Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car

The Vault of Stories is a rather unique Twine game that both entertains and educates. It was created by a professor at the University of Maryland for a course titled "INST388Q Interactive Fiction,” and describes itself as “half story-game and half instructional material.”

I am NOT a student. But I still ended up having a positive and memorable experience. Hopefully, my (rather long) review, will help you get the most out of it.

Overview
The story-gameplay portion is set in the future where the player attends the fictional Palisade Institute as a student. Fun and immersive, this part adds flair through worldbuilding and makes players feel more invested in the assigned work.

The instructional part teaches different narrative structures and genres in interactive fiction before guiding players into crafting their own Twine stories. Throughout this section are checkpoints where real-life students submit assignments for the course in exchange for assignment codes. More on that later.

Gameplay
PART I: “Story-game”
Gameplay is broken into three stages, class time at the Palisade Institute, a trek across a desert, and investigating a ruined city. While linear, plenty of interesting things occur.

Renowned for its unique blend of cutting-edge survival science and cultural heritage studies, the Institute is one of the last bastions of higher education in North America.

You begin by choosing a student avatar. Six diverse options are available and ties in with a stat system that is further shaped by your choices in the gameplay. The name and character portrait is just cosmetic. The stats, however, determine the genre and narrative structures covered in the instructional section of the game.

Later, you stumble across unfamiliar files belonging to an employee at the “Vault of Stories,” a place that supposedly collects fictional narratives. Without spoiling the details, it appears the Vault had experienced a structural failure. This led to the creation of a (Spoiler - click to show)human-A.I. (I think) entity known as the Archivist…

Now you know.
Now you see us.
Now, come find us.

…who contacts you and provides a set of GPS coordinates leading to a derelict city!

In a way, everything up to this point serves as an intro. The trip across the desert includes a sampling of some interactive fiction games, but the main action takes place in the city where the Archivist awaits with a special task. Soon after, the game then asks for an assignment code to continue playing.

To my delight, all I had to do was message the author on IFDB.

PART II: Instructional material
Once you become acquainted with the Archivist, the gameplay switches to the instructive half of The Vault of Stories. Because this game is for a college course, it’s tailored to its primary audience: students taking the class. For non-students like myself, the organization and amount of content can be overwhelming. So, I’m going to focus on what I consider to be the best of the game’s instructional content has to offer.

Initially, the game starts by providing some basic Twine tutorials that you may have seen elsewhere (note: The Vault of Stories focuses on Harlowe.) Next, are basic overviews on game engines, POV, character design, the history of interactive fiction, and more.

But the highlight is when the game teaches three narrative structures (ex. hub-and-spoke narratives) and three genres. Which three? Depends on your highest stat, though multiple playthroughs revealed that they often overlap. You are then directed to try another Twine game that demonstrates the narrative structure or genre that is being described, followed by a photo tutorial on a related technique.

For example, when learning about hub-and-spoke narrative structure, you try the game The Great Mortality before receiving a tutorial on variable tracking.

This combination of explanation, outside examples, and a visual breakdown of what to do is where the game shines as an educational tool. It may not be a complete, comprehensive guide, but it gives you a starting point and some building blocks.

Once you’ve learned about three different narrative structures and genres, the Archivist challenges you to pick one of each to create your own Twine game. Several spinners select your setting, protagonist, quest, story twist, and conclusion. In fact, these spinners have some clever ideas. This might come in handy if you ever experience writer’s block.

In submitting assignments to the teacher, you are supposedly adding your work to the Vault in-game. If you want to see how everything wraps up, do so with the assignment codes. The author will provide them by request (see the end of Gameplay PART I).

Story
While there is more story on the Archivist and the Vault, I don’t want to spoil everything. Instead, I’ll delve into my favorite part of this game: the overarching backstory as unveiled during the lecture we attend at the Institute. It outlines a moment in history called the Great Collapse… where everything changed.

Prior to the Collapse, humanity opted to address the climate crisis with technology-based solutions while countless data centers were entrusted to house ancient and modern knowledge. This all relied on vast infrastructure, functioning as a “house of cards waiting for the smallest gust of wind.”

The Collapse began when solar flares devastated electronics globally. An overreliance on automated systems brought daily life to a halt and triggered a cascade of problems. Meanwhile, climate change only worsened. Humanity plunged into a “pre-biotech reality” with diminished cultural memory and scientific knowledge. Survivors transitioned to isolated pocket communities, leaving cities behind as relics of a lost age.

Thoughts
This backstory is intriguing because it draws parallels to our world now. Like the building of data centers. The growing use of A.I. has brought questions about the amount of infrastructure needed to support and power it. And then there’s climate change…

What’s refreshing about The Vault of Stories is that it offers a vision for a future in a scenario where human civilization nearly leads to its own demise. Now, the immediate gameplay takes place in a post-Collapse world. But do we see a drab, miserable, post-apocalyptic existence? No. Civilization has found a way to flourish.

The lecture reveals that humanity gradually rebuilt in desert regions with an emphasis on working with nature rather than trying to conquer it. By pooling together different areas of knowledge and expertise, modern civilization turned its focus to the “art and science of survival.” The Institute is one such product of this philosophy.

✦ BOTE024 Symbiotic Infrastructures. Investigates how botanical systems can serve as living infrastructures for shelter, energy, and data exchange.

I would totally attend this school.

Ideally, we’ll avoid our own Great Collapse. Regardless, I’d like to think that it’s always an option to embrace the themes of adaptation and coexistence as outlined in this story.

Visuals
First off, I was pleased to see that The Vault of Stories uses a wide range of fonts, colours, and visual effects. And the art. Filled to the brim with art! Some of it gives the impression of being A.I.-generated, but that doesn’t stop it from looking really cool (if not breathtaking). I would often linger to marvel at the scenery. It brings the story to life and works well for the game’s purposes.

That said, the game tends to go overboard. Not every scene needs a visual, especially when the gameplay follows a pattern of click on link, wait two seconds for a large picture to load, scroll down to the bottom of the screen to read the text, repeat. Especially when we’re crossing the desert. Also, our meeting with the Archivist feels dominated by the gameplay showing off her hair colours. The game could tone it down without sacrificing her characterization.

Final thoughts
Reviewing and rating this game has proved to be an interesting task because its hybrid nature as both a gameplay experience and a learning tool was something I had never encountered before in a Twine game. My rating of four stars reflects the fact that I was enamored by the story presented in the first half, and was impressed with what it teaches in the second half. Overall, an ambitious and impressive effort.

It does, however, have room for improvement. Some vocab terms had broken links and the text input boxes can be fickle. (Spoiler - click to show)The answer to the interactive fiction puzzle is, “interactive fiction,” right? So why does it act like it’s the wrong answer the first time I punch it in but not the second? Also, it takes a while to reach the part that teaches narrative structures and story genre which I argue is the most informative part. And of course, some players may be turned off about having to input a code at all.

Who knows? Maybe there’s things I missed. But for now, I had a fun time and will leave things here.

You should try this game if…
-The worldbuilding and backstory in the first half interests you
-The artwork sounds appealing
-A college course Twine game piques your curiosity
-You want to learn techniques that turn a story idea into an interactive narrative (Especially this!)

Otherwise, the game might not be your style.

In this custom choice-based game, you are starship captain looking to make a living through commerce!

Gameplay
The gameplay centers around fielding job offers, most of which involve being paid to ship goods to other planets.

Vyphoo Turul: I have a job for you, Captain. Can you deliver this shipment of exotic matter to Toedud?

Some opportunities feature NPCs willing to pay for passage to a particular destination.

As a choice-based game, the layout is well-organized. The left side of the screen displays your inventory and crew roster while the right half has a star map and panel that displays information on any links you click on.

Procedural generation appears to be the game’s key feature and is used for the names of characters, planets, species, and more.

Sasow is an inhabited planetary system. The majority culture is Tawaw. Primary exports include gold, grain, and water. Major imports include antimatter, livestock, and synthstim.

Tawaw is a distinct culture in this region of the galaxy.

There are helpful features that streamline the gameplay. For example, if you linger for too long, a crewmember will nudge you and say the equivalent of "hey, maybe we should leave and travel to [planet name]." Planets that have active content- delivering goods or dropping off passengers- are also flagged on the map. This visual reference is helpful so you don't have to worry about mixing up Eathlowthu with Eathlouthu.

But this strong implementation does not make up for the fact that the gameplay lacks any broader objective beyond completing the same kind of jobs in exchange for payment. No way of upgrading your ship (repairs are occasionally possible) or aligning yourself any faction or characters.

[NPC name]: I’ve got a job for you, Captain. Can you deliver this shipment of [cargo] to [planet name]? I’ll pay you [$ amount] – half now, and half when you make it to [Planet name].

That's it. Over and over again. After about 20 minutes I realized, "I’m done.” As far as I'm aware, it only ends if (Spoiler - click to show)your ship falls apart or you fail to pay back a loan. (To top it off, loans give you little upward mobility in the gameplay).

Story
None, really. There is no narrative introduced at the start of the game. But I suspect that might be the author’s intent, instead choosing to showcase the procedural generation behind the game’s world.

Visuals
Emoji icons! Not too many, just enough to provide visual metrics and make the game’s appearance livelier. Like how you can see the morale of your crew at a glance.

😃🙂😐😒😡

The most impressive feature is the large, clickable, colour-coded planetary map on the right side of the screen. It makes a great impression and sets the mood for hauling goods across solar systems.

Final thoughts
I'm a big fan of another work by the author: Epitaph. It, too, is heavily structured around procedural generation. However, I didn’t get the same satisfaction with Starfreighter.

Starfreighter, as a space commerce sim, demonstrates one possible way procedural generation can be implemented in a choice-based game. Unfortunately, the end product lacks trajectory. It is worth playing to sample what it has to offer, but beyond that, players will likely lose interest after 15-20 minutes.

On the flip side, you pick up this game and set it down without feeling guilty about abandoning a story halfway through. (And I still enjoyed those 20 minutes of playtime.)

Before you go…
If you like this game or enjoy elements of it, I suggest Star Tripper and 4x4 Galaxy.

Star Tripper is a ChoiceScript game with a mechanic of buying and selling units of resources akin to that in Starfreighter, along with the colourful use of emojis. While not without flaws, it is easily one of the most ambitious and innovative ChoiceScript games I've played. It does have a long intro, but after that, it's all space exploration and economic-driven gameplay. Recommended for those who like the technical micromanagement of buying and selling various goods.

4x4 Galaxy is made with Twine and involves exploring a grid of 16 planets. It has multiple stories to choose from and the commerce component is easy to master. I would recommend it for anyone in general, especially if you’re interested in economic gameplay that is more casual and simplified.

The Acreage is an oddball sci-fi game that slowly grows on you. You are Lain Bellets, a mercenary born in the Pisces constellation. A man named Desmond hires you to escort him and his companion Isaac to a monastery on a planet called Surst.

Isaac is unlike anyone you’ve ever met. Childlike stature, sickly pale skin, mechanical eyes, and black wires growing from his scalp. He communicates via a device hidden in his clothes and only speaks in verses… and he’s taken an interest in you.

But your ship, The Vigil, was damaged after escaping a scuffle with law enforcement. The three of you are now stuck in Bluèl, a city on some nondescript world.

Gameplay
Gameplay revolves around the end goal of getting your ship in working condition so you can leave. This means navigating the city and networking to find individuals who can help you. There are just over a dozen locations. You begin in a seedy motel room.

A CLINIC and GROCERY STORE are nearby. A short flight of stairs leads to a PAWNSHOP. Between two buildings you see a small TENT, firelight still flickers from within. A VENDOR stands by her STALL, holding out various trinkets for sale.

ISAAC huddles next to you, wrapping his tunic close in the cold.

Exits are listed at the bottom of the screen. A built-in map is also available. It is a Quest game (fortunately, the website now allows you to save without an account).

While I do wish that more scenery could be examined, the game does reward the player for noticing certain details. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)you listen to the men gambling outside the shacks, you get another dialog option when talking to the seer.

The coolest feature is probably the three characters who exist inside your head as colour-coded dialogue: Synapse (yellow), Animus (blue), Sinew (red).

Familiar voices echo within the architecture of your being.

I’m not sure if they are A.I.s or something more abstract, but they contribute guidance and humour, sometimes even disagreeing with each other. They are especially helpful in making sense of Isaac’s cryptic manner of speech. As a result, I was never lost and always knew what my immediate objectives were. Plus, they’re fun characters. Like when we spot a stunningly beautiful person in the bar.

SINEW: Wow.

ANIMUS: Wow indeed.

They also serve as a moral compass, weighing the pros and cons of available choices.

Story
Backstory
Humanity resides throughout the constellations of the zodiac. The space between them, if I’m not mistaken, is called the “acreage.” Sometime ago, all sources of starship fuel were destroyed by an unknown agent, preventing travel between regions. This event was known as the Divide. Deprived of trade and commerce, many civilizations died out.

Thanks to the invention of “fold engine” technology, travel has been restored. But the Divide’s left regions vulnerable to exploitation by corporations like GasTechnin that seek to monopolize and control workforces. Just listen to what the citizens of Bluèl have to say about life there. (Spoiler - click to show)The parasitic secretary expects us to work 10 months at a gas refinery just to leave the space port.

Immediate story
Initially, it appears that Isaac is Desmond’s “sidekick.” It’s actually the other way around.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the ideas contained in this story. I won’t spoil it, but the things Isaac reveals about himself are shocking and kind of cool. A recurring joke is how people assume that Isaac is your son.

He looks over at Isaac and beams a smile in his direction, seemingly unconfused by small figure’s strange appearance.

“We also have plenty of roles for children eager to earn some spending money.”

The volume of Isaac’s silence seems to suddenly increase.

With Isaac, there are also some philosophical, perhaps even religious, themes associated with his character. We get the sense that he is (Spoiler - click to show)on a mission for a higher purpose regarding the acreage. He hints that you can be a part of this, if you so choose.

Endings
The game’s description says that there are multiple endings, but I only found two. Without going into detail, they align in the fashion of (Spoiler - click to show)“do you go back to your old life or do you try something new?” I’m curious to know if there are any other outcomes.

Visuals
Its appearance is of a black background and primarily green text. The font does take some time to get used to, but this is offset by key words being displayed in white text and in ALL-CAPS. Cleverly, the screen changes when you (Spoiler - click to show)access the office terminal.

I did find spelling errors (the game is currently Version 1.0.)

ISAAC leavevs and waits silently for you at the bar's entrance, simmering with angy.

Then again, I suppose there is a lot of text to proofread in this game.

Final thoughts
Some games, when you play them, feel like an easy five stars. With The Acreage, its potency snuck up on me. It wasn’t until I reached the end that I realized, “I love this game. What a great experience.” The appeal is hard to pin down. It feels more surreal than other sci-fi games I’ve played. Its depiction of space travel is especially interesting. And Isaac. Odd… but elusive. As I said, it grows on you.

It certainly helps that the gameplay has features that guide you in the right direction. That way, you can complete it and decide whether it resonates with you. I noticed that the game begins with “PART ONE: OLD BEGINNINGS.” Does this mean The Acreage is only the first installment? I hope so.

This is what you trained for all your life. This is what your squadron died for. The expeior queen, helpless, at your feet.

Helpless, she is not.

The Selfish Gene is a sci-fi game about dealing the final blow, only for victory to remain out of reach. Perhaps violence isn’t the answer. But what alternative do you have when Earth and the human race is on the line?

It’s a submission to inkJam 2025, though made with Unity instead of Ink.

Overview
Earth has been taken over by the expeior alien race, aka “expys.” Meanwhile, humanity has taken refuge on Earth’s moon. You are Captain Aster on a mission for the Human Resistance. Your task is to infiltrate the alien mothership and slay the expeior Queen, Queen Ismin. By your side is your squadron and Lieutenant Latif, your friend and military engineer.

Gameplay
The gameplay uses a cyclic trial-and-error structure. It kicks off with the characters breaking into the mothership’s hanger. You then choose which of the ship’s six locations to explore. However, locations can only be visited once.

The Queen is camped out somewhere onboard. She’s able to control time locally, allowing her to escape death, as shown in the opening scene. The protagonist kills her, only to find himself outside the ship with his crew, moments before the infiltration begins (they are at least vaguely aware of this).

Same deal with the gameplay. If your showdown with the Queen ends in failure, you are sent back to the beginning.

THE LANDING - AGAIN

Therefore, the objective in the gameplay is to experiment in the order in which you explore the ship’s locations to maximize your chances of success against the Queen. Each failure informs the next “loop.”

Mechanics
Choices are made by selecting a card from a spread shown at the bottom of the screen. Cards determine how you approach a task, and include things like “Violence” and “Smarts.” The cards you receive at the start of each cycle will also change.

Nothing fancy, but streamlined and quite easy to learn.

Story
The human vs. expeior war is an intriguing one that we know little about.

I do wish there were more backstory. Not only is this a war, it’s an interplanetary one. However, its coverage in the game feels one-sided.

Despite coming off as the default “bad guys,” the more you examine the expeiors, the more complex they seem in their motives. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)Queen Ismin says, "I do want to preserve the Earth," and agrees that its preservation is of greater value than trying to win at all costs. Her concern feels genuine. If the player succeeds in their negotiations, the situation becomes a matter of “I’ll put my weapon down if you put down yours.” So, maybe there’s some hidden depths there.

As for the title, I interpret it as considering the other side rather than merely focusing on what you have to lose or gain. The game has four endings. I found all of them except Ending 2.

Visuals
The visuals are awesome. When I first played The Selfish Gene, I kept thinking, wow, this game looks really professional. The characters look cool, and while we only get a glimpse of expeior biology, it seems that they can come in variety of physical forms. (Spoiler - click to show)Poor Vicky looks like a dehydrated stalk of celery. I would love to see more.

The screen is divided into three columns. The middle one is for text. To the left is Captain Aster and his allies, while everyone else is displayed to the right. If you gain a new ally, they move to the left side of the screen. Cards are colour-coded with neat symbols. Even the clickable map of the ship was impressive!

Final thoughts
The Selfish Gene offers a gameplay experience that felt new and innovative. A good use of Unity’s visual abilities. Arguably, the game is an equal mix of combat and diplomacy, and the character art and card mechanic are notable features. And while it’s not a “time travel game,” it does borrow the looping structure used in games like Vicious Cycles where you repeat the gameplay and learn from failure. If you like choice-based sci-fi games that rely on visuals, definitely give The Selfish Gene a try.

There are parts that could use refinement. I noticed more than a few spelling errors. Additional context on the interplanetary war would also give the story needed perspective and make it less one-sided, but that fortunately (Spoiler - click to show)doesn’t stop successful negotiation from feeling satisfying. As the game puts it: It’s a start.

Growth under the Dome is an Ink game that describes itself as a “Solarpunk coming of age story.” A compelling story, but also one that is hobbled by various issues.

Being a submission to inkJam 2025, it appears that the author created an improved, post-comp version of the game. According to its itch.io page, this is identified as Growth under the Dome - fixed. My review will be based on this version.

Overview
Everyone lives in a structure called the “Dome.” Life thrives, but has rigid societal roles. Reminiscent of the Divergent series, the transition to adulthood occurs in a ceremony where young people publicly select the role they will have for the rest of their life. This ceremony serves as the game’s intro. The ceremony involves placing a wood tablet engraved with one's name into one of four baskets: farming, maintenance, lake management, and record keeping/public speaking.

The night passes, and you certainly enjoy this last party as a child.

Tomorrow, you’ll wake up as an adult.

The time has come for you and your peers to make this decision.

Gameplay
After the ceremony, gameplay moves in monthly increments. At the end of each month, the game asks where you want to do next. It’s (highly) expected that you stick with the role that you initially chose.

What will you be this month?

Sun Director (level 0)
Lake Tickler (level 0)
Dome Fixer (level 0)
Voice Lender (level 2)

I will be none of that

However, switching roles, while frowned upon, is not forbidden (slacking off is also an option). The game makes it clear that you must change roles to advance the story. A happiness mechanic is used to illustrate this.

You sense it’s taking a toll on your moral and your body.

(-1 happiness)

The aim is to sample each role to discover a new insight about the Dome, opening up opportunities to cause mischief and better understand the Dome’s limitations. With enough persistence, (Spoiler - click to show)it’s possible to leave the Dome entirely. Otherwise, the game ends with the Cloudmouth festival, 21 months after the intro.

Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t always acknowledge the player’s choices.

Your second month as a Sun director flies by… People seem to avoid you since you left and came back.

Left and came back? I was only here for two months! When the Grassgrowth season begins, your friends inform you that your constant switching of roles is making people nervous. Except, this conversation still occurs even if you never switched.

Story
Backstory is scarce with only brief mention of an “Accident” prior to the Dome’s construction, but it’s not enough to answer basic questions we may have. Was it built in response to a natural or human-made disaster? If we break one of the roof panels to see outside, we glimpse a thriving wilderness, not a wasteland. But people are more interested in remaining in the familiarity of the Dome where the sun is displayed on the ceiling via a control panel. I am curious about the history behind all of this.

My main frustration is how the story starts out strong concept but starts to deteriorate and towards the end. It loses focus.

It would have been interesting if the game elaborated on the purpose of singing. Apparently, singing is used to direct sunlight to crops among other applications. I wonder how that works.

Characters
This game also reminds me of The Giver in the sense that there is a growing divide between the protagonist and their peers when it comes to questioning the status quo of the world they live in. In both works, there is an “outside” world said to be full of danger. Fortunately, everyone is content to stick to their assigned roles in the safety of a sequestered community. The protagonists find themselves at odds with said community when they start asking questions that no one wants to consider, especially questions about (Spoiler - click to show)leaving.

It’s suggested that the game’s protagonist is somewhat of an outsider. They seem to have a history that sets them apart from everyone else. The closest answer get is through the protagonist’s relationship with their mother. She wants them to follow expectations and adhere to tradition. Apparently, something happened to their father. He is dead, although their mother is strongly in denial of this.

The protagonist’s central trait is their rejection of conformity and how they challenge the taboo of changing roles. Why should one’s life be determined by a tablet in basket? It leaves no room for flexibility. The game does a nice job in conveying the quiet scandal people associated with such abnormal choices. Everyone’s all did you see that? They changed roles! Meanwhile, the protagonist shrugs off any disapproval, though they do find themselves growing apart from childhood friends.

The bottom line is that the protagonist doesn’t fit in with the society inside the Dome. (Spoiler - click to show)They want out. Only then will they have room to grow.

Final thoughts
It seems that solarpunk stories are becoming more common, and I’ve enjoyed playing games like Growth under the Dome.

The game’s overall premise is intriguing because it allows players to choose their own role in a structured society and whether they want to commit to it or go against the grain. By choosing the latter, we get an exhilarating sense of freedom anytime we break the rules. The protagonist’s imagination of the outside world is contrasted with the stifling life inside the Dome, (Spoiler - click to show)setting stage for when they finally leave it all behind.

That said, it has glaring flaws that detract from the experience, even as a post-comp release. Besides the implementation and narrative issues that I’ve already discussed, there are a lot of spelling and grammar issues, particularly with formatting dialogue. But as a coming-of-age story with a slight sci-fi bent, Growth under the Dome is still worth your time.

Mars and Earth are at war. Mission 193 was just another mission sent to the Red Planet. Its objective was to take control of the Martian military.

It didn’t go well. To avoid bad press, Mission Control claims it was successful.

But you’re not buying it. And so, you’ve infiltrated a government database to find out what really happened.

A Bare-Bones Jam 2025 entry.

Gameplay
Mission 193 left five soldiers isolated on Mars. The gameplay involves listening to their individual audio recordings. These are listed by last name. Mitch. Fox. Rook. Olsen. The fifth is Lain, but she doesn’t have any.

UIF_M_193_W1 : Sol +7, 17:30:26 MLT : User: S. Mitch

This is not a database that you search and explore. Logs are made available in groups, or “waves,” and must be listened to in order before you can access the next wave.

[Team Logs now available]

I’d categorize Martia Termina as a passive investigation game. You’re just there to read the logs. Interactivity is surface-deep. Progress is made by tapping/clicking on the screen to read each passage. I’m not against this. However, games that follow this format can have a harder time maintaining the player’s attention. This was the case for me.

At first, I couldn’t follow the story. This is partly my own issue. I need to read things more than once before it clicks. But the implementation certainly didn’t help. For one thing, the screen only displays whatever is currently being said. It then disappears.

A. Olsen [What did you want to ask anyway, Fox?]

The “history” feature displays a transcript- extremely helpful- but only for recent dialog. If it has a scrollbar, it doesn’t work. Furthermore, when you access a new wave, everything before it is no longer available. As for autoplay mode, the slider that controls its speed is stuck at the slowest setting. All of this makes replays a drag, even with the single save file.

Story
Backstory is minimal. Mars is inhabited by an alien species whose tech is sought after by Earth. Mission Control serves as Earth’s leadership, or at least where the Mars-Earth conflict is concerned. Its personnel are quickly discarded once they are no longer useful.

It took me a while before I could follow the outline of the story because the logs aren’t always in chronological order. Out of curiosity, I want to know what players think:

Characters
I don’t think the PC is ever identified. Our role is to be an anonymous protagonist who simply witnesses the truth. And we sure do.

Martia Termina focuses on building tension between characters. Take a group of soldiers and isolate them on Mars after a tough mission. Next, have them answer to an entity that cares more about material gain than human lives. Finally, add distrust, in-fighting, clash of personalities, ulterior motives, and you will get this game. Oh, (Spoiler - click to show)and some of them may have been involved romantically.

These tensions are effectively conveyed. The odds are stacked against them, and we feel it. But it also can get rather caustic. Character interactions have a nastiness that may take players by surprise. It feels like everyone is this close to snapping. (Spoiler - click to show)Some do.

Visuals
Bare-Bones Jam is perfect for this game. The rules require games to use their system’s default appearance. No customization. Martia Termina is made with Video Supertome, which means a black screen with white text in a digital-looking font. This appearance, combined with the lack of thrills, pairs well with the game’s military sci-fi genre. The black-and-white artwork on the game’s itch.io page is awesome.

Final thoughts
If you prefer story over gameplay or are a fan of military science fiction, play Martia Termina. Despite being a passive listener, the recordings provide a front row seat to the drama that goes down. It can get intense.

Tough characters who don’t get along are stuck in a dangerous alien-made facility and forced to rely on leadership that only cares about PR and profit. You have your (Spoiler - click to show)designated “evil teammate,” though they all seem to occupy moral shades of grey. Reminds me of a few sci-fi films…

Otherwise, whether you enjoy it will likely be hit or miss. I was all for the story, but it was the implementation that wore me out. I needed to play this multiple times to understand the story. Unfortunately, its design does not inspire replays. Only exhaustion. At least fix the autoplay feature. That would be fantastic.

Three stars, but a strong three stars.

Earth is a war-torn world. A surviving faction decides to build a ship to travel into space in search of a new home. Our protagonist is a woman only known as “Traveller.” She is heavily involved in these efforts, and during this time, her daughter, Penelope, is born.

Soon after Penelope begins to speak and walk, it’s time to board the ship, aka the “Ark,” and leave Earth behind. A new, yet unknown future awaits Traveller and her daughter. Whether they arrive there together is another issue...

Gameplay
The Traveller is custom choice-based game that resembles a visual novel. Its story is narrated in first-person from Traveller’s perspective.

And it’s long. Or maybe it feels longer. While the Ark’s departure marks the end of the intro, the “main” gameplay is initiated when Traveller crashes into an alien planet while on a scouting mission. It’s assumed that she’s dead… and the Ark leaves her behind, kicking off the overarching premise: Will she ever reunite with Penelope?

Even then, it takes a bit for the gameplay to get moving. The planet you’re on (Spoiler - click to show)has a friendly alien, “Calypso,” who helps repair your shuttle. You can either stay and end the game here or leave to track down the Ark. You then spend the rest of the game going from planet to planet in search of answers. Unfortunately, it’s not that interactive. I can count the number of choice-making opportunities in the entire game on both hands, and it’s either casual dialogue or a major decision. (Spoiler - click to show)Like whether to stay on the first planet.

Despite the limited interactivity, there is decent replay value. I almost overlooked this. I played it a few years back, and upon revisiting, it felt different. I knew something was off when I got to the (Spoiler - click to show)grassy planet. Due to the length, I didn’t want to keep replaying it. But I also wanted answers. Here’s what I learned:

Having played this years ago, I will say that the minimal interactivity gave the false impression that the gameplay was completely linear. It makes me wonder whether players put the game aside after playing it once without realizing what they missed. However, if it’s meant to be played more than once, it would be nice if the player could skip the opening scenes after their first playthrough. With that said:

SAVE THE GAME AFTER YOU LEAVE THE FIRST ALIEN PLANET.

Only going to play it once? Here’s the path I recommend: (Spoiler - click to show)Grassy (green) planet, Volcanic (orange) planet, Jungle (blue) planet. There is no perfect path, but for one playthrough, this gives you the most content and is generally more optimistic.

Story
After everything the protagonist goes through, the story starts to feel like a saga. (Spoiler - click to show)No, she does not reunite with Penelope.

Let’s put it this way.

Characters/Worldbuilding
Despite what I’ve said already, I want you to know that this game is more than its immediate story. Along the way there are secondary narratives that carry a similar weight. The author has a talent for writing sci-fi that exists on a larger scale where multiple worlds and civilizations are woven together to create a saga-like quilt of a story. Like The Traveller.

Characters are the most compelling when you meet them for the first time. Traveling to a unique, alien world to face its challenges only to leave it all behind is exhilarating! Though the lack of interactivity dampens the effect, I was eager to see what the next planet had to offer. It's only until you leave (Spoiler - click to show)Calypso’s planet that you start to see how long the game is.

PC
From the start, Traveller proves herself to be something of a badass, and this never changes as she looks for her daughter (Penelope is quite loveable). Later, people refer to her as the “savior of Earth,” and while I wish the game would elaborate on this since it’s quite a title, there is no denying that she had a major role in kickstarting the Ark’s journey.

Being a parent is a key part of her character, and we feel this as we experience the story’s events from her perspective. Like when the Ark leaves her behind. Our radio can hear the Ark’s we-are-leaving broadcast… but is too damaged to send a response. We just listen as the broadcast is like, “farewell to those who didn’t survive, etc.” And leaves. With Penelope. Who now thinks we’re dead. Talk about an emotional scene.

NPCs
I don’t want to spoil everything, but we do meet four alien species. While they have different cultures and physical biology, our interactions with them reveal a recurring theme: that family structures can take different forms. For some, the process of raising and protecting individual children is like that of humans. Meanwhile, another species eliminated individualism altogether, making any distinction between parent and child obsolete- this results in an interesting discussion.

Visuals
The author’s commitment to the game’s art is impressive. Everything is illustrated, while dialogue is displayed in a see-through text box at the bottom of the screen. For most of the game, the visuals consist of a backdrop with a character portrait facing the screen, though brief cutscenes may deviate from this.

It is a gorgeous game. Especially the planets, which each have at least one unique landscape. The character portraits display a range of emotions. Occasionally, this means that the faces look off kilter, but I much prefer this over static expressionless imagery. I can only imagine the time it took for the author to create everything.

Final thoughts
The Traveller has many strengths that include its extensive art, emotional depth, creative worldbuilding, and a memorable depiction of parental determination. And yet, when all these are brought together, the result is not a seamless experience.

Low interactivity is the main issue. Meanwhile, the parts with replay value are likely to be overlooked. If you’ve played this game once and thought you’ve seen it all, you’d be mistaken. Unfortunately, the game’s length doesn’t inspire replays, unless you had the foresight to save the game in advance. Plus, some frustrations about story execution.

But beneath all this is a truly ambitious and unique work of science fiction. It just also seems like a game that can easily go unappreciated. And in that sense, I consider it a hidden gem. In fact, it’s one of the first games I think of when it comes to parent protagonists in interactive fiction. My advice for you is to approach The Traveller as if it were a visual novel and save the game before exploring the other planets.

standing on the porch in the morning…
wake up

Drift Mine Satellite is a custom choice-based “maintenance text adventure” about preparing for a community member’s birthday- but with a sci-fi twist. You live in a limestone mine located in an asteroid. Sealed off from the outside, the mine contains a community that has, against all odds, flourished. Will it last?

A question for another time. You have a birthday to plan.

Gameplay
We begin by waking up in the protagonist’s home: a repurposed train car. Checking our email reveals a message from a friend named Angela.

subject: IMPORTANT. open asap.

It’s her birthday. Apparently, it’s our job to get everything ready. And so, the gameplay’s main objectives are to arrange cake, music, and decorations for the party. We also complete maintenance tasks along the way. We are, after all, the community’s go-to person for fixing things.

Environment
Drift Mine Satellite takes a fantastic minimalist approach to its gameplay. No room descriptions. Only individual words on the screen that represent objects and people. These can be clicked on for more content and interaction. Even here, the word count is minimal, though still impactful.

The game gives the player free range of movement to explore the setting. To navigate the map, the player clicks on arrows at the side of the screen. Clickable signposts are placed throughout for guidance. All of this gives the impression of a parser in choice-based format.

Puzzles
I was intrigued by the game’s approach to puzzles: It flat-out tells you the solution to every puzzle, eliminating in solution guessing. Instead, the challenge rests on acquiring the item needed for the solution. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)examining your mirror has a link that says, “take a photograph of yourself.” If you do not have a camera in your inventory, the game says, “you need a camera to do this,” indicating that we should be on the lookout for a camera. I liked this! Streamlined and uncomplicated.

And a nice change of pace since puzzles in choice-based games usually involve the player selecting an inventory item and applying it somewhere in the gameplay. In these cases, the player may choose the wrong item or have a difficult time knowing what is needed. Not a problem in Drift Mine Satellite.

Story
More like overarching story. As we wander the limestone tunnels, questions inevitably emerge. How did everyone end up here? Did something happen to Earth? What’s up with the shrine? Will it be possible to leave someday? No one, aside from the astronomer, mentions any of this. It’s up to the player to piece it all together, if they want to.

Library archives
Underground mine. Somewhere in asteroid belt. What else? One of my favorite things about this game is its subtle worldbuilding, particularly with the library archives. The section titled “asteroid (mining)” contains a model of an asteroid:

a tiny model of an asteroid… a cutaway view shows that the inside has been hollowed out. a section has been converted to housing. minuscule models of miners are positioned around the base. some seem to be having a party.

Remind you of anything?

There’s also (Spoiler - click to show)an advertisement for “apocalypse shelters.” We also learn of a debris field orbiting Earth. I think it’s safe to say that an apocalypse of some kind happened on Earth that drove at least part of its population off planet. For the community, this meant taking refuge in a former mining facility.

Astronomer
While the archives tell us about the community’s past, the astronomer is where we get answers for the future.

Thoughts/Themes
The author describes Drift Mine Satellite as a “utopian apocalypse fantasy.” Despite the community’s less-than-happy origins, we see nothing but optimism and gratitude. It’s refreshing to see a game with a post-apocalyptic setting take a more positive route.

Repurposed technology and self-sufficiency are frequent themes. Living under a mountain of limestone and sealed from the outside world, community members live in makeshift homes built from disused vehicles. Solar panels became tables. Patched generators are repatched. Scraps of materials are valued. Nothing is ever fully discarded.

Plus, everyone seems happy with what they have. They grow a communal garden, play cards, run a library, and happily celebrate Angela’s birthday.

what little green does make it to dinner plates is well-loved.

There is occasional yearning for life that was. The shrine has unsent letters and the protagonist’s dreams include scenes from their life on Earth. But ultimately, no one expresses any interest in leaving.

Visuals
I covered part of this in the Gameplay section. The game’s minimalist design also applies to its appearance. Its appearance is of a white background with only a handful of clickable words scattered across the screen. Text is black and may be positioned at different angles to mimic a room’s layout. Occasionally, black-and-white stars and planet symbols will appear on the screen. The astronomer’s map was especially cool.

Final thoughts
Drift Mine Satellite is a game that offers both cozy gameplay and a thoughtful story. But there’s something about it that feels different. The minimal design, for instance. Who knew that a game without room descriptions could be so immersive? I also enjoyed playing a non-Twine choice-based game with parser-like feel.

Its well-roundedness will appeal to most audiences. It’s a maintenance game with simplified gameplay, and an excellent sci-fi option for those who normally dislike science fiction. Much of it leans towards slice of life. And while there’s not a lot of technical challenge, that doesn't mean you won’t enjoy it. Consider giving Drift Mine Satellite a try.

(...one last thing...)
The game was commissioned for Solar Protocol, a network of solar powered servers that connects from whatever server is in the most sunshine.

If you decide to play, it will be a solar-powered experience. According to the game’s website, anyone who plays does so on a solar-powered server. That is so cool.

baby:OFF is a short Ink game submitted to Bare-Bones Jam 2025. It follows a protagonist who is struggling with the aftermath of a failed relationship with someone named TJ. To cope, they buy a customizable android known as a “GenDroid.” Designed to look exactly like TJ, the protagonist calls the android Not-TJ.

Gameplay is rather linear. It all takes place in a cheap motel where the protagonist is getting personal with Not-TJ. Choices are made to alter the immediate moment but have no broader effect on the story in general. However, the player’s choices reveal different details about the story, providing incentive for multiple playthroughs.

I want to give a quick shoutout to the writing.

Firmly secured under heavy layers of bubble wraps and blocky styrofoam was her sleeping figure... A sleeping doll yet to experience the world outside its cocoon.

There’s something about its descriptiveness. It does a good job at helping you visualize the technology featured in the story.

TJ
I wish there was more backstory on the protagonist’s relationship with TJ because what we’re told feels extremely one-sided. It sounds like TJ had a controlling streak towards loved ones that would manifest physically and emotionally. But when the protagonist started to become more successful in life, TJ ended things out of jealousy. That’s pretty much it.

Using their new wealth, the protagonist then bought a GenDroid to model after TJ. A recurring theme is how the protagonist simultaneously relished and despised TJ’s destructiveness towards them. Not-TJ serves as a way for them to revisit this dynamic on their own terms.

Despite the overall antagonization of TJ’s character, I liked that the game also recognizes her as a person with multiple dimensions, and this is symbolized through how she experimented with different hair colours.

Sun-kissed brown.
Aimless.
Vulnerable.
Honest.

Of course, in Not-TJ’s case, this is just another thing we control.

Not-TJ
In creating Not-TJ, the protagonist projects their past onto something they can control: An android, programmed to serve. Whether that be for expressing affection or acting as a means for the protagonist to vent their frustration. And yet, it feels hollow. GenDroids sell a fantasy for the consumer. Any obedience or affection is the product of an algorithm.

The game snowballs from here, wrapping up surprisingly quickly.

Final thoughts
I realize that baby:OFF may have subtleties that were lost on me, but overall, I liked the ideas presented. The writing is descriptive and precise, allowing us to view the world, or at least its technology, from the protagonist’s perspective. And while there’s sexual content, it never felt overwhelming or distracted from the story.

However, the ending feels too abrupt to be conclusive. So many interesting developments that get cut short. Also, I wish the game was less one-sided in its coverage of the protagonist’s relationship with TJ. Interesting characters, that’s all.

A memorable game, nonetheless.

You are an A.I. of a maternity ward. You’ve calculated that humanity is on the verge of being wiped out by human-driven climate collapse. But today, a child was born. Somehow you just know that this child will be the one to save the human race.

Tabula Rasa is a Twine game that revolves around a single action: inputting numerical values to create the “perfect” family for the child. If the child is going to save the world they need an adequate family, right? It’s all up to you!

Gameplay
The child’s family is defined by four qualities, such as wealth, that you set by typing a number from one to five into a text box. Then you press enter.

(…25 years go by…)

The game then reveals if the child- now an adult- succeeded in saving the planet. The end.

There’s not a lot going on here. It begins and ends in a matter of seconds.

Characters
Despite the child’s status as the “Chosen One,” we don’t know anything about them. As for us… Look, I realize that this game most likely isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Even so, I found the A.I.’s entitlement to be extremely off-putting.

Never mind the child's biological parents.

Wait a minute. There’s no moral consideration to this whatsoever. No acknowledgement of what the parents may think. No follow up, nothing. (But humanity is on the line!) Nope, it still bugs me.

Story
I don’t even know where to start. The game is too short to truly have a story.

By your calculations, this child is the absolute last chance for humanity.

Out of all the A.I.s on the planet, the one that steps up to save the day is some random A.I. in a hospital that (somehow) has the foresight to know that this specific child will be the Chosen One to save humanity? The logistics of it all. Make. No. Sense.

??? You’re an A.I. who took a child from their parents because you thought you knew what was best for everyone. What makes you the expert on what the “right” family would be for this child? Everything in the game is underscored by this outrageous fact.

Perhaps the author intends this to be a silly game. If so, it misses the target. The player is more inclined to fuss over the details than to find it humorous. And if the goal is to share a message about saving the planet, the endings have no basis for discussion.

Your child grew up happy, healthy, and well-adjusted! And also uninclined to do anything about global warming.

What kind of message is this? Being well-adjusted means you won’t do anything about global warming?

Endings
I will say, I was motivated to find all six endings. The column on the left side of the screen keeps track of the endings you’ve reached. For example, if you reach Ending 2, a “2” lights on the column. Something about this really made me want to see all six numbers light up. No gaps between numbers. I had to find all six.

And I did. (Spoiler - click to show)Ending 1 is the “win” ending.

Visuals
I appreciate that Tabula Rasa offers more than Twine’s default appearance. A black and white image of a forest is used as a backdrop. The image does look a bit like something you might find in a horror game. However, it does an excellent job at making the white text stand out. It’s noticeable enough to keep things interesting. And yet, you hardly notice it’s there. The seafoam blue links were also well-chosen.

Final thoughts
Do I give Tabula Rasa one or two stars? The gameplay is non-existent, and the story is pretty much the same way. I really can’t tell what kind of experience the author had in mind for the player. Everything about it seems to fall short.

What gets me (aside from the child-snatching A.I.) is that the central gameplay mechanic is reduced to the player punching in numbers to see what sticks rather than engaging the player in any meaningful way.

On the other hand, it did have enough of a draw for me to want to find every ending. And I must admit that the design choices elevate the overall quality. There are plenty of ways it could be worse…

What the heck. Two stars.