Reviews by manonamora

would you remember is a kinetic Twine one-sided conversation between a recently passed woman and her still-living wife. It is a piece about grief and love, and those we leave behind. It is strange how it gives a raw depiction of grief from an outsider onlooker (the woman is “present” but only in a spectral? sense), yet still be so personal in the choice of details depicted. An emotional out-of-body monologue.

vanitas is a gothic interactive piece, following the death of an immortal, exploring grief and love for the departed. The prose is very luscious and delectable, full of imagery. The hurt is omnipresent, as the variation options often go from bad to worse, and the end made uncertain, leaving you to endlessly cycle through the final option. Surrounding the text are illustrations of lilies, symbolising purity and rebirth (an opposition to the characters), often used for funeral and burials. Very atmospheric and tragic.

pavement & rain is a short Twine conversation between a doctor and a failed nurse following the death of a young girl. Between the voiced words and the retrospection, the prose tell us with little words about the bleak setting, the current situation of the characters and their relationship. Yet, it leaves us with even more questions.

Food Offering is a micro fantasy Twine, in which you must deal with a rude fae. Like the title suggests, a food offering is in order to be free. Just a bite and a drink. You have a choice of snack to offer, and a drink-mixing mini-puzzle to complete. But you must watch out: if you choose the wrong combination, you’ll get cursed!
It’s a really cute short game, with adorable illustrations. It was fun trying to get all the different endings.

Over the Top is a micro interactive poem, meant as a tribute to the fallen during the Great War (WWI). In a trench somewhere in northern France, a soldier readies himself for a battle, recalling words from his friend Charlie to settle himself. While you do not affect the overall story (like a single soldier would not drastically affect the events of a war like this), you may affect the current state of your surrounding and comrades (would they survive just a bit longer? or are their fate ultimately death?), as well as the formatting of one of the poem’s line. Though I am not much for poetry, it was a neat piece to interact with.

In the Cards is a kinetic Twine piece, as a snippet for a future project, following Donovan interacting with an unnamed (probably inebriated) man he feels he must bring home. It is a very atmospheric entry, focused on the details (small objects in hands, short movements, glances). Saying just enough to get a hazy picture of the scene, but not enough to feel satisfied. Like a good excerpt, it leaves you wanting more

Runaway: A Blind Story is a short visual novel meant as a bit of a warning story about certain effects of BPD and the importance of taking one’s medication (or you’d run away from your problems). It is a personal piece for the author, as indicated by the blurb and the end sequence of the game. Thought the actual sequence of event is not physically possible, it does drive the point of the illness affecting your better judgement.

Read This When You Turn 15 is a kinetic epistolary entry made in Ink, from the perspective of a sibling who cannot take care of his baby adopted sister. It is an emotional 499-word piece, that shook me to the core. It is a thing with Kastel’s pieces that touches on very specific things that will resonate with people, often because they themselves have experienced it (fully or close enough to it).

I am still unsure how to read the piece, whether we are the big brother penning an apology letter, or the little sister finding it on her birthday (or early). It might not matter much, but depending on the POV, the reading will take a different tone. I think my personal experiences made me orbit more towards the writing of the letter. The revealing truth bombs*, necessary to understand how they came to that point, the sorrows and the guilt for doing it in such a way and for leaving, and still throughout it all, the love for their sibling, no matter what, unconditional and unwavering, even if not wanted.
*the webcam one really broke me.

The cadence of each paragraph, through repeated reminders of love (from the brother) and of hate (towards the failing mother*), drives the same message again and again: not enough had been done for you, it is not your fault, you can and should be angry about it. There are reminders of love given, never enough, never the right kind, never from the right person, and of fears, of never being enough or not being able to do enough (because you are not what they need). A childhood marked by actions out of her control, and out of his.
*interesting thing: only the mother is mentioned in the story. Is the father absent? Or his presence so inconsequential to the dynamic that he might as well be absent? Or the requirement of providing love or care to a child not being the father’s?

I have not written this letter, but I’ve written similar letters/messages before. Burning one’s self to protect others is only possible for so long, until you are no more but a shadow of yourself. Yet, the guilt of saving one’s self always remains. And so does the love.

Software Boutique is a micro nostalgic experience in Decker, where you are sent back to the 90s, trying to buy a game with your birthday money. With the dithered retro vibe of Decker, you are shown multiple options, each leading you to a different ending. There isn’t really a bad choice, but I though the middle one was the most touching one (even if I might be a bit too young to feel the nostalgia for the 90s…).

(K)night Under The Mountain is a short philosophic fantasy Twine piece, inspired by the knight asleep in the mountain folklore trope, takes a trio looking for said knight, in hopes to bring a brighter future. Each adventurer has a different view on the tale, from taking it as gospel to looking at is as only a metaphor. It is an interesting exploration of the trope (benevolent figure to save us all vs we must save ourselves), with a smart formatting of the story to enhance replayability.