Ratings and Reviews by manonamora

Live or die. This is not a choice you are facing every day, but it might if you are stationed in an extreme environment. Live or die. There are morals that bind us together, but do they matter when one’s survival is at stake? Live or die… But you will always remember…

I will just say this: that choice… DAMN!

You know when you look out the window and you have a random thought about a thing you notice happening outside, and instead of moving on with your day you just continue thinking about it, making up scenarios and answering hypothetical questions...
This is what this game is: a sort of wild tangent about postal workers and what they do while delivery mail (especially what they talk about and who they talk to). It is somewhat absurd, quite comical, and lovely in its mundanity.

The formatting and UI of the piece (shaped like an envelop, filled with all the required stamps, and sometimes extra stickers) propose a fun way to interact with the piece (and mimic how non-sensical/linear those wild thoughts can become). I really enjoyed clicking on the different postal-related images, to move the story forward or cycle through options.
A very fun way of using the medium!

Quite a sad piece about the end of things (life), and the lack of acceptance. No matter your choices, the outcome stays the same - the end does not wait for an eleven-hour miracle. But you know that already. You know everything was doomed from the start. Yet, through the tragic end, there is a promise of never-ending love, of hope, and of meeting again...

A really great take on the 500 words restrictions by removing all words except the subject and the verb. Coupled with some fun formatting and animation of the text, you get a very entertaining short game about a bird wanting a snack.
The game has a handful of varied and fun endings to collect, making any new playthrough feel fresh!

Theo is a short cyclical piece about falling in and out of love, and doomed relationships. I honestly forgot one-two passages in that you were supposed to be in a dream, and thought I was stuck in a loop - surprisingly, either interpretation worked!
I really liked the way the text was formatted in the passages, like pushing the eyes into a funnel (though a bit more contrast in the links would have helped extra).

Sidenote: It really had Goncharov vibes, in the doomed love/relationship or running after an impossible goal…

This was a tragic and visceral piece, and still strangely beautiful in its violence. The small details, like the barista looking away or the brush of the fingers, are simple but convey more than meet the eyes.

A really nice touch…

This epistolary three part-er recounts the shared moments between two people through the point of view of your partner, their hopes and regrets as life moves on. It is quite bittersweet and beautifully written.

Two short puzzles taking on different definitions of virus (computer/biological), where you play as an investigator (hacker?). The puzzles felt quite reminiscing of the ones you'd find in an escape room. A neat idea in 500 words or less.

Through a fantasy setting, a fairy describes his experience of finding and accepting their identity in the face of adversity. It is quite emotional and raw.

As a short prototype, this piece manages to tell just enough to hook the reader, and very little that it leaves you wanting more. From is ominous title to the tense descriptions, the writing manages to leave you with too many questions, and wanting to find those answers. It would be interesting to see where the author takes the story…
Also Armstead is a great name for a knight!