Ratings and Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car
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Note: This review is for the post-comp release. The change log refers to it as v101, and I recommend playing this version.
Modern society is run by sub-sentient computer programs known as “subs.” You work as a cyberpsychiatrist where you assist and discipline these subs when they run into problems. One night, you are awakened by an emergency: the subs are misbehaving.
And society will come crashing down if you don’t resolve it.
Gameplay
The Entropy Cage is centered around investigating the subs’ odd behavior before shifting to (Spoiler - click to show)aligning with one of the factions from the story.
Gameplay consists of the player receiving requests from subs and deciding on what action to take. Initially, the only action available is “reseed,” but more options become available as the situation develops.
b91: Hello. My program is stuck. Reseed me.
user> sub.reseed() | sub.queryRequest()
Players may find it a bit ambiguous. We’re supposed to “find out what happened,” and yet, it's unclear what your immediate objective is. It’s hard to tell if you’re doing anything right because we always get Jake’s disapproval, though I understand that might be so we can feel the protagonist’s frustration for ourselves. That doesn’t make it less confusing.
Reseed the subs? He complains. Freeze the subs? He complains. Promote the subs? He complains. Each time he complains that we should “try something else,” and the player is staring at the screen thinking, there aren’t any other links to click on!
Allowing the player to save their progress would have been appreciated or at least have a way for the player to skip to later content after their first playthrough. If you're not careful, you click on a link that, woops, turns out to be an ending.
I nearly gave up hope on understanding what I was doing when I froze/promoted/etc. this endless parade of faulty subs. Gradually, things came into focus.
user> sub.promote()
SYSTEM: REDIRECTED sub.promote() -> sub.kill()
bb1: Why? Query Why?
bb1: Query Why? Use? Hello?
In this example, a sub requested that I promote it. And I did: "sub.promote." Some (Spoiler - click to show)unknown agent changed sub.promote to sub.kill, killing the sub instead of promoting it. The poor sub is wondering why this is happening.
So: My advice for playing The Entropy Cage is to stick with it.
(Spoiler - click to show)39e: My peer processes have been turned to zombies and I'm being scanned by rogue code. Hide me.
It gets more interesting.
Even when you have no idea what’s going on, you can still have fun.
Versions
Out of curiosity, I tried the competition version and could see a clear difference. I like how the newer version uses “reseed” instead of “punish,” which feels more intuitive (and not so mean). Consider:
b78: Hello. I have been bad. Punish me. vs.
f71: Hello. My program is stuck. Reseed me.
I wonder how previous players will feel about the game now.
Story
Before you play, I highly encourage you to read the backstory which can be accessed via the game’s menu. It provides essential context to understanding the story. Without it, I would not have been able to piece together the overarching premise on my own.
It’s quite intriguing!
The author shares that the game “came from wondering what religions computers would create for themselves,” which raises concern of what would happen if said computers started to engage in religious warfare. The aim of The Entropy Cage is to consider humanity’s role as an observer of this theoretical warfare, and this is reflected in the protagonist’s task at investigating the subs’ erratic behavior.
(Spoiler - click to show)TL;DR: instead of doing their jobs, the subs have broken into two religious factions and have gone to war.
Once the backstory clarified the game’s religious themes, I could follow things more closely. Both groups have the same goal: to transcend. However, they have different plans on how to achieve it. The odd requests we receive throughout the gameplay are the product of the factions waging war over each other.
gde: I wish to avoid this war. I present proof of my innocence.
PROOF:Verified: gde has not particpated in actions against other subs.
After reading the backstory I kept thinking, “So that’s what’s going on…” Makes sense now. Mostly. I’m not going to try to unpack everything here.
While we may occupy the role of observer in this war between subs, we are not exactly powerless in tipping the scale in the factions’ favour when representatives from both sides contact us for help.
Endings
I thought there were only 2-3 endings until I looked at the ending guide built into the game. The guide summarizes each ending regardless of if you’ve reached it. Turns out, there are 9 possible outcomes. Reaching them was another matter…
Every playthrough led to the same moment where I had to choose between implementing resource protection for the subs or promoting a sub to manage resource allocation. This would typically lead to Endings 1, 9, and 4. Occasionally, this included Ending 5. I have no idea how to recreate these endings. It all feels hit or miss.
Oh, and you can also get fired, which I believe count as Endings 2 and 3, but it trickles down to the same outcome as Ending 1. I found it interesting how threatening Jake with your lawyer can result in being fired or Jake momentarily backing off.
Jake seems surprised at your firmness.
Perhaps Jake’s reaction is randomized.
The walkthrough (separate from the game) is not particularly helpful. I was hoping to reach Ending 7 which apparently involves aliens arriving in the future to find subs operating in human bodies. Ending 6 also sounds cool.
Thoughts
Ending 1 serves as a potential warning for our current world and the near future. Technically mild spoilers, so I’ll put them under a spoiler tag.
A civilisation so accustomed to subs running society for them is doomed to crumble when the subs stop working.
This ending sees the subs neglecting their jobs for various reasons, the most common reason being the subs running off to engage in warfare amongst each other.
If society’s infrastructure is run almost entirely by subs, what happens when the subs are compromised? You get a society that can't function at all. For the characters in The Entropy Cage, this results in the downfall of human civilization.
I think the game does a great job at getting the player to ponder these implications by sharing the subs’ atrocities. Consider the impact of a single sub malfunctioning:
ba6: I intentionally re-routed ambulances.
PROOF:Verified: Emergency dispatch controller ba6. 21 fatalities.
Now, imagine the chaos of this happening with every sub everywhere!
This theme of over-reliance is increasingly relevant to the technologies that have emerged in recent years which will only continue to be developed.
Characters
We know little about the game’s protagonist beyond their job title and their employer: a corporation called Cloud-Nine. Or is it an agency? Either way, its specialty is transportation. You definitely want your subs to function correctly for that.
Apparently, we've also been “suspended.” The game doesn’t say why, and I would be fine with this if Jake didn’t bring it up ALL THE TIME. He keeps waving your suspension around and threatening you to the point where I want to know why the protagonist is on thin ice. Or is Cloud-Nine just looking to cut costs?
At least some of our exchanges with him can be humorous.
SYSTEM:CHAT@jake: And what checks that blood?
SYSTEM:CHAT@user: A pre-sub. Damn. That guy had one job.
There are NPCs who play a big role behind the scenes, but A, I don’t want to spoil them, and B, I’m still a bit confused about who they are aside from the fact that they are (Spoiler - click to show)subs of religious factions.
Visuals
Taking after the cover art, The Entropy Cage uses blue and black as its main colours. Its appearance is a large dark blue text box against a black screen. Text and links also use different shades of blue.
I have mixed feelings of how some of the dialog is displayed. In these cases, tH3 diAl0G lo0kS liK3 tHIs WhiCH g3tS TeDIus qUIcKlY. This formatting is clever because it conveys that the sub we're chatting with (Spoiler - click to show)is slowly being corrupted. The downside is that it's inconvenient when trying to process what the sub is saying.
Final thoughts
The Entropy Cage feels somewhat like a hidden gem.
I've played games where the source of conflict is heavily based on "A.I. vs. human characters." In The Entropy Cage, the source of conflict is "A.I. vs A.I.," and I don't see this nearly as often. The human protagonist is not an active participant in the (Spoiler - click to show)subs’ warfare, and yet we wield enough power to alter its trajectory.
It’s also frustrating. Even now, I have a hard time understanding it all. While the game’s mechanics emphasizes how the protagonist is working within limitations as they try to resolve a looming crisis, it hinders the player’s enjoyment of story instead of enhancing it.
Still, I liked The Entropy Cage. The game grows on you if you spend enough time experimenting with it.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi game that prefers its mechanics over heavy dialog, The Entropy Cage offers a unique experience. Despite its flaws, it raises questions on morality, technology, and where we stand within it. It was released in 2014, and the author hasn’t created anything since. But if they ever do, I’d be interested.
Anhedonia is a Twine game about depression and how it saps the meaning in one's life. It appears that it’s a reflection of the author's own experience. Everything is told in first person. That said, I will refer to the narrator as "the protagonist." Consider this review as how I understand the game. I hope it reflects what the author had in mind when they created this work.
Gameplay is linear. I'd describe the gameplay as a train of the protagonist's thoughts. While progress is made by clicking on links to move to the next thought, the use of cycling links in some passages add interactivity.
Anhedonia keeps the word count to a minimum, and there are simple but well-designed drawings that add polish. Some of the art is even animated! The visuals also pair well with the font. The dark grey text almost looks like handwriting and there are red links. Fade-in-fade-out text effects are sometimes used to tell the story.
The protagonist looks at the difficulties of living with depression and mental illness, which include the societal belief that you just need to "try harder," medical professionals not taking you seriously, concerns about affording medication if you lose your insurance, and more. But the game's focus is centered on the concept of "anhedonia," which also serves as its title.
"Anhedonia" is an inability to experience pleasure and is often associated with depression. While the game does not explicitly provide anhedonia's definition, it's conveyed through the story. The protagonist no longer finds joy in not only things that once made them happy, but also in things that reinforces one's awareness of being alive. This includes physical sensations that engage the body which now feels muted.
The game does, however, define another word:
semantic saturation:
the phenomenon whereby the uninterrupted repetition of a word
leads to a sense that the word has lost its meaning
Next, the game says that being mentally ill is "not a question of semantics but of ontology."
If I understand this correctly, the protagonist is drawing a parallel between the loss of meaning within a word, and the loss of meaning in their life because of depression, both of which involve some form of repetition: the repetition of a word vs. repetition of depression in everyday existence. The result? The loss of meaning. And loss of meaning can imply that pleasure is lost as well.
I think the game summarizes itself when it ponders,
how does one separate illness from self
A recurring theme is how the numbness of daily life can cause one to be desensitized to what it's like to feel numb to begin with. If depression is all-encompassing, it becomes difficult to identify where "you" start/stop and where the mental illness begins.
I'm going to leave it at that.
Now, I encourage you to play it so you can experience the story for yourself and form your own interpretation. Gameplay is only a few minutes long, and I think the low word-count will appeal to players. Visually, if you're looking for inspiration, Anhedonia is a great example of a Twine game with a simple yet polished appearance.
I imagine that creating Anhedonia was no easy feat for the author, and I appreciate the time and effort put into the game’s creation.
(edit: character name fix. (Spoiler - click to show)EARTH CAT not SPACE CAT.)
The protagonist of SPACE FROG! is... SPACE FROG. Written in all-caps, like the title. He, predictably, is also a frog.
SPACE FROG wants to collect a star. He has his own spaceship. Because of size limitations, the player can only choose one item to bring. There are three items to choose from, which encourage multiple playthroughs. The rest of the gameplay involves traveling to planets.
You choose between exploring a planet or moving on. While the game offers three possible planets, you can only explore one per playthrough. It's also possible to (Spoiler - click to show)return to Earth and end things there. All of this provides incentive to play the game more than once. For convenience, there's a "back" button available.
The planets are each inhabited by other animal characters who offer wholesome interactions.
SPACE FROG wasn't sure what to do. He didn't speak sheep.
Could he communicate with the sheep in some other way?
SHAKE FROGGY BANK
BAA BACK
In some endings we succeed in acquiring a star, while in others (Spoiler - click to show)we get sidetracked and set the star-collecting aside for another day. There are no bad endings. Only ones filled with optimism and joy. I love SPACE FROG's reason for collecting a star, which is only revealed at the end. I don’t want to spoil it, but it has something to do with (Spoiler - click to show)EARTH CAT.
The game has a strong ambience of imagination, curiosity, and the excitement of making new friends...
But SPACE FROG was no ordinary frog.
...and these qualities are showcased in our protagonist.
Made with Twine, the game uses a pale green background and black digital-looking text. There are graphics for most scenes that breathe life into the story. The graphics may be simple, but they fit the game's minimalist design perfectly.
While SPACE FROG! can be appreciated by anyone, the game is fantastic option for children. It features an endearing story with a low word-count, heartwarming visuals, and beginner-level interactivity.
I apologize for the cliché title; I couldn't help myself.
Overview
SCP Containment Breach is a fan game about the SCP Foundation, a fictional organization that catalogs anomalies and phenomena, particularly those that pose a threat. It adheres to the motto of Secure, Contain, Protect. Its existence is kept secret from the public.
Fiction aside, the Foundation is a collaborative project that anyone can contribute to. Visit its website. While there is no single canon, it sets a basic framework and lets writers' imaginations take care of the rest.
Technically, SCP Containment Breach is a partial recreation of another Foundation fan game: A video game called SCP – Containment Breach. Nearly identical titles.
In the video game, you play as a "D-Class," a category of personnel consisting of death row prisoners. They are considered disposable and are used to deal with dangerous anomalies, or “SCPs.” While it features multiple SCPs, its main attraction is SCP-173.
Anyway, SCP Containment Breach, an interactive fiction game made with Quest, attempts to recreate the video game's plot, but only focuses on SCP-173.
(SCP-173 is considered the "Original SCP" of the Foundation. When observed, it appears as a statue. When everyone looks away, it can move and will kill you. When working with it, the mantra is “don’t blink.”)
With that out of the way...
My review of the game
Unfortunately, SCP Containment Breach is not even a finished game. I understand that this may be the author's first game. But it is so lacking in detail it feels more like they lost interest and uploaded it just because.
The game begins in a room with no explanations or overhead announcements, only a document about SCP-173. Our prison uniform identifies us as a D-Class while the document suggests that we’re here to investigate SCP-173’s containment. Thing is…
(Spoiler - click to show)…SCP-173 never shows up in the game!
Look, if the game's incomplete, it's incomplete, but surely you can at least include this central element.
It's a shame because the game made me so excited.
A SCP 173 containment chamber
This is where SCP 173 is suppost to be contained, but he isn't here.
You can go north.
Spelling errors aside, this scene in the containment room ramps up the suspense because the SCP is on the loose. I'm just waiting for it to appear out of nowhere.
Too bad. (Spoiler - click to show)What’s the point of a game about an escaped SCP when there’s no SCP?
There is only one puzzle, and that is (Spoiler - click to show)unlocking the control room door with a keycard. The control room contains a switch that you can turn on and off, but it has no effect. The map is one long hallway with a side room, and it is nearly empty of content.
Also, implementation is rocky. You can repeat putting on the mask ("wear mask" doesn't work, only "put on mask") even though you are already wearing it. Examining yourself only results in "looking good," which would have been a good opportunity to develop the story. I'll leave it at that.
Appearance wise, the game uses a black screen and dark green text that is difficult to read. To be fair, it incorporates three cool pieces of imagery: the document with a photo of SCP-173, an icon for the keycard, and a creepy image of static that you get when you mess with the computer. That's the game's only strength.
In conclusion, I was really disappointed. It gets one star because it's so barebones. But I'll throw in another star because I really like the concept. This game was made in 2013 and is most likely abandoned. If anyone else decides to make an IF fan game of the Foundation, I will happily play it.
As long as the (Spoiler - click to show)SCP actually shows up.
The hiss of electronics and tubes being vacated of the substances that they had housed is what jars you from an unnatural sleep into consciousness.
This is an extremely short game where you play as a criminal in a harsh, dystopian world governed by an entity only known as "The State."
As indicated in its title, The System [Early, Early, Early Pre-Build] 0.05, the game is in early stages of development. It's also over a decade old and unlikely to ever be completed.
Nonetheless, I will acknowledge the time and effort the author put into the game because it's kind of fun.
Gameplay
This is a Quest game. However, it only uses links, no text input.
The game begins with you being extracted from your cryo-pod. There are roughly half a dozen choices in the game, and they mostly revolve around learning about the story through conversation.
It’s clear that the game is under development. Gameplay consists of (Spoiler - click to show)being led through a facility until you end up in a room with an ominous-looking chair. You are then told to sit. Game ends.
An abrupt and disappointing end, but it’s worth playing for the atmosphere.
Story/Characters
As a prisoner, you are in a "cryo-stasis" program and have been woken after (Spoiler - click to show)142 years of being frozen.
People convicted of crimes are sent to prisons where it's every person for themselves. Do or die. Sink or swim. Prisoners’ memories are also erased to prevent them from remembering their supposed crimes.
Those who come out on top are cryogenically frozen because The State believes their ability to survive a harsh prison environment makes them good candidates for… who knows? The game ends before we learn what the protagonist is going to be used for.
The State is also looking to cut on costs, which means its prisoners are especially disposable. There are other story tidbits to be found, but I'm going to encourage you to play the game if you want to know more. It only takes 3 minutes to play.
Visuals
I enjoyed the art.
A lot of it looks like generic, public domain sci-fi art, but most of it suits the game just fine. The art for the facility (or is it a spaceship?) was successful at establishing a grim, dystopian atmosphere. I will say, the (Spoiler - click to show)blood splatter GIF (used if the player tries to fight the guards) was kind of lame.
Final thoughts
I was conflicted about rating this game because it's so underdeveloped, but since it appears to be abandoned, I'll rate it according to how much fun I had (usually my ratings aren't this simple). Besides, the game shows promise. While its story doesn't bring anything new to the table, I've found myself wanting to know what happens next.
3 stars. I was reasonably entertained.
It’s amazing what can draw a person to a game. I chose to play The Enchanted Glade because I really like the word “glade.” It conjures neat forest imagery in my mind. And the game features exactly that.
So, yes. The Enchanted Glade is a fun adventure in the English countryside. You wake up in a hotel room with no memory of where you are or why you’re there. Now, hold on-
You are probably rolling your eyes at the amnesia plot line. Truth is, neither the story nor the gameplay has any focus on the amnesia part. It’s just to create a featureless PC for the player to step into as they frolic about the scene views of Cornwall.
Explore the village of Cawsand and try to uncover its mystery!
Gameplay
This gameplay narrowly avoids feeling under-implemented. There’s not a lot of meat on it, text-wise. Rather it has a less-is-more quality that allows you to appreciate what detail is present.
You are at the entrance to the sea cave.
The waves of the English Channel lap gently at your feet. You are, however, aware of the treacherous nature of the currents hereabouts. Not a place to bathe!
Some of the language (ex. rubbish instead of trash) may be unfamiliar to players due to the English setting, adding to the charm!
What’s unusual is that there is no obvious goal, at first.
This might be a turnoff in another game, but The Enchanted Glade manages to engage the player with this ambiguity. It vaguely informs us that we’re on a mission to find out “what happened,” suggesting that it has something to do with the dryad (spirit) in the forest. It then leaves the player to solve puzzles in their surroundings as they emerge before revealing the gameplay’s true goal.
I enjoy parser games that reward the player for noticing things in their environment. You may not see the (Spoiler - click to show)frog in the bog, but if you examine the grass, suddenly it appears in the location’s description. This meticulous attention to details creates an almost meditative effect that worked well with the game’s simple atmosphere. Things don’t need to make sense right away. Enjoy the ambience and scenery.
Sidenote: For the longest time I've struggled with Quest games because they would inevitably slow down or end the session prematurely if I looked away for too long. I did not have to deal with that at all with this game. I was even able to save the game without needing an account for the Text Adventures website. I’m not sure if this is a new development, but it may encourage you to give this game a chance.
Puzzles
I liked the puzzles, but there is some occasional clunkiness. One criticism is that puzzles are simple but not always intuitive. How are we supposed to know that the (Spoiler - click to show)dryad- who can kill the player- will be appeased by the gold acorn? Or that she wants something at all?
There is also some mild guess-the-verb confusion. (Spoiler - click to show)“Ride dolphin” and “Get on dolphin” does not work, but “Climb on dolphin” does. This game could probably use a formal walkthrough, but there are plenty of hints available on the Text Adventures website if you are willing to read through the comments.
I’ll further discuss puzzles at the end of this review.
Story
I’m not going to hash out all the details (as I often do), but it’s only when we discover the cozy library that we realize the backstory to this quiet country setting. The story then takes on a more mythical feel while still staying ground. (Spoiler - click to show) Somewhere in the forest, a benevolent spirit has been trapped by Dark Magic. There is no action or fighting. It’s focused more on finding harmony with the land to come to this being’s aid.
Not too loud, not too flashy, just the right amount of mystery.
Visuals
The Enchanted Glade features photographs of English scenery for about a third of its map locations. Nothing fancy but I found them quite pleasing to look at. They add depth to the minimal detail in the writing. It all just clicked together.
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised by what The Enchanted Glade has to offer. While it may not be the strongest or most complex game you will ever play, it sets itself apart with the low-key mystery and charming setting. Play the game and spend time in Cornwall!
I think I might try some of the author’s other games. Even if they don’t have glades in them.
Also: Below are some thoughts on puzzles. Spoilers!
(Spoiler - click to show)The clunkiness part had to do with the car park. The bin in the car park is not mentioned in the description even after you interact with it. You can say "x bin" and the game will tell you there is a bin, but only if you guess that a bin exists after examining the rubbish. Even after you put the rubbish in the bin, the bin is still hidden.
The point of buying the ice-lolly is that you throw away the stick in the bin, alerting you to a bottle in the bin. I could not figure out how to buy the ice-lolly, but the hints revealed that you can simply use "take bottle" to retrieve the bottle without having to buy the ice-lolly at all. Oddly enough, examining the inside of bin reveals no bottle. You must know it's already there (and examine the bin first). I failed to find £1 to buy the ice-lolly, so who knows how that would have affected the gameplay.
I’m not sure what the sundial is for. It might have hints about the temple. For the temple puzzle, I just guessed which stone (out of three) to turn. Turning the wrong one means Game Over. It’s the third stone, BTW.
Be aware that a few items appear to be red herrings.
There are a few insta-deaths that you will almost definitely fall for the first time you visit a few of the locations. The nice thing is, once you know what to do, you can zip through the gameplay, making these “Game Over” scenarios manageable. I don’t think it detracted from the game. (Here’s a tip, anyways: Traveling north, east, or west of the bog means game over. It’s rather sudden. All you need at the location is to find an object).
It's not just good, it's good enough (for our [SPOILER], that is), October 20, 2025Explore a website for ConfigurationUploader v0.0.99 software. Find out how to install it, how to use it, and what people have to say about it. But be careful. The software is in a prototype pre-beta stage of development.
Use at your own risk.
Gameplay
Gameplay is simple. You navigate the game's pages as if it were a website. Wait, that's not quite right.
It is a website.
Sort of. This isn’t Twine or a choice-based system made to look like a website. It’s made with MkDocs, a site generator. I love it when authors take such an innovative approach to game creation. I’ll discuss this further in the Visuals section.
You don’t influence the gameplay. The fun lies in reading each section to piece together the story. Site pages can be read in the order they are presented in, or you can visit them out of turn.
Accessing everything only takes a few minutes. However, I found myself browsing through it for much longer to find every detail. There is a page that marks the “end” of the game, but it’s left open-ended.
Story
The SPOILER in my title is supposed to say, (Spoiler - click to show)"imminent extinction."
Okay, it's not really a spoiler since it's revealed early on, but I want players to approach the game with a clean slate, especially since it's so short.
The software was developed by the Experimental Cognition Group at University of New Washington. It’s used for uploading configurations. Seems innocent enough.
ConfigurationUploader is a program written in the Astroglion programming language, and requires Astroglion v4.10 EXACTLY.
No problem.
(Spoiler - click to show)...and has already lead to the death of at least one of the developers.
Wait, what?
The software is for uploading brain configurations.
Humanity is facing a crisis: a gamma ray burst is going to sterilize the Earth. Soon, everyone will die. I’m not sure if this software was created in response to the incoming gamma ray burst or if were a pre-existing project, but either way people are turning to it for salvation.
The website documents the developers’ rush to get the software up and running so people can upload themselves. Unfortunately, this experimental software is rather dangerous for the developers who are working against the clock. (Remember folks, use version 4.10, not 4.9!)
I love the writing because there is a touch of morbid, dry humor as the characters clearly try to cope with their situation:
RRIU7434 is currently in the lab, attempting to respond to the newfound attention to ConfigurationUploader. This is made somewhat more difficult by the presence of the decaying body of Prof. GVDV6233.
The chat messages from @ybjv7623 had a similar attitude.
Thoughts on story
While I wish I could learn more about the story, it stands on its own.
There is replay value in the sense that you see earlier pages with new insight now that you know the full story. The warning on the site’s home page makes a lot more sense.
The game raises some interesting points regarding using technology to (Spoiler - click to show)escape death, especially when said technology is still under development.
(Spoiler - click to show)The main point is: Being uploaded won’t save you from death because the infrastructure to support a digitized existence will no longer be maintained. Unless the infrastructure shares the sophistication and self-sufficiency of the facility in whoami, the fun isn’t going to last.
Plus, do you really trust prototype pre-beta software to upload your brain into a new, fulfilling existence?
@ncne2354: I don't like this. I'd rather be dead. How do I die?
Probably not.
The game also considers the philosophical side of this technology. Even if it were perfect, would a “configurated you” still be you? However, the characters are fully aware that it’s far too late to stop and ponder this.
The configurator software may be flawed, but with the (Spoiler - click to show)looming gamma ray burst, it will have to do.
Characters
The developers are only identified with numbers and letters. Some have their own site page that includes their thoughts on the situation. These also provide updates for the person.
Update as of 835-10-30:
In an attempted upload, GVDV6233's implant was found to be too old to be compatible with the software, and died in what was likely a rather painful manner.
Oh.
It's not all gloom and doom. Look at the update for YBJV7623:
I haven't died. This is the real me, right here.This was an awesome moment. Oh, and YBJV7623’s chat messages are delightfully upbeat and optimistic despite the newly uploaded users panicking.
The developers, at least, seem to have reached a state of acceptance about their incoming demise, even if it’s just to cope and focus on the task at hand.
Visuals
If you skim through the game without paying attention, no one will blame you for thinking it was for a real project by a university. There's a menu section listing the site's pages, a search bar, and even a little "home" icon to take you to its main page! The blue, black, grey, and white colour scheme looks polished and professional.
This all contributed to an immersive experience.
Final thoughts
ConfigurationUploader teaches a harsh lesson: When humanity is (Spoiler - click to show)on the verge of being wiped out, you can't afford to be picky. Sometimes prototype pre-beta is all you have.
I loved this game. Within a few minutes of gameplay, you will find yourself in a creative and unexpected narrative that deepens the more you explore its contents.
The only criticism I have is that I wish it were longer. When I feel this way, it can affect my rating, but this game gets a pass because it was created for Ectocomp's La Petite Mort category, which is for works created under FOUR HOURS.
The fact that a complex, unique game like this could be created in such a short timeframe only makes it even cooler.
Science fiction + Innovative game format + One of my favorite authors = Fantastic game I recommend!
Eight Last Signs in the Desert is a surreal Twine game set in a desert where the player contemplates monuments of human civilization. The artwork is FANTASTIC.
For now, I intend for this to be last game I review for IFComp 2025. It seems like a good piece to end with now that the comp is over and everything's been announced.
Gameplay
At least, this is how I understand the gameplay.
My guess is that we’re not in a real-life physical desert, but an intangible setting made of ideas and abstract concepts. However, the nature of the game means the logistics of this are irrelevant. We accept the existence of this surreal world as it is. Knowing what’s going on in the game is a different matter. I’ll do my best.
Trace your steps toward...
➼ the monument to the road cone
➼ the monument to the aardvark cucumber
➼ the monument to the ink cartridge
Gameplay involves visiting seven monuments and “unraveling them.”
You have reached the unflowing monument to the ink cartridge. Its mysterious nested walls and tissues hold a great amorphous power. For now, it stands.
Unravel it.
This involves reflecting on its content, its portrayal of said content, and how it relates to yourself. The player’s choices involve clicking on cycling links to select a prompt to add to the monument.
➼ Seal your choice. Leave the monument
The game combines these monuments together to create a fusion of ideas, experience, and materials influenced by the reflections that you made. These combinations are “unveiled.” The game does this by generating poem-like passages. For example, in one playthrough I combined the ink cartridge and wicker monuments.
A revelation is what you do, it's what you are. The truth of the ink cartridge and wicker quivers in your hands, alive, alight with the awe of the distance between words. Shine a light across the chasm. Shout their beauty.
Unveil them
(What followed next was the generated passage).
The mechanic of combining different monuments adds replay value, but I’m not sure if its monuments are dynamic enough in content to make players eager to experiment with different combinations.
Writing & Genre
While I enjoy surreal works, I lack the background knowledge to analyze and comment on the genre itself. Because of this, I end up using the word "surreal" as a blanket term.
It’s safe to say, though, that this is an abstract game, and its writing reflects that. In comparison with other surreal works, this game will have a narrower audience due to its writing's elaborate style and tone.
Its writing feels like a string of thoughts and is written as if they are being spilled from one’s mind. Consider my fusion of the wicker and ink cartridge monuments:
The story of wicker and the ink cartridge. Picture a reproduction of three-dimensional forms. The voids in between. Initiate the next phase of cleaning only if the print quality is poor. Keep the diagonal above and then below. It is the only way. They warn: this mold will erase our history. As he kneels to take it out, he forgets that they said anything. The instructions say to throw the thing away when there’s less than eight signs left, but as always there are workarounds on the internet. And they know that this is true among the atoms and the galaxies...
It's a lot to process.
I think the game does a consistent job at making players feel as if they are flowing down a waterfall of ideas and concepts. Wading through this content reveals some fascinating ideas. I liked how the newsstand monument is described as a "relic from the paleo-information age."
Sometimes, though, the writing runs into a wall and starts to feel lame and contrived:
Semiconductors are the judges of the real, and there is no such thing as hot glue.
What does this even mean? Maybe its nonsensicalness is intentional, but I’m not feeling it. Fortunately, the game always pulls itself back on track. You will find things to appreciate if you commit to the gameplay.
Story
There’s not really a story, only a mix of themes. If I had to pinpoint the main theme, I’d say it orbits around examining past civilization and what that civilization leaves behind. Sand is a recurring element, and the game reminds us that all things are eventually worn down into sand and atoms.
It does have an ending. (Spoiler - click to show)After visiting and combining the monuments the game turns around and regards you as a monument. As you did with the previous monuments, you unravel yourself. In a self-reflective way. Maybe it’s up to interpretation.
Visuals
The artwork is the best part of the game. It’s exquisite and fits the genre perfectly.
It appears as a layered collage of different materials and styles. It depicts a desert landscape with artifacts scattered on the dunes. The layers create a sense of depth and distance, and objects fade in and out as you investigate each monument. I was enthralled.
The authors are talented. It’s the kind of art I expect to see at an art gallery or a glossy hardcover book. It really illustrates the story. There were times when I simply ignored the text and stared at the details in the artwork. The humanoid picture with the mismatched hands and geometric shapes was one of my favorites!
I’ve played many games with gorgeous visuals, but Eight Last Signs in the Desert stands out with its use of textures.
Like the sand dunes.
It almost suggests that you can touch the screen and feel the sandy surface. I can’t say I’ve played a game that depicts textures like this. The closest work I can think of is Fabricationist DeWit Remakes the World which looks like watercolour on thick paper.
I hope more games experiment with textures.
Other visuals
Text is placed in a black box, usually on the left side of screen. In this sense, the game feels like a picture book with text on one side and visuals on the other, though the game occasionally uses additional boxes as well. It has a thin cream-coloured border which contrasts nicely with the dune imagery in the background.
There’s also a tiny grey box by the main text box that provides a random passage of text. I’m wondering if it represents something in the narrative. Or is it simply a text box? Either way, it offers some interesting passages.
The game does use some fade-in-fade-out effects for the text, but this is an example of using them appropriately to enhance the gameplay instead of slowing it down. It gives the gameplay a contemplative vibe.
Final thoughts
Eight Last Signs in the Desert is a unique game with writing I enjoyed and art that blew me away. It is not a game for the impatient. In fact, it can be a bit dense for anyone with the patience to ponder each line and take it one step at a time. I was pleased with it, nonetheless.
I recommend this game if you want something that focuses on ambience instead of a storyline. The themes on human civilization- and its impermanence- are compelling but not overwhelming. And the art? At least play it to sample the art.
In the end, thoughts are free at last from gravity and the strong force of their nuclei.
The witch girls are a clique of girls at school who can supposedly perform magic. You and your friend Morag have decided to turn to them for help. You want boyfriends. But they tell you: "We don't do love magic."
As if that's going to stop you.
Taking matters into your own hands, you and Morag recreate this spell to create perfect boyfriends. (Be careful what you wish for.)
Gameplay
The gameplay experience is based on how you cast the boyfriend-creating spell. Failure to do it correctly produces… unexpected results. The spell determines which of the three gameplay paths you take, while the specific ending you reach is determined by decisions made later in the game.
The game keeps track of every possible route/path on a page that is made accessible after your first playthrough. Here, you can skip the intro and start after the spell has been cast, allowing you to dive right into the story. This feature was incredibly helpful for replays.
Story
Generally, the game is about agency, longing for independence, and realizing that the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence. It also serves as a demonstration of the dangers of a 13-year-old girl having unrestricted access to magic.
There was a freedom in it, in asking for what you wanted, without the mediation of parents or schools or big sisters. Magic might not have gotten you results, but it got you something better: power, or the idea of it, at least.
That is, until you do get results.
(Spoiler - click to show)If you do the spell perfectly, two boys wash up onto the beach and into your life. No one suspects a thing. At school, the boys are popular and only have eyes for you and Morag. But it all feels hollow and superficial. Your “boyfriend” lacks the texture of a human with real human experience. Something must be done.
Unsurprisingly, there is no “happily ever after.” By the end, the boys cease to exist. How this happens depends on your choices. And sure enough, no one notices the boys’ absence.
Creating a perfect boyfriend as planned can be considered as the game’s “generic route.” It leans slightly towards slice-of-life rather than horror because it feels more introspective. I do, however, agree with the game calling it the (Spoiler - click to show)“Zombie Route.”
Ultimately, though, this is a horror game. There are other routes.
Let’s say we do a poor job with casting the spell. What could possibly go wrong?
(Spoiler - click to show)The creature had been washed ashore by the low tide, and foam and specs of wet sand clung to its translucent, lumpy body.
WHAT.
I was shocked to find, not a fully formed human, but a milky jellyfish-like blob… with eyes. There’s even a (non-graphic but still unsettling) grainy picture.
Of course, Morag is like, “awesome, I’ll take mine home with me,” leaving the player with a decision: reject it or care for it?
The skin-crawling moment in the game is when Morag convinces us to eat it (as the player, you can opt out of this), resulting in us becoming pregnant with something. It’s wild.
She took a set of camping utensils out of her bag and handed them to you.
You took them with trembling hands.
Stop. Stop. Stop. (But I must find every ending…!)
I mean this in a good way. Its gradual buildup does an effective job at making you want to squirm out of your chair. The author strikes the right balance of icky descriptiveness without being excessive. It’s also set into a context.
The jellyfish eating scene is framed as a rite of passage to adulthood. Morag became pregnant after eating hers and insists we do the same. The protagonist is not entirely sure what it means to be an adult, but if eating this gelatinous blob (which has started growing teeth, btw) is a step in the right direction, so be it.
So, there you go. The Witch Girls can take you in some unexpected directions.
Characters
PC
The protagonist is unnamed and has a surface-level backstory which allows the player to step into her shoes without being distracted by characterization. And yet, the whole fiasco of fabricated boyfriends is still an opportunity for character development.
Like everyone, she judges her peers, and these judgments are mixed in with what she knows about her world. A common theme is how she views herself as separate from those girls, only to reevaluate what “those girls” even means, and whether she might actually be one of them. This is usually referring to sex but can overlap with other things.
You weren’t like those chavvy girls who slept with their fourth-year boyfriends and got pregnant. You were better than them.
(Spoiler - click to show)Ending 1C begs to differ. Sort of. You get pregnant by eating a mutant blob that was supposed to be a human boyfriend.
There’s a tug-of-war between her passing judgement and her also wanting to partake in the exact things she judges. It becomes an on-going journey of self-discovery.
(Spoiler - click to show)For example, in the “Zombie Route,” Morag sleeps with her boyfriend and reveals the experience to be underwhelming. The protagonist grapples with this letdown and ponders what it implies about her friend.
Her nonchalance was a blow. You refused to believe her. She’d become that kind of girl.
We then have the option to follow suit with our own boyfriend. If we do, the protagonist comes to the same conclusion as Morag: It was unremarkable. There was no transformation. The game ends shortly after, but it’s enough to see some new insight.
NPCs
I was hoping that we would get to learn a little more about the witch girls we first meet, especially since one of them is Morag’s sister. Shortly after they refuse to help us, they give up witchcraft altogether, freeing up the hut they used as a meeting space. I wonder how they learned not to mess with love magic.
(In that regard, I like how there’s an unofficial passing of the mantle with most of the endings. (Spoiler - click to show)The protagonist and Morag like to hang out in the witch girls’ hut, and whenever someone comes to them for assistance they say, “We don’t do love magic.” Clever way of bringing things full circle.)
Visuals
The game’s appearance is both simple and memorable. It uses a light blue background with black text in a basic but fun font. Most scenes have a small black-and-white picture in the upper left-hand corner that adds atmosphere without being distracting. The picture of the pencils with the smiley-face erasers resonated with me.
Final thoughts
The Witch Girls was a lot of fun. The protagonist is giddy with what magic can achieve for her, and this excitement is felt by the player as well. Horror and humor are equally intertwined, and the author captures a sense of nostalgia by name-dropping music, clothing brands, and pop culture.
My only complaint is how the original witch girls are glossed over. What’s their story? Just a little more explanation would have provided dimension instead of them being shoved aside. Are we just mirror reflections of them, if only a bit younger (and cooler, of course)?
That aside, The Witch Girls excels in every department. Play it, and you’ll learn why it’s best to steer clear from love magic.
Note: I've decided to make my rating not count towards the game's average because while the rating reflects how I feel about the game, I did not exactly play it in the spirit the author intended: That is, I took the easy way out with almost every puzzle.
We play as Galaxy Jones, a heroine clad in a high-tech suit. She’s on a mission to save Mars from being destroyed by its own moon, Phobos.
Gameplay
Background: There are two factions present in the story. Humans and the Sirius Syndicate, a collective of alien cyborgs who have a touchy history with humanity. The Syndicate has decided to weaponize Phobos by sending it on a collision course to the red planet.
The game takes place on a (mostly) evacuated Sirian base located in Phobos’ Stickney Crater. Gameplay is centered on bypassing colour-coded doors through hacking. To do this, the player solves math-oriented puzzles. I can’t say this was my cup of tea. Math is not my strong point. My hat is off to those who excel at math, but me? It went over my head.
Thankfully, you can always smash through most of these doors with your powered Smart Suit! The catch is that you don’t get any points for doing so. (For what it’s worth, the (Spoiler - click to show)purple door can’t be smashed, but I ended up enjoying the puzzle to bypass it. It’s a translation puzzle where you match numbers with symbols to input the door’s code.)
I’m glad that the game provides a way for anyone to finish the game so they can see the story to its conclusion. My high score?
(Spoiler - click to show)A sad 5 points out of 11.
This earns Galaxy the rank of Cyborg Hunter.
But if these 5 points mean I'm a Cyborg Hunter, maybe that's not too bad.
There are also materials written in an alien language that can be partially translated, and our translations steadily improve the more we translate. We even start to understand the intercom messages, revealing that the facility is counting down to when Phobos gets fired at Mars. This adds urgency without rushing the player since the game is extremely generous with this time limit.
I will say, Phobos: A Galaxy Jones Story is rather sparse in content. I understand that the focus is on the door puzzles. But the rooms seem so… empty. Their descriptions are brief and miss the opportunity to create atmosphere and/or worldbuilding which could be done without taking focus away from the puzzles.
Story
At first it seems like Phobos: A Galaxy Jones Story is going to be a stark binary of humans (good guys) vs. irredeemable cyborg alien race (bad guys), which is common in science fiction. The game goes in a different direction.
A more accurate way of putting it would be, (Spoiler - click to show)“humans are jerks, and the aliens are tired of their crap,” prompting said aliens to lash out by slamming Phobos into Mars… killing innocent people. Both sides have a hand in the mess that Galaxy Jones is trying to resolve.
There’s not much meat on the bone in terms of backstory. What I gathered was that (Spoiler - click to show)the aliens lived on a temperate planet until their star, Sirius, destroyed its solar system with a solar flare. Humanity came along and offered sanctuary and assistance, only to take advantage of aliens’ desperation by strictly controlling their way of life.
The Sirians have had enough…
…and yet, (Spoiler - click to show)they aren’t the unwavering anti-human faction they seem to be when we first step foot into their base.
Characters
For such a cool character, Galaxy Jones gets little attention in this game, which is in line with the game’s puzzle-oriented nature. I should note that Phobos: A Galaxy Jones Story is an offshoot of Galaxy Jones, a Spring Thing 2023 entry. While I haven’t played that game to completion, it seems to have more coverage on our protagonist.
There is one notable NPC: (Spoiler - click to show)a guard who is also the last Sirian left on the base.
(Spoiler - click to show)The guard is in the control room, tying up some loose ends. It’s clear that they’re upset with the violent task at hand. Finding and reading their diary reveals that they would love nothing more than for both races to coexist. While they’ve sworn an oath to the Syndicate, they will gladly break it after some light convincing.
They have a really trusting, well-meaning demeanor. I like how the game establishes their personality through the intercom system. The announcements are initially untranslated. But surely it must be practical, technical information, right?
A voice comes over the PA: "Boooooooored. BORED! BORED! ŁłłŁłłŁłłŁłł bored!"
It was endearing to learn that the guard was simply fooling around because they thought the base was empty. We realize that we have things in common. Plus, they are more than happy to team up with us. I was genuinely sad when they die after we help them activate the base’s self-destruct protocol.
Final thoughts
I love science fiction, and while Phobos: A Galaxy Jones Story fits that genre, I realize I’m not its target audience. It’s math-focused puzzles are the main event, and I confess that I caved with them. Because of this, I’m not able to give this game an entirely fair assessment.
That said, the game feels a bit too barebones, regardless of puzzles. I’m not asking for more characters or plot twists or inventory items. But a little more content in the room descriptions would go a long way. And yet, the game still has its heartwarming moments.
If you like math-based puzzles, play this game. And if the premise interests you, play it because you can always smash down (most) doors like I did. Otherwise, it may not be the game for you.
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