Ratings and Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car

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!

Explore 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Grocery shopping. Again.

You play as an unnamed protagonist who begrudgingly hauls herself into the local supermarket to complete the weekly errand of buying groceries. You only have $20 in your pocket, so budget wisely.

Gameplay involves going through the store and deciding which groceries to buy. It soon becomes clear that (Spoiler - click to show)buying groceries isn't important. Turns out this mundane errand is the protagonist's desperate grasp for any normalcy because, well... it's the apocalypse.

The strength of Errand Run is how the protagonist knows more about her situation than we do, leaving us in the dark until the end where it pulls a delightful bait-and-switch.

Now, we do know that something's going on. The lights are off, the AC doesn't work, and the store is understocked. But you can be fooled into thinking that the world is simply going through a rough patch. Local food shortages, overdemand of the power grid, etc.

With a sigh, you step through the automatic doors of the local supermarket. No blast of cool air whisks over to greet you; the AC's been acting up for months now.

Oh, no, no, no.

The game’s writing is frosting on the cake. Its cynical humor provides commentary about the task at hand without being too dire. The author builds on this visually through text effects and colours that convey (Spoiler - click to show)the protagonist’s wobbly mental state.

To conclude, Errand Run is a brief horror game about (Spoiler - click to show)crawling back to the familiar because the entire world has gone to pieces. It doesn’t go deep with its story, but it doesn't need to.

Where it doesn’t have depth, it sure has attitude.

Saltwrack follows a perilous expedition across an unforgiving arctic landscape. The story is bleak. The odds are grim. The characters search for secrets best left undisturbed.

Gameplay
Saltwrack describes itself as a “post-post-apocalyptic” story in a world that has been devastated by snowfalls of salt and an ice age. The land is now one vast deposit of salt, also known as a wrack. Human civilization resides in six cities, existing as points of light, huddled at the edges of this harsh wasteland.

You are an interpreter- a scientist. The Observational Society has agreed to fund your proposal: to journey to the center of a salty wrack to discover its secrets. No one has attempted such a journey.

But first you select two individuals to aid you on the expedition: a saltwalker and an oracle. Saltwalkers know the physical landscape through experience and excel at survival, while oracles have precognition and interpret dreams. There are two candidates for both categories, providing incentive for replays.

The entire expedition- traveling to the wrack’s center and returning to the city of Hearth- is expected to take 40 days. Player decisions center on navigating the land with the guidance provided by your travelling companions. The game keeps track of your progress at the top of the screen.

Day 1 | Miles travelled: 40 | Rations: Plentiful

You also collect specimens and samples as proof of your discoveries. And no save features, either. Death looms behind every action.

All sorts of unexpected things can happen.

What frustrates me about the gameplay is how your choices don’t always have as much influence as you would think.

For example, (Spoiler - click to show)the number of specimens I brought back to the Observational Society had no effect on whether they believed my account of the expedition. The protagonist takes notes automatically, but surely physical specimens are needed as proof, right? Turns out, you can skip every opportunity to collect samples, and the Society will still believe you.

There are also moments where the game overrides the impact of your previous choices in favor of a pre-determined outcome. Sometimes the (Spoiler - click to show)female saltwalker would leave even when I followed her advice and established a good rapport with her through conversation. It felt like the game simply wanted her to be taken out of the picture, rapport or no rapport.

Despite this occasional rigidness, the game still managed to surprise me. I didn't think it was possible, but I somehow managed to (Spoiler - click to show)make it to Hearth with the second oracle where we recovered in the hospital clinic together. Usually, the oracles either die or choose to stay in the wrack.

I enjoyed finding every salt-sign glyph encountered by the saltwalkers. I found glyphs for (Spoiler - click to show)Contamination, Trap, and Death.

Story
The game is somewhat reserved in the amount of backstory it provides, but from the looks of it, there is a dead city in the center of the wrack. This city was once a hot spot for technological advancement until something devastated the world. You intend to find its origin. Spoilers.

Fortunately, there are other endings that are slightly more optimistic.

Further impressions
The wrack is probably the coolest (I don’t mean that as a pun) piece of frozen wasteland I’ve encountered in interactive fiction.

It’s interesting how it (Spoiler - click to show)almost has its own consciousness, tied in with the local ecosystem and (I assume) independent from what we find in the facility. Exploring the wrack for too long can result in you becoming “wrack-touched,” where you gain oracle-like abilities that enhance how you perceive the world. Your body’s biology can even be altered.

The protagonist is surprised to see that the wrack is not devoid of life. Rather, unfamiliar organisms- extremophiles- have appeared, their biology allowing them to thrive in this cold wasteland. I love the concise yet vivid way the writing describes these creatures.

Hydras, polyps, a profusion of tiny invisible life.

This life, however, is absent in the city ruins. We learn, vaguely, that the (Spoiler - click to show)anomaly created in the facility would consume natural ecosystems and produce salt as a waste product. That’s probably the clearest answer we’ll get.

We tend to envision the future as being high-tech, but Saltwrack approaches this differently. It appears that the saltfall and ice age has knocked humanity backwards in technological advancement. Any tech we encounter feels rediscovered. While there is no mention of computers or radio communication, we wear clothing made of synthetic fibers and travel in an experimental machine powered by a motor engine.

Parallels to our world
As is often the case with my reviews, I like to take a detour to explore some broader concepts. Feel free to skip this part. I'll stick it under a spoiler tag to take up less space.

Visuals
Just a basic black screen with white text formatted neatly in the center. Links are underlined and stats are clearly listed at the top. Its lack of frills fits with the game’s grim, no-nonsense atmosphere.

Final thoughts
Saltwreck is an intriguingly desolate work of horror with vivid writing that conveys the bleak, salty expanse of the wrack and the expedition that attempts to cross it. There are a variety of events that can happen during the journey, encouraging many playthroughs.

Over time, the gameplay can start to feel inflexible, but the descriptiveness of the setting and its harsh realities make it difficult to turn away. I enjoyed it immensely.

(And if there’s spiky mold on your rations, don’t eat it.)

...early spring in the valley of glass, the first of the seven years you promised to the village blacksmith. Your breath clouds in the crisp morning air as you walk the North Road, your borrowed coat wrapped tight against the chill...

Gameplay in valley of glass is brief. You start on a road.

One thing is clear: you have journeyed a long way to where you are now. Traveling in different compass directions from this starting point allows you to sample some of the protagonist’s memories of their journey- but only briefly. Ultimately, the only place for us is south: to a village where we begin the seven years of working for the blacksmith.

It’s easy to overlook this fact, but the game is a snippet borrowed from the “Black Bull of Norroway,” a folk tale from Scotland. Feel free to look it up if you want the full story. (Yes, I crawled to Wikipedia). Here is what I gleaned about the backstory:

The protagonist is female. She is the youngest of three sisters (hinted by the boots’ description), all of which were sent out on a quest to learn about their futures. The fruits we have in our inventory were gifts from a friendly bull.

In the folk tale, she and the bull travel until they reach a place called the “valley of glass.” At one point the bull has business to attend to and gives the girl some instructions. While he was gone, she was not to move. At all. They would continue traveling upon his return. Unfortunately, she flubs these instructions (although it's hard to blame her).

And so, she finds herself stuck in the valley. She cannot escape- it's made of glass. Too slippery, apparently. All she can do is commit to serving a blacksmith in a nearby village for seven years. After seven years, the blacksmith gives her a pair of iron shoes that allow her to climb out of the valley. There’s more to the story, but I’ll stop there.

Having read all this, I found it easier to appreciate the game. It was kind of fun seeing what details in the game are taken from the folk tale. The protagonist’s reason for carrying non-edible fruit now makes sense.

If you’ve not read the folk tale, the game feels disjointed and directionless. It essentially boils down to (Spoiler - click to show)going south and going in (to a house). The end. No character interactions or explanation. You think that’s it? Reading the folk tale in advance provides needed clarity.

I understand that with this game, less is more. I like that it does not try to fit the entire folk tale into the game. But rather than providing a succinct, minimalist experience, it feels under implemented. The default parser response ("as good-looking as ever") for examining oneself also contributes to its sparseness. Guess-the-verb is also an issue when trying to (Spoiler - click to show)enter the blacksmith’s house.

The game needs further development before I can give it a higher rating, but it’s almost there. I encourage the author to deepen the interactivity available to the player and provide a bit more exposition on the protagonist. A post-comp release, maybe?

Ultimately, I like its atmosphere and concept.

You turn your back on the ridgeline, and return to the work ahead.

You've been informed about a photography contest.

A contest where participants explore abandoned buildings to photograph "something never meant to be seen." Sounds like your idea of fun. Following a map found on Reddit, you sneak into an abandoned underground train station in hopes of finding the perfect shot.

Gameplay
Gameplay involves exploring the station, including a non-moving train. The player is armed with a camera that can take 10 photos, all of which will be submitted to the contest and determine your score at the end of the game. You meet characters along the way and open doors that you’re not meant to open.

Implementation needs work, especially with guess-the-verb challenges that stand in the way of solving otherwise easy puzzles. This occurs primarily with using the key cards to unlock doors and combining the carabiner with the rope.

Overall, there are rough areas that could be smoothed out. For instance, the game never acknowledges the backpack it claims you have:

>take carabiner
Carabiners have many uses besides rock climbing. You toss it in your backpack.

>x backpack
You can't see any such thing.

It's also possible to pick up the vending machine.

You are carrying:
a vending machine (closed)

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the puzzles and the colour-coded tunnels. There are several get-past-the-locked-door puzzles, but they are fairly self-explanatory. I also like how there are two ways of (Spoiler - click to show)bypassing the door that leads to the green tunnel.

Story/Characters
I was initially frustrated by the characters because the game seems to shoehorn the player's actions with them. There's a lot of "maybe you should do such and such first before [your desired action]" which can strip the gameplay of its dimension.

>x key card
A small dark blue card, about the size of a credit card. It appears to be significantly worn from years of riding around in the officer's uniform.

>take it
You feel like you'd better ask about the card first. It's the polite thing to do.

Only for us to lull the officer to sleep so we can steal it. Not so polite, after all.

Plus, characters’ behavior did not seem entirely rational- suspiciously tailored to the player’s task. In fact, you can skip the Lily puzzle if you already know about (Spoiler - click to show)Barry. She has no other stake in the game.

(Also: Rat Man was fun. 'RATTY' Ralph from Gerbil Riot of '67 came to mind when I saw him.)

Final thoughts
Clickbait has a strong overarching premise and builds on the appeal of sneaking into places we’re not supposed to be. The protagonist is clearly psyched to win the competition, and this enthusiasm is conveyed in the gameplay. That said, the quality is hindered by rough implementation, largely with guess-the-verb.

It’s not a seamless game, but the author seems to have put a lot of thought and care into its creation. It doesn’t take long play, and the twist at the end gives it greater depth than what appears on the surface.