The release of Netflix’s newest drama-thriller, Squid Game, has taken the world by storm, though its themes and visuals are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Following an impoverished man desperate to pay off his debts, Squid Game centers around the question: what would you do for a nearly endless amount of money? 455 other people in extreme poverty- just like main character Seong Gi-Hun- agree to enter the mysterious Squid Game in the hopes of securing roughly $38,206,000. However, things soon take a sinister twist.

Players are forced to participate in various childhood playground games such as “Red Light Green Light” and “Marbles,” but with a deadly twist. The players soon find that the only way to escape Squid Game both alive—and rich—is to win.

Squid Game explores themes such as human nature, survival, and greed in a horrific yet enthralling way. At times it’s painful to watch, but you just can’t look away.

Each and every character has several layers to them that get slowly unpacked as the series unravels. From the main character to even side characters with only a few spoken lines, it feels like each character has their own story and purpose. While some characters seem to grow through the series, others seem to fall prey to the prospect of becoming rich and lose all humanity. Or maybe they were never human from the start.

In addition, Netflix has stated that Squid Game is one of the most popular shows they have ever released. It topped Bridgerton and The Witcher in popularity upon release and has been number one on Netflix’s top series listing for over a week. Social media also can’t get enough. Memes have begun circling Tik Tok surrounding the series, only boosting it in popularity.

Squid Game is an addicting roller coaster that once you start, you won’t be able to stop watching. It follows many dark twists and turns and if you watch it, you’ll probably need to free up your next couple of hours to process what just happened. For viewers brave enough to tackle the dark world of Squid Game, I could not recommend it enough.