Everhood is half surreal indie adventure game, half nonviolent shoot-em-up, and one hundred percent justification for the existence of its soundtrack.

Playing it feels like you’re living someone else’s dream. Everhood: An Ineffable Tale of the Inexpressible Divine Moments of Truth, to use its full title exactly once, goes from gleefully weird to outright psychedelia early on. Much of Everhood would fit right in if it were projected onto the wall above the DJ booth at a trance show.

It’s an odd experience, though, due to its lack of focus and steep difficulty curve. I admire the sheer inventiveness of it, and the music is great, both for its own sake and in the way Everhood uses it, but the game is almost too self-consciously odd for its own good.

There are two main games in Everhood. One is a pixel-art adventure game where you explore a series of open maps to solve puzzles, collect items, and meet a cast of eccentric characters. It’s a pure shot of Super Nintendo nostalgia, and I can’t help but appreciate it.