider this a horror game, or a crime game, I think it's more of an angsty-comedy. Of course this is just how I take it, you might feel totally different, but we're all welcome to our own opinions.

I'm not even going to lie because I know 90% of people here did the same, I got this game because I have a slightly morbid sense of humor, and also because I thought certain characters were... attractive. But I stayed because of the story. Not even joking.

I only have a few very minor issues.
-you can't rename saves
-things you can interact with sometimes aren't obvious until you're right by them, so you have to search a bit.

A very misunderstood game. The story is great, I love how it represents neglect and I don't know where people are getting the assumption that it's supporting a very taboo topic when in multiple scenes, it has made fun of the idea.

I think it makes for a great psychological study on the effects of neglect, the continuation of their childhood trauma expressing through their actions, choices, and behavior is done well! I cannot wait for the full game.

The decay route is a great path, I loved where things went and the storyline that went beyond it but from what I'm seeing for the burial route- it's a bit... Questionable but I'd still give it a chance after the next update! I think it'd be a good thing if people gave this game a chance, for it's weird and infamous appearance, it's disturbing in a good way and has a VERY niche representation of a minority of people who go through something this traumatic.

Whew. Well. I didn't intent to confront four decades ago when I picked up this game, but there it is. I grew up this way--I am Andy, but I have been Andrew at a few moments in life because you can't grow up with this passivity and abuse without internalizing it. I had a Leyley. Past tense, but no, I had nothing to do with it before your eyebrows hit your hairline. I got out. I left my Leyley behind and regretted it for years....still do. If I am being honest in a review. We cannot change our childhoods. I am a different person now, neither Katie nor Katherine, just a Kate. My mother lives on, and while age has stolen her vitality and venom, she is still dangerous. I paid a very high price, several times over, to escape. It was worth it, and now I see with sad clarity how this happens across generations. I am childless: I have a wonderful partner, dogs, games, and a full life. It had to be earned. If you identify with this game, which by the way is excellent and deeply deeply accurate, I am always happy to help. Shout out to the devs, I see you. If you are living like this, regardless of which character you are, there is hope. Even for disordered personalities. I promise. Play this game with empathy in your heart. But play it!

I really don't understand why people hate the game so much.
i mean i get it Andrew's and Ashley's relationship is really toxic and disgusting. first you have to go out of your way to get the incest route and it's a psychological horror it's supposed to be uncomfortable and it's not like the creator of the game is romanticizing those types of relationships .
the reason that I'm playing I'm really interested in the plot and choices and what will happen next i understand the hate but i feel like it's kind of excessive to a point.

if you love incest eating people cult hate crimes murder getting rid of the evidence then this is the perfect game for you

The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is one of those games I will remember for far more than just ‘a story.’

The music is genuinely one of the strongest parts of the experience for me. It's so unique and so perfectly fitting for each scene and moment that it starts to feel like a connected part of the story itself, not just background music. It might not be as 'dynamic' as something like DDLC (Doki Doki Literature Club), but in terms of expressiveness it goes even further in a different way. The strange, unnamable sounds used in the tracks, the variety, the atmosphere, everything about it is incredible. As someone who's very into music and sound design, I was honestly stunned by the OST. I cannot hear a single track from this game without my mind immediately filling in that same dystopian dread the story gives off.

The story and its execution are obviously the main highlight of the game, no surprise. A lot has already been said about the story itself, so I will not go too deep into that in my review. What I will say is that I love how the “main story” never really goes from point A to point B. The memories and dream sequences (that also often contain large chunks of past moments) make every chapter feel much fuller. Every time I replay parts of it, it makes me more aware of how much is actually packed in between the main story beats. I love that, because it adds so much to the feeling that things are not very structural or organized, just like their lives. They keep going, but everything is all over the place, a lot has happened, and they are just continuing anyway. Even if it wasn't fully intentional, it's amazing work.

The art style is also very awesome. I really like it.

My main critique is the save file navigation. Many players, including me, want to revisit the different story paths that have been made so far, but currently it's very difficult to find the save file that brings you back to the exact decision point you need. I do like that the game asks you to save at important moments, but right now the save screen only shows a file number, the game version, which of Andrew and Ashley is present at that point, and how much time you have spent on the file. The only useful thing I am really using to find my way back is the playtime, and even then I end up opening the wrong file again and again. Most games solve this by adding a screenshot or snapshot of the save point, which makes it much easier to tell at a glance where in the story that save belongs. Even if you do not remember the exact moment, you can usually still narrow it down immediately.

I would love for there to be something clearer on the save file screen. And maybe, besides that, instead of showing the [game title + game version] above every file, it would be more useful to show the [route name & part + game version] there instead. The route name is already shown once a player enters that path, so it would be recognizable and it's not like it would spoil anything. I really hope navigating the save files becomes easier later on.


That is the main part of my review, though I will edit it if I remember or find anything else to add. Either way, this game is amazing. The story has such deep meaning, and there is so much great about it.
I am genuinely excited for what's still to come for TCOAAL.

If your only notion of this game is "funny incest game" I encourage you to take another look. The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is a beautifully written exploration of trauma and some dark themes. If you're at all a fan of visual novel games or psychological horror, you can't go wrong here.

love how deadly attachment and co-dependence r being painted in this game. bad parenting wins again❤️!!!!!

Ignore the "durrrrr inthetht" crowd, you'd probably do the same thing if you were in their situation.

Fascinating game. Incredible exploration of toxic relationships, how they develop, and ways to heal from them.

Banger music! This game sends me through wild emotions, there's wholesome moments in the middle of complete atrocities, humor when there's almost no hope left, it's just a great experience.

Author, you are a gem!

It's absurd that this game is overwhelmingly positive on steam. This is one of the worst games I've ever played in my life. The story is all edgy themes and shock value, it feels like there's no real message here, just a need to be edgy and different, with every step the narrative takes being towards something taboo. The "dark comedy" is just 12 year old edge lord humor, and the "gameplay" is so extremely boring, just a normal visual novel engine with repetitive puzzles (the "puzzles" are usually just "pick up item and bring it somewhere"). I understand it's a visual novel, but games with a lack of good gameplay usually have a good story or a gimmick (ex. ddlc's meta narrative) to make up for it. And the cherry on top, are unnecessary incestual themes.