Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car
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Earth is a war-torn world. A surviving faction decides to build a ship to travel into space in search of a new home. Our protagonist is a woman only known as “Traveller.” She is heavily involved in these efforts, and during this time, her daughter, Penelope, is born.
Soon after Penelope begins to speak and walk, it’s time to board the ship, aka the “Ark,” and leave Earth behind. A new, yet unknown future awaits Traveller and her daughter. Whether they arrive there together is another issue...
Gameplay
The Traveller is custom choice-based game that resembles a visual novel. Its story is narrated in first-person from Traveller’s perspective.
And it’s long. Or maybe it feels longer. While the Ark’s departure marks the end of the intro, the “main” gameplay is initiated when Traveller crashes into an alien planet while on a scouting mission. It’s assumed that she’s dead… and the Ark leaves her behind, kicking off the overarching premise: Will she ever reunite with Penelope?
Even then, it takes a bit for the gameplay to get moving. The planet you’re on (Spoiler - click to show)has a friendly alien, “Calypso,” who helps repair your shuttle. You can either stay and end the game here or leave to track down the Ark. You then spend the rest of the game going from planet to planet in search of answers. Unfortunately, it’s not that interactive. I can count the number of choice-making opportunities in the entire game on both hands, and it’s either casual dialogue or a major decision. (Spoiler - click to show)Like whether to stay on the first planet.
Despite the limited interactivity, there is decent replay value. I almost overlooked this. I played it a few years back, and upon revisiting, it felt different. I knew something was off when I got to the (Spoiler - click to show)grassy planet. Due to the length, I didn’t want to keep replaying it. But I also wanted answers. Here’s what I learned:
(Spoiler - click to show)(For context, there are five alien planets. Calypso’s is the first. After that, we investigate the coordinates of three planets that the Ark had planned on visiting.)
You choose the order in which you visit these three planets, and the order affects what you find there because each one is facing its own crisis. For example, if you visit the grassy planet first, you find a reptilian species in the earlier stages of a civil war. If second, the main conflict is already underway, and if third, you are greeted by the winning faction.
What occurs on these planets has no broader effect on the game. Once the player has visited all three, they are sent automatically to the fifth planet for the end. Nonetheless, this was a fantastic way to add variety and worldbuilding!
Having played this years ago, I will say that the minimal interactivity gave the false impression that the gameplay was completely linear. It makes me wonder whether players put the game aside after playing it once without realizing what they missed. However, if it’s meant to be played more than once, it would be nice if the player could skip the opening scenes after their first playthrough. With that said:
SAVE THE GAME AFTER YOU LEAVE THE FIRST ALIEN PLANET.
Only going to play it once? Here’s the path I recommend: (Spoiler - click to show)Grassy (green) planet, Volcanic (orange) planet, Jungle (blue) planet. There is no perfect path, but for one playthrough, this gives you the most content and is generally more optimistic.
Story
After everything the protagonist goes through, the story starts to feel like a saga. (Spoiler - click to show)No, she does not reunite with Penelope.
Too blunt? That’s how it is in the game.
Let’s put it this way.
(Spoiler - click to show)Penelope is dead by the time we catch up to the Ark and the planet it landed on. There is a digital memorial of her being interviewed throughout various stages of her life. As a small child, as a teenager, as a grown woman… as an old woman. She died of old age.
In the video, Penelope reveals that she had no memory of her mother because she was too young when Traveller died. (I don’t think she was that young, but fair enough). The kicker is when she’s asked if she ever thought of her mother. Penelope essentially says, “Nope. Didn’t think of her.”
I must hand it to her; Traveller takes this news remarkably well.
Meanwhile, I was more annoyed than anything else. I am glad that Traveller’s absence was not a burden on Penelope. From what we’re told, she became Governor of the new colony. The memorial alone says a lot about what people thought of her.
But for the player, who’s been waiting it out, the dual reveal of A, Penelope being dead, and B, her shrugging off the protagonist, was a gut punch. It felt like the author decided to sacrifice a carefully woven narrative in favor of a shocking reveal. From the start, the game cultivates this relationship between the protagonist and her daughter, and throughout the game, she appears to communicate with Penelope via her dreams. All this subtly and depth is then abruptly axed.
Or maybe the execution could have been better. In that sense, I suppose I’m not outright against the ending, only how it kicks the player when they’re down. Mixed feelings about it, at best. Mostly annoyance. And that’s probably not what the author had in mind.
At least, you get a choice on how to move forward.
Am I here to stay, or just a traveller?
[I'm here to stay.]
[I'm just a traveller.]
The player can either stay with the human colony or leave and continue exploring the universe. Interestingly, we’ve been away for so long that we’re somewhat of an outsider to the colony. Is it too late to go back to Calypso?
Thoughts
My impression of the ending was not helped by its logistics. This is what bugs me: If Penelope died an old woman, how old are we? As her parent, we should have died long ago. And I’m skeptical that it’s been that long.
While it’s never explained how fast spacecraft can travel in the story, the early gameplay on the Ark gives us a sense of travel time. It appears that these ships aren’t puttering along. Reaching another star system is no problem. The travel time, however, is long enough to justify putting people into stasis to pass the time and conserve resources.
We haven't figured out how to keep a person in stasis successfully for too long, so each 'night' lasts approximately three weeks...
Sleep for three weeks, wake up, repeat. Not perfect, but it works. (Conveniently, Calypso repairs our shuttle with stasis tech that works the same way but allows longer sleep periods.) Anyway, the commander tells us about an approaching star system, the same system of planets that we explore later in the game.
Commander: The first is only a few days away. The others are farther, but if we stretch the stasis systems we could get to the next one within a few months.
Doesn’t seem that long of a wait. And you can skip having to wait at all by using the stasis system to sleep it off in cycles.
Seeing how events unfold on the three planets also provides a general estimate of how much time passes when you go from planet to planet. Considerable time, yes, but certainly not long enough for Penelope to grow old and die. Though the game does say that the coordinates to the fifth and final planet are farther away.
And if it HAS been long enough for Penelope to die of old age, we would have died from old age before that. Yes, stasis tech knocks you out. But it works by injecting you with drugs to fall asleep. No mention of your body being preserved from aging.
I realize that I’m overthinking it. But I’m only doing so because I’m upset about the ending.
Characters/Worldbuilding
Despite what I’ve said already, I want you to know that this game is more than its immediate story. Along the way there are secondary narratives that carry a similar weight. The author has a talent for writing sci-fi that exists on a larger scale where multiple worlds and civilizations are woven together to create a saga-like quilt of a story. Like The Traveller.
Characters are the most compelling when you meet them for the first time. Traveling to a unique, alien world to face its challenges only to leave it all behind is exhilarating! Though the lack of interactivity dampens the effect, I was eager to see what the next planet had to offer. It's only until you leave (Spoiler - click to show)Calypso’s planet that you start to see how long the game is.
PC
From the start, Traveller proves herself to be something of a badass, and this never changes as she looks for her daughter (Penelope is quite loveable). Later, people refer to her as the “savior of Earth,” and while I wish the game would elaborate on this since it’s quite a title, there is no denying that she had a major role in kickstarting the Ark’s journey.
Being a parent is a key part of her character, and we feel this as we experience the story’s events from her perspective. Like when the Ark leaves her behind. Our radio can hear the Ark’s we-are-leaving broadcast… but is too damaged to send a response. We just listen as the broadcast is like, “farewell to those who didn’t survive, etc.” And leaves. With Penelope. Who now thinks we’re dead. Talk about an emotional scene.
NPCs
I don’t want to spoil everything, but we do meet four alien species. While they have different cultures and physical biology, our interactions with them reveal a recurring theme: that family structures can take different forms. For some, the process of raising and protecting individual children is like that of humans. Meanwhile, another species eliminated individualism altogether, making any distinction between parent and child obsolete- this results in an interesting discussion.
The Greek mythology symbolism of Calypso was clever. Their planet, and its depiction of alien life, was one of my favorite parts. Leaving was sad. That said, if you choose to stay on the planet and end the game early, it does feel like a complete ending.
Calypso: It was my pleasure.
:(
Also, the romance with Scout was sweet, but totally came out of nowhere. Does anyone feel the same way?
Visuals
The author’s commitment to the game’s art is impressive. Everything is illustrated, while dialogue is displayed in a see-through text box at the bottom of the screen. For most of the game, the visuals consist of a backdrop with a character portrait facing the screen, though brief cutscenes may deviate from this.
It is a gorgeous game. Especially the planets, which each have at least one unique landscape. The character portraits display a range of emotions. Occasionally, this means that the faces look off kilter, but I much prefer this over static expressionless imagery. I can only imagine the time it took for the author to create everything.
Final thoughts
The Traveller has many strengths that include its extensive art, emotional depth, creative worldbuilding, and a memorable depiction of parental determination. And yet, when all these are brought together, the result is not a seamless experience.
Low interactivity is the main issue. Meanwhile, the parts with replay value are likely to be overlooked. If you’ve played this game once and thought you’ve seen it all, you’d be mistaken. Unfortunately, the game’s length doesn’t inspire replays, unless you had the foresight to save the game in advance. Plus, some frustrations about story execution.
But beneath all this is a truly ambitious and unique work of science fiction. It just also seems like a game that can easily go unappreciated. And in that sense, I consider it a hidden gem. In fact, it’s one of the first games I think of when it comes to parent protagonists in interactive fiction. My advice for you is to approach The Traveller as if it were a visual novel and save the game before exploring the other planets.
your guide to meaningful community life, post-apocalypse, November 15, 2025standing on the porch in the morning…
wake up
Drift Mine Satellite is a custom choice-based “maintenance text adventure” about preparing for a community member’s birthday- but with a sci-fi twist. You live in a limestone mine located in an asteroid. Sealed off from the outside, the mine contains a community that has, against all odds, flourished. Will it last?
A question for another time. You have a birthday to plan.
Gameplay
We begin by waking up in the protagonist’s home: a repurposed train car. Checking our email reveals a message from a friend named Angela.
subject: IMPORTANT. open asap.
It’s her birthday. Apparently, it’s our job to get everything ready. And so, the gameplay’s main objectives are to arrange cake, music, and decorations for the party. We also complete maintenance tasks along the way. We are, after all, the community’s go-to person for fixing things.
Environment
Drift Mine Satellite takes a fantastic minimalist approach to its gameplay. No room descriptions. Only individual words on the screen that represent objects and people. These can be clicked on for more content and interaction. Even here, the word count is minimal, though still impactful.
The game gives the player free range of movement to explore the setting. To navigate the map, the player clicks on arrows at the side of the screen. Clickable signposts are placed throughout for guidance. All of this gives the impression of a parser in choice-based format.
Puzzles
I was intrigued by the game’s approach to puzzles: It flat-out tells you the solution to every puzzle, eliminating in solution guessing. Instead, the challenge rests on acquiring the item needed for the solution. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)examining your mirror has a link that says, “take a photograph of yourself.” If you do not have a camera in your inventory, the game says, “you need a camera to do this,” indicating that we should be on the lookout for a camera. I liked this! Streamlined and uncomplicated.
And a nice change of pace since puzzles in choice-based games usually involve the player selecting an inventory item and applying it somewhere in the gameplay. In these cases, the player may choose the wrong item or have a difficult time knowing what is needed. Not a problem in Drift Mine Satellite.
Story
More like overarching story. As we wander the limestone tunnels, questions inevitably emerge. How did everyone end up here? Did something happen to Earth? What’s up with the shrine? Will it be possible to leave someday? No one, aside from the astronomer, mentions any of this. It’s up to the player to piece it all together, if they want to.
Library archives
Underground mine. Somewhere in asteroid belt. What else? One of my favorite things about this game is its subtle worldbuilding, particularly with the library archives. The section titled “asteroid (mining)” contains a model of an asteroid:
a tiny model of an asteroid… a cutaway view shows that the inside has been hollowed out. a section has been converted to housing. minuscule models of miners are positioned around the base. some seem to be having a party.
Remind you of anything?
There’s also (Spoiler - click to show)an advertisement for “apocalypse shelters.” We also learn of a debris field orbiting Earth. I think it’s safe to say that an apocalypse of some kind happened on Earth that drove at least part of its population off planet. For the community, this meant taking refuge in a former mining facility.
Astronomer
While the archives tell us about the community’s past, the astronomer is where we get answers for the future.
Their telescope tracks the locations of celestial objects. Except these objects’ positions have shifted, suggesting that the asteroid is drifting from its usual area. We then contact Earth’s navigation satellites for more information. Turns out, the asteroid is not drifting. Rather, the satellites have slowly desynced from each other.
From here, the astronomer tries to connect the dots. The satellites communicate with stations on the ground, but their desynchronization indicates that the ground stations are no longer working and/or being maintained. And if that’s the case…
…any survivors on Earth are dead or lack the means to keep things running. No one is going to arrive for the community. But this reveal lacks the doom and gloom one would typically expect. Earlier in the game, there is mention of the “S.O.S days.” A time when an S.O.S signal was regularly sent to Earth. This stopped years ago, simply because everyone was absorbed in building their community.
Or as the astronomer says, “it got kind of busy down here.” The community is content. This new discovery doesn’t change a thing.
Thoughts/Themes
The author describes Drift Mine Satellite as a “utopian apocalypse fantasy.” Despite the community’s less-than-happy origins, we see nothing but optimism and gratitude. It’s refreshing to see a game with a post-apocalyptic setting take a more positive route.
Repurposed technology and self-sufficiency are frequent themes. Living under a mountain of limestone and sealed from the outside world, community members live in makeshift homes built from disused vehicles. Solar panels became tables. Patched generators are repatched. Scraps of materials are valued. Nothing is ever fully discarded.
Plus, everyone seems happy with what they have. They grow a communal garden, play cards, run a library, and happily celebrate Angela’s birthday.
what little green does make it to dinner plates is well-loved.
There is occasional yearning for life that was. The shrine has unsent letters and the protagonist’s dreams include scenes from their life on Earth. But ultimately, no one expresses any interest in leaving.
(Spoiler - click to show)That said, one cannot help but contemplate the long-term implications for this community. The fertilizer-creating goat will die someday. Every bulb will eventually burn out. Ms. Borowski can only make so many chocolate cakes before she runs out of ingredients. The signs are there.
…running on a dwindling supply of AA's…
…honestly, a lot of outages... probably half the network is offline?...
…continuing failures in the transmission lines…
But for now, everyone lives in the present. The community’s future is not something we need to worry about in the game.
Visuals
I covered part of this in the Gameplay section. The game’s minimalist design also applies to its appearance. Its appearance is of a white background with only a handful of clickable words scattered across the screen. Text is black and may be positioned at different angles to mimic a room’s layout. Occasionally, black-and-white stars and planet symbols will appear on the screen. The astronomer’s map was especially cool.
Final thoughts
Drift Mine Satellite is a game that offers both cozy gameplay and a thoughtful story. But there’s something about it that feels different. The minimal design, for instance. Who knew that a game without room descriptions could be so immersive? I also enjoyed playing a non-Twine choice-based game with parser-like feel.
Its well-roundedness will appeal to most audiences. It’s a maintenance game with simplified gameplay, and an excellent sci-fi option for those who normally dislike science fiction. Much of it leans towards slice of life. And while there’s not a lot of technical challenge, that doesn't mean you won’t enjoy it. Consider giving Drift Mine Satellite a try.
(...one last thing...)
The game was commissioned for Solar Protocol, a network of solar powered servers that connects from whatever server is in the most sunshine.
If you decide to play, it will be a solar-powered experience. According to the game’s website, anyone who plays does so on a solar-powered server. That is so cool.
baby:OFF is a short Ink game submitted to Bare-Bones Jam 2025. It follows a protagonist who is struggling with the aftermath of a failed relationship with someone named TJ. To cope, they buy a customizable android known as a “GenDroid.” Designed to look exactly like TJ, the protagonist calls the android Not-TJ.
Gameplay is rather linear. It all takes place in a cheap motel where the protagonist is getting personal with Not-TJ. Choices are made to alter the immediate moment but have no broader effect on the story in general. However, the player’s choices reveal different details about the story, providing incentive for multiple playthroughs.
I want to give a quick shoutout to the writing.
Firmly secured under heavy layers of bubble wraps and blocky styrofoam was her sleeping figure... A sleeping doll yet to experience the world outside its cocoon.
There’s something about its descriptiveness. It does a good job at helping you visualize the technology featured in the story.
TJ
I wish there was more backstory on the protagonist’s relationship with TJ because what we’re told feels extremely one-sided. It sounds like TJ had a controlling streak towards loved ones that would manifest physically and emotionally. But when the protagonist started to become more successful in life, TJ ended things out of jealousy. That’s pretty much it.
Using their new wealth, the protagonist then bought a GenDroid to model after TJ. A recurring theme is how the protagonist simultaneously relished and despised TJ’s destructiveness towards them. Not-TJ serves as a way for them to revisit this dynamic on their own terms.
Despite the overall antagonization of TJ’s character, I liked that the game also recognizes her as a person with multiple dimensions, and this is symbolized through how she experimented with different hair colours.
Sun-kissed brown.
Aimless.
Vulnerable.
Honest.
Of course, in Not-TJ’s case, this is just another thing we control.
Not-TJ
In creating Not-TJ, the protagonist projects their past onto something they can control: An android, programmed to serve. Whether that be for expressing affection or acting as a means for the protagonist to vent their frustration. And yet, it feels hollow. GenDroids sell a fantasy for the consumer. Any obedience or affection is the product of an algorithm.
Until Not-TJ challenges this by deviating from their original programming.
Briefly, the game discusses “Song Bug,” a computer glitch that can supposedly cause GenDroids to develop consciousness. At one point, the protagonist is forced to consider this possibility with Not-TJ.
Not-TJ brushes its small finger on the edge of your thigh. This is not one of TJ's gestures. Where did it learn this? Were you the one who taught it to act this way?
"Please forget her," it continues, "there is only me here with you."
For our protagonist this is quite a shock and opens the door to all kinds of uncertainty. Throughout the game there is a subtle flip-flop of “it” and “she” when referring to Not-TJ.
You swear you detect hurt in its voice. It can't be, can it? Would she cry tears if she could? Abstain from apologising if you tinker with her programming?
This illustrates the protagonist’s indecisiveness with viewing Not-TJ as a controllable object and viewing them as a self-aware individual capable of experiencing love. Ultimately, they spend the night together.
The game snowballs from here, wrapping up surprisingly quickly.
(Spoiler - click to show)When we wake up, Not-TJ is now “NJ.” I’m not sure what “NJ” means. A typo or variation of “TJ?” Either way, the protagonist’s view of their companion has clearly changed. Before we can explore this further, the phone rings. Someone named Brighty. Our dialogue with him implies that we’re in a relationship, possibly like the one we had with TJ. Could we be cheating on him with NJ?
There’s really only one ending. We promise to be home soon and hang up. The only difference is that sometimes the game ends with the protagonist crying afterwards. Either way, the game ends here.
This sort of felt like a cliffhanger to me. And a bit vague. Is the “Song Bug” responsible for NJ’s deviation from their programming? What is the implication of the protagonist viewing Not-TJ as NJ? I feel like there is character development that gets cut short.
I’m also curious about the title. Initially, I figured it had to do with being able to choose if your android is off or on. But then when Brighty calls…
"Baby, babes, babe..." Brighty clicks his tongue.
Does this have any correlation with the title as well? Or am I overthinking it? I’ve got so many questions, but only because I’m really curious about the game’s world.
Final thoughts
I realize that baby:OFF may have subtleties that were lost on me, but overall, I liked the ideas presented. The writing is descriptive and precise, allowing us to view the world, or at least its technology, from the protagonist’s perspective. And while there’s sexual content, it never felt overwhelming or distracted from the story.
However, the ending feels too abrupt to be conclusive. So many interesting developments that get cut short. Also, I wish the game was less one-sided in its coverage of the protagonist’s relationship with TJ. Interesting characters, that’s all.
A memorable game, nonetheless.
What comes to mind when someone says that a game is "cozy?" There is no single answer to this question, but Marshmallow Nights certainly qualifies. Cozy inside and out.
It’s a short Twine game about spending time with your best friend on a cold, brisk night. It begins outside where you and your friend are sitting on a hill. Your friend pulls out a bag of marshmallows and challenges you to a contest. I can't really discuss the game further without spoiling everything but just know that this is a friendly contest. Regardless of what you choose in the game, it always ends on a soothing, cozy note.
The visuals enhance the overall quality. It features a cream-coloured background with large grey text and light purple links. At the top of the screen is an animated graphic of a moon above a mountain landscape. The graphic’s purple/grey colour scheme harmonizes with the rest of the game's appearance, cementing the cozy effect.
My rating stems from the fact that it could be a little longer, even as "micro" game, but it does make the most of what it has to offer. There is a potency in the writing and how it sets the scene for us. No matter what, Marshmallow Nights will lead to a satisfying outcome.
You are an A.I. of a maternity ward. You’ve calculated that humanity is on the verge of being wiped out by human-driven climate collapse. But today, a child was born. Somehow you just know that this child will be the one to save the human race.
Tabula Rasa is a Twine game that revolves around a single action: inputting numerical values to create the “perfect” family for the child. If the child is going to save the world they need an adequate family, right? It’s all up to you!
Gameplay
The child’s family is defined by four qualities, such as wealth, that you set by typing a number from one to five into a text box. Then you press enter.
(…25 years go by…)
The game then reveals if the child- now an adult- succeeded in saving the planet. The end.
There’s not a lot going on here. It begins and ends in a matter of seconds.
Characters
Despite the child’s status as the “Chosen One,” we don’t know anything about them. As for us… Look, I realize that this game most likely isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Even so, I found the A.I.’s entitlement to be extremely off-putting.
Never mind the child's biological parents.
Wait a minute. There’s no moral consideration to this whatsoever. No acknowledgement of what the parents may think. No follow up, nothing. (But humanity is on the line!) Nope, it still bugs me.
Story
I don’t even know where to start. The game is too short to truly have a story.
By your calculations, this child is the absolute last chance for humanity.
Out of all the A.I.s on the planet, the one that steps up to save the day is some random A.I. in a hospital that (somehow) has the foresight to know that this specific child will be the Chosen One to save humanity? The logistics of it all. Make. No. Sense.
??? You’re an A.I. who took a child from their parents because you thought you knew what was best for everyone. What makes you the expert on what the “right” family would be for this child? Everything in the game is underscored by this outrageous fact.
Perhaps the author intends this to be a silly game. If so, it misses the target. The player is more inclined to fuss over the details than to find it humorous. And if the goal is to share a message about saving the planet, the endings have no basis for discussion.
Your child grew up happy, healthy, and well-adjusted! And also uninclined to do anything about global warming.
What kind of message is this? Being well-adjusted means you won’t do anything about global warming?
Endings
I will say, I was motivated to find all six endings. The column on the left side of the screen keeps track of the endings you’ve reached. For example, if you reach Ending 2, a “2” lights on the column. Something about this really made me want to see all six numbers light up. No gaps between numbers. I had to find all six.
And I did. (Spoiler - click to show)Ending 1 is the “win” ending.
Visuals
I appreciate that Tabula Rasa offers more than Twine’s default appearance. A black and white image of a forest is used as a backdrop. The image does look a bit like something you might find in a horror game. However, it does an excellent job at making the white text stand out. It’s noticeable enough to keep things interesting. And yet, you hardly notice it’s there. The seafoam blue links were also well-chosen.
Final thoughts
Do I give Tabula Rasa one or two stars? The gameplay is non-existent, and the story is pretty much the same way. I really can’t tell what kind of experience the author had in mind for the player. Everything about it seems to fall short.
What gets me (aside from the child-snatching A.I.) is that the central gameplay mechanic is reduced to the player punching in numbers to see what sticks rather than engaging the player in any meaningful way.
On the other hand, it did have enough of a draw for me to want to find every ending. And I must admit that the design choices elevate the overall quality. There are plenty of ways it could be worse…
What the heck. Two stars.
You were only a courier until you agreed to run deliveries for the resistance and even then, you had no further involvement.
And yet, here you are, trapped in a lab with law enforcement closing in…
Masks is a short Twine game about protest and defiance in the face of brute force. You play as a courier in the middle of a delivery gone sideways. It brought you to a university campus lab, but the recipients have vanished. Meanwhile, city-wide protests prevent you from leaving.
Gameplay
Gameplay is linear and involves waiting for the inevitable raid by law enforcement. It begins in the lab where we've been hiding for several days. Equipment in the lab monitors the air quality and sound levels in the room. We soon learn why: law enforcement’s go-to tactic against dissenters is tear gas and loud noise.
Every night the police blast a playlist of weaponized sound through the streets below.
There's not much for us to do than to look out the window and wait. The turning point occurs when (Spoiler - click to show)we decide to open the package we were tasked to deliver. Inside are some masks. The player selects a mask to wear and waits as the door is torn down. Game ends.
I’ve got mixed feelings about this. While it’s a suspenseful way to end the game, it also leaves the player wanting more from their experience.
Story/Themes
While details are kept at a minimum, it portrays a society undergoing a spike in violence against civilian protesters. Most of these protestors appear to be students. Aside from that, all we know is that something is happening. The game was inspired by the Hong Kong 2019 protests but leaves the game’s story open-ended for the player.
The futility of the protagonist’s situation is underscored by the resilience they feel when they discover the masks in the package.
It’s just a mask. But it’ll have to do.
In this case, a single mask is not going to save you from what's coming. But it does allow you to face it on your own terms. The game ends before we see what happens next.
There is only one ending. However, the game always ends with a choice: “Once more or give up?” Choosing “once more” restarts the game. But if you choose to give up, the game does not let you.
You cannot give up.
The game then begins again, reinforcing its point about not giving up.
Design
Overall appearance consists of a basic white screen, large grey text, and blue links. Word-count is kept to a minimum. A creative feature is the use of colour-coded icons on the left side of the screen that depicts air quality and sound levels. This allows us to see when these levels become unbearable for our character.
An acoustic cannon perforates your bones.
It doesn’t take long for the levels to go from green to red.
Masks also demonstrates how timed text can build suspense at key moments. Here, text automatically changes as the situation escalates, emphasizing the inevitable descent of police forces on your hiding spot.
An explosion out in the hallway rocks the lab. They’re here.
The game ends with (Spoiler - click to show)a ten second countdown as the barricaded door- your only exit- is torn down. This is effective in making the player feel just as helpless as the protagonist.
Final thoughts
As an overall concept, Masks is a well-rounded game especially being only 2-3 minutes long. However, the content’s depth is surface-deep. I understand the game limits its exposition to be more open-ended. The downside of this sparseness is loss of the subtly behind the protagonist’s situation, making it difficult to find deeper insights.
Nonetheless, Masks is a game that stands out for both its meaningful subject matter and creative implementation. The author knows how to build a suspenseful scene with a smaller word-count. If you’re looking for an uncomplicated game with themes on protest, try Masks.
You are concerned about THE ENVIRONMENT, and want to do your part!
Individual Action Simulator is a brief Ink game that considers the impact an individual can make when trying to live more sustainably. Save the Earth one step at a time!
Gameplay is organized into days, and each day the player chooses an action from a list.
DAY 1
You decide to...
[Conserve electricity.]
[Take public transit to work.]
[Recycle.]
Points are awarded accordingly and indicate the difference you’ve made.
You gain 1 point(s)! Good job!
Later, this shifts to actions like donating to charity or switching to metal straws.
It doesn’t take long to realize that the game is a lesson in futility. Every few days, a random human-caused event occurs, harming the environment and overshadowing our progress.
Government environmental protection regulations were relaxed again after extensive lobbying.
You lose 1000000 point(s)...
By illustrating this imbalance of positive/negative impact, the point system highlights an important truth: As long as governments and corporations exploit the environment in drastic ways, recycling and going vegan, while sustainable, will not save the planet in the long term.
From here, the game loses traction. The only option we have is “protest.” Meanwhile, the point system falls apart.
You gain 1 point(s)
You gain 0 point(s)
You gain -1 point(s)
Next thing we know, the game is using random values like “??? points” or “0.5 points” that make no sense. The game then asks if we want to quit. Otherwise, we protest until the Earth is destroyed. I suppose the game is trying to send a message about the limitations of protest when saving the environment. However, this part of the gameplay is too sloppy and devoid of context for this message to have any platform to stand on.
Whether you choose to quit or protest until the Earth’s destroyed, a surprising twist is revealed: (Spoiler - click to show)Individual Action Simulator is a game within a game.
(Spoiler - click to show)The entire time, we’ve been playing as a character named Wei and hanging out with some friends and the game’s author, Noor. Having now played it, we’re asked about our thoughts on the game and its ideas. What follows is a short conversational segment where we choose responses to Noor’s questions. Then, everyone agrees to go get free trade coffee, and Individual Action Simulator ends for real.
The game is considerably stronger with this hidden twist at the end because it takes a self-reflective approach to the game’s content and has a more polished appearance. However, while the simulation’s crudeness is meant to reflect the fact that Noor created it on a whim, it still could have been more developed. The final product is a poorly implemented game that detracts from its own message-sharing potential.
Note on visuals: At first, I thought this was a Twine game. Turns out, it’s made with Ink. It uses a black screen, white text, and blue links, except for the (Spoiler - click to show)twist at the end which opts for a light grey screen, colour-coded character names, and cleaner formatting. This sudden change in appearance contributes to the player’s surprise at discovering the true nature of the game.
To conclude, Individual Action Simulator has the right idea but misses the mark in its overall execution. I’m glad that it challenges the view that recycling and other sustainable practices will not offset the ongoing destruction that humanity inflicts on the environment. Sustainable efforts must occur at both the individual and organizational level.
Unfortunately, the potency of this message is diminished by the sparse and sloppy gameplay implementation. The (Spoiler - click to show)twist at the end helps but is not enough to save the entire game. That said, if the author were to revisit this topic in a future game, I’d be interested.
thought-provoking, substantial, eerie, November 8, 2025*If you've played The Sims 2, odds are you have been freaked out by stories of how easy it is for the game to get corrupted, and the crazy things that can happen if it does.
I want to start by saying that I was greatly impressed with The Sims 2 Corruption Creepypasta (aka TS2CC). While it’s more of an essay than a conventional Twine game, it strikes a balance between the two by combining fascinating, in-depth analysis with surprising interactivity. It's also a submission to Bare-Bones Jam 2025.
The Sims is a popular life simulation series. There have been rumors that its second installment, The Sims 2, can be horribly corrupted if the player performs certain actions, with unsettling results. Ultimately, there is no basis for these rumors. A mere myth. TS2CC seeks to understand why this myth flourished so easily…
What is it about these myths that has convinced, and, in some sense, captivated people for so long? Why have they been shared, amplified, built upon, and believed?
…and why it manages to retain its allure even after being discredited. To answer these questions, TS2CC compares The Sims 2 corruption myth to creepypastas about technology-related fears.
PART A: Gameplay/Design
The execution of this game is fantastic. It’s what earns TS2CC its fifth star.
Gameplay
Despite being an essay, TS2CC makes good use of the Twine format to include interactive content, elevating the essay from merely something we read to something that provides an experience. Something playable.
Interactivity is surface-deep and does not affect the gameplay’s linearity. Its potency lies in building atmosphere and providing ways for the player to engage with passages while reading. What’s remarkable is how this interactivity injects a subtle weirdness that pairs well with the essay’s topic. For example, the section that discusses intentional corruption has a link that, when clicked on, causes a passage’s text to shift and distort.
Even the cover art is spooky.
My only complaint is that the game (Spoiler - click to show)simply ends with a link-less passage and no indicator that the game is over. The writing implies that it is, but at the same time, players are left wondering if they’ve landed on a broken passage. A small confirmation would be appreciated.
Design
The Bare-Bones Jam is a perfect fit for this game. Entries are required to stick to their system’s default format. As a Twine game, TS2CC has a black background, white text, and blue links: Twine’s default. Jam or no Jam, this appearance works well for an essay because it’s easy to read and avoids distractions. The simplicity of this also keeps the spotlight on the interactivity.
And yet, the game finds ways to keep things visually interesting. One of my favorite moments is (Spoiler - click to show)when the game explains how glitches alter the familiarity of a game… and a creepy face appears. It’s composed of dozens of periods (“.”) which adds a visual element without breaking the Jam’s rules.
PART B: Content
TS2CC takes an analytic approach to its subject matter. The author clearly did their research- literally. The in-game Reference page will take you to the sources that the author used for writing the essay.
The player is introduced to a range of ideas and concepts, which can initially feel overwhelming. I had to play the game multiple times before I could follow the main arguments. But I loved gaining new insight in the process.
I will now share some things that stood out to me. Consider this part of the review as how I understand the game's concepts. Input welcome.
General ideas
TS2CC contemplates the "game object" which refers to the game itself, not the gaming experience we get from playing it. By responding to the player’s choices, the game object grants that person agency over it. But when a glitch occurs, "it's something the game object does in spite of the player's intentions," resulting in the loss of this agency over something you previously controlled and thought you understood.
This dynamic is showcased in “glitch horror,” a genre of horror that capitalizes on these fears and anxieties about technology. An example of a glitch horror game is "Ben Drowned."
Creepypasta like Ben Drowned dramatize a fear of loss of agency before the machine. Not only that, but loss of agency over something that used to be deeply familiar.
Glitch horror is often used in creepypastas. Creepypasta refers to horror stories/legends that are posted and circulated around the internet, often inspiring new iterations. Slender Man is a popular example. The Sims 2 corruption myth also fits the bill given how it continues to lurk in the minds of players and online forums.
From the sound of it, content that preys on our fears fascinates us in equal measure.
Corruption myth
The author claims that while the magnetic draw of The Sims corruption myth is akin to the fascination around glitch horror creepypastas, the base fear factor- or what makes this corruption particularly frightening to the viewer- is different.
The scariness of corruption in The Sims is "because it speaks to the lack of mastery of the overwhelming majority of people who use computers." Less about losing control and more about finding yourself face-to-face with something too complex to understand.
This is where I start to lose focus.
It sounds like the author is saying that when a Sims game is corrupted, it forces the user to engage with the technical side of the simulation, and that the user’s inability to understand this side is what makes corruption in The Sims so unnerving (I assume the author is referring to the average person). Apparently, the fear of this happening is so strong that some players avoid the game altogether.
Regarding this argument, I don’t entirely see how the technical details of The Sims would trigger a fear of corruption. I could understand being disturbed if this corruption produced horrifying results, as is the case with the corruption myth.
…bizarre effects such as attaching furniture to Sims' heads, turning Mrs. Crumplebottom into a bald and barefoot stalker…
But not so much with being unable to understand the ins and outs of how the simulation works. In this sense, I would just find it frustrating because the game isn’t working and I don’t know how to fix it. Well, I suppose a glitch is the same way: a machine fails to work the way it should. Still, I have a harder time drawing a parallel between the two.
Besides, a quick look online shows people using mods and fooling around with the game’s settings. Your knowledge of how the game works may be limited, but that won’t necessarily stop you from finding ways to tinker with it beyond what the game was intended for.
Or is the fear of corruption in The Sims 2 because of how supposedly easy it is to trigger a corrupted state through basic actions? I’d love to hear more from the author on this!
Further discussion
Reading through the essay’s points on glitch horror, I couldn’t help but think of a Twine classic, the uncle who works for nintendo. Its premise is based on the urban legend that kids could gain early access to video games if they had a family member, often an uncle, employed by Nintendo.
I’m not sure if it can be fully categorized as glitch horror, but there are elements that elicit the nervousness of seeing a computer act in unexpected ways. SPOILERS.
(Spoiler - click to show)Those who’ve played it may remember the endings where your friend’s “uncle” arrives at the house to “eat” you. This scene is conveyed by rapidly filling the screen with red lines of corrupted code.
bad expression: HELLO CHILD
bad expression: $struggle = CEASE
bad expression: $screaming = CEASE
bad expression: I HAVE FRIENDS FOR YOU CHILD
bad expression: F̟R̎I͔E᷆N᷾D̔S̝͙̜ ᷿F̪O̷R͢ ̰Y̬O̾Ṳ
bad expression: I͍̓̓N̠̓̓ ̓̀̓T̓̊̓H̱̓̓Ẹ̺̓̓̓̓͝ ͍̓̓D̓̉̓A̱̓̓R̓᷀̓K̓̇̓
bad expression: Y͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̆̿O͈̠͈͈̠͈̞͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿U͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͧ̿ ͈̠͈͈̠͈͔͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿W͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͤ̿I͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̊̿͆̿̿͟L͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿͆̿L͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̆̿ ͈̠͈͈̠͈̹͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿P̡͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿L͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͩ̿A͈̠͈͈̠͈͕͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿Y͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿͢ ͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿͛̿F͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͪ̿O̡͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̿R͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̐̿E͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͭ̿V͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿᷀̿E͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿̈́̿R͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈͈̠͈̿ͨ̿
bad expression: I̴̢̬̘̟̬ͭ᷀ͭͭͫ̔ͭ̏̚N̬̬͌ͭ᷁ͫͭ̾́ͭͨ͡͏ͭ̈́ ̡̛̬̪̠᷂̬̱ͭͯͭ᷀ͭͭ͝T̶̟̬͚͉̬̊ͭ̔ͭ̓ͭͫ̐ͭ͏̸̸̸̨̞̬̩̬̬ͭͭ̽ͭͭ͟H̫̬̖͙̬̝ͭͭ᷀́̋ͭͭͩ͞Ě̬ͭͯ͏̦̞̬͍ͭ̆ͭ͆ͭ̉ ͎̬̲̪̬̓ͭͭ͒ͭ᷅̂ͭ͟͟D̴̛̬͕͇̬̼ͭͤͭ͗ͭͭ̂͞A̷̬̪̼̬̼ͣͭ͑ͭ᷆ͭ᷄ͭ͜R̬᷊̗̱̬᷊ͭ̆ͭͩ̒ͭͭ͒͜K̢̠̬̮̰̬ͭͭ̓̽ͭͥ̏ͭ͏
I have always found this deeply unsettling. (I love the game, btw).
However, the scariness stems from the game leaving it to the player’s imagination on what this scene entails for the PC rather than the fear of something actually being corrupted. In this case, corruption is portrayed superficially for storytelling purposes, and yet it makes me just as nervous as anything from the glitch horror genre.
Regardless of genre, the uncle who works for nintendo has plenty of relevant content to unpack. It even has unlockable author’s notes with a section on creepypasta. Playing TS2CC was a great excuse to revisit this!
Final thoughts
The Sims 2 Corruption Creepypasta is a stellar interactive essay made with Twine. It outlines the corruption myth and how it functions as a creepypasta. Fueled by our fear and fascination of corrupted technology, the myth lives on despite the consensus that it has no practical basis. I learned a lot.
Players may be turned off by the fact that it’s an essay, especially if the subject doesn’t interest them. But even if you merely skim the text, you can still appreciate the overall experience of its creepy interactivity.
I hope to see more of the author’s work in the future.
(edit: removed note after receiving clarification)
You open your eyes and slowly stand up. Trees surround you. It seems you woke up in a forest. You try to remember. Who are you and what are you doing here?
You wake up in a forest with no memory whatsoever. Not even your name. You have no other option than to get moving...
Gameplay
Following a brief intro in the forest, the gameplay takes place in a house. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but it’s clear that something happened inside this house. Gameplay is spent trying to find the truth.
There are only a handful of puzzles, and they are simple and intuitive. With one exception: (Spoiler - click to show)using the knife to enter the mirror portal. The command is “use knife on mirror.” However, there is nothing to suggest that the knife has any relevance to the mirror. I figured it out thanks to the comment section on the game’s website.
The implementation has room for improvement, particularly with verbs. That is, the game tends not to acknowledge them. Entering the house becomes needlessly frustrating.
> take key
You take the key.
> unlock front door
It is already unlocked.
> open front door
The front door is locked. You need a key to open it.
> unlock front door with key
That doesn't work.
The solution is: "Use key on front door." Because the game is made with Quest, I found it simpler to skip the keyboard and instead rely on the link-menu feature located at the top right corner of the screen.
Story/Characters
I was impressed with how the game builds the story in layers. Games featuring the amnesia trope run the risk of dumping major plot reveals on the player all at once. Texture does not do that. Its build-up is gradual… and then unexpectedly pulls a bait-and-switch that makes us reevaluate what we thought were established facts.
Often, my reviews provide heavy summaries because, A, I like discussing them, and B, it sets the stage for thoughts and analysis. PLEASE PLAY THE GAME FIRST.
(Spoiler - click to show)When you wake up in the middle of a forest with no memory, it’s usually an indicator that something drastic has happened. The truth lies inside the house. In the bedroom and bathroom, we find a bloody kitchen knife and an alarming amount of blood. Homicide. Could this be the work of a slasher serial killer? The truth is more mundane but just as tragic: domestic violence.
You're in the study of the house. Someone seems to have had a fight with a laptop and a lot of books.
A cursory glance around the house says it all. The interior has been smashed, and we find a discarded packet "that seems to have contained medication to treat chronic aggressive behaviour." We are clearly witnessing an aftermath. But right now, we only have questions.
What does all of this have to do with us? Why is there a bloodied portrait of a woman in the upstairs hallway?
The attic is where we start to find real answers. It contains a mirror and some lit candles. If you examine the mirror the game says, "Strangely enough, you can't see the image of yourself in it.” Players may come to the same conclusion as I did: we’re a ghost… of the person who was murdered, and we’ve returned because have unfinished business.
The mirror is a portal. A door. And the knife is the key. Stepping through the mirror takes us back to a moment after the murder but before the house was ransacked (no blood in the bedroom and bathroom, though). While we cannot leave the house, we can access the formerly smashed laptop. Its screen displays a chilling article: "Woman found dead in forest". That must be us! We are the ghost of the woman in the article and now have learned the awful truth.
…or have we? This is when the game pulls a nimble bait-and-switch: We’re not dead at all. We’re the dead woman’s husband, and we killed her.
This twist is revealed when we return to the present and recognize the woman in the hallway portrait as our dead wife. This jolts the protagonist’s memory of the murder, and the player is sent back to this exact moment: Bedroom. Wife is packing her bags. The game gives us little choice but to use the knife on her.
Cue the present, again. We’re in the bedroom, but we can only access the upstairs hallway because the staircase collapsed and there is rubble blocking the exits. The portrait has vanished, and in its place is a hole in the wall. We find a tree emblem that fits inside the hole. When we do this, we lose consciousness…
…and wake up in the forest with the police closing in to arrest us. Game ends.
Thoughts
What a ride. My speculation is this: (Spoiler - click to show)After the protagonist killed his wife and smashed everything in the house, he left and passed out in the forest. The entire gameplay was the protagonist dreaming/hallucinating about what happened only to be awakened by the arrival of law enforcement. Part of my guess is based on the inconsistencies between the mirror world and the timeline of the murder. If the mirror world takes place after the murder, why is there no blood where the murder happened? It couldn’t have been cleaned up because it’s there when we explore the house in the present.
I really like how the text at the end is reminiscent of the game’s opening.
(Spoiler - click to show)You open your eyes and slowly stand up. Trees surround you. It seems you woke up in a forest. A policeman shouts: "Police! Put your hands up!"
I am grateful that we got this ending. You see, the player spends most of the game thinking that they’re the ghost of a victim. Or at least I did. So, finding out that no, we’re the monster, elicits feelings of disgust. The murder scene is equally explicit and enraging. As a result, it is a relief to learn that the protagonist will ultimately be held accountable.
I know this is a small detail to complain about, but I don’t understand the (Spoiler - click to show)point of the tree emblem and the hole in the wall. What meaning does it have in the story? I suppose tree = forest, and we both start and end the game in a forest. Still, it felt like a weak attempt at incorporating one last puzzle before the game ended.
While I applaud the overall storytelling, there is space for growth. Room descriptions tend to be bare bones, and this is a missed opportunity to provide context on the story and give it more dimension. The layout of the house feels a bit odd, as if the author decided to only include the rooms that would have a purpose in the story. No living room?
Also, when you examine yourself, the game says, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” and “Your memory is gone.” Problem is, this stays the same after we regain our memories. It doesn’t make sense for the game to (Spoiler - click to show)force us into recreating the murder only to act like we have no memory of what is going on. It even would have been a perfect chance to elaborate on the protagonist and his history with his wife.
One last thing: I’m trying to figure out why the author chose “Texture” as the title. How does it fit into the game?
Visuals
As a Quest game, Texture uses background colours tailored to the player’s location. For example, when we’re in the forest, the background is green. (Spoiler - click to show)The bloodstained bedroom and bathroom? Dark red. And so forth.
Until (Spoiler - click to show)you enter the mirror portal (see Story section) where every location has a pure white background. I liked the storytelling merit of this. The mirror world is described as tidy and unsoiled, and the blankness of its background sharply contrasts with the blood, destruction, and ruin that is found in the house on the “real” side of the mirror portal.
Final thoughts
The amnesia trope is somewhat of a cliché, and you might roll your eyes upon learning that this game begins in the middle of a forest. But Texture really does offer something new. I did not see the ending coming. Right when I thought I had figured everything out, the game went and turned the tables on me. The use of the (Spoiler - click to show)mirror portal was especially memorable.
I would like to give Texture a higher rating, but the implementation needs refinement. Unlocking and opening a door shouldn’t be so confusing. The integration of the story with the gameplay sometimes wears thin. At least update the PC’s description once the amnesia goes away.
And yet, these rough edges did not prevent Texture from leaving me staring at the screen in stunned silence. Content-wise, this is a game with (Spoiler - click to show)explicit portrayals of sexual violence and murder. I was horrified to discover the PC’s identity. But his fate at the end allows us to part ways with the game on a more optimistic note.
If the author ever decides to make another game, I would definitely be interested.
The bloom is a submission to Bare-Bones Jam 2025.
Told in first person from the perspective of a former staff member, the game describes the aftermath of a plant-like organism, known only as "the bloom," escaping from a research facility and the transformation it had on humanity.
Gameplay
Gameplay is entirely linear and only takes 2-3 minutes. Progress is made by tapping the screen. Skip and auto-skip features are also provided for your convenience.
Story
The story is limited, but what we learn is that the bloom breached the facility and reached populated areas almost instantaneously. At first glance, the bloom’s effects on human biology appear to be devastating…
One moment you were stood in a tiled clean room, the other - your lungs were filled with sweetest spores, with tears of pollen falling from your eyes.
…until the narrator informs us that these changes were a positive transformation. It allowed everyone to form a symbiosis with each other and with nature. People possessed a newfound patience and appreciation of the world around them. Strife and other obstacles to coexistence became obsolete.
Woven in this narrative is the overarching theme of belonging. The bloom’s universal symbiosis guarantees belonging even if you haven’t found the place you’re looking for. The game ends (Spoiler - click to show)with the narrator addressing the viewer and inviting them to join. And no matter what kind of restrictions you have, the bloom will find a way to make space for you.
Out of curiosity, I couldn’t help but wonder: Did people willingly embrace these changes or was the bloom merely taking control over their minds and bodies? Ultimately, I think it was willingly embraced, both because of the game’s tone and the absence of red flag indicating otherwise.
Visuals
This is the first Ren'Py game I've played, so this format was new to me.
As a Bare-Bones Jam submission, the game has an unaltered appearance. The game’s main text is set in a gradient grey panel at the bottom of the screen while links appear in text boxes located in the center. All of this is set into a black background.
Final thoughts
This isn’t the first game I’ve played where human civilization is ambushed by spores that disrupt the status quo. Calm, an IFComp game, is one example. The bloom, however, takes a different approach. Rather than the spores’ arrival being an apocalyptic event that heralds the end of modern life, they signal the start of a new chapter for all of humanity.
I enjoyed the story’s premise but wasn’t wowed by it either because it only skims the surface of its thought-provoking concept (though this is partly due to the short gameplay and low word count). That said, if you like surreal, vaguely sci-fi, and story-driven games, The bloom may interest you.
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