Reviews by Kinetic Mouse Car

(edit: formatting)

You're Gone is a linear custom choice-based game where a protagonist sends text messages to a dead loved one.

This story features anthropomorphized characters. Our protagonist, Marcus, is a coyote. His wife, a cat named Lee, recently died of cancer. His therapist recommended journaling about his feelings. He decides to do this by texting his deceased wife.

Gameplay
Gameplay involves clicking on a "send" icon to send text messages to Lee's phone. The player doesn’t choose what to send. They simply go along for the ride. While Marcus uses this to express his inner thoughts, the messages are addressed to her. For your convenience, a transcript of the gameplay can be found on the author’s website.

Visuals
You’re Gone replicates the appearance of a chat messenger with its layout of green time-stamped text bubbles and light grey background. The text box and paper airplane icon in the corner complete the look. While the game has minimal interactivity, these visuals make the player feel like they are messaging someone.

Story
Marcus’ text messages revolve around his volatile relationship with Lee's mom and her step-dad, Jun. Marcus notes how Lee always seemed to hate them but never explained why. Instead, she would avoid them at all costs.

From day one, her mom looked down on Marcus because he came from a different background and blames him for her daughter's death by being an inadequate husband. The fact that Lee left everything in her will to said husband certainly doesn’t help.

As the drama winds down, Marcus starts to follow his therapist’s advice and channels his energy from grieving Lee to working on himself and moving forward. And yet, the player doesn’t feel ready for the game to end.

Characters
Despite the deeply personal nature of Marcus' narration, his character feels rather inaccessible. We really don’t know much about him. We see him go through the various stages of grief and there is clear character growth. However, this growth can feel overshadowed by the increasingly explosive encounters he has with Lee's mom and Jun.

This extends to Lee as well. While she is the central focus of the game, she can get lost in the narrative. There are moments where Marcus talks about “reminiscing on the good times,” but hardly shares these with the player. If Marcus were to offer further reflection on the woman he loved (and continues to love) so we can get to know her as well, the game would have more dimension.

And yet, the game never fails to convey the depth of his love for her.

Also
What’s interesting is how there are two versions of You’re Gone. The story file that accessed via a “unbox.ifarchive.org” link contains a version of the game with human characters. Here, Marcus is a white man, and Lee is a Chinese woman. However, these changes are superficial and do not affect the gameplay as they both effectively illustrate the mom’s bias towards Marcus.

I think that the anthropomorphized is the "final version," and my guess is that the author wanted to move from racial themes to something more simplified, such as a canine husband with a feline wife, so the player can focus on Marcus' grieving.

Final thoughts
You’re Gone is a poignant glimpse into one person’s grieving. Though it’s bittersweet, it ends on an optimistic note. It handles a tough topic without becoming too dire. The minimal interactivity fits with the game’s premise of a protagonist sending text messages, but unless you’re interested in the story you may be turned off by the gameplay.

I played this game a while back, and I’m starting to think I didn’t give it the attention it deserved. I zipped through everything, looking for some action, and ended up missing the essence of the game which stems from the story not the gameplay itself. I now appreciate the game more than I did before.

If you are looking for a simple game about grief, loss, and moving forward that doesn’t involve a lot of detail, You’re Gone is a great option.

Your favorite bar is closing down, and tonight is the goodbye party.

The author notes that the game is based around the experiences of LGBTQ people in today's world. While there are occasional moments in the game where this subject is directly mentioned, it leaves things open-ended for the player.

Gameplay/Visuals
The game features anthropomorphized characters. You are a dog named Snuggles. We begin outside our favorite bar.

The game is made with Bitsy and makes a great first impression with its visual design. It kind of feels like playing a video game. There are graphics for the scenery, and all the characters appear as animal avatars.

Gameplay involves visiting the different areas of the bar while observing and talking to characters. Conversation is menu-based, and you travel by using the arrows on your keyboard. Once you’re satisfied, leave the bar to end the game.

All of this creates an immersive experience. Because of this, however, some players may be left wishing that the gameplay had more things for them to explore.

Story
You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here seems to be an incredibly personal game for the author, so I'll refrain from overanalyzing it as I often do in my reviews.

There are two themes that stick out. I’d like to briefly discuss.

First: As you get older, you become more aware of the distance between yourself and younger generations. Snuggles views the younger patrons with the nostalgic sentiment of, "I was once like that," and reflects, with some sadness, on how this kind of place was not available to Snuggles when they were younger. Now, they identify more with the older patrons and even joke about this with some friends.

Second: Venues that offer a respite from mainstream bias and hostility are limited and at risk of being closed due to costs- as is the case with Snuggles’ bar- and other factors.

There aren't a lot of spaces for people like us as it is.

The closing of the bar goes beyond feeling sad about losing a place to hang out. It's a gathering space for community. Its closure brings the worry of what else will be closed or taken away. Then what?

There’s a lot to think about.

Final thoughts
You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here is a bittersweet game about saying goodbye:

Not to a single person, but to a place and the people who brought it to life.

The bar clearly means a lot to the characters. Our conversations with them give us a glimpse as to how the bar became so loved, and these interactions, though brief, convey insights relevant to our world now.

Ultimately, it is an introspective game. Everything is infused with Snuggles’ own memories and life experiences. It has an unrushed ambience, and I think many people will enjoy it.

Less like a game, more like a reflection, Nineteen is an author's sharing of her experience with suicide and the insights she has gained over the years.

Gameplay is non-linear. It begins with a short but powerful sentence:

I was twelve the last time I tried to kill myself. That was nineteen years ago.

This sentence contains links that bring you to different moments in her life, and these are woven together through the links scattered across the narrative until we reach the game’s “end.” Depending on the parts you visit, you may need to play the game more than once to view everything.

The author gives us an intimate look into her life and even includes family photos. The details are best experienced through the gameplay in her own words. I’ll just focus on the game’s central theme: the critical role of friendship when struggling with depression.

She recognizes that this is easier said than done and writes about the struggle of not knowing how to convey the kind of support you need. Sometimes you're not even sure of what to ask for, and if you do, there's fear of what your friends may think.

Next, she reflects on how friends can be oblivious of the impact mundane actions can cause, for better or worse. Like when one friend sent her a silly picture of a cat (included in the game!), which was enough for her to want to remain in the moment.

Do they know?

Do they get that they might have just saved my life with that stupid cat macro?

On the flip side, an insensitive comment made by a favorite teacher resulted in feelings of rage- feelings she suppressed until she was alone.

Despite all this, the author concludes that "the only consistently valuable tool I have found has been my friends," and this realization is the product of over a decade of life experience.

As the game draws to a close, we receive this key insight...

Depression convinces you that you have no power. Sometimes you need friends to lend you some of theirs.

...only for the author to take this one step further.

There is always someone who will lend you power.

If you can't think of anyone else, think of me.

The player can then click on "think of me" to email the author! This also serves as the game’s ending. And what a brilliant way of doing so!

I’m not sure if it’s still active, though. The game was created in 2013.

I will say: the game’s implementation could be smoother. Some passages have no links, interrupting the flow of the story. There is no "back button," and the “Rewind” feature on the side of the screen only led to, “No passage available.” It may not occur to players to use the "back" button on their browser, forcing them to restart (like I did until I figured it out). Also, the text is rather small.

To conclude, Nineteen is a short Twine game that leaves a memorable impression on the player due to the author’s candid writing and heartfelt discussion on the difference a support group of friends can make. Her approach of paying it forward by reaching out to players is especially admirable. Play it and see what resonates with you.

Anhedonia is a Twine game about depression and how it saps the meaning in one's life. It appears that it’s a reflection of the author's own experience. Everything is told in first person. That said, I will refer to the narrator as "the protagonist." Consider this review as how I understand the game. I hope it reflects what the author had in mind when they created this work.

Gameplay is linear. I'd describe the gameplay as a train of the protagonist's thoughts. While progress is made by clicking on links to move to the next thought, the use of cycling links in some passages add interactivity.

Anhedonia keeps the word count to a minimum, and there are simple but well-designed drawings that add polish. Some of the art is even animated! The visuals also pair well with the font. The dark grey text almost looks like handwriting and there are red links. Fade-in-fade-out text effects are sometimes used to tell the story.

The protagonist looks at the difficulties of living with depression and mental illness, which include the societal belief that you just need to "try harder," medical professionals not taking you seriously, concerns about affording medication if you lose your insurance, and more. But the game's focus is centered on the concept of "anhedonia," which also serves as its title.

"Anhedonia" is an inability to experience pleasure and is often associated with depression. While the game does not explicitly provide anhedonia's definition, it's conveyed through the story. The protagonist no longer finds joy in not only things that once made them happy, but also in things that reinforces one's awareness of being alive. This includes physical sensations that engage the body which now feels muted.

The game does, however, define another word:

semantic saturation:

the phenomenon whereby the uninterrupted repetition of a word

leads to a sense that the word has lost its meaning

Next, the game says that being mentally ill is "not a question of semantics but of ontology."

If I understand this correctly, the protagonist is drawing a parallel between the loss of meaning within a word, and the loss of meaning in their life because of depression, both of which involve some form of repetition: the repetition of a word vs. repetition of depression in everyday existence. The result? The loss of meaning. And loss of meaning can imply that pleasure is lost as well.

I think the game summarizes itself when it ponders,

how does one separate illness from self

A recurring theme is how the numbness of daily life can cause one to be desensitized to what it's like to feel numb to begin with. If depression is all-encompassing, it becomes difficult to identify where "you" start/stop and where the mental illness begins.

I'm going to leave it at that.

Now, I encourage you to play it so you can experience the story for yourself and form your own interpretation. Gameplay is only a few minutes long, and I think the low word-count will appeal to players. Visually, if you're looking for inspiration, Anhedonia is a great example of a Twine game with a simple yet polished appearance.

I imagine that creating Anhedonia was no easy feat for the author, and I appreciate the time and effort put into the game’s creation.

As the title suggests, the game takes place at the Human Resources Administration (HRA) in New York City. You are an alien sent on a mission to sign up for SNAP, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as part of your studies on human culture. Disguised as a human, you hope to see how SNAP helps people dealing with food insecurity!

Or at least how it’s supposed to help people.

Gameplay
The game takes place in a waiting room where we follow instructions on applying for SNAP. There are no puzzles. As the player we primarily observe the bureaucracy involved as we navigate a kiosk, dismissive staff, paperwork, and a line of people.

Our protagonist has the ability to “freeze” their surroundings in a temporal bubble of green light, rendering everyone and everything frozen in time. This is done to take notes and make observations before returning to reality.

I want to give this game a higher rating. Its exploration into its subject matter is strong, but as a game it ends too abruptly. The turning point happens after we’ve submitted our paperwork.

Story
Rather than focusing on a plot, A Visit to the Human Resources Administration strives to highlight the bureaucratic inadequacies that hinder obtaining social services such as SNAP. And it does an effective job at this.

For example, if you choose “Sarah Traballano-Williams” as your human name, you discover that the kiosk does not have a key for the dash symbol. A staff member says it’s okay to omit it… only for this to clash with the application process several minutes later.

"Your name in the paperwork says Sarah TraballanoWilliams, one word, and your ID says Sarah Traballano DASH Williams. Your name needs to match."

One small snag that can setback your progress. And what about needing to show a photo ID to apply for a new photo ID because your old one got stolen? This is the reality people face in real life.

The game points out that humans’ need to eat does not get put on hold until you fill out paperwork (again), reenter your info online (hopefully you still have access to a computer and internet connection), and possibly wait three to five business days for such and such to be processed and approved.

And what happens if, “sorry, the system isn't working right now?”

When the system fails, struggling people have to contort themselves and navigate unnecessary obstacles to make up for this failure.

SNAP
What initially drew me to this game was its coverage on SNAP.

I have never experienced food insecurity. However, I became aware of SNAP when I participated in a volunteer/learning program that included the “SNAP Challenge.”

In this challenge, we went to different stores and filled a cart with what we would buy if we were on SNAP. We then compared the hypothetical groceries from each store to see how one’s choices were affected by pricing and item availability. A common question was "do I buy higher quantities of food with lower nutritional value, or do I buy less food- and therefore have less to eat- but with better nutrition?" How would this factor in if you had a family to feed? Or lived in a food desert?

It was eye-opening. And yet, I still have a lot to learn.

Now, I thought that the game would portray some of that. Instead, it’s merely on applying for SNAP. And that suits the game’s purposes just fine. Besides, we end up applying for Cash Assistance instead (since the system isn’t working right, we’re told). I’m just curious at what observations the protagonist would make if they had a chance to purchase food with their newly acquired benefits.

Further discussion
The author, a social worker, offers some powerful takeaways that are discussed at the end of the game. Studies can reduce vulnerable people (such as those dealing with food insecurity) into data points. This quantification distances research from the realities endured by its subjects, and we see fragments of this with the game’s protagonist.

In a way, there’s a systemic suspicion towards individuals who apply for help, a default assumption that you’re trying to exploit the system… until you jump through every hoop to demonstrate otherwise. People need to eat. You don’t need studies to prove that.

If food is central to human existence, why are the machines to get SNAP lacking basic functions such as a working text interface?

Questioning the legitimacy of programs (and committing to them) that help reach the objective of no one going hungry makes little sense.

Characters
Initially, I was expecting a story where an alien finds themselves on Earth and must receive benefits to survive. The game takes a different route by using an alien PC sent to Earth on a mission. They don’t actually experience food insecurity firsthand. I do think the investigative approach of the protagonist’s mission and their status as a being from another world allows us to examine SNAP and its infrastructure with a more neutral, straightforward manner. The player is made more aware of real-world issues.

However, the most compelling aspect of this game is how it considers the protagonist’s actions as being potentially problematic. They choose to participate in these missions because they want to "experience alien cultures directly." They are well-meaning and make the vital observation that for a system that is meant to help people, it is not designed with this objective in mind.

The game also name-drops some of the protagonist’s colleagues, but they have no greater effect on the story.

Visuals
Keeps it simple. It uses the default Twine appearance of a black background, white text, and blue links. Everything is easy to read and neatly spaced.

Final thoughts
I'm glad this game exists. It's an equal blend of light-heartedness and seriousness to convey important ideas about food insecurity and the bureaucracy that gets in the way of addressing it. Plus, the alien character adds flair.

As a social worker, the author brings valuable insight to this game, and I enjoyed their concise yet descriptive writing. They nailed the bathroom scene with its dwindling liquid hand soap and germy hand dryer.

I do wish the game was longer (or at least less linear) and allowed the player’s choices to have a larger impact on the story’s trajectory. That way, we have a chance to see the impact of our choices. And what’s up with (Spoiler - click to show)Skrzyyyyt? The protagonist doesn’t seem to like them.

Nonetheless, A Visit to the Human Resources Administration is well worth your time.

You’ve been told to keep your blood pressure under control. One way to do this is by walking. Fortunately, the air is crisp, and you have access to a lovely beach.

Gameplay
A winter morning on the beach can be played with a keyboard or by clicking on links. The gameplay is simple. You walk as the game counts your steps.

However, you must pace your walking so you don’t wear yourself out… but linger too long and a seagull will come swooping in to cover you in droppings, resulting in a game over. That’s about it. It seems like the author intends the seagull to be an active dodge-the-seagull-puzzle. Instead, it ends up being a frustrating mechanic.

As a result, the gameplay mostly consists of walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, take a break/take a deep breath/admire the view, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, take a take a break/deep breath/admire the view, you get the idea.

The location titles are merely Zone 48, Zone 49, Zone 50, etc., and while I can understand how this may be borrowed from real-life zoning laws, it feels sterile for an IF game. These locations’ scenic detail is limited, and examining the scenery that is present puts the player at risk of being pelted by the seagulls. I just wanted to look at some shells.

A strength of the game are the beach’s signposts that contain messages on environmental conservation and human achievement. These are found every few steps.

During the summer season it is used to display notices and bans, while in winter it is replaced by citations on the protection of the marine environment.

This reports:

"An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment."

- Sir David Attenborough

Who doesn't know Sir David Attenborough? Born in 1926, he's THE voice behind BBC and Netflix nature documentaries, and a huge advocate for all types of life on earth.

This signage was a nice, contemplative touch. And yes, I read this in Attenborough's voice.

Story
There is an uplifting story at the end. I won’t spoil it but just know that (Spoiler - click to show)walking eventually takes you to a walkway with more content. I recommend saving the game once you reach this part.

Visuals
This isn't your typical black and white Inform parser game. Instead, it uses dark green text against a black screen, a combination that was harder to read. I did like the beach imagery behind the game. It added a soothing, calming ambience.

Final thoughts
A winter morning on the beach has a lot of potential for being a chill, meditative exercise in taking care of oneself. Instead, the author tries to incorporate a timed puzzle that distracts from the game’s casual atmosphere. With some refinement I could see this becoming a successful walking simulator.

It’s time for school but you’re not feeling it right now.
Or ever, really. But you and Hanna have no choice. School it is, then.
Oh, and Hanna is a ghost.

Gameplay
Contrary to what the game’s title suggests, Hanna is not the PC. You play as a high school girl named Jing who goes to an international school in Singapore called the American Independence School. Unlike Jing, Hanna expresses some excitement about going to school. Soon, though, we see that this excitement is masking underlying pain as we face the daily mundane and rocky reality that is school.

The start of the gameplay really sucks you in. It captures how Twine’s interactivity can be used to make a more dynamic scene. We begin in Jing’s bedroom.

You get up.

You are in your bedroom, which consists of a desk full of books, a desktop computer, a bed, and a cabinet.

Hanna eyes at your schoolbag.

Here, "books," "desktop computer," and "bed," are all links that expand the text to reveal more information about each item while clicking on the cabinet link moves the gameplay forward as Jing gets ready for school.

While the scene’s outcome is not impacted by your choice to examine the scenery, the links provide an extra sense of interaction that make it a little more interesting than if it were one big room description. It also engages the player with Twine’s choice-based format. Why read when you can click on links?

This structure continues for the rest of the game as we venture into Jing's school. After your first playthrough, the game allows you to skip ahead to crucial parts in the gameplay to save time. Much appreciated.

Characters
(I’m going to do characters first, then story.)

Jing
We do not learn as much about Jing as I hoped. After all, she is the starring PC. She’s Chinese, lives in an apartment, her parents both work (we never meet them), likes to use art and books as a portal for exploring sexuality, and has befriended a ghost named Hanna! Alright, we learn a fair amount. But her character is intriguing. More would be nice.

It would also be nice to have more context about Jing’s everyday school life. While I understand that school day structure differs across the globe, American Independent School has a somewhat bizarre (to me) daily schedule. (Spoiler - click to show) It offers cafeteria lunch twice and holds a separate student council-led karaoke party between Trigonometry and European History class. Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad. Ultimately, however, I felt out of touch. (If this really occurs in real life, thank you for diversifying my understanding of how teens go to school in today’s world.)

Clara
Clara. Ah yes. Clara does not censor what she says. She just says it without considering her surroundings. Or those nearby. She also thinks that she is doing you a favor by letting you know what she has to say.

Consider: a group of young people with that one peer who, to everyone’s delight and dismay, confidently and loudly talks about daring and explicit things in a causal social setting. Just when you think the conversation has leveled off, bam, the peer in question takes it up several more notches and everyone around is just, “oh wow.” That’s Clara. The scene in the (Spoiler - click to show) hallway after homeroom (and onwards) showcases this perfectly.

She embodies the “mature” girl persona who claims to have a resume of sexual experiences. She also comes off as trying to convince herself that she knows the ropes and that her confidence on the subject matter is unwavering. A bystander (Jing/player) is then used as a sounding board as she pelts them with a mix of "advice," tidbits of knowledge that demonstrate credibility, and personal experiences involving sex and other adult-like activities.

My favorite sentence in this game:

You pretend to agree and hope Clara's done with her TED Talk.

Clara gives some intense TED Talks.

When it comes to her relationship with Jing, Clara does not come off as being the classic High School Mean Girl who breaks out in hives at the mere sight of you. Maybe that is not what the author intended, but that’s the impression it left on me. If anything, Clara sees herself as friend rather than foe.

Clara reads more like a bossy, we’re-friends-since-we-see-each-other-daily type of “friend.” One who considers herself to be your friend in a self-serving manner or considers you to be a friend more so than you feel in return. She latches onto you like a leech while insisting that she knows what’s best for you. Especially when it comes to sexuality.

It gets uncomfortable. Clara reassures Jing about her dating desirability. Because Jing is Chinese, Clara keeps advising her to embrace “popular” stereotypes by acting more submissive and “pure-hearted” since that apparently is what attracts dudes. Clara may be trying to help in her own way, but ultimately this persistent fetishization overwhelms Jing. And most likely the player.

But as the story’s antagonist, she does not seem so bad after all… Until your final encounter with her where she (Spoiler - click to show) goes full homophobe and transphobe. Everyone’s (Jing/Hanna/hopefully the player) response to this is more, way more, than just, “oh wow.”

While Clara excels in her character role’s persona, there are some scenes that feel- even for her- more like an endless rant of shocking content that is independent from the scene itself. I wish we could explore her character in other ways than just sex-fueled rants.

And as for bringing an umbrella, (Spoiler - click to show) careful kids, you can poke an eye out. I applaud the implementation of Twine in this scene.

Hanna
Hanna is a neat character- she’s a ghost! - with a tragic past who still brings the perspective of a modern teen unimpressed by the school system and its expectations. She does not necessarily “haunt” the player. Instead, she tags along to offer commentary, friendship, and support without sugar coating your collective circumstances.

Before the game even begins, we are presented with a passage that leads to the game’s menu. The passage keeps it brief: (Spoiler - click to show) Hanna was a teen who jumped off a hospital rooftop to commit suicide. Later we learn that in life, she identified as transgender but never received support or understanding- quite the opposite.

Here’s the deal: The gameplay ultimately leads up to a (Spoiler - click to show) pivotal scene where Clara (as I mentioned earlier) starts rambling about an unnamed individual during which she unleashes homophobic/transphobic commentary. First time around, I struggled to piece it all together.

In this scene, Clara explains (claims?) that she was engaged to a young man her age since they were kids except that he expressed interest in dresses, dolls, and feminine self-expression. She mocks this which only further traumatizes Hanna who is also transgender.

Then it clicked.

Almost.

I need someone to spell it out for me so I can be sure: Was Clara engaged, in whatever form it may have been, to… Hanna? Before her death when people refused to recognize her identity? (Is it true that her previous- I hope I’m doing this properly- name was Alex? I only ask since Clara mentions the name once in her rant.) Talk about a plot twist. In fact, I initially failed to make the connection that Hanna knew both Jing and Clara as former classmates since middle school. Scatter-brained on my part.

Also, part of the reason Hanna transitioned was to avoid being drafted into the army since male Singaporeans are drafted into the National Service when they turn eighteen. This fact completely went over my head. It was not until I read the explanation in the content warning that I connected the dots- and it gives you some interesting things to think about since many international kids do not have to worry about this requirement. I just feel that this part of Hanna’s backstory could have been clearer.

There is one thing that I did not figure out. During Clara’s rant, we see a link that says, “Hanna’s wailing floods the whole room.” Clicking on it expands it into the following:

why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet why am i not dead yet

Hanna is dead. There’s something I’m clearly missing.

NPCs (besides Hanna and Clara)
Finally, some of the remaining dialog almost seemed melodramatic in the sense that there is not much context around NPCs’ behavior. Like (Spoiler - click to show) Harold's outburst when you ask him what is wrong during homeroom. If I had not known better, I would have thought these characters were pre-teens who just entered middle school.

Nonetheless, they are still intriguing.

Story + Themes
The story takes place over one school day where we get a glimpse of daily life for Jing and Hanna, even if Hanna is not an actual student. She almost functions as an extension of Jing which is close enough. Besides Hanna’s backstory, Hanna We’re Going to School is largely character-oriented rather than wielding a complex storyline. There are, however, plenty of themes to go around.

There are several slice-of-life themes about youth and adulthood that could appeal to a wide range of players. However, the intended audience is relatively narrow since many of the themes are explored through brief, sudden romance-oriented encounters that may not appeal to everyone. This runs the risk of the player not absorbing the key themes showcased in a scene if they are skimming past certain parts.

For instance, (Spoiler - click to show) Clara's attempt to matchmake you with Dan was surreal and disjointed. Is she serious? It seemed like an unbelievable exchange… unless it’s set in reality more so than I realize. While this specific scene made me raise my eyebrows, I could see how it ties in with the game’s discussions on the intersecting expectations placed on young people.

Much of the game is focused on the idea of adult expectations of who you marry, the achievements of your parents, academic performance, job prospects, and your ability to look casually desirable the entire time. I feel like the (Spoiler - click to show) scene with Dan is meant to shine light on several of these issues, but from a gameplay standpoint it leaves you a bit bewildered. Because of this, players may find it less relatable.

Also: I'm not asking for more in that scene between (Spoiler - click to show) Clara and Dan in the school library, I'm really not (no shame if anyone feels otherwise), but it came out of nowhere and felt completely out of context. Even for this game. In the school library? I would say it is the only truly explicit scene in the game and is completely avoidable.

Visuals
The game uses a basic set of visuals that opt for something besides the typically default Twine appearance of a black screen, white text, and a standardize font (you'll know it when you see it). There is nothing wrong with using the default, but when authors choose to use a slightly different background colour or multiple font styles, I notice.

Hanna, We’re Going to School features a grey screen with white text and blue-purple links. There is also a wine-coloured panel on the left side of the text body. It contains the “under” arrow that lets you go back a passage. Basic stuff but looks good.

Final thoughts
Hanna, We’re Going to School is a bold, insightful game that bravely questions the intersecting issues that young people experience in the eyes of society and their fellow peers as they start to transition into adulthood. Jing witnesses this from a unique perspective.

She does not share the seemingly carefree lifestyle that her peers put on display, nor does she possess the social status wielded by peers from more influential families. But Clara’s attempts at “mentorship” provides a closer glimpse of the privilege differences within the student body. This slightly departs from the typical formula of popular girl vs unpopular girl while still showcasing the various forms of harassment that can occur, especially when it comes to gender expectations.

Meanwhile, Hanna’s own story raises implications of the harm done when one’s gender identity is mocked, especially if one is still trying to find themselves. As we see, Hanna (Spoiler - click to show) experiences some uncertainty about her motives for transitioning while simultaneously feeling at home with identifying as a girl. Her character is fun, quirky, and honest, making her a highlight of the game.

However, there are some drawbacks. The game could use more clarity for the plot along with additional worldbuilding shown in the gameplay. Right now, I feel like I know more about Clara than Hanna and Jing which is too bad since Hanna and Jing are a fantastic duo. The explicitness of some scenes may also drive some players away.

Otherwise, it is a strong slice of life piece about high school and teenage futures.

Further reading
These are NOT spoilers, but since my reviews are so darn long, I’m spoiler-tagging it to save screen space. I write a lot.
(Spoiler - click to show)
Hanna, We're Going to School reminds me of an unrelated graphic novel called Anya's Ghost. The premise is similar in the sense that it depicts a teenage girl who navigates life and high school while being followed around by a ghost of another teen girl. While that may sound like a carbon copy of Hanna, We’re Going to School, I can reassure you that they diverge in story and subject matter. But the way Hanna coasts along with Jing and offers commentary just reminded me so much of the duo in Anya’s Ghost. If you like this game, you may like the book, and vice versa.

Also, if you are interested in further exploring the social dynamics of an internationally oriented school setting, consider the ChoiceScript game Learning to Be Human. It is an educational game about bullying where you play as a humanoid robot tasked with making connections with middle/high school aged students from different countries. While it is not a particularly thrilling game, it is more interesting than it sounds. Just note that it is strongly character centered, so don’t expect an in-depth storyline. The game covers subjects on popularity, body image, bias on cultural heritage, and inclusion. Recommended if you were drawn in by the peer social interactions found in Hanna, We’re Going to School.

You play as Noah. Kiera, your sister, texts you with a request. She wants you to visit a relative’s former house on Laurel Road to retrieve items for your cousin, Quinn. But you and Quinn have never had the best relationship. Not ever since they transitioned. Returning there will bring up bad memories, and afterwards, you will have to bring the items to Quinn. Will you do it? Or will you shy away from the task?

There is a genre of games about rummaging through a house one last time after a drastic event to gather items and relive memories. Exploration is largely NPC-less with a profound sense of melancholy, leaving the player to decide one what the PC gets out of the experience. I am reminded of the Twine game Another Cabin In The Woods and the TADS game Past Present. I know there are plenty more out there.

Gameplay
Quinn is the younger cousin of Noah and Keira. They lived their entire life under a different name- of which we never learn- but now go by Quinn. If it was not obvious, they also now identify as “they.”

The house on Laurel Road has been abandoned for months, but the furniture and belongings are still there. It is also a former crime scene. There is a brief intro before you travel to the house. Once there, you can travel from room to room in search of items. For the gameplay mechanics, you either click anywhere on the screen to move to the next passage or click on links when they are offered.

Gameplay involves reliving memories by examining items in the house. There is the (Spoiler - click to show) sketchbook that Quinn used while hospitalized for self-harm (I thought this scene was well done. It does not tip toe around the subject but also treads lightly on the explicit details). A boardgame that Noah thought was dumb, but Quinn liked to play. The home videos that Quinn’s father smashed out of anger. Oh yes, there is a lot to unpack. Overall, I would not say this is a sad, gloomy game, but there is an undeniable sense of tragedy that emerges as you sift through the near empty house.

Story
As I mentioned at the beginning, 13 Laurel Road is a piece where the story is centered around a defining Event that occurs before the game begins. You just merely pick up the pieces of a shattered past. The big plot twist is that (Spoiler - click to show) Quinn’s father, Glenn, shot and killed his wife, Joyce. You are visiting the house months after the incident.

While this is not a graphic game, there are poignant indicators of the violence that took place, such as bullet holes or suspicious looking stains. The game gives few details about this plot element, and it’s unclear if both Quinn and Joyce were shot, or the fate of Glenn. Did he kill himself? The only certainty is that Joyce is dead, and Quinn is now living on their own.

If anything, this story is about Quinn. Nearly a year ago, when Quinn requested to be called "they," Noah screwed up and said some things that hurt Quinn, and then started an argument with his sister, prompting Quinn to leave. Noah has felt bad about that ever since, and yet has not been proactive in making up for his behavior. Hopefully, this excursion into the past to find Quinn's things will be an opportunity to come to terms with what he did.

Sure enough, you end up being the one who (Spoiler - click to show) meets with Quinn in person to return the items. You have a few choices on how to respond to that encounter.

Characters + Themes
Let’s take a closer look at the character dynamics, particularly Noah’s relationship with Quinn since it is a long relationship filled with instability.

Noah never took Quinn’s transition seriously. Not transphobic, exactly, but indifferent to the challenges and implications brought by this personal growth. Quinn came out to Noah and Keira before ever bringing it up with Quinn’s own parents. Noah and Keira were supposed to be a support system, but Noah made little effort to respect his cousin’s change in identity.

In one of the memories, Noah recalls hearing (Spoiler - click to show) Quinn’s father, Glenn, talk about Quinn in shocking ways. While the game never actually uses transphobic slurs, it's implied that such slurs and statements were said in these past discussions. Even worse, Noah also remembers not trying object to (Spoiler - click to show) his uncle's comments or feeling any need to defend Quinn. (Note: This is a good game if you want to explore these ideas without dousing you with explicit content. Such games are powerful but sometimes you may feel like playing something more subtle.)

At the same time, the game highlights the uncertainty that can come with learning about a person’s, transition in gender and pronouns when one (Noah) is unaccustomed to concepts about transitioning. Noah would retreat to the use of Quinn’s previous name and pronouns as a defense mechanism when he felt insecure about the fact that people’s identity can be fluid. It is a big unknown for Noah. Unfortunately, Noah’s lack of open-mindedness caused harm to Quinn, especially as they struggled back at home. It was not until (Spoiler - click to show) Glenn killed Joyce did Noah realize how little support Quinn had.

How the player chooses to engage with this determines Noah’s willingness to admit- really admit- that he was wrong. That he chose the easy route and ignore when faced with his cousin’s requests to use different pronouns.

Visuals
Though the game features a familiar appearance of white text against a black screen, it seems like the author added the slightest variation to the default stylization. The white text large and easy to read, maybe in a different-from-default font. Paragraphs are neatly organized onscreen. Never is the screen swamped with text. Neglecting paragraph organization and text space is something I see in Twine games from time to time. Finally, the red links offer a nice splash of colour.

Final thoughts
While not particularly advanced in the technical department, 13 Laurel Road is a simple Twine game with a potent story about identity and revisiting a broken relationship. There are a lot of variables to consider. The game shows the impacts, often the more subtle impacts, that come with misgendering someone or not respecting their wishes (hopefully I analyzed the story correctly). Ultimately, it offers redemption but only redemption that is sought out earnestly.

A memorable slice of life game worth checking out.

It is late morning and your mother texts you about going to a restaurant together. Spending time with your mother and eating food sounds like a great idea, but there is anxiety looming in the back of your mind as you agree to meet. Part of it has to do with language.

Gameplay
差异 // Disconnect uses a mix of Chinese characters and English. Occasionally, Chinese characters are substituted with phonetic spelling. The game begins with a short text message exchange between the protagonist and their mother.

11:05 AM MOM: I know a good restaurant, have 手拉面

The first Chinese characters, 手拉面, initially did not have the translation, prompting me to immediately reach for an online translator. I thought this was interesting because the protagonist did exactly just that after I did. It was a brief moment where I could relate to the protagonist, although less so since I lack any working knowledge on the Chinese language. I got "hand-pulled noodles," as did the protagonist when they used consulted Google. It was a neat moment.

The remainder of the gameplay takes place at the restaurant. This seems to be a story where the PC feels like they are messing up more than they are, but the awkwardness so, so real. A noteworthy scene is when the protagonist is trying to give the waitress their order. Their menu is written in Chinese with an English translation, and automatically find themselves reading the translation. But when a waitress comes over to the table, they feel pressured to order in Chinese.

You review the pinying over again in your head. Wǒ yào niúròu shǒu lāmiàn tāng. How hard can it be?

Trying to use perfect accent and pronunciation while on the spot, they trip over the words. You can either try again or bail out and switch to English. Either choice serves to serves to put the player in the protagonist’s shoes to show what it is like to sit on a fence between your closeness to the Chinese language as part of your heritage, and the everyday convenience of English that you rely on in daily life.

What I did not like was how quickly this game ends. It happens sort of out of nowhere. I would have easily given this a rating of five stars if it had more of a conclusion. When you sit down to eat, I thought the game was just getting started, that there would be a little more dialog or examination of other cultural norms. The game is far from incomplete. In fact, it’s excellent. However, I was invested in the story and looked forward to seeing more the protagonist’s experience.

Story + Characters
The story is told in second person, and it seems that your character is gender-neutral, although there is one section that slightly suggests that the protagonist is female. I’ve opted to use “they” instead. Yes, so they feel anxiety and regret about their broken Chinese and how it has shaped encounters with their mother and older family members. They especially remember being pressured into attending Chinese language school when they were younger, but now feels guilty about not making the most of what they learned. They are left as someone who understands Chinese but is unable to speak it with the same proficiency of their mother.

These differences go beyond spoken language. The protagonist has the urge to hug their mother when they see her at the restaurant but refrains from doing so since older members in their family typically did not do that. It was something "reserved for your friends and younger, Westernized relatives.” There are all sorts of subtleties that contribute to a feeling of disconnect. I have always liked games that show the inns and outs of cultural interactions that would otherwise go over your head. The point is not to be a crash course on culture, just a glimpse into a single story.

Visuals
The game keeps it simple but visually appealing. Links are a cheerful yellow. Most of the Chinese text is highlighted in yellow that, when clicked on, reveals the English translation. Text is a mix of black and grey against a white background. I liked the simplicity of the cover art.

Final thoughts
So, this game got me thinking about the title. Courtesy of online Chinese-to-English translate, 差异 means “difference.” Someone better correct me if I’m wrong. Difference // Disconnect. Based on what I learned from the gameplay, it seems the title means that linguistic differences- and other differences- have formed a disconnect between the protagonist and their mother. It is a caring relationship but not always a seamless one as we see in the game.

I really enjoyed this game and recommend it to anyone interested in a slice of life game about family dynamics and Chinese culture. As someone largely unfamiliar with the ins and outs of Chinese language/culture, I found this to be an insightful piece on a human experience.

Orunge is a heartwarming story told in first person from the perspective of a young girl looking to buy some oranges at a market. We follow her frantic rush to buy these oranges and meet up with some mysterious NPC.

Gameplay
The game takes place at a metropolitan setting with public transportation and a maze of outdoor venders. The girl’s desperate search in the gameplay accurately captures a sense of rushing through a busy area, totally lost while on a time crunch. This part was relatable. Science dictates that the less time you need to be somewhere, the more confusing everything- I’m kidding.

Ack, I’m getting distracted! Gotta get oranges first. He’ll be packing up soon, so I don’t have a lot of time. I’ll miss out.

Those pastries smell SO good though.
(The words "oranges" and "pastries" are both links. It is an extremely difficult decision.)

In terms of interactivity, there are only a few cases where the player can make a choice. Otherwise, they are just in it for the ride. But being a short game with a reasonable amount of text, Orunge maintains the player’s attention as they watch the story unfold. Because of this, the game would be a good selection for kids.

Story + Characters
The reason behind the protagonist’s desperate scramble is only revealed at the end. We know one thing: These oranges are for someone else. Until then, there is a sense of mystery and anticipation as we wait to learn who “he” is (In fact, character details about everyone, including the protagonist, are kept at a minimum).

The answer is that there is a (Spoiler - click to show) vender who will teach the protagonist how to make orange juice by pressing oranges. Naturally, she supplies the oranges and does not want to keep him waiting. I am not sure of the protagonist's relationship with the vender or how they know each other, but it is a wholesome story about a person teaching a trade to another.

There are multiple endings. I found two, one of which has two nearly identical variations. For the latter, (Spoiler - click to show) you acquire a pastry to give to the man or you forget/ran out of time to buy a pastry. Either one is a happy ending where the two characters bond over orange juice. It's such an endearing story! There is also a less ideal ending where you (Spoiler - click to show) dally and take too long to catch up to the vender before he packs up his stall and drives off. But never fear, that ultimately leads to a surprise happy ending and still ends in (Spoiler - click to show) orange juice.

Visuals
Unsurprisingly, the colour palette for this game is orange. It has a light orange background with dark orange text and white links. This is quite a tasteful look. There are also some nice story graphics on every page that elevate the game’s quality. Graphics feature drawings done in a mix of orange shades. They depict the protagonist as she runs around the market, and I liked the art style.

Final thoughts
Orunge is an endearing story for adults but also perfect for kids because of the lighthearted story, cheery art, and shorter word count. It features a relatable and upbeat protagonist who leaves a lasting impression on the audience. It’s also a game that demonstrates how you do not need to have ultra-complex coding or dramatic visual effects to create a polished and professional-looking Twine game.