Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car

(Note: The game has been updated but is no longer playable online. If this changes, I’ll edit this review accordingly.)

The only reason you’re driving across the mountainside on a Sunday is because Dale promised you $500. The request was simple: Do a quick assessment of a rental cabin. Tidy it up, make sure it’s empty, etc.

But when you arrive and find the cabin in a dilapidated state, you start to wonder if this is worth the money…

Within the Woods is a horror game about taking on more than you bargained for and having to deal with the fallout of someone else’s poor choices.

Gameplay
The game takes place in a cabin surrounded by dense forest (and it’ll be night soon, btw). Gameplay’s first half is spent on repairing the cabin the best you can. The second half (Spoiler - click to show)involves recreating a ritual to dispel the evil forces preventing you from leaving.

What I love about this game is the richly implemented environment where the smallest details can be examined for atmosphere and information. Puzzles are largely centered around noticing key details in your surroundings (oddly, “listen” and “smell” only use default responses). These are my kind of puzzles. I examined everything. Many solutions turned out to be in plain sight! Finding the (Spoiler - click to show)etchings was a fun highlight.

There were moments where I was stuck. Daunting, considering an absence of hints. But I was eventually able to figure it out because the puzzles do not require huge jumps in logic. Plus, both halves of the gameplay are broken down into smaller objectives, whether it be the repair to-do list or the (Spoiler - click to show)instructions for the ritual. I always knew what to do. It was simply a matter of looking in the right place.

(I’ll be honest, I totally would have used the hints if they were available. Being forced to go without made solving the puzzles much more rewarding.)

[Your score has just gone up by one point.]

That euphoric feeling of victory when you (Spoiler - click to show)finally find the hammer.

Story
It’s easy to get invested in the story. In fact, there is a slight investigative bent to the game in the sense that you must piece together whatever dark secret is lurking in the shadows. (Spoiler - click to show)Figuratively and literally. Seriously, don't go wandering off without a light source. Your life depends on it.

Upon reflection I actually found the first half of the game to be slightly scarier than the second because it rides on the suspense of the unknown. You’re not entirely sure of what happened to the cabin. The diary, sketchbook, and (Spoiler - click to show)grave certainly offer some ideas, but there are still gaps in the story that haven’t yet been filled.

And no matter what, the game never, ever wavers on atmosphere. There is always a subtle creepiness that compels you to fight for your freedom.

I was also delighted to see that there are nine endings! So far, I’ve found (Spoiler - click to show)1, 4, 6, 8, and 9. I’m still trying to find the others. I suspect they are premature gnarly death endings. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m listening.

Final thoughts
I wouldn’t outright classify Within the Woods as a spectacular game in the sense that the story and setting on their own aren’t earthshattering or novel. But there is something deeply satisfying about the overall experience that it offers. Its consistency and solid implementation blend all of its components into a well-rounded game that sets itself apart from other works of horror. I had a blast and A+ for atmosphere.

Recommended if you have a craving for a mid-length horror game.

This game is currently under development, so I’ll hold off on assigning it a rating.

You are a flesh harvester, a nightmare creature of body parts and barbed wire who likes to snack on mortals’ bodies to enhance your own twisted form. In doing so, you become… powerful. The world awaits.

BLACK FLESH begins in your den. Initially, the only gameplay actions are hunting humans for flesh, modifying your body with said flesh, and making painkillers (because as much as you enjoy pain, it can still kill you).

Acquired: 21 flesh + raw muscle fiber filament.

Nice. Sort of.

A status bar on the left tracks your pain level, the number of limbs you’ve added to your body, and collected raw material. Certain actions increase your pain. If it reaches 100%, game over. And there’s no way to save, either. After enough modification, you “level up” and unlock more actions such as capturing servants to do your bidding. Others are listed but not currently implemented. Raiding villages will have to wait.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is extremely repetitive. The author notes that BLACK FLESH has no story and instead focuses on the gore element to “boost your primal dopamine.” Alright. Except the lack of variation dulls the effect. Hunt. Take painkiller. Modify body. Take painkiller. Repeat. Any dopamine rush (or is it adrenaline?) soon fizzles out as you micromanage your pain levels.

Also, the requirements for leveling up are unreasonable. To level up a second time, you need 40 arms, 40 legs, 20 heads, and 8 torsos. It took way too long. When I finally succeeded, (Spoiler - click to show)the game ran into a dead end. The only link on the screen (“Hahaha!”) kept taking me back to the same screen. Either it’s a bug or the implementation ends there.

Players may be turned off by the game’s graphic and directionless carnage, but there is an odd charm to it. It heaps on the gore with such in-your-face enthusiasm that you start to think, “okay, I’m into it.”

…flaying a hole to accommodate NEW TISSUE.

Yeah, new tissue! The effect is accentuated with the ALL-CAPS pulsing red text that is reserved for the extra gnarly moments. This visual also stands out nicely with the game’s black screen, red buttons, and otherwise white text. (Made with Twine, btw).

Over the top, yes, but think of it as a resource management game or an RPG. You collect resources (flesh) to construct limbs to level up and gain new abilities, all while staying within a set threshold (pain levels). However, these need to be developed further if the author wants to retain players beyond the first few minutes.

Final thoughts
As of now, BLACK FLESH is hovering around a rating of two stars because for a game that promotes itself as being a thrilling gore-fest, it is quite mind-numbingly repetitive. Do you know how long it takes to stockpile 40 arms and 40 legs?

Fortunately, it’s still in the early stage of development. The author appears to be quite excited about the game which makes me eager to see what they have in store for us.

Fans of the Twine game MARTYR ME will get a kick out of this.

Note: Don’t be turned off by my rating. I found it tough to rate because it feels like it should be higher, and yet, I needed to be realistic. I hope this review clarifies things.

The supernatural carries a stigma that leaves its victims scrabbling for support. But when it’s taboo to even discuss such matters, support is hard to find. That’s where you come in.

This is my calling. I investigate this kind of stuff. The dangers that play out just at the edge of society. The threats from things that… aren’t human.

You are a traveling exorcist who goes from city to city offering your services to those who contact you. Of course, this means you live with this stigma everywhere you go.

But being a professional, it’s all part of the job.

A submission to Ectocomp 2025 in the Le Grand Guignol category.

Gameplay
Exorcist Tipline makes a strong first impression with its fast-paced, suspenseful opening scene. It provides both a glimpse of the work the protagonist does and the stigma around anything supernatural. I was excited!

The main gameplay begins with the protagonist moving to a new city. The plan is to stay at a hotel for seven weeks. After that, it’s time to move on and the game ends. At the start of each day, the player checks their answering machine for any new cases. Next, they choose from a list of possible actions.

-Go to map location
-Research in the library
-Spend the day warding
-Prepare the coinboard for divination
-Go over notes

Aside from checking your notes, each action takes up one day. Being 48 days long, the gameplay will run on the longer side. During this time, seven cases will be made available.

Implementation
The implementation is the game’s fatal flaw.

When I say, “difficult to play,” I mean that it can feel borderline impossible to make any progress towards solving the cases. The problem is that the player has little way of knowing what to do after they first meet with a client. On top of this, the gameplay’s rigidness makes it difficult to experiment and fully appreciate the city setting.

The notes only list your active cases. Rarely are they updated with new information, leaving it up to the player to remember everything. Characters may drop snippets of info when you first meet them and that’s it. If you miss a key detail, your mistake. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)Randall only mentions his local church- which you can visit- once. The notes can’t even be accessed at the library while you’re doing research.

The biggest issue is how the player’s progress can go unrecognized. Consider (Spoiler - click to show)Randall again. His dead mom is supposedly sending people tapes of him doing awkward things. At one point, we receive one. I figured the practical thing to do would be to go talk to him about it. But when I did, the game acted like I had nothing relevant to share.

My main takeaway is this: If there was a hint guide to nudge the player in the right direction, it would be enough to help them navigate around the implementation issues and at least enjoy the story. Being able to save the game would be nice, though I was relieved to see that the game (Spoiler - click to show)sends you to a checkpoint if you die.

Story
I love the overall premise: an exorcist provides a discrete support system for those who are otherwise shunned, dismissed, or ignored. Rather than having a “main” story, Exorcist Tipline is more akin to a collection of stories that coexist at once. I’ll use this section to reflect on my experience with the cases.

The game makes it easy to care about the characters, especially when a client’s loved ones are involved. Exorcist Tipline is ultimately a game about helping people. But without any direction, it quickly becomes a game about letting everyone down.

Redbridges, population circa 800,000.

That said, I enjoyed the city setting and its subtle urban fantasy vibe.

Visuals
The visuals are a strength. Exorcist Tipline is made with both Ink and Godot. In the center of the screen is a black column with white text. Behind it is a backdrop that depicts the setting. An innovative feature is pop-up imagery used for maps and the divination board. To use the board, the player drags coin icons and flips them onto the board in search of meaning. This was a fantastic way of making the game more interactive.

I liked the character portraits. Disarming but not too cartoonish. Not every character has one, but I enjoyed the ones that were featured. Now, if you’re not careful, (Spoiler - click to show)the supernatural will come searching for you… at night. This is illustrated as a shadowy figure appearing on the screen, followed by a face. Not quite a jumpscare, but creepy enough to be unnerving.

Unfortunately, there is slow timed text. Inconvenient, but manageable. However, when a major event occurs, the text will sometimes speed through it before you have a chance to fully process it! That was worse.

Final thoughts
If it weren’t for the implementation, Exorcist Tipline would shine. I was impressed by its complexity. The parts I liked I really liked. But that’s not enough to fully make up for the implementation issues. I hope the author continues to develop this game. Or at least publish a hint guide. That would make a big difference for players.

If you enjoy supernatural investigation games or anything that combines mystery with the occult, such as Grimnoir, then Exorcist Tipline may interest you. Frustrating, yes, but there are components that make it highly likable. Otherwise, it may not be worth your time considering that it’s a longer game.

Founded in the mid-1970s by Gregory Korda, Armature Studios produced a wide variety of films, many of which received high praise from critics and audiences alike. But the studio seemed… cursed. Every year, someone would die, often under suspicious circumstances.

After going out of business in 1998, the studio sat in abandonment. Prime real estate isn’t as desirable when it has the reputation of being haunted. Jump forward to 2025. You are a freelancer whose work deals with the supernatural. Recently, the studio’s lot was purchased, and the new owners have hired you to rid the studio of whatever haunts it.

In other words, Kinophobia is a ghost investigation game that takes place at an abandoned movie studio. The game is made with Inform and is also a submission to Ectocomp 2025 in the Le Grand Guignol category.

Gameplay
At first, I found the game to be quite intimidating. My initial impression was that there were tons of things I had to juggle. Notebook. Binder that gets filled quickly. Phone. A pendant with some kind of substance in it. And verbs. RESEARCH. CONSULT. WRITE. Something about CONCLUSIONS.

I was overthinking it. Soon enough, it clicked. Kinophobia quickly became a lot of fun.

The gameplay involves exploring the studio for newspaper clippings, posters, memos, letters, and other readable material that name-drop people, films, dates, and incidents tied to Armature Studios’ history. Along the way, you can also encounter haunted objects that provide further clues.

As you pick up the shotgun microphone, you feel a slight tingle of static electricity.

The main goal is to identify the 24 ghosts that haunt the site. This is done by finding the person’s name, cause of death, and year of death, which you record in your notebook. Once everyone has been identified, you go to the one room that has been off-limits during the gameplay. But I won’t spoil it.

The gameplay’s structure is a bit unusual. When it comes to games about ghost hunting or exorcisms, I imagine the player running around to find and confront/banish ghosts directly or solving scenery/object-based puzzles. Kinophobia is more of a research-oriented investigation. After collecting readable material, you sit down to analyze it. My favorite part of this is Ari, our research assistant who will look up topics and text us her findings. Sometimes she’ll text us at random to make sure we’re doing alright. She’s awesome.

Ari tells you that the top hit for this name is a "dadfluencer" based out of Cleveland. The person you're looking for is probably not that.

There is so much content to explore. It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole as you chase every bit of info that you find. I love this sort of thing. After a while, you almost forget that you’re investigating a haunted movie studio. Almost.

You think you hear a voice behind you - there's nothing there when you look, of course.

The game makes sure to remind the player of where they are. This includes (Spoiler - click to show)experiencing eerie visions. I actually wish there were more of these. It’s also possible for ghosts to appear visually, but this is more for atmosphere than anything else.

I did need the walkthrough to finish the game. 24 ghosts are a lot. I enjoyed the challenge, but some were too cryptic for me. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)I think reading the “Whatever happened to Magda Marcel?” article and concluding that she was murdered is a bit of a leap, though I appreciate how the game confirms this through a text message we receive from Ari as well as the appearance of Magda’s ghost (a gnarly murder, from the looks of it). Also, I was more inclined to classify hairstylist Melissa Wong’s death as “illness” (chemical poisoning) than “accident,” considering that it was due to routine exposure to toxic hairspray.

Story
To avoid spoiling the immediate story, I’m going to focus more on the worldbuilding component. After researching the daylight out of everything, one could almost believe that, despite being a work of fiction, the people, films, essays, organizations, and other subjects in Kinophobia are real, perhaps because much of it feels vaguely familiar. I should note, a few things do exist, like Letterboxd. But most of it is fiction.

There’s even commentary on these fictional works.

Ari shares a Letterboxd review of Ampersand (2008): "What if all your failed Hinge dates showed up to your house to kill you with hammers but you were too busy having crippling gambling debts to notice. Five stars."

These were a delight to read.

I’m not the first to make this comparison, but Kinophobia reminds me of Excalibur, a Twine game where you navigate a convincing Wikipedia-style “website” about a TV show of the same name. Both have an investigative element where you dig for info and draw conclusions. But what I especially like is the depiction of a creative endeavor that once lived in its heyday. Through your investigation, you start to imagine what it was like before the television show got cancelled, or before the film studio went out of business. As dysfunctional/cursed as they were, there was a moment when they shined. It’s neat to contemplate before returning to the present.

Also, the author describes Kinophobia as a “database thriller,” which may just be my new favorite genre.

Visuals
I like that the game uses a black screen and white text. Much spookier than the default white screen with black text. The cover art also has a nice appearance with black and white imagery + a splash of orange.

Final thoughts
Will everyone fall in love with this game? Not necessarily. But I do think it has something for everyone. There are parts you will appreciate.

As for me, I had a blast. It featured some of my favorite things: An atmospheric map that you roam freely, and a story that you piece together through research. And while it’s a long- and sometimes difficult- game, the walkthrough is well designed. It cuts to the chase so you can dive right into the essence of the gameplay.

So far, Kinophobia is one of the best ghost investigation games I’ve played!

If you've played The Sims 2, odds are you have been freaked out by stories of how easy it is for the game to get corrupted, and the crazy things that can happen if it does.

I want to start by saying that I was greatly impressed with The Sims 2 Corruption Creepypasta (aka TS2CC). While it’s more of an essay than a conventional Twine game, it strikes a balance between the two by combining fascinating, in-depth analysis with surprising interactivity. It's also a submission to Bare-Bones Jam 2025.

The Sims is a popular life simulation series. There have been rumors that its second installment, The Sims 2, can be horribly corrupted if the player performs certain actions, with unsettling results. Ultimately, there is no basis for these rumors. A mere myth. TS2CC seeks to understand why this myth flourished so easily…

What is it about these myths that has convinced, and, in some sense, captivated people for so long? Why have they been shared, amplified, built upon, and believed?

…and why it manages to retain its allure even after being discredited. To answer these questions, TS2CC compares The Sims 2 corruption myth to creepypastas about technology-related fears.

PART A: Gameplay/Design
The execution of this game is fantastic. It’s what earns TS2CC its fifth star.

Gameplay
Despite being an essay, TS2CC makes good use of the Twine format to include interactive content, elevating the essay from merely something we read to something that provides an experience. Something playable.

Interactivity is surface-deep and does not affect the gameplay’s linearity. Its potency lies in building atmosphere and providing ways for the player to engage with passages while reading. What’s remarkable is how this interactivity injects a subtle weirdness that pairs well with the essay’s topic. For example, the section that discusses intentional corruption has a link that, when clicked on, causes a passage’s text to shift and distort.

Even the cover art is spooky.

My only complaint is that the game (Spoiler - click to show)simply ends with a link-less passage and no indicator that the game is over. The writing implies that it is, but at the same time, players are left wondering if they’ve landed on a broken passage. A small confirmation would be appreciated.

Design
The Bare-Bones Jam is a perfect fit for this game. Entries are required to stick to their system’s default format. As a Twine game, TS2CC has a black background, white text, and blue links: Twine’s default. Jam or no Jam, this appearance works well for an essay because it’s easy to read and avoids distractions. The simplicity of this also keeps the spotlight on the interactivity.

And yet, the game finds ways to keep things visually interesting. One of my favorite moments is (Spoiler - click to show)when the game explains how glitches alter the familiarity of a game… and a creepy face appears. It’s composed of dozens of periods (“.”) which adds a visual element without breaking the Jam’s rules.

PART B: Content
TS2CC takes an analytic approach to its subject matter. The author clearly did their research- literally. The in-game Reference page will take you to the sources that the author used for writing the essay.

The player is introduced to a range of ideas and concepts, which can initially feel overwhelming. I had to play the game multiple times before I could follow the main arguments. But I loved gaining new insight in the process.

I will now share some things that stood out to me. Consider this part of the review as how I understand the game's concepts. Input welcome.

General ideas
TS2CC contemplates the "game object" which refers to the game itself, not the gaming experience we get from playing it. By responding to the player’s choices, the game object grants that person agency over it. But when a glitch occurs, "it's something the game object does in spite of the player's intentions," resulting in the loss of this agency over something you previously controlled and thought you understood.

This dynamic is showcased in “glitch horror,” a genre of horror that capitalizes on these fears and anxieties about technology. An example of a glitch horror game is "Ben Drowned."

Creepypasta like Ben Drowned dramatize a fear of loss of agency before the machine. Not only that, but loss of agency over something that used to be deeply familiar.

Glitch horror is often used in creepypastas. Creepypasta refers to horror stories/legends that are posted and circulated around the internet, often inspiring new iterations. Slender Man is a popular example. The Sims 2 corruption myth also fits the bill given how it continues to lurk in the minds of players and online forums.

From the sound of it, content that preys on our fears fascinates us in equal measure.

Corruption myth
The author claims that while the magnetic draw of The Sims corruption myth is akin to the fascination around glitch horror creepypastas, the base fear factor- or what makes this corruption particularly frightening to the viewer- is different.

The scariness of corruption in The Sims is "because it speaks to the lack of mastery of the overwhelming majority of people who use computers." Less about losing control and more about finding yourself face-to-face with something too complex to understand.

This is where I start to lose focus.

It sounds like the author is saying that when a Sims game is corrupted, it forces the user to engage with the technical side of the simulation, and that the user’s inability to understand this side is what makes corruption in The Sims so unnerving (I assume the author is referring to the average person). Apparently, the fear of this happening is so strong that some players avoid the game altogether.

Regarding this argument, I don’t entirely see how the technical details of The Sims would trigger a fear of corruption. I could understand being disturbed if this corruption produced horrifying results, as is the case with the corruption myth.

…bizarre effects such as attaching furniture to Sims' heads, turning Mrs. Crumplebottom into a bald and barefoot stalker…

But not so much with being unable to understand the ins and outs of how the simulation works. In this sense, I would just find it frustrating because the game isn’t working and I don’t know how to fix it. Well, I suppose a glitch is the same way: a machine fails to work the way it should. Still, I have a harder time drawing a parallel between the two.

Besides, a quick look online shows people using mods and fooling around with the game’s settings. Your knowledge of how the game works may be limited, but that won’t necessarily stop you from finding ways to tinker with it beyond what the game was intended for.

Or is the fear of corruption in The Sims 2 because of how supposedly easy it is to trigger a corrupted state through basic actions? I’d love to hear more from the author on this!

Further discussion
Reading through the essay’s points on glitch horror, I couldn’t help but think of a Twine classic, the uncle who works for nintendo. Its premise is based on the urban legend that kids could gain early access to video games if they had a family member, often an uncle, employed by Nintendo.

I’m not sure if it can be fully categorized as glitch horror, but there are elements that elicit the nervousness of seeing a computer act in unexpected ways. SPOILERS.

Final thoughts
The Sims 2 Corruption Creepypasta is a stellar interactive essay made with Twine. It outlines the corruption myth and how it functions as a creepypasta. Fueled by our fear and fascination of corrupted technology, the myth lives on despite the consensus that it has no practical basis. I learned a lot.

Players may be turned off by the fact that it’s an essay, especially if the subject doesn’t interest them. But even if you merely skim the text, you can still appreciate the overall experience of its creepy interactivity.

I hope to see more of the author’s work in the future.

(edit: removed note after receiving clarification)

You open your eyes and slowly stand up. Trees surround you. It seems you woke up in a forest. You try to remember. Who are you and what are you doing here?

You wake up in a forest with no memory whatsoever. Not even your name. You have no other option than to get moving...

Gameplay
Following a brief intro in the forest, the gameplay takes place in a house. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but it’s clear that something happened inside this house. Gameplay is spent trying to find the truth.

There are only a handful of puzzles, and they are simple and intuitive. With one exception: (Spoiler - click to show)using the knife to enter the mirror portal. The command is “use knife on mirror.” However, there is nothing to suggest that the knife has any relevance to the mirror. I figured it out thanks to the comment section on the game’s website.

The implementation has room for improvement, particularly with verbs. That is, the game tends not to acknowledge them. Entering the house becomes needlessly frustrating.

> take key
You take the key.

> unlock front door
It is already unlocked.

> open front door
The front door is locked. You need a key to open it.

> unlock front door with key
That doesn't work.

The solution is: "Use key on front door." Because the game is made with Quest, I found it simpler to skip the keyboard and instead rely on the link-menu feature located at the top right corner of the screen.

Story/Characters
I was impressed with how the game builds the story in layers. Games featuring the amnesia trope run the risk of dumping major plot reveals on the player all at once. Texture does not do that. Its build-up is gradual… and then unexpectedly pulls a bait-and-switch that makes us reevaluate what we thought were established facts.

Often, my reviews provide heavy summaries because, A, I like discussing them, and B, it sets the stage for thoughts and analysis. PLEASE PLAY THE GAME FIRST.

Thoughts
What a ride. My speculation is this: (Spoiler - click to show)After the protagonist killed his wife and smashed everything in the house, he left and passed out in the forest. The entire gameplay was the protagonist dreaming/hallucinating about what happened only to be awakened by the arrival of law enforcement. Part of my guess is based on the inconsistencies between the mirror world and the timeline of the murder. If the mirror world takes place after the murder, why is there no blood where the murder happened? It couldn’t have been cleaned up because it’s there when we explore the house in the present.

I really like how the text at the end is reminiscent of the game’s opening.

I know this is a small detail to complain about, but I don’t understand the (Spoiler - click to show)point of the tree emblem and the hole in the wall. What meaning does it have in the story? I suppose tree = forest, and we both start and end the game in a forest. Still, it felt like a weak attempt at incorporating one last puzzle before the game ended.

While I applaud the overall storytelling, there is space for growth. Room descriptions tend to be bare bones, and this is a missed opportunity to provide context on the story and give it more dimension. The layout of the house feels a bit odd, as if the author decided to only include the rooms that would have a purpose in the story. No living room?

Also, when you examine yourself, the game says, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” and “Your memory is gone.” Problem is, this stays the same after we regain our memories. It doesn’t make sense for the game to (Spoiler - click to show)force us into recreating the murder only to act like we have no memory of what is going on. It even would have been a perfect chance to elaborate on the protagonist and his history with his wife.

One last thing: I’m trying to figure out why the author chose “Texture” as the title. How does it fit into the game?

Visuals
As a Quest game, Texture uses background colours tailored to the player’s location. For example, when we’re in the forest, the background is green. (Spoiler - click to show)The bloodstained bedroom and bathroom? Dark red. And so forth.

Until (Spoiler - click to show)you enter the mirror portal (see Story section) where every location has a pure white background. I liked the storytelling merit of this. The mirror world is described as tidy and unsoiled, and the blankness of its background sharply contrasts with the blood, destruction, and ruin that is found in the house on the “real” side of the mirror portal.

Final thoughts
The amnesia trope is somewhat of a cliché, and you might roll your eyes upon learning that this game begins in the middle of a forest. But Texture really does offer something new. I did not see the ending coming. Right when I thought I had figured everything out, the game went and turned the tables on me. The use of the (Spoiler - click to show)mirror portal was especially memorable.

I would like to give Texture a higher rating, but the implementation needs refinement. Unlocking and opening a door shouldn’t be so confusing. The integration of the story with the gameplay sometimes wears thin. At least update the PC’s description once the amnesia goes away.

And yet, these rough edges did not prevent Texture from leaving me staring at the screen in stunned silence. Content-wise, this is a game with (Spoiler - click to show)explicit portrayals of sexual violence and murder. I was horrified to discover the PC’s identity. But his fate at the end allows us to part ways with the game on a more optimistic note.

If the author ever decides to make another game, I would definitely be interested.

Founded by Doctor Morben, Morben House was once a state-of-the-art establishment that could cure any mental illness, even insanity. Until patients disappeared and scandal forced the asylum to close its doors in 1930s. It’s been left abandoned- and the source of countless rumors- ever since.

Fast forward to the 21st century.

You’ve got bills to pay. And a theory: If it served wealthy patients who supposedly never left, could their valuable belongings be in there? Looting it is a gamble… but you’re desperate.

Desperate enough to sneak into this reportedly haunted (and surprisingly accessible) asylum and face whatever secrets lie within!

A submission to Ectocomp 2025 in the Le Grand Guignol category.

Gameplay
Our adventure begins outside the asylum’s entrance. The game features what I like to call “free range of movement” which is where the player navigates rooms and interacts with content like they would with a parser, except they click on links instead of type. As a Twine game Doctor Morben's Asylum has one of the largest maps I’ve seen.

You have full roam of the asylum and, for a limited time, the grounds outside it. There’s a lot to explore.

More signs: CONSERVATORY to the left, HALL to the right, and CONSULTING ROOMS pointing yet further down the passage.

>> Enter the greenhouse
>> Enter the hall
>> Follow the passage to the foyer
>> Follow the passage to the back of the house

Initially, the objective is to find valuable items until it becomes clear that (Spoiler - click to show)A, there’s not much worth taking, and B, there are ghosts who need your help (see Story section). The focus is then on finding the right item to appease each ghost and earn their support before facing the ghost of Doctor Morben and freeing the souls trapped in the asylum.

Despite the large map and long gameplay, this is not a puzzle-fest. Puzzles boil down to finding the right items to bypass doors and fulfill encounters with NPCs, but the game keeps things varied to avoid becoming stale. Players are encouraged to carefully examine their surroundings and revisit locations as they learn more secrets.

A central gameplay mechanic is a “Panic” stat that tracks the player’s fear levels. This adds an extra challenge to balance out the simplicity of the puzzles.

Panic: 6/14

You are on edge.

If you max out… (Spoiler - click to show)it’s not a good idea to max out here.

Three modes of difficulty: Gentle, Normal, and Hard, which can be toggled during gameplay. However, the game doesn’t explain what they entail. I tried them and didn’t notice much of a difference. The only thing that comes to mind is that (Spoiler - click to show)Gentle mode allows you to take Han’s photograph from the office and use it to appease his spirit in the secret downstairs area. Otherwise, he continues to be a threat.

Despite the slick interface, flexible gameplay, and spooky story, there are some noticeable snags. Several times I came across red error links (ex. Error: cannot find a closing tag for macro <<first>>), and the feature that keeps track of your endings is a mess.

There is also a bug involving (Spoiler - click to show)Beau Russell’s ghost. When appeased, ghosts disappear from their haunting spot. To do this with him, you hand over the cigar case. He thanks you and disappears. But if you revisit his location, the game acts as if this never happened. You get ambushed by an angry ghost but no longer have the cigar case.

Story
The game’s story is not exactly groundbreaking or innovative, and when it comes to the premise of exploring an abandoned (and often haunted) asylum, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Instead, its strength stems from a consistent and streamlined narrative, along with characters that we can care about. Topped off with the writing and suspenseful gameplay, the result is an immersive story that draws the player in.

Doctor Morben's Asylum never had a dull moment.

But what is going on?

Subject matter
Despite its subject matter, Doctor Morben's Asylum is not as grim as its premise might suggest. It’s not a graphic game. No gore. It’s not One Eye Open. If anything, the most disturbing part is the mere fact that asylums like Morben House actually existed (even today there’s room for improvement- but that’s another discussion). Content-wise, the game taps into this history without trivializing it.

What we find in Morben house reflects some of the beliefs about mental illness that were present at its time. For example, female "hysteria" equating to mental illness.

Or how certain behaviors, like wetting the bed, are viewed a matter of moral failure that requires “correction” (aka: child abuse).

I like that the game chooses to (Spoiler - click to show)humanize the ghosts rather than antagonizing them as “crazy patient” NPCs. Now, the ghosts, who are traumatized, will attack you out of confusion, until you bring an item, or “anchor”, that allows them to reclaim memories that were stripped away. They then reappear to help when you go to destroy the machine.

Endings
There are seven endings. At the end of the game there is a box listing the endings that you reached. Unfortunately, it is a tangled mess of red error links and can even misnumber the endings that are listed. As far as I’m aware, I found all but endings 2 and 3.

Endings I reached: (Spoiler - click to show)“Gave up and ran away, lived another day” (1), “The doctor’s next experiment” (4), “Greed beats charity” (5), “Lost to the device” (6), “An end to this horror” (7). I’ve played the game multiple times to find the others with no success. Does anyone have any ideas?

Characters
I discussed the NPCs. I'm a little curious about the protagonist.

An old aluminium torch. The battery isn't perfect.

You're about to ransack an infamous asylum… and all you bring is a pack of gum and a shoddy battery-powered torch? (I only mean this from a story standpoint.)

Visuals
A few years back, I played another game by the author called The Green, and I remember being impressed with its slick, atmospheric visual design. Doctor Morben's Asylum has the same level of quality.

The screen displays a generic wallpaper pattern as a backdrop; in the center is a dark translucent text box. Text is primarily white with green links, and other colours are used as accents. Readable content*, such as handwritten letters, is displayed in a textbox that mimics paper. Icons are also creatively used. For example, a notification with a green hand briefly appears when you add something to your inventory. The author goes the extra mile to enhance the player’s experience.

*(I appreciate that we can turn off the stylized fonts used for this content. Fancy cursive handwriting has a nice aesthetic but gets tiresome after a few sentences.)

Final thoughts
I was impressed with how much Doctor Morben's Asylum had to offer.

It stood out to me because while the story and gameplay are heavy on content, it is light on puzzles without sacrificing challenge. Overall, gameplay is intuitive and streamlined. I never needed a walkthrough or hints to “win” the game, though I’d still like help for two of the endings. These qualities will appeal to players who are intimidated by large Twine games.

As I mentioned, there are some error messages and a noticeable bug. But this feels minor in comparison to the game as a whole. Some players may hesitate to play the game due to its subject matter. However, it opts for atmosphere over explicit content, relying more on the idea of exploring a spooky building.

The best way to know if this game is for you is to give it a try!

It's another entirely normal day at the office. Time to sort through your emails.

You work at an office that processes print orders and provides services for online content. Everyone has their job. Jeff, for instance, covers printing. As for you, it’s implied that you work in Editing. So why does everyone seem to think that your job revolves around juggling emails?

Oh, and something odd may be happening with your coworkers…

Every day I get emails is a Twine game and an Ectocomp 2025 submission in the La Petite Mort category. (I love the cover art.)

Gameplay is linear and occurs over several days. It consists of forwarding a stack of emails to the right colleague, and these colleagues are spread across multiple departments. Sales. Tech. Accessibility. And so forth. Why do you even have these emails? No idea.

Send to Caroline
Send to Enrique
Send to Jeff
Send to Sushila

The act of forwarding emails to the right colleague is superficial. Forward a tech-related issue to Enrique? He’ll forward it to Sushila for you. Aside from feeling pleased at remembering who works in what department, your choices here don’t affect the gameplay’s trajectory.

Instead, emails are the mechanism through which the plot unfolds. Initially, forwarding emails is followed by the bliss of knowing that they’re no longer your problem.

You forward the email to Jeff. Now you don't have to think about that anymore.

Appearance-wise, the game uses a basic light blue background similar to the cover art. In fact, its cover art was initially what attracted me to the game in the first place. These multiple shades of blue make my spine tingle. There is also a cream text box with rounded corners, and this looks nice against the blue background.

To conclude, Every day I get emails is a blend of horror and humor set in an office. It has simple design, linear gameplay, and an uncomplicated story, and yet, it has suspense as (Spoiler - click to show)we slowly realize the implications for the protagonist as their coworkers steadily vanish.

However, while I enjoyed it, I didn’t find it to be particularly earthshattering, either. I think the ending could be more fleshed out. Then again, the author only had four hours to make it, and it definitely feels like a finished product. So, take my criticism with a grain of salt.

...except we have no choice...

You are on a road trip to start a new life. The plan is to move in with a friend and see where life takes you! Who knows, maybe you'll stop having those weird dreams. Then your car breaks down.

At night. In the middle of nowhere.

A man appears. A mechanic. He was just passing by. He wants to help.

Sparks Fly embraces a staple of the horror genre: Car breaks down, a stranger offers help. Main character has no other choice but to accept. We find ourselves in that exact position.

No choice left. You have to get out of the car.

The stranger is Andrew. A homely yet muscular man who informs us that he’s a mechanic with a shop at his house. He proposes that we come with him and, given how late it is, spend the night and figure things out in the morning. (Spoiler - click to show)It doesn’t take long for us to realize that this was a really, really, really bad idea.

I’m just going to rip off the band-aid.

Now that you know what you’re in for, I’m going to deviate from how I usually structure my reviews.

Strengths
Opening scene
Sparks Fly makes a strong first impression with its opening scene by capturing our vulnerability and isolation of being stranded from human civilization. We can stall for time, but inevitably we must follow Andrew to his car.

My stranger danger alarm was running at full power. Has anyone experienced the sudden, quiet realization where a voice in the back of your mind says, hey, do you realize that you’re in a stranger’s car, they’re the one driving, and no knows where you are? This scene went and dug all of that up. He also asks to see your license, and this sharing of personal information only makes it more nerve-wracking.

Or maybe we’re assuming the worst because of our less-than-ideal circumstances. Jumping to conclusions, perhaps?

Talk about an opening scene. (Spoiler - click to show)No one is fooled by Andrew. And yet, we don’t know what his intentions are. What’s going to happen to us? Nicely done.

Writing
The author has a talent for writing horror. The story’s premise is good, but it’s the writing that pulls it off. I would describe the writing as quiet, dawning horror.

My favorite is this scene:

This scene deserves an award. I just burst out laughing. I love its casual morbidity.

Characters
Animals aside, the only NPCs are Andrew and (Spoiler - click to show)Lydia.

As for the protagonist, we know little about them. However, their portrayal is heavily rooted in the notion of starting over and forging a life of your own choosing. This is partly what makes (Spoiler - click to show)Andrew and Lydia so infuriating: They want to choose your life for you by making you “part of the family” and surgically altering your body against your will. Ending 2 “Freedom” puts an emphasis on you regaining control over your life.

Visuals
The author also did a nice job with the game’s visual design. Set in the middle of the screen is the game’s text box. It’s stylized with rounded edges, a semi see-through black background, and casts a slight shadow on the screen. Text is white. Behind the box is a backdrop that changes with the scene. Half of the box’s border is light grey while the other half is darker, the latter of which disappears when the backdrop has little contrast, creating an off-kilter look.

This aesthetic reminds me of the earlier horror Twine games I’ve played. It has a similar vibe as the uncle who works for nintendo. Polished, but not too polished. There’s a slight roughness that reminds the player that there is something twisted going on underneath.

Sparks Fly demonstrates how simple design changes can elevate the player’s experience. Consider the scene where (Spoiler - click to show)you wake up to find Andrew pinning you down: black backdrop… until a closer look reveals two eyes staring back! Now, imagine this with Twine’s default appearance of a black screen, white text, and blue links. It wouldn’t be the same.

Weaknesses
Pacing
After the opening scene and the big reveal, the game begins to branch out and becomes less linear. Unfortunately, the gameplay snowballs and ends soon after.

Further clarification would be helpful.

Implementation
My main criticism. There were at least two instances in the gameplay where I ran into Twine’s red “Error: <<if>>: bad conditional expression in <<elseif>>” messages that spill across the screen. And while the game is generally well-formatted, there are still some spelling and formatting errors.

There is a rough patch that puts a dent into the game’s quality.

Final thoughts
Sparks Fly is an Ectocomp 2025 submission for the Le Grand Guignol category. It was a game that I couldn’t put down before finding every ending. It’s an intriguing work of horror with excellent writing that builds atmosphere and places the player in some seriously terrifying situations. This is further enhanced by the visuals.

However, this is hindered by patchy implementation as well as how quickly the game ends just as it becomes less linear. If the author slowed down after (Spoiler - click to show)the scene where we receive our “welcome gift,” the game would be much stronger. The red error messages certainly don’t help either. All of this was factored into my rating.

Nonetheless, Sparks Fly is a memorable work of horror that is difficult to forget. I don’t know if it is the author’s first work, but if it is, this is a fantastic start.

You just wrapped up explaining to your girlfriend Amanda that ever since she plugged her TV into the cable its been plotting to kill her.

Problem is, she thinks you're crazy.

And has now gone back to her apartment...

...where her TV is waiting.

Only you can save her.

Gameplay
When the TV decides to Murder your Girlfriend - The Game is actually an adaptation of a book of the same name. It’s also a submission to Ectocomp 2025.

We begin in our own apartment. (We're Todd, by the way) The first half of the gameplay takes place here, and its puzzles center on the objective of leaving your apartment. The second half is set in Amanda's apartment (Spoiler - click to show)where we prepare to duke it out with her evil TV.

Gameplay primarily consists of interacting with household appliances and enlisting their help. It doesn't take long for us to notice that these appliances are A, sentient, and B, haunted. Possessed, maybe?

"Hey, Todd. Who's your favorite appliance? Just kidding. We all know it's me. So, what can I zap up for you?" Slender gray tentacles, like the finest strands of spaghetti, snake out lovingly from behind the control panel.

It did take me a moment to piece together that we're the only ones who can see this. No wonder Amanda thinks we're crazy.

Puzzles are straightforward and evenly distributed throughout the gameplay. They engage without being too difficult. However, that means if you were hoping for a puzzle-fest, you feel may underwhelmed by what the gameplay has to offer.

Mechanics
Made with Gruescript, this is a choice-based game that behaves like a parser. Instead of imputing commands on a keyboard, the player clicks on buttons to perform an action.

You can also see:
- [Your Television] [talk]
- [Cable Cord] [connect]

Exits and anything with interactable content are listed at the bottom of the screen along with your inventory. If you’re holding something that has an immediate application, the game will list it for you. No guess-the-verb here!

You're holding:
[Your Trusty Philips Head] [drop]

This format felt streamlined and easy to use. I adapted to it quickly.

Story
The game’s strengths are grounded in its writing and characterization because, truth be told, (Spoiler - click to show)you can predict the ending way in advance.

In her apartment, (Spoiler - click to show)we find Amanda hypnotized and held captive by her TV. We appear, fight the TV, and escape with Amanda. No unexpected plot twists or developments. And the game doesn’t need any of that. I was satisfied with this trajectory. I think that’s largely thanks to the witty, household appliance characters. If their characterization were lacking, I’d probably feel otherwise about the story.

I do have one complaint. I wish our interactions with Amanda had more depth. (Spoiler - click to show)She’s been hypnotized, so I understand that she’s not going to be particularly alert or responsive. But something about her portrayal feels overly “damsel-in-distress.” Her character doesn’t extend beyond the role of “the girlfriend.” Who also needs to be rescued.

Then again, the game is an adaptation. Perhaps it’s like that in the book as well.

This game vs. The Little Toaster
The storyline of sentient household appliances immediately reminds me of The Little Toaster. Except, I’ve never liked The Little Toaster. Too disturbing. This game? I can handle.

Characters
Characters are the best part.

The toothbrush's yellow tentacles point at its power button, then your eyes. "I'm watching you, Todd."

Particularly, the sentient appliances.

The writing reveals them to be humorous NPCs (a feral vacuum cleaner?). They are fun to listen to and fun to interact with; Important considering their role in nearly every puzzle.

Asphalt, lines, and cars. *Lots* of cars. You find yours cuddled up next to a sexy red scooter. You get the impression the scooter isn't a huge fan but is too kind to roll away.

Characterization-wise, the appliances offer plenty of attitude. A blend of stubborn snark and an eagerness to assist Todd in saving Amanda. And while some of them view you as Amanda’s oddball boyfriend, they all agree that her TV has gone too far.

Todd’s cool, too. After all, he can communicate with household appliances and see when something is haunted. According to the (Spoiler - click to show)car’s dashboard, he has “mind powers,” but aside from that, we get no further explanation. However, this suits the game’s purposes just fine.

Visuals
The game has a clean appearance with a black screen, white text, and orange links set into dark purple buttons. Reminds me of Halloween!

Final thoughts
I had fun with this!

While I haven’t read the book, the overall premise of saving-your-girlfriend-from-a-bloodthirsty-TV certainly piques one’s curiosity. But when taking a book’s concept and turning it into gameplay, there is risk of that concept losing its essence and feeling contrived. Not the case here.

When the TV decides is a well-rounded adaptation that strikes the right balance between gameplay puzzles and overarching story, and the NPCs’ humorous dialog brings it all to life.

Great option for Halloween.