Reviews by manonamora

NYX is a short sci-fi horror Twine piece, where Astronaut Christina Kennedy sends her final transmission aboard NYX-V, following first alien contact gone… not so much according to plan. Through the distressing transmission, you learn of the terminal fate of the rest of the crew, the fate of humanity in the shaky hands of this last survivor. It is crushing, seeing lively crews with hopes and dreams, the little left of their past humanity turned into a single bloody mention, seeing the last survivor struggle with the course of action when all seems lost and hopeless. Now the entity is banging at her door.

There is a choice, of course, for Kennedy to do with her last moment, and how to handle the entity. Between leaving a thread of hope or sending humanity into a destructive course, each option is just… ugh, impeccable.

I really really liked the opening of the entry. It reminded me of those sci-fi novels where large ship would travel the heavens to settle colonies on other planets, always mentioning the engineers and the pilots and so on, with the more “culturally” focused characters being look down upon. The fixation that art and humanity have little to do with exploration and advancement… until something goes horribly wrong.

Anyways, it’s great. Short horror sci-fi story hitting all the marks.

Six of Swords is a short piece made in Ink, where after (what I assumed was) you death, the ferryman asks you to choose one of eight randomly appearing item to continue on your journey, something that you might have cherished, wished for, or regretted in life… It is fitting to its Tarot Card, carrying your past baggage into the future. With the interface and background sound, it gives off a melancholic vibe.

let the lights bleed is a haunting kinetic piece about uncomfortable sexual experiences with a disrespectful partner (to say the least) and being essentially seen as an object rather than who they are (or even accepted by their partner). Forced to focus on the red light bleeding over their (already uncomfortable) body, the narrator disassociates, reflecting on their conflicting emotions and the hurtful act they endure. Between the harsh background and the unnerving sounds coupled with the text on screen, it makes for a devastating memorable piece.

saltwater is a short atmospheric piece, where you are on a nighttime walk on the beach, with an enigmatic woman. Temptress and tantalising, she pulls you into the water, barely concealing her dangerous nature to you as you fall for her charms. You can succumb fully to her, accept your desires and yourself, or fight it, and come out somewhat (but not really) unscathed.

The prose is enigmatic and fantastical, creating a haunting and mystical experience.

Seeing Stars is a short slice-of-life piece where you play as a teenager/young-adult named Alex, who has had a long-time crush on their friend Cyrus, yet never been able to ask them out. An opportunity present itself when a meteor shower is announced. Will Alex finally make their move?
There are two possible endings, reachable through the final choice. It was cute.

Keep Center is a lovely illustrated Twine game about glassblowing, and the trials and errors when creating pieces. It’s a pretty neat game where you can create one out of four different design (that is if you don’t mess up and break it before the end, because glasswork is very fragile), with each step illustrated with a hand-drawn two-frame animation. You get to learn about the different steps to make glasswork, and be reminded that when you fail, you can always try again. It’s all about keeping center.
I really liked the little puzzle and trying to make the different pieces, but the message of the game is what resonated with me the most.

Paralysis is a short Twine piece about sleep paralysis and the panicky state you can fall into when your mind is awake but your body doesn’t respond. In this strange state, you attempt to find a way to reconnect body and mind, in one way or another (sometimes, waiting is all that can help). With animated text shacking or blurring into focus, as well as a heavy hand with timed element, the piece creates an uncomfortable atmosphere, reminding you time and time again of the little agency you have in the situation.

Alone in the Tower is a short fantasy Twine piece where you are locked in a tower, forgotten and cursed. As you watch life continuing on outside of your window, you must find the courage and motivation to attempt an escape (and continuing to push through to break the different blocks in your way). Or you can, at every step, riddled with doubts, give up and return to the comfort of your room, letting life pass you by again…
It was neat the see the background changing as you move along the path.

just a poem is, like its name suggests, a micro poem. With four short stanza, the bleak and gruesome poem paints a memorable image. The effect is enhanced by the type-writing effect, as it slowly reveals the bloody words.

He Knows That You Know and Now There’s No Stopping Him is the first entry of the RBG trilogy, inspired by the Bluebeard tale, a dialogue between wife and husband. In this first act, you are the last of Bluebeard’s wives, caught in the act of disobeying him (i.e. finding the bloody basement). Threatened by your husband, as were the others, you must find a way to escape the deadly fate that awaits you. And so, with a concealed knife, you wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Though there are multiple choices and paths for dialogue (from pleading for mercy to downright be antagonistic), there is only one ending to reach. All fates are sealed after all.

The dialogue is smooth, which ever path taken, building tension until the culminating point (that moment was a bit jarring, with the prose moving to a more modern English compared to the rest of the text). With such an eventful final action, I’ve been impatiently waiting to see what the other two Acts will bring…