Ratings and Reviews by manonamora

The Portrait, also titled as A Taste of Isekai in-game, is an exploration parser, a sort of amuse-bouche to a larger game coming out in the future. You are introduced to the PC, isekai'd into a strange world (and a new body!) without knowing how or why, and are given hints of the world you stumbled into, through exploring the couple of available rooms and examining the different elements in this room.

As the title of the game suggests, there is a massive portrait in the first room you land on, with an insane amount of details to discover (earning you points every time you find something interesting). Depicting three women, the picture will trigger memories (which you are certain are not your own) or mention other elements you could examine next.
This was clearly influenced by the "IF Art Show" competitions, where the goal was to focus on one specific object and mainly interact with it. This piece would have fit right in that event, as you (mainly) interact with the painting and all its little details. It's kind of neat to see newer games being influenced by (almost) forgotten events that defined IF. It makes for a lovely tribute.

The text is pretty verbose and extensive, similar to the very flowery style of the late 1800s. And quite focused on the body (which shouldn't be too surprising as (Spoiler - click to show)you are a man, waking up in a woman's body), which at times sounds a bit strange. It reminded me quite a bit to those pulpy romance novels, actually. It feels a bit voyeuristic and a bit uncomfortable, as we are told the PC to be, and somewhat disorienting. I mean (Spoiler - click to show)wouldn't it be extremely disorienting to wake up in a completely different body?

From the little you get to explore (and examine), it is clear that a lot of worldbuidling has been put down to paper (in the same way Creative Cooking felt to me - are they connected?). From the different species (maybe even are in conflict with one another?) with visuals reminiscent of known fantastical creatures, down to the architecture and decor reminding you of cultures on Earth (maybe there's more than just one link (you) between the two worlds), there is still quite a bit to learn to make this picture whole...

I finished with a score of 64 out of 80. Though I didn't find all the details, I feel like I have had a complete experience.

You Can Only Turn Left is a surreal piece exploring "the hypnagogic state between sleeping and wakefulness", based on a past dream journal. Though it may seem quite linear when going through the text, the game actually includes multiple endings, affected by the choices you can made throughout the story. I found two out of the four coded.

The game is quite unsettling from the start, with a fast animated sequence of moving text, uncomfortable sound, and changing background, asking you whether you are present or still dreaming. This aesthetic, along with blurred or flipped text, continues on in the rest of the entry, emphasising on the unreality of it all (whether it is describing dreams, "memories" or pure hallucinations). It often veers on the uncanniness of things (especially one ending), edging on the nightmarish.
There were some moments where reading the text was almost impossible, as the white text would barely be readable behind a light moving background, or bring too blurry to make out the different letters.

This vibe is also mirrored in the text itself, as you move from memories to dreams, with the narrator waking up, only to find themself still dreaming or going back into that hazy realm. You will go from very detailed and vivid settings to just a passing blurred line in the distance, real and grounded moments to bizarre and skin crawling hallucinations.

This was very strange, and yet very familiar (fudged sleep pattern with insane vivid dreams). It is bizarre and comforting.

Bydlo; or the Ox-Cart is a minimalist micro Bitsy piece about, according to the blurb, the triumph of art over drudgery.

Using a simple orange and white palette, and the dreary Mussorgsky's Bydlo theme from Picture At An Exhibition, the game lets you control a little sprite (farmer?) navigating through its field, day by day, as an ox cart passes through the screen. Each sequence (about a dozen) shows a different iteration of the field, with boulders, plants, and carcases blocking your path. Yet, you must continue on, weaving through the obstacles to reach the next level, and the next, and the next...

Until... the cart exit the screens. And so can you.

There is very little you can interact with in the environment, only moving about the screen. You learn nothing about the setting or yourself, why you are here and what you want further. There isn't any text aside from the title and the final screen. Only the chirped version of the melancholic theme...

I am not really sure what to make of it still... Monotonous work pushing people into boredom and daydreaming? Tediousness making us wish for an easier time, a more fun time? Or is it a confrontation of how we view labour (i.e. seeing beauty and art in the mundane)?
Or... should we just enjoy a piece without reading too much into it...

Insatiable Jeunesse is a short "storylet"-based interactive story, where you incarnate some sort of creature needing to hunt down people to keep young. You come across potential victims, judge the situation (will you be satiated? is it dangerous), before you get to choose whether to eat or move on. But, watch out, if you're caught or starve, it's game over!
There are (as far as I could tell) three endings: the good one, dying of hunger, and getting caught because you were too suspicious.

The blurb describes itself as an unbalanced prototype, which is pretty on point, as you end up going through the different potential victims pretty quickly and it is *very* easy to die (or I could just be unlucky). Quite a good deal of randomisation, in the situation text (variation in victims, feeding and danger levels) and in the consequences of your action (how suspicious you are before you are stopped). The game requires quite the balancing act to win.
I am sure it is possible to win, but I have still not been able to do so...

On the game page, the author described their plan for a future update with more narration and locations, and a more balanced gameplay. I hope I get to play this update one day!

Meurtres en eau profonde is a relatively short Binksi game (mixing Bitsy and Ink), where you play as a rookie goldfish police officer given their first ever case: finish the case left behind by the former Inspector. Interacting with the different elements and locations, you will find how deep the mystery goes.

Since it was made in Binksi, you need to use the keyboard arrows to navigate the little orange goldfish around the screen, and to interact with the different elements. There are a handful of puzzles (like fixing a computer or cutting down weeds) to progress through the story and unlock further interactions.
As you are an officer on the case, talking to witnesses and perps is also an important task of the job. The game includes conversation trees, with options hidden until you find a certain item or information.

The mystery itself is pretty simple, it is just a matter of whether you interacted with all the relevant items or asked the relevant questions to reach the end.

Thought there wasn't really anything to do in the museum, it was fun to explore it and see "humans" on display. I also, for good measure, got drunk on the job (it's just for fun, and does not impact the game. I laughed out loud having to bypass the computer security in the bar too.

This was a cheeky little game, which I enjoyed quite a bit!

Hidden Gems, Hidden Secrets is a Twine game set in a Discord server, where members of the Hidden Gems Of Poetry Group interact, led by Dr. Cornelius Harper, a retired professor with a passion for poetry. Prior to the creation of this space, each member had some sort of connection with Cornelius (who calls himself Corn), many seeing him as a mentor. The server is also moderated by his trans grandson.

But on that day, two collisions shock the group: a literal one, leaving the life of Cornelius in the balance waiting for surgery, and a more metaphorical one as a secret threatens the bond of this small community. Obviously, the two events couldn't have come at a worse time...
In between beats of conversation, we are able to see personal exchanges between Corn and each member, during different time periods. These, coupled with the live messages in-chat, allows you to paint a clear picture of the man and his actions. There are hints from the start to what is going to happen, and what has happened (Spoiler - click to show)who knows how many times. The implications are pretty damning.

Honestly, I thought this game was completely linear at first. Before sending the first message, I tried clicking on the side arrows to see what it would do, but since nothing happened, I chalked it off as just "for show" (turns out, not every message has a choice, but the arrows always look the same). So I had, for better or for worse, the "middle ending" right off the bat. I've checked the other two endings, and I'm certainly glad I got this one first. Though none of the path feel "good", one feels realistic but disappointing (in the other members), the other quite uncomfortable (though it could probably lead to a "better" outcome for most).
Though I think most players would favour the more salacious choices, with how they are listed on the screen...

I think it would have driven the point further if we were able to go through previous conversations in the server. From the first live conversation, it is clear the users know each other well by now, and have created strong bonds with one another (and with Corn). But the only channel with potentially substantial discussion also starts with Sorry, older messages can't be loaded, per the settings in this server., which wouldn't make sense if you are a member of a server (why would all the messages be hidden every time someone logs off? especially for the purpose of discussions), but also thwart the possibility of understanding who the users are (what do they like? what kind of writing to they do? etc) and how they usually behave with one another (do they fight and make up? are they always friendly? how does Corn fits into their dynamics). Instead, you end up as an onlooker peering into what is happening right now and also controlling the members as puppets (I mean, you kind of are for the purpose of the story) - kinda weirdly voyeuristic?

On the interface side, I would have preferred if it had been a bit closer to the actual Discord interface, whether it is the palette use (I know you can change it on browser, but it would have been suuuuper unlikely everyone used the same green palette, especially considering how different the characters are) or the placement of elements on the screen. Though it was smart to keep the messages of the "playable" user separate from the rest of the chat, and each user getting their personal pfp.

Definitely a confronting game, thought not completely unrealistic. Interesting mechanic and interface wise, discomforting story wise.

Cozy Simulation 2999 is the coziest Twine experience you will ever have. Set in a remote cabin in the mountain during winter, you get to enjoy peace and tranquillity, with all the comfort and activities you'd want to have. Maybe you could just spend your day staring at the fire, or drink all kinds of warming drinks, or you might be more into eating to your heart's content or creating meaningful art pieces... or how about taking a walk outside huh?

Sounds enticing doesn't it? Not having to worry about anything else but the coziness of yourself in an idyllic (and strangely isolating) settings. Being taken care of by a lovely narrator that not only listens to your wishes but expand your ability to do things as time pass. Isn't it JUST NICE and definitely not skin crawling when you stop and think about all the things that seem just a tad out of place, or details that just don't quite add up... and what about those memories that keep haunting your dreams?

But are you truly ready to open the door and find out?

Ok some spoily stuff I liked
(Spoiler - click to show)the contrast between the simulation and real life (he I clocked that at the start but it was just too cozy to matter), the pretty eerie descriptions of items hinting at something that happened, the eviscerating descriptions in the "real" world with the conveyor belt of bodies... Going from the cozy end to the less than cozy ones is exciting but creepy as heck!

It's a really cool game for a first Twine game attempt!

Bradisson Rayburn’s Revenge! is a short parser where you play as a contestant in a show hosted by Bradisson Rayburn, with the hope of winning the show altogether. As you are a bit worried about it, you explore the studio, collecting along the way items you believe you can use to your advantage (among them, the return of the Sprinklepill). Ensue a series of trials, where your items end up being quite helpful!

I didn’t manage to get to the end the first time I played, not understanding why I couldn’t get to set no matter how long I waited. It wasn’t until I restarted the game and re-explored everything, trying to examine almost every noun on the screen and trying to take every single named items that I unlocked the next part (and finished the game).

The second section focuses on the actual show, and the different trials you must go through to win the game on set. The items helps you along to get to the top (the game actually will push you to use them, you can’t really play it “in good faith”), though I am unsure why we had to pick up certain things if we couldn’t really use them (was there maybe more trials to use the cup or the pot? or did I miss something?). Or why we couldn’t use them against other contestants (why not zap everyone and win by default :P)

I also still don’t get why Bradisson was targetting us like this with his trials, especially the last one being quite “something”, but hey, if you manage to piss him off enough, you get to win! Well, not so much as winning as more getting some self respect, I guess… :P. Will we ever know what beef Bradisson has with us?

tiny ratopia is a one-page entry where you are a little rat in your cage enjoying the warmth of your surrounding, with your brothers by your side. A movement stirs you, prompting you to recall your routine and what you will do later. But now, now you keep enjoying the warmth.

It is quite the cozy piece, depicting what a utopia would be for a tiny being (here a rat, with few needs and all being met), using simple structures and vocabulary to encapsulate the mind of the little creature. And the entry finishes with the perfect message: focus on the now, because now, everything is great.

stomping grounds is a short Twine piece dedicated to a friend, as a reminder of a promise once made: to one day, going fishing and camping. Formatted as a calendar, each date is linked to a short snippet, like a daily nudge to not forget about said promise.

The snippets depict different elements related to fishing or camping, like the noise from the wind crashing into the tent, or how fire can be dangerous but oh-so worth it because it can warm up the much needed coffee, or that we need to make sure to bring a first-aid kit, or how liberating and invigorating a plunge into a lake can be. By focusing on all the little things, the piece reminds us of the powerful and exhilarating connection we can have with the simpleness of Nature.

Thanks to its expressive prose, with its vivid depictions, Romantic (artistic) description of Nature, and still realistic portrayals of what could be, the game really painted a sincere picture of camping… and it’s making me want to do so myself too.