Reviews by manonamora

Who are you talking to? is a work in progress piece where you are confronted by a strange creature, in an unknown place, unable to leave. You can talk to the creature, asking them questions, and go over some of your most recent memories. Being an unfinished piece, there are timed where the game ends abruptly, forcing you to rewind and pick a different path to reach the end. There are at least 8 endings, though I’ve only managed to reach one.

From the tone of your interlocutor, my reading of the game (so far) is that you (Spoiler - click to show)died and are talking to some otherworldly being (maybe a God?), assessing your nature and action back when you were alive (though it seems your fate is sealed). You have the option of showing remorse towards your actions or doubling down. That or aliens.

pacodnd.exe is a short interactive story focused on a group of friend trying out a Dungeons&Dragons campaign, through a chat form. During the session, you have a handful of choices that may or may not affect the ending… for all that matter in D&D is whether the RNG God is on your side (yes, apparently dice rolls affect the story!).

Though it’s pretty short, there are still four endings to find (only found 2 so far), plus an extra short scene after you reach one of them. The chat is pretty chaotic, and reminded me of TTRPG campaigns I’ve been in. It had a pretty fun vibe, overall!

This review will mostly focus on the Twine version, submitted to the 2024 SpringThing.

The Kuolema is a fairly large mystery adventure puzzle/choice game made in Twine, where the goal is to investigate an incident in the eponymous ship, retrieve an important device, and avoid international conflict. In this one-man adventure, you get to explore the ship (whose many rooms require a key to access), interact with the different objects (and bring them along), question the few survivors about the incident, and maybe learn a bit more about this whole... "deal" (boat, employer, device...). There are a handful of endings depending on a few choices made during the story. This version also includes a "Story Mode", which includes visible hints (helpful for the crossword especially).

The game plays on the conventional and expected twists (uh-oh, that's a dead body) and tropes (e.g. the really smart scientist turning cuckoo banana or the rugged security officer that trust no one) of the genre. And while the writing tends to be atmospheric and gradually will build tension, it switches up to a fast-paced action-focused sequence, which kind of turned me off. While the use of the Security Officer breaks the story into beats, I do feel like the game have worked better had you found no life on board.

With the move to Twine, the game managed to remove some clunkyness from the Google Form format, especially when "moving" forward in the story or trying to go backward, with the "return" from your notes and "rewind" if you die - though there is no UNDO (if you clicked too fast, missed some information or by mistake, too bad); the picking up elements and moving between spaces; or with an easier access to the inventory and notes (which are not always available).
However, it also rendered some puzzles tedious, especially the ones requiring to enter a code to unlock a safe or a door. There are 6 different section using a cycling lock (you click on each number until you have the correct one on the screen), ranging from 3 to 6 cycling link, often requiring an option at the end of the cycle - but unlike those real-life combination lock, you can only turn it one way (if you miss it you need to start again). After the second or third lock like this, that sort of puzzle ends up being more annoying than fun to solve.
I think I might not be the target audience for the 'running back and forth' type of puzzle (i.e. the puzzle at one end of the map can be solved thanks to an object on the other end), I found the running around pretty frustrating reaching the halfway point.

I didn't vibe with it as much as I thought I would. I think I found the game more interesting in its Google Form version, because of the limitation of format.

A note on accessibility: while it is appreciated the game tries to be accessible, with settings to toggle timed text (though the messaging section was missed), or turning some images into text-only version* (if not, you have have super verbose Alt-Text), I had some concerned with other aspects such as: colour-contrasting between text and background - especially with pop-ups and listboxes (when open, the options are barely readable) - as well as the text and image animations (a warning would have been nice, a toggle would even be better).
*It would have been nicer instead to be able to enjoy both the images and the descriptive text, having the later below the former (using something like `< details >`). Having to hover over/press the images would make them at times glitchy (if they ended large enough to read the smaller text).

A note on tracking information and choices: Like the Google Form version, this one tracks your choices and compares it to other players (you can see that at the end of the game). While this is expected for the first version because of its format (that's the whole point of a Google Form), this is not a native option for Twine. When using code to track and store information, players should be able to make an informed decision (whether to agree that their playthrough will be tracked or whether to play at all if they are not given the option). This should be clearly indicated when the player starts the game, rather than told at the end of the game or hidden behind a few clicks. [Note: this may have been changed since this review was written/queued]

A note on the final poll about AI use: since the poll is only available after playing through the game (which contains AI generated elements), the results will surely be biased in favour of AI, as opponents of AI are less likely to actually play the game (as mentioned by the author in the credits). This kind of go against the want of the poll to have an open discussion, as the pool of participants is already pre-determined with the placement of the poll (at the end of the game rather, adding a "wall" to access it). This is a clear selection bias.
This placement could be even used to invalidate users choosing an anti-AI position, as they still played a game included AI elements.

The Time Machine is a short-ish parser that continues the eponymous story, where you play as an unnamed friend trying to find clues as to Wells' psychosis (or proof that is tale is true). You get to explore parts of Wells' house, inspect his machine, and travel to the future with it (where you can explore a bit of the new world).

There are only a couple of puzzles (mainly to get and handle the machine), most of the interaction being conversations with the different characters. A sidebar includes your full inventory, NPCs you can interact with, and conversation options with said characters. There are also hints and a full walkthrough in-game.

The thing is, there isn't much to do after running the machine. I get that your goal is to get proof your friend isn't crazy, but had I been sent to the future, I would probably have tried to explore more or find a way to interact with the world... or just stand right there and freak out. Time may be of the essence for your friend, but you have a machine to rewind time (at only a push of a lever, how practical...).
Or go off the trails and get back in time. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

Syzygy is a short but complex exchange of diplomatic communication between the Syzygy planet and the Sol System Alliance, where you are a Diplomat from the latter group. You must navigate a change of power within Syzygy, while a SSA fleet is on its way to the planet, as planned many years prior.

Your communication between the planet and the fleet are mainly done through letters, which you can craft to convey your message and wishes to the other party, and untangle the mess thrown in your lap. You will have to assess whether you can trust this new correspondent and whether you will need to warn the fleet before their arrival - is there more than the new ambassador lets on? Your words will affect the Alliance’s relationship with Syzygy, and the safety of the fleet.

And, when you have some down time, you get to chit-chat with your Assistant about the situation, or burn the midnight oil on reading the HHGG. Aside maybe from the Admiral, all the characters have fun and intriguing personality, leaving you wanting more by the end of the journey.

It was really fun to craft the messages and see what kind of responses I would get back. I purposefully pissed off the ambassador in one playthrough, while being overwhelmingly kind in the next one - resulting in surprising endings.

I did run into some little bugs though, which broke the game for one run, so best to get your coffee and read your poetry when you start the game, as so to avoid it

Circle Back is a short psychological horror visual novel, where you play as an unnamed employee in a big corporation, freshly promoted, the night before a big presentation. Except… you get locked into the bathroom.

Ensue some strange meetings and conversations, where you will not only have to confront things about your life and situation, but also will make you question your sanity (at the very least) and what’s really going on at work (seriously, what’s up with the (Spoiler - click to show)dormitory?!?!?!), and maybe flirt a little bit.

I was really enthralled into the whole story, getting anxious when we found out the way out was locked, or you start hearings voices, or checked out the security system and…

the screen turned black. I hope this is just a small bug that can get fixed, because I really want to discover what’s really going with work. Because it’s really sus and I want to find out why!

The Croaking is a short train murder mystery, made in Unity, feeling like a 3D version of a bitsy game. Here, you play as Detective Luddington, a toad on the same car as a handful of colourful passengers going to a retreat. But, as expected of the genre, nothing goes as planned, and a murder occurs during the trip. And it is up to you to figure out what is what…

Go back an forth between the different NPCs, ask them questions, confront them about their statements, and accuse who you think is the most likely actor. While you can accuse anyone (and they will get arrested), only one person is the true murderer.

And the link to get there seems a bit broken, where you can ask that suspect a question, but can’t ask any other NPCs for confirmation or rebuttal - which is strange because you can (Spoiler - click to show)accuse the actual murderer from the start. Restarting the game also seems to be broken - you need to refresh the page to actually restart it.

There was a bit of a mysterious setting, with all these different characters being part of some strange organisation (which may or may not sound like a cult). You only get bits and pieces, but it would have been interesting to see more of that aspect into the story.

Just A Simple Interview is a widely branching short Twine… well, interview. You were one of the few to be selected for an interview with LazyTown HQ, for the cool position of Fix-It-Man! Aren’t you the lucky one! Now, you just need to ace-… Uh-ho…

Twist and turns awaits your interview, depending on the choices you make. Lore about the company and your interviewer can be discovered, leading you to many different endings (I have found 4 so far). And it’s really fun trying to explore all the different paths too, very humorous!
It was a quick one, but I had a lot of fun playing it!

The Truth About PRIDE! is a short bitsy piece, where "you" explore the meaning of < pride >, by going through each of its letters (and an exclamation point). It is short and sweet, though it seems more of a personal interpretation of the meaning of the word rather than its "true meaning" (is there truly a true meaning for the word? or wouldn't you end up with individual interpretation of the word depending on your personal experiences?).

Each path leads you down that-letter-shaped corridor, where you can interact with that-letter-shaped element (where the author defines and question the meaning of each letter) before you can choose which path to go through (get the special meaning of P or back to the main room). There is also a secret path (which wasn't working for me).
Moving the sprite is a bit tedious (which is usual for bitsy) especially when you need to go across the screen with no interaction, or when an element is blocking your path in the next screen, or when it is not quite clear which tile is the exit.

Does it challenge any concept? Not really, it's more of a feel-good celebration of Pride, a pep-talk about yourself as an individual rather than pride as an aspect of your identity. But sometimes, that's all you need.

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.