Reviews by manonamora

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Le Dernier Serment, by Narkhos
A beautiful old-school parser!, March 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Le Dernier Serment is an old school parser adventure made for the Amstrad CDC, in which you must rid your village of a nasty curse: losing their freewill, leading them to their death. The adventure includes a nice range of puzzles, and an external manual/feelies pdf. There are no hints, help, or walkthrough included. There are also 5 endings listed (though I am not sure whether one of them is possible?).

I definitely had a few difficulties going through some of the puzzles, but it’s probably more due to me not being good at (French) parsers or just not reading the manual correctly, or whether the puzzles are actually obtuse (which, for an old-school parser, wouldn’t be too surprising). But figuring it out (and seeing the environment change before your eyes) felt so darn good! The puzzles are pretty varied, going from interacting with your environment to timing puzzles. I struggled with one so much because it dealt with opposites and transposition.

The game is also GORGEOUS! Every screen includes pixel art, one part showing what is in front of you (directions between rooms can change) ~ each being distinct from the others, and another showing yourself (and your state). The font used might not always be legible, but its design is so atmospheric.

A beautiful neat game!

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Le Bastion de la Porte, by Gavroche Games
An allegory for the gates of the Beyond? or simply the Unknown, March 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Le Bastion de la Porte is a fantasy game made in Moiki, where you play as Salma, a Trimolienne in the land of Sargh, as the newly appointed lonely guardian of the Door up high in the mountain. Your task is to guard the door, and try (but not pressure) any passers-by not to cross it. What is behind the door? No one knows, as no one has ever come back from it. How will you handle that task? Will you let everyone through or force them to turn back? Will you go through the door yourself as your predecessor has?

The job, however, is a lonely one. Aside from your monthly delivery (with the best boi Ernest!), few climb up the mountain, wanting to reach the mysterious landmark. But when they do, you get to listen to their stories, ask some questions (and maybe answer theirs), maybe share some wine, and potentially change their fate. There is never a right or wrong answer, though maybe some will make you question your ethics and morals. It is touching and emotional, and makes you reflect on what is important.

Throughout the story you get may be able to ponder on the meaning of the door and what it could represent. One character might make you think it is simply an allegory for moving on to the next plane, another as a escape from danger and difficulties, a final one as a celebration to dive into the unknown. It is quite interesting how one single thing can represent widely different concepts.

While it is already pretty entertaining (and with an impressive count of over 900 screens), I wished we could have had more during the downtime. You are able to interact with elements around the house, though it is sparse and does not change much between periods. You can always take the same shower, reel in some water from the well, pick up some dried meat, and look yourself in the mirror or at you sparse house décor. And when you do, the text seems to be the same (or fairly similar).
It would have been interesting to maybe do some activities to spruce up the hut, like gardening or fixing the roof, remark upgrades done by the Fédération after you complain about things, picking up a hobby…
And, being able to wait for time to pass in other spots than your bed, like at the desk doing some writing or doodling, or sitting by the fire, and when during the spring/summer, maybe waiting outside on a log enjoying the nice weather.

The game page indicates further updates, which would include missing chapters and other types of gameplay, are to be expected. I’m looking forward to those.

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Les Trois-cités : les préludes d'une odyssée, by PasteourS
Start of a fantasy RPG, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Les Trois-cités : les préludes d’une odyssée is an incomplete RPG game made in Twine, wherein you play as a dwarf looking to save their brother from a magical mushroom-related illness. The game based on CYOA gamebooks with dice-gameplay elements, with options to choose your class, getting equipment and potions, and levelling up your stats. RNG will be your best friend and greatest enemy here.

There is a lot you can do here. Along your main fetch-quest to find the required ingredients to save your brother, you will quickly stumble upon other side-quests – exploration of the city and interaction with other NPCs being necessary to get the ingredients. As in any fantasy setting, quests will range from finding missing characters, fighting brigands and thieves, resolving arguments, helping the less-than-fortunate, and even levying the taxes.

Though it is not in its complete form, you will easily spend a handful of hours to get through what is currently there: three cities are mentioned, two being accessible, and one being complete with dozens of neighbourhoods.
While maps are provided, showing where you are on the page and a couple of the available locations, you cannot click on it to move to other place – only adjacent spots are selectable through a list of links (no teleporting or fast travel unfortunately, it’s a bit annoying when going from one end to the city to the other).

It is obvious there was a lot of work put into the game, and even if I think I found myself stuck in an impossible place, it was pretty neat. If the other cities end up becoming as thought out and detailed as the starting one, it would make for a pretty epic adventure.

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Immobilistes, by BenyDanette
Micro Investigation, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: Concours FI, French

Immobilistes is a micro interactive piece made in Decker, where you are tasked to determine the danger/risk level of a radical group called "les immobilistes". You are given instructions and a database of elements to analyse and render judgement (not dangerous, maybe a bit, suuuuper dangerous). That is... if you find how to access the database: (Spoiler - click to show)in the textbox, press the letters very slowly, there's a delay between you entering a letter and the game reacting.

The documents are fantastic to go through. Between pictures, exchanges between the characters, transcriptions of journals, formal interview... everything creates a strange and almost conspirational web around the two instigators. The political and judicial climate of the game feels extremely real and topical. It is both chilling and strangely hopeful, in some way? Having to make the decision at the end is hard, no matter how you read the file...
ha, 42


Though short, the game is very intriguing, whether it is the lore or the setting, or even the reasons for you to investigate the group, forcing you to fill in the blanks at times. It is becoming a trend with game from the author (which I really like, all the unsaid and mystery).
I would be *very* interested to play an extremely long version of this game where you also to the investigating... or having to deal with the consequences of your judgement.
And please, let us (Spoiler - click to show)search that database at least!

Decker is a very fun system but also finicky...

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Larme à gauche, by fuegosuave

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
When History and family history mix, you get emotional turmoils , March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Larme à gauche is a slice-of-life game made in Twine, when you play as Gloria, a young woman living in Brussels, who drove down with her partner Lucy to the Pyrenees for the funeral of her grand-father, a former general in Franco’s army. She had not seen her grand-father since she was very young, as well as most of the family will may be meeting today.

Don’t speak ill of the dead. Family must stick together. Family above all. These were the perfidious sayings that kept crossing my mind as I was going through the different paths and learning about the different characters and their relationships. Sayings written white on black on the screen, said even by some of the characters, as Gloria struggles to find her place in the matter. Between her grand-father who committed atrocities, a father who could not see the truth, and other family members who didn’t seem to care much about her, what is she left with…

The game deals with difficult topics, uncomfortable ones. But does so with a strong and touching story.

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Yorouba Un prince venu d'ailleurs, by Jo97
A confusing tale, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Yorouba Un prince venu d’ailleurs is a kinetic Twine story about a non-human being (re)incarnated as a man, and the mysticism around him. Part of the story in the human world is set in and around Gombe, a commune of the DRC.

Due to the writing style, it is quite hard to get into the story. With the peculiar and unusual syntax, the prose will often go from one topic to the next with barely a punctuation mark or a return to the line. Often, characters will change name, going from to the other without much of an explanation (I think they are the same people, just a different way of writing the name).

I did struggle to try to find sense in this story, which was not helped by the way it was structure on the page and from one page to the next either. The game starts with Episode 1, moving then to Episode 7, then coming back to a different Episode 1, which was followed on the same page with Episode 2 and 3. Where were the other Episodes? Were they locked behind the unselectable choices? (A closer look a the file shows that they are nowhere to be found.) Am I missed something?

Trying to piece out the elements to make something cohesive proved difficult. I think I left the game more confused than when I got in…

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La Fabrique des Princes, by No Game Without Stakes
Ready, Set, Debate!, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

La Fabrique des Princes is a philosophical satirical story made in Twine, inspired by Machiavelli’s The Prince. Here, you play a Prince on its last of Prince-in-training. But before you can set your behind on a thrown and rule the lands, you must prove you are worthy enough of the title, by winning a debate. Unless, you choose another path…

Though you could march right down the corridor and be done with the debate, the game nudges you to get ready for the fight, with the right costume and tools in your arsenal, which you can buy with coins, which you can earn by testing your knowledge of The Prince. (It felt good to get all the answers right, not going to lie…) But there are also other actions you can take, like listening to some tales, or exploring the surroundings of the building.

The debate is essentially a one-punch fight, a fairly arduous one, where chance matters quite a bit. I wasn’t sure whether you were actually supposed to win the fight (I kept reloading my save, and trying again without success), but there is. You need to have juuuuust the right tool and be incredibly lucky. Though, having found the other ending, I’ve been wondering if you were meant to win the fight, after all. As, instead of following the path predestined to you as a Prince, you choose your own, one where your name may not be remembered.

Aside from the passages with the timed text (which weren’t as fast as they maybe should have), it was a pretty interesting experience!

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La roche tombée du ciel., by Piccopol
Mysterious arrival in your garden, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

La roche tombée du ciel. is a short fantasy demo made in Moiki, where you play as some sort of old herbalist getting ready for the tax collector’s visit in a couple of days. The problem is, you are certain you won’t be able to meet what is demanded in time, your bones are too old and it is too early in the season. Until, something comes visit you at night…

Out of the 4 expected playable day, you are able to play two of them: one where a neighbour warns you of the early tax visit, and one where that “something” arrives. Each of these days, you are able to tend to your garden, checking on each plant, watering them or giving them extra fertiliser, or check your notes. To keep you warm, you might even need to cut down a tree and get some wood. There’s EVEN A DOG YOU CAN PET AND PLAY WITH!

But you are limited in what you can do. Because you are old, these actions will take you quite a bit of energy (expect playing with the dog), which is only filled up by sleeping (which includes too many empty passages imo). Honestly, I could have played this loop for the rest of the game and feel very content with the game (I’m a sucker for those management-type games).

Still, I am intrigued to see how the mysterious “something” will come to play here.

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Un foyer étudiant, by Fantome Apparent
A prologue about student life, March 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Un foyer étudiant is a relatively short interactive game made in INK, when you are a student, moving to the capital. Not being able to stay with relatives, you check out a student residence, to see if it works for you. The game is meant to be a prologue for a larger project.

Though the setting might seem mundane, the game has a lot more than it lets on. Sure, you can learn about the different accommodations in the building, and how the current residents are behaving, or what you should expect. You can talk to the receptionist for information, a group of bros (limited questions), and a woman reading silently, each being more or less useful in giving you answers. And then… there’s the bulleting board. Filled with flyers of all sorts, you might end up going down a rabbit hole of informations, both random and relevant to the setting. From available activities to random art pieces, students looking for love or pawning their books, there is a lot you can learn there.

This game is very rich in details, and it makes you wanting to learn more about what is truly happening in the building (there are some hints of a mystery afoot). But I wished we knew a bit more about our character, considering the implications of certain elements. Finding accommodations as a student requires money, and the NPCs mention that as well when describing the different room types, but when you sign up there are no mention of this (who signs up for a room without even checking the prices?).

I do wonder how the story will continue.

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Un Songe sans fin, by Lilie Bagage
Watch what you take to sleep..., March 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Un Songe sans fin is a relatively short Moiki game where you play as the Mère Michel (from the nursery rhyme), a depressed older woman, who lost her cat, her partner and her job, AND can’t manage to sleep anymore. You were prescribe a strong pill to help, which… worked a bit too well. Will you find a way out of this strange and surreal place? Will you manage to wake up?

Being in a dream, the setting is obviously surreal (you first meet cats playing AIR-PING-PONG!), the objects around you are nonsensical too (the BABELFISH xD)…
and your available actions are not even closer to logical either. In the great French IF tradition, you can lick and taste many objects, like you would… the sun (which you can pick up, at your own risk and peril…). The prose is humorous to boot!

What cracked me up the most, was the Prairie Informe section. This game was originally meant to be a parser in Inform, but, due to time constraint, was transferred to Moiki at the last moment. Still, remnants of the other engine can be found in the page layout, choices available, and responses. It does give extra charm to the game.

Really a fun and cheeky time.

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CINERIP, by Wilem Ortiz
It's so hard not to spoil this game... Because it's that good., March 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

CINERIP is a surreal and horror interactive story made in Moiki. Freshly moved into a new city, you and your parter are invited to a secret free preview of a movie, an adaptation of a book you like quite a bit. So secret that you are given special instructions to get into the screening. Will you tempt the fates to see this much awaited masterpiece?

This was truly a wild and creepy experience. From the start, you are introduced as someone with stressors, unwilling to get yourself out there (maybe because of your past? probably because of who you are), needing to be pushed and pulled to meet people. Doubts often cross your mind at propositions of meeting people and having fun in social situations. Are your worries unfounded here? Maybe, maybe not… I didn’t expect where the story was taking me, not in the way that it did after reading the warnings. But I was engrossed in the whole so quickly that I restarted the game again and again trying to find all 500+ screens (I’m at 363…).

The narration gives just enough to hint at something greater, without revealing the big moment. Tensions slowly rises, from doubts crossing your mind to more anxiety-filled moments heightened by the Quick Time Event mechanic and strident background music. One sequence has a deep voice reading the words on the screen (the author’s?) which was so creepy!

This was a really neat game.

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Le chaudron d'Anaritium, by Open Adventure
A Gaul village mystery, March 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Le chaudron d’Anaritium is an interactive mystery made in Open Adventure (the author and system is one), set in a Gaul village at the dusk of a dreary winter. You play as Isara, a bard-in-training tasked to find a missing artefact before the gods turn on the village. Will you find the artefact and its thief? and figure out the why and the how?

On the Open Adventure platform, you are introduced to the mystery at hand, and the different paths you can investigate, whether it be visiting locations or talking to other characters. As you find more clues, new paths may be open to you. Along with two large maps, some paths are also illustrated, in a watercoloured comic-style.
Every path taken is listed one below the other, in a way that you can re-read them with ease. The engine also lets you know when you’ve already visited a section, and only puts forward on the main page the most interesting location for you to visit.

The prose is quite lovely as well, bringing to life an atmospheric setting, filled with mysticism and legends.

And when you believe you’ve solved the mystery, you can fill in your answers to the different questions in a text box, before how correct you were and get the epilogue. But, because of how the game is set up, you’ll never truly be wrong at the end. The website collects the answer and gives you the solution right away, regardless of how close you were to the truth. So while the mystery was interesting, and fairly simple to figure out, I wished there would be a bit of a consequence to who you accuse of the crime or explain how you think things happened.

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Zigamus : Zombies au Vigamus, by Marco Vallarino, Ginevra Van Deflor (translation)
Visit a real museum, fight some fake zombies, March 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Zigamus : Zombies au Vigamus is a parser game set in a video game museum, where you must fight a horde of zombies to escape (and save the museum, maybe) - zombies that appeared when you tried the museum’s new game. Because the zombies came from a video game, defeating them won’t always be as straight forward as just hitting or shooting them.

I found myself being frustrated with the game, as synonyms are not always implemented (I can “play game” but can’t “play arcade” for example) or actions giving an incorrect reply (hitting a zombie with a game cartridge gave me an error message that I couldn’t hit it with a chainsaw), or just getting a ‘this is not important’ when interacting with a mentioned item. I’m sure there was logic behind some of the actions you have to take, based probably on some mystical game lore, but I’m still confused about the dentures…
I ended up checking the Club Floyd’s transcript of the English version to get passed some of the blocks

Though it is possible to get all 50 points when completing the game, you can also fail miserably by trying to fight the main boss before getting all the items around the museum or fighting all the zombies (and here I thought killing the big baddy would insta-kill everything I might have missed). I don’t thing you can’t win the game without all 50 points anyway.

Not enjoying zombies, I appreciated the version without the images on the side. Also, since part of the puzzle is rescuing NPCs, I did like being able to take my time to get to and save them.

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Vesna, by Korwen
Une histoire d'histoire, March 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Vesna is a fantasy Twine games about stories and telling stories. Wanting to leave everything behind, especially other people (because l’enfer c’est vraiment les autres…), you stumble upon the empty village of Vesna. Between the dilapidated buildings, and the clear signs of abandonment, you happily settle yourself to enjoy the peace and quiet. Until… you find Liv, the village’s chief, who promise you an easy-going life and fixed up village, if you attract passers-by with your stories. As you do so, breathing new life into the village, you will learn about its past, how it came to end up in this state, and a mysterious secret…

The game revolves around two fun mechanics: telling stories and exploring the village’s surroundings.
. In the first, you are able to craft stories by picking the genre, moving sliders to find the correct balance of emotions, and choose some themes. The first and last options are limited at the start. Recount your story under a tree to passers-by, who will either tell you that you should definitely give up and be ashamed of yourself because you have no skills or ask you if you were blessed by the Gods and oh please take the bard’s spot because your stories are absolutely perfect. You will also gain some reputation (which will attract more people) and some coins.

With the second, you can start mini adventures around the village, meeting people (and <S>recruiting them into your cult</S> inviting them to live in the village), items to decorate your house, and maybe find inspirations for stories (like new genre or themes). The adventures are random but varied (I did about a dozen I think, and it might not even count for half of those), some seemingly inspired from old tales. And this helps avoid the grind-ness of the story telling mechanic.

When you gain enough reputation, you are able to upgrade the village - like adding a market square or old temples. Some of these locations can be visited, with a few having extra interactions and collectibles. While you cannot build everything (which made my completionist heart sad), it is fun to see the description of the village change, as you see more people settling in. I do wish there would be something to do with every unlocked location rather than a few of those, like buy things at the market or pray to other gods, or even talk to the characters you recruted.

I’ve quite enjoyed playing the game, and discovering the secret of the village, getting there bit-by-bit (or page by page) through talking to the different NPCs, and see my reconstructions pay off.

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Sur l'inévitable, by paravaariar
Surreal Escape Adventure, March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Sur l’inévitable is a short, relatively simple parser, where you find yourself prisoner inside an empty sand castle. Through the window, you see an army on white horses ready to charge. You will have to find a way to escape (or stop them) before it is too late.

With its charming retro interface, this game takes us on a gratifying escape adventure filled with illusions. The puzzles are relatively simple (if you enter every room and use the magic action on everything x.x), and if your path crosses enemies, you’ll be teleported right back in your cell, back to the start… with all your inventory and previous actions still there. It’s pretty handy as a mechanic, you get to explore all the rooms without having to worry to re-unlock a door, or pick up an object again. Not just so, but “dying” even ends up helping unlocking other puzzles !

I also like the allegories of the different armies fighting endlessly, and the dreamy and surreal descriptions of the castle and its specter-like inhabitants. It was magical, in a creepy way. I think I understood the mystery setting before getting to the end, but it felt nice being right xD

Lovely work!

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L'Orsimonous, by Louphole
Captivating Reflections, March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

L’Orsimonous is an interactive monologue written in Ink, in which you reflect on the concept and changes of the ‘orsimonous’, when you realise your father’s has disappeared. The piece is fairly linear, with the many choices seemingly affecting only the following paragraph (or so). Here, it is more about the mediation of the words than the inherent interaction that is important. As if the text was pushing you to question yourself, on what ‘orsimonous’ could mean, on families and relationships, on the past and the future, on life and death.

As far as I could tell/find, ‘orsimonous’ is a concept created for this IF (I had to double check, just in case), some sort of veil/halo-like thing on the line between metaphysical and tangible, ever-so changing with the person’s moods, feelings, and understanding. Or at least, this is how I took the concept, influenced by the moody blurry animated background. A reflection, maybe of your soul?

There was something captivating with the prose. Simple, maybe even mundane, talking about life. I can’t put my finger on it, so I kept restarting it, trying all the options to read all the different bits of text, hoping to find why. I still don’t know. It was bewitching.

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Panique à Mandonez, by Julien Z / smwhr

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Easy mystery and fun little puzzles, March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Panique à Mandonez is a fun little mystery game made in Ink, where you play as Camille, the friend of Comtesse de Peyrian who recently disappeared. Taking the first bus to Mandonez, you will do everything to find your friend, and maybe… uncover a darker plot.

It was fun to investigate the village, talk to the different inhabitants, and solve the different mysteries. You need to interact with different elements to get to the next bit of the game (like make a character leave the room to search through it), and the concise prose gives you just enough hint on what you should be doing next*. And, like every good mystery, it has twist on twist on twist!
*when in doubts: pick the options from bottom to top…

It was short, but I enjoyed myself quite a bit. A neat and polished short game.

Only slightly related, but opening a drawer to see Vous trouvez une demi-douzaine de boîtes de calissons. on the screen was so funny to me. Then it made me a bit sad, because it wasn’t real and calissons are delicious…

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Croquemitaine, by Chaotic.Assets
This won't be an easy artifact retrival..., March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Croquemitaine is a short Visual Novel following Érika Wolfenstein*, on a mission to retrieve an artifact from a faraway planet. The mission is rather dangerous, but the protagonist is not so worried, being a highly competent and knowledgeable agent. Though your choices are limited, as the game is incomplete, you are given two main paths of action to reach the artifact, each with its own sets of tribulations being introduced… when the game ends abruptly.
*any relation to the video game?

Still, it is possible to parse what to expect from further updates of the game: you will have an adventure (to find and retrieve the artifact), resolve a mystery (what the heck is actually happening on this planet?), and maybe have a romantic entanglement or twenty (you were tasked to seduce the inhabitants for some reason). With the currently intriguing worldbuilding, diverting character, and pretty design, there is quite a bit of potential with this one!
will we be able to smooch the vampires?

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Retrouvailles - Reunion, by Lou Morens
A sci-fi mystery muddled in inter-personal conflict, March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Retrouvailles is a multi-POV sci-fi kinetic story created in Twine, part of a larger multimedia universe Mémoires d’un Veilleur/Veillorz. It took me at least 2h to go through it all.
This release is a recounting of two linked events, which one of the protagonist, Jack, mentions to be one of his fondest memory. Following the disappearance of a group of scientist in some far away site, a special task force, led by Jack, is entrusted to investigate the situation. However, the investigation is sidetracked due to past trauma and unresolved baggage, forming and strengthening new relationships. The second event happens a couple of years later, with part of the team returning to the scene of the crime. Those events are told through three POVs (Alex, Jack, and Solène), which you can read separately or synchronously.

Interactivity-wise, there isn’t much to do but go back and forth in the story, change POV, or language. Which makes sense, considering the author categorised the entry as a book on itch. Though, it would have been nice to have some sort of agency, if not in the story itself, maybe in the investigation part (like looking on the site, or running test, or going through the scientists affairs - each with a different POV).

On the narrative side, I was confused for a while about what was happening. Though the mystery is the framing of the story, it often stays in the background of inter-personal issues between the three protagonist (Jack, Alex, Solène), with the location of the event heightening their emotions. Having the different POVs helps framing some situations, especially the past of the characters through their inner monologues.

A romance between two of the characters ends up taking centre stage, pushing the story forward, by the end. This personally made me uncomfortable, due to the strong age gap and power difference, especially with how Jack refers to Solène when trying to flirt with her. Their rekindling in the second chapter, while in character for both of them, didn’t particularly made me wish to root for them.

A neat thing from the prose: it exclusively uses French inclusive writing.

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Radio liberté - prologue, by Intory Creative
Pirate Radio shenanigans, March 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Radio liberté is a short fairly linear Moiki game, part of a series, set in the future where (I think) France may have conquered the world… or at least space. To the dismay of the government, who tries with great difficulty to shut it down, a pirate radio broadcast less-than-rosy news and support for striking workers. In this setting, you play as Hego, an electronic repariman who hates his job and his “tyrannical” boss*, and dreams of being a radio celebrity. You’d leave everything behind if you had the opportunity.
*lol on his name

In this setting, the prose is fairly light-hearted, with the occasional sarcastic comment in that French humour kind of way. There are many references in the text and options, like Jupiter Inter being the futurist counterpart of France Inter, a radio channel. The main reference of the game (and the series at large) is about freedom of broadcasting, which was a political fight in France in the late 70s-early 80s, with the broadcasting monopole being abolished with President Mitterrand.

Anyway, your world turns upside-down when you either decode the strange message coming from your radio from the start or after meeting your favourite radio celebrity - the first choice affect which path you take, but the branches meet back at one same point. That choice, however, ends up being the only meaningful one of the story. While you have other “choices” down the line, they end up being either false choices (just there for variation/move the story along) or forcing you to re-do the choice again until you pick the correct option.

With the entry being a prologue to a supposedly much larger series, it makes sense that the story with little deviation to the main path, as you will need continuity with the following parts of the series. But it would have been nice to maybe have some alternative paths, maybe towards non-canon endings, or making some actions feel like they have more impact.

I’d be interested to see how Hego gets out of the situation he’s currently in.

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[ MAKE ME. ], by kaijuCrow
Wondering how absurd this could end up..., March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

[ MAKE ME. ] is a short Twine demo about a supernatural present where vampires walk among us (-ish, most of the world doesn’t know), looking at how you managed to get embroiled in this situation. Are you a vampire yourself? Or a vampire hunter? or simply just a human? How did you get to learn about their existence? And where will you go from there?

The demo… doesn’t really answer any of those. As of now, you have some sort of an introduction to how you get acquainted with the night-walkers (mainly by chance) a year prior to the current story, and a small glimpse of what your present is like as a vampire/hunter/pleb. Though notes throughout the game does promise a future update where everything is explained. I liked that as a hunter you have a cabinet full of vampire-deterrent items that you can just pick up, including rice?

From what there is, the writing wants to be playful and light-hearted, even in between mentions of corpses or deaths. If further updates follow this trend, I think we’d see more of an absurd supernatural story and your run-of-the-mill horror vampire tale. I’m intrigued to see where this could go…

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The Spin-Off, by Nicolás Jaramillo Ortiz
Spin the bottle with a twist-ish, March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

The Spin-Off is a short visual novel about six friends partying in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, looking for a game to play to pass the time. Thing is: all of them have some sort of history or tension with each other. So what better way to break the ice (or confess your feelings) than playing some sort of Spin-the-bottle with Inprov…

This game is also some sort of a prequel of You’re Next a slasher/horror adventure, which it references at the start as a creepypasta story (and also at the end). This seem to have influenced the aesthetic of the VN, with the darker colour palette, the funky not-very-straight typing font, and the obvious horror trope setting. Still, this is not a gloomy and scary story, but more of a comical one, with everything you’d expect from a party with close friends: drinks, awkward conversations about who still has crushes on whom, and weird games where the goal is to kiss everyone in the room!

It was fun… and I did manage to kiss everyone first

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One True Love, by BrettW
It's not whether you'll kiss a frog, but which..., March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

One True Love is a short fairy-tale Twine game, where you have just one little task to complete the story: after defeating your evil stepmother and rescuing the land, it is time for you to break the curse of your one true love. Turned into a frog, you will need to find the correct amphibian and kiss it before it’s too late !

The prose is pretty humorous, overall, poking fun at those fairly-tale tropes (the curses and the trials and such). This was a fun short time, trying to go through all the different options, kissing all the different frogs. There are, I think, 3 endings to find: kissing the right frog, kissing the wrong frog, and giving up because who’s got time for that! But, be warned: the correct frog is never the same…

It was sweet and entertaining!

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letters for su, by ghostvines
Will you pour your heart out?, March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

letters for su is a very short epistolary piece, a fan-fiction letter-writing game inspired by the Ace Attorney franchise. Missing your lover Susato, who moved to England some time ago, you write her a letter depicting your longing for her, hoping for a reply. The piece lets you choose a few options when writing the letter, even rewriting it, and when sealing it (whether you personalise it).
It’s very cute and charming, and seeing your feelings erased for tamer words is somewhat heartbreaking. I also liked being able to kiss the envelope :stuck_out_tongue:

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Bonded in Darkness, by Natasha Luna
Vampire ermit welcomes injured hunter, March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Bonded in Darkness is a dark visual novel, where you play as Arnaud, a recluse vampire. His peaceful existence is often interrupted by Julien, a vampire hunter tasked to kill him, though the latter never manages to finish the job. Everything changes one night, then Julien appears at Arnaud’s doorstep, gravely injured. Will you tend to him or leave him to fend for himself?

While the game mentions having 4 endings, one good and three bad, I’ve only found two (which I think are the bad ones? it’s coded as enemies-to-lovers…), so I don’t feel yet like I had the full experience with this entry. From what I did get though, I quite enjoyed this darker atmosphere, with this dangerous tension between the two characters. They have history together, one is currently at the mercy of the other, and there are many moments where they could take advantage of the situation to end each other. It makes you think of which choice to pick, because any wrong move, and you might die…

I also really liked the sprite for Arnaud… gosh damn!

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One Night Fairytale, by Kayel
Bibbidi bobbidi boo, time to find *you* a prince !, March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

One Night Fairytale is a cheeky short VN, where you play as a fairytale-jaded servant at a fancy noble party in some unnamed fairytale kingdom, when you are pulled aside by a strange character, your “Fairy Godmother” - Ash. Hoping to get you to believe in the power of love, you are thrust into this fancy world as if by magic. Will you find your Prince Charming?

This was a fun and cute short time, poking fun at fairytale characters. And overall, the interface was pretty nice – like fairly tales, it’s pretty dreamy. Though, I think it could have included sprites for the different princes you end up dancing with. There were a few moments were the text was a bit hard to read against the background, but History does record everything if needs be.

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Angelblood, by LittleMissLeeStories and CyberSe7en
Gorgeous and Intriguing, but little to do, March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Angelblood is a fairly long gorgeous and highly stylised visual novel, edging the fine line between romance and horror. You play as Quin, a witch working in a magical pawnshop at the Crossroad between worlds. Your world turns upside down when a peculiar character waltz in: a vampiric angel. How will you handle this novelty?

There is something interesting about mixing the celestial (angel) with the corrupt (vampires), creating a strange world filled with ancient lore forgotten with time or apocalyptic events. The vampiric angel is incredibly gorgeous and frightening; the holy warrior is protecting but with a hint of unhinged; trades are what runs this world, with memories as currency… Nothing you see, nothing you believe, nothing is what it seems. In this world of Good vs Evil, everyone here is neither, no matter how they justify their actions.

The religious symbolisms mixed in the story makes for a fascinating world-building, with the all seeing eye that does nothing, the hand that forgives but also hurts, the wink to biblical accurate angels with the sprite, the separation of the flesh and the divine, the holy and the damned… There are definitely layers in this story, which might require a few runs to find all the links between everything.

While it is an incredible game, both in the visual and narrative side, there is little left for the player to do. Aside from a couple of choices, with the final one deciding which ending you will end up with, you are pulled along the story, clicking the screen for the next sentence to appear (I think it took me 30-45min before reaching the end?). Where it not for the styling (and wanting to see whether I’d have a choice at all)…
With the level of polish considering the tight deadline of a jam, it is understandable to have such linear story. But it would have been interesting to have more agency, especially when talking to the different NPCs coming to the shop.

Still, bonus point for the cute kitten.

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Stigmata, by vileidol

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Be careful who you are kissing..., March 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

What do you do when you, a vampire, are faced with a vampire hunter pointing a crossbow at your chest, while, incidentally, in the bed of his daughter? Or better yet, what can you do?

Stigmata is a Twine piece about survival, identity, and relationships. You play as a vampire found in your lover’s bed by her vampire hunter dad, fighting your way to escape (and the pointed insult coming your way). As your standing in this fight becomes uncertain, memories of your Sire and of your meeting with your lover intertwine, painting a picture of who you are… and how you got into this sticky situation. There are 3 endings in this story, with some path insinuating maybe your lover’s implication in all this.

The writing is quite emotionally charged, and gruesome at times, especially during physically demanding sequences. The depiction of the PC being a filthy thing who corrupted the virtuous daughter and which should be hunted down was disconcerting, but evocative of the usual rejection and derogatory depiction of queer individuals.

I didn’t always feel immersed in the story, probably because of the often confusion shift in timelines and interlocutor. But I liked the conversations with the Sire the most, those were pretty interesting.

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I Want to Kiss, by MeiMeiStudios
To kiss or not to kiss, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

I Want to Kiss is a short visual novel about that first relationship in (high? middle?) school and accepting the other’s differences. Just before winter break, you asked out a girl you had fallen for from afar. Now back in school, you want to try whatever it takes to get closer to your girlfriend, and maybe even get to kiss her. But… how will you react to her secret?

It was a pretty charming and sweet time. The visual introduction of the girlfriend felt a bit out of place compared to the simple style of the interface, but it made me giggle too. I liked how emotions were portrayed on the sprites, it was cute!

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The Curse of Unatxi Kamala, by PRINCESS INTERNET CAFé
Outside, the getaway to starting witchcraft and meeting strangers, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

The Curse of Unatxi Kamala is a binksi purely kinetic entry following the eponymous character, a Spanish witch, as she visits Glastonbury, the UK witchcraft capital and has a strange encounter. The game calls itself smut, and the crux of the story does revolve around its main explicit scene.

Sandwiched between the teenager’s recollections of uncomfortable pasts, description of the present visit, and hopeful dreams of the future, is a raw depiction of strangers meeting, flirting, and getting down and dirty in a forest. It really does not shy away from being explicit, showing the yearnings, the physicality, and even the awkward uttered words.

I also liked the retro/vcr-effect interface. It gave it an eerie vibe.

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the phantown's valentine mystery, by discoreunion
Silly Valentine Mystery, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

the phantown’s valentine mystery is a short silly Valentine visual novel, filled with puns. Set in Phantown, you play as Ins Spector, a detective looking for the yearly serial ghost kisser before it gets to its next victim. You can talk to the past victims, hoping for some sort of a clue, think of a perpetrator, and hope you solved the mystery correctly before revealing it all !

The premise is very silly, the writing simply pun-y, and the overall interface does push this absurd envelop further with its childish-like. It’s a short time, but a funny one.

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constellate, by 30x30
Can you even kiss and make up?, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

constellate is a short Twine piece about (as the blurb calls it) two emotionally obtuse lesbians (Alexandra and Eris) in space. It is winter, it is cold, and neither can figure out how to resolve the conflict in their hearts. It does not help that one of them is a former warlord, and you play as her former soldier - playing pretend of a new life away from everything can only go so far.

Like 30x30’s previous works, the prose is luscious and full of imagery. The tension is palpable between the two, as both are filled with guilt over their actions and their feelings. And you can try to flick through cycle-links to figure out how you feel about the whole thing, but especially her - though its effect will be limited. Out of the 9 endings, it is clear none of them really resolve the issue at heart, and the (im)balance of power between the two. I liked that about the story.

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Relationships 101, by Matchstick IF
Friends or more?, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Relationships 101 is a Twine college story, following your relationship with Harper, moving towards a romantic relationship or strengthening your friendship. I found 3 endings.

This was a pretty sweet slice-of-life piece, starting with an affectionate depiction of a friendship between you and Harper, being there for and supporting one another, giving you ample options to affect how this relationship will evolve into. I first picked to stay friends, so it continued down that path, and it was really nice. I appreciated the maturity of Harper when being rejected, and how levelled the communication between characters is depicted.

It’s definitely a feel-good piece.

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Blood and Intimacy, by alyshkalia
Comfortable intimacy, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Blood and Intimacy is a short but sweet Ink story following student Lyle and their vampire boyfriend Zach, during an intimate snapshot. On a Thanksgiving break, the two watch a movie, cuddling… that might be leading to more.

I really enjoyed how the concept of intimacy was used here, focusing on the more emotional aspect of the term, where touch is not just a physical action bringing a physical reaction, but creating a bond between the partners. The painted picture of this form of intimacy is lovely and touching. I also liked the subtle discussion about boundaries and consent, through Lyle’s thoughts about their previous make-out sessions and Zach’s requests.

It feels so comfortable and sweet !

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Familiar, by slugzuki

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hello... it's me., March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Familiar is a short Twine game, a sort of dating-sim sequel to Computerfriend, where you go back to Godfield, Louisiana, years later, meeting C by chance (?) on the street. Following an impromptu date, you are given two paths.

There’s always something off about Kit’s games, in a way that it is always both confusing and comforting. It hits all the melancholic and nostalgic points, leering you in with the sense of familiarity and those bittersweet feelings of “coming home but it doesn’t feel like home”… but always keeping you at bay, unable to see behind the veil, put off by the visceral descriptions and the unsaid. There’s also an interesting between-the-line discussion of what it is to be human, with C being an AI in a part-machine-part-flesh body and you who don’t seem to feel quite alive (that probably gave me extra existential dread…). I also really liked the discussion in the movie theatre about those Soviet movie and the point of it all.

This wasn’t really what I imagined a Computerfriend dating-sim would be like, but it even better.

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Sweet Cravings, by veracity
Adorable little demo, March 7, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Sweet Cravings is a short Visual Novel, where you play as Camilla, a young witch, trying to get the courage to go on a date with June, the waitress at the eponymous bakery. There are a handful of choices (for flavour), and a bouquet-making mini-game. There seems to be only one ending, with the game going back to the menu abruptly without real conclusion (maybe because it’s locked behind the NSFW version).

The visuals of the game is pretty polished, with a cute an bubbly art style and cheerful sound effect. It even switches from different interfaces (usual VN, phone screen, mini-game). There were just a few moments where the screen flashed black between some transition, but it wasn’t too bad.

Even though it is short, it is adorable AS HECK. I really liked the exchanged between Camilla and her friends (especially the phone chat, it was funny). It manages to capture the jittery feelings of a first date so well. I do wish there were a bit more choices, and a more satisfying end.

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I'll Drive, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Heart-changing roadtrip, March 6, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

I’ll Drive is a short linear ink piece about first loves, will-they-won’t-they, and the anxious feelings you get before confessing. Formatted in a script-like fashion, cutting between short scenes, we follow a group of teenagers (three siblings and a friend) on a road-trip, controlling the actions of Luke, the lovesick friend. Will Luke find the courage to confess?

If you can over the second-hand embarrassment of tripping over yourself while trying to be helpful, or blurting out your extremely embarrassing memories, you will find a very sweet and tender story about too dumb teenagers in love (and the comical sister sidekicks).

Ouch, my stone heart. I felt a pinch.

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My Demonically Lovelly Valentine!, by DonutWorks
Saccarine and Wit, March 6, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

My Demonically Lovelly Valentine! is a short Valentine-themed visual novel following Maria, a down-on-her-love young woman looking for a date for Valentine’s Day. Having depleted all possible options due to her peculiar hobbies, she decides to turn towards the dark arts to make her dream come true !

The entry is very charming. From the atmospheric music to the illustration, the silly premise and the witty writing, it’s as sweet as saccharine. A really cute bite for Valentine !

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blood4blood, by kit H.J.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Fill your hunger, one way or another, March 5, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

blood4blood is a steamy Twine interactive story, where you play as a hungry lesbian vampire on Valentine’s Day. Hoping to find your fix, and get you going just a bit longer, you stumble inside your regular bar and look for your next meal. Under the heat of the season, surrounded by mingling bodies, two paths opens up to you - future interactions mirroring the composure of the two women reaching out to you. Will you follow the rough around the edges but clearly lonely butch woman or the cladly dressed bubbly femme who just bought you a drink?

The prose has a strong focus on the physicality, from the descriptions of the movements of the characters to the deep and tortuous sensations of hunger (in all terms, almost addictive). It is raw, and carnal, and savage. But there’s still a bit of sweetness and tenderness to it at times. I think I liked the “softer” path out of the two, it had a playful moment that threw me out of the loop - feigning an early end.

There are a few assets in the game, in shades of bright red to pop against the dark bordeau, and illustrations in greyscales with hints of vermillont. The simplicity of the style is quite lovely, and, when the illustrated portrait are formatted as VN-speech boxes, it makes for quite the sleek look. By the end of my run, I was sort of wishing the use of the latter was a bit more consistent throughout the game, maybe cover the dialogues, because they look so cool. Could even be a super neat VN if the author wished to.

Anyways, a neat read

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Milliseconds of Romance, by Joey Tanden

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
From Data with Love, March 5, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Milliseconds of Romance is a short Twine romance story where you play as a Tresys, some sort of Artificial Intelligence, a good one, that follows its directive, handling data and learning from them, ever so growing in hopes to get rewarded for it (because you are a good Tresys). Set in the close future of 2057, spanning less than a second, at the dawn of its kind’s collapse, YOU receive a strange data package, that might change how you see things…

Behind the metaphors and the technical writing of the system, emerges a sweet story of two individuals finding each other, trying to find their footing in that strange dance of data mangling. Your partner’s voice is inviting, and weirdly human-like, teasing you to escape your comfort zone to experience the wonders of the unknown, playing against your timidity and controlled ways. I liked how even in the short span of the story, you grow and get more assurance in your actions, interested in seeing what’s out there. You know, getting out of your shell.

The game also includes 5 endings, all of which are pretty easy to get. The BEST ending had me giggling like a schoolgirl.

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Poetry and Passion, by Leia Talon
How will you spend the night with your lover?, March 5, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: smoochiejam

Poetry and Passion is a short ChoiceScript game, in which you spend the magical night of the full moon with your lover, with your romantic ending of choice. Though, before you can abandon yourself in the steamy make-out session or the sentimental walk in the arms of your beloved, tension must slowly rise.

Stolen glances and a delicious meal, brushes of the hand and delectable beverages, short breath and spontaneous poems… The prose of this entry is as smooth as caramel and goes down like a spiced bourbon. It is beautifully evocative and so romantic. I really liked the sweetness and gentleness in the movements.

Also extra biased points for the description of the food.

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Le grenier de mon grand-père, by Tellington
Snooping in attics and finding out, February 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Le grenier de mon grand-père is a short interactive game, similar to Bitsy in its gameplay: you move a sprite around the screen to interact with the different elements. You are at times given options, either to examine something further or continue a conversation.

In this game, you are an eighteen year old who is snooping around their grandfather's attic, searching for information about his past. This is because he never talks about himself, nor ever allows you to get in the attic. But he's currently away, so you take this opportunity.

In the attic, there are a handful of elements, like stacks of old letters, clothes that you don't remember ever seeing in person or in pictures, and trinkets from your childhood. It is only when you check all of them that you hear your grandfather coming back. Follows a discussion with the man, where you can confront him with what you found.

Because of the branching in the conversation, there is one path that reveals everything, making the puzzle of his past whole(-ish). The grandfather's past is full of tragedies, some of it his own, some of it being just life throwing curveballs. It is clear he is a flawed person, and I felt both pity and distaste for him.

I did wish it was a bit longer, maybe exploring other side of the grandfather's life and his relationships with his children (like your mother, who is mentioned in passing for dropping you off there and not coming back?), or reminiscing maybe on kinder times with the grandmothers or the kids? The conversation bit felt a bit too rushed to have the impact it could have.

A neat game otherwise.

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Le Manoir Abandonné - Partie II, by oli-x
Puzzle-galore escape game, February 27, 2024

Le Manoir Abandonné is a multi-episode escape game based on the LucasArt game Maniac Mansion, imitating with its images the point-n-click feel. This review continues on the one in the first part.

In the first part, you found yourself stuck inside a manor, and was able to explore the "front" part of the building, with a hallway and a few rooms. During that time, you gets bits and pieces of the former owner of the manor, with hints of a tragic event. This game continues where the previous part left off ((un?)surprisingly you are locked inside this new part), and allows you throughout the game to piece out what happened.

Spoiler for the mystery: (Spoiler - click to show)A brilliant surgeon/doctor loses his wife in a tragic accident. Ridden with grief, he gets in his head that he must find a way to revive her. After many trials and errors, he unearth the body of another young woman who recently died, resembling his wife in some ways, and manages to fulfil his wish... for a few minutes. The revived wife soon turns on her husband and kills him. Still her ghost remains.

This part continues in the same vein as the previous on, in that it is choke-full of puzzles, and different variety at that (as much as a choice-based format allows you). There are many more ways of succumbing to your wrong choices, but the game sends you right back to your previous action (unless this is the last escape bit, when you run out of time, but I'm sure that is a bug). Out of the puzzles included, I liked the putting the torn paper back together, the books in the library, and the unlocking the doors without a key, the most.

Unlike the first part, this game has fewer hints for some of its most important puzzles, forcing you to interact with all of its elements, even if it means dying in the process. It is at times tedious, having to go back and forth between the many rooms because you needed to examine an item multiple times in a row even if it told you there was nothing in the drawer, or finding a key in one section for a door on the opposite side. The frustrating aspect of the game feels very much similar to the old point-n-click games.
It does, however, include a video walkthrough on Youtube.

The horror aspect in this game is cranked up higher, as you start in a hallway with bloody arrows on the many doors and on walls, meet some spectres, have strange visions, and get a few more jump-scares. The ambient sound and sound effects does add to the creepy ambiance.

As for the prose, it follows the tone of the previous part, with its humour and wittiness, playing again on the tropes of the horror genre.

This was a good game and I enjoyed it quite a bit!

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Le Manoir Abandonné - Partie I, by oli-x
First part of an escape game, February 27, 2024

Le Manoir Abandonné is a multi-episode escape game based on the LucasArt game Maniac Mansion, imitating with its images the point-n-click feel. This review will only account for the 1st part.

Starting the game with a prologue, the prose plays on horror tropes with the sudden breakdown of your car and that manor looming in the distance as your only place to find potential help, taking a witty approach to those. Once inside the manor (you really have no choice, no matter the other options), the doors shockingly close behind you, leaving you stuck inside the building. Starts then the escape-game portion.

In this first part, you get to interact with the "front" part of the house: a large and luxurious hall and a handful connected but locked doors. Some of the rooms are quite freaky, down to the more obvious horror elements (like blood on the wall).

The game allows you to explore this section of the manor, examine items lying around, and manipulate them through a list of options. There are a handful of puzzles, which are fairly well hinted, even with the curveballs it tries to throw at you. The thing that took the longest was trying out the different keys on the different doors (lots of back and forth).

While I got to the end of the section, which is fairly abrupt, there was still one locked door that stayed locked, even after solving the main puzzle.

Looking forward to play the second section!

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La fugue d'un homme-poulpe, by aya-mordres
Tiny fun adventure, February 27, 2024

La fugue d'un homme-poulpe is a small fantastical Moiki adventure, in which you incarnate an octopus-man stuck on a pirate ship. Though your fate is more alluring than being enclosed in a zoo, you yearn for freedom. With your trusty herring spoon and oyster fork, you will face some trials before you can reach your goal or... chose the wrong answer and end up back where you started. There are 20 endings to find, most resulting in your bad choices.

While short, the prose is witty, veering at time on the sarcasm. The companions allow for a branching of choices down the line, which is neat. The game includes some illustrations, whose different styles don't always match well together, and sounds, which do add to the ambiance of the story.

Nice for an entertaining short break.

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Le Grimoire de Saphir : Prologue, by Adleiz
The start of an Epic journey, February 24, 2024

Le Grimoire de Saphir : Prologue is a short Moiki game, which, as the title indicates, is the prologue of a much larger fantasy epic. Leaving your home, you are in search for quests and adventure - hopefully, glory and riches would come to follow.

After a rude maritime crossing, you arrive in the town of Sirfang, which you can explore or try to find and employer. Thanks to a handful of coins, you can visit a few spots in town, like its library, a smithy, or a bazzar. The latter option will give you a quest: find the titular grimoire so the great wizard Saphir can be dealt with. Unfortunately for you, this quest will also land you into some political intrigue, as multiple parties have different goals with the grimoire.

It will be up to you to locate the book and decide the best path for its use... in the next episodes!

So far, the series seems rich in worldbuilding, which you get a taste of, and a nice amuse-bouche. I'm looking forward to see how it will continue.

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Les Prophéties Perdues, by Louphole
Build-a-Prophecy, February 24, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, Concours FI

Les Prophéties Perdues is a short interactive prophetic piece. Finding your way to the Temple of Destiny, you are able to interact with a tablet to alter a prophetic poem, which may or may not (but definitely will) affect the world as soon as you step out of the temple. There are seven endings to find, six involving interacting with the poem, and an early out ending.

Interacting with the poem is not obvious at the start, at least not as obvious as the large choice buttons at the bottom of the page, and requires a good memory (or a piece of paper) to remember the different options. The cycling of alterable words is finite - once you reach the last option, there is no way back to the start... until you reload the game to reset it.
While I would have preferred the option of having an infinite cycling option (to test out and edit the poem at will), the context of the story does makes sense for why it is not: it's an old temple made out of stone... there's only so much mechanic you can have hidden xD

Fun mechanic! And pretty fun text too!

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The Lacquer Screen, by DREAMSEED

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An intriguing start?, February 24, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

The Lacquer Screen is a short horror game made in Twine. Your neighbour, for whom you've been remastering the eponymous series for some quick cash, just passed away... leaving you a short window to snoop around his apartment and go through his memorabilia.

Though fairly short, the atmosphere is quite interesting, balancing between the mundanity of a life as a recluse and more surreal/horror-y aspect of your subconscious playing tricks with you. The prose is pretty evocative at times, especially in the descriptions of the past.

Exploring the apartment felt somewhat sacrilegious, considering the setting, even if the PC indicates no one would bother going through his neighbour's things. Paradoxically, I wish there were more to explore, both about the show itself, the man that lived in that apartment, and yourself. There are traces of this being the author's plan, as the computer (with a neat little puzzle) includes files that would explain things... if they were clickable.

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Par une nuit d'Halloween, by mediathequen
A Children's Game, February 23, 2024

Par une nuit d'Halloween is a short Moiki Halloween adventure, meant to be read out-loud for children (according to the comments on the Moiki website). In this game you play as a child during Halloween, going around the neighbourhood to pick up some candies. Between the spooky house and the grand manor, the game subvert expectations in what you encounter in these locations.

The concise prose is simple and light, perfect to be played with children. It was sweet.

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Four Mates, by Thierry Etlicher
Will you be a good ant monarch?, February 23, 2024

Four Mates is an interactive game made in Moiki, in 48h for the Global Game Jam, where you play as a queen ant whose subjects are not quite happy with her. Humouring their discontent, the queen must find ways to increase their happiness, without making a fool of the kingdom or loose all the money in the treasury.

The game is incredibly delightful, both in the prose and the interface. The former is full of puns (on names, organisations, and locations), some memes, and absurd jokes. I found the dig at La CAF to be hilarious. There are a lot of silly choices you can make throughout the game (like make the country drunk or have a military parade worthy of Monty Python.

The game includes a bunch of endings, and quite a large amount of variation. Depending on your choices, you could be done in a few minutes, or spend a good half-hour sorting out your advisers' ideas. I managed to max out the happiness meter, getting my subjects to essentially worship me!

An important part of the game is the design of the page, with its many illustrations. Like the variation passages, these added a lot of flavour to the game: from "photoshop-ing" famous masterpieces to silly little children drawings made in Paint, or the many depictions of the scene... all fit so well with the game, and made things at time even funnier.

Very funny!

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Folie Contagieuse, by dombouif
Find the ingredient, cure the disease, February 23, 2024

Folie Contagieuse is a short interactive game made in Narrat, following an epistemologist looking for a cure (for a disease that may or may not have taken their grandparent's life?). You get to explore the home of another scientist to find clues, which will help you put together a recipe for the cure. While the puzzle is relatively simple, you will need to go back and forth between rooms to unlock doors and get to new locations.

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Le Dingo et l'Épicéa commun, by Natrium729
Could rival La Fontaine, February 20, 2024

Le Dingo et l'Épicéa commun is a short Ink game made for La Sens Dessus Dessous formatted as rhyming fables, referencing fables from La Fontaine from the start. A Dingo meets a spruce tree, who asks the former whether the latter truly is ugly. Branching in different paths, the playful (and always rhyming) prose is full of wit and surprises!

Quite the successful writing exercise!

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La voie du professeur Echo, by maximejr

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Surrealist Thriller à-la Eco, February 20, 2024

La voie du professeur Echo is a thriller adventure, in which you stumble into by "accident" on your way to work, as you crash into Professor Echo. Finding strange items in your hands, rather than your stuff, you proceed with a quick investigation to find answers (and maybe get your stuff back)... only to find yourself entangled in some sort of conspiracy - one that Professor Echo predicted.

In between discussions with NPC and exploring the Louvre, you may be able to find the truth... if you manage to solve the puzzle in a timely manner. Otherwise, it's back to the start with you!

The very confusing and convoluted prose (and incidently the story) reminded me of Foucault's Pendulum (which is referenced in the text), with the crazy conspiracies, the predictions, the loose red-links between the mentioned elements. Like with the book, I struggled a lot in getting into the story, because of the writing style.

It was only at the end that all this confusion made sense, when the twist is revealed. The whole game felt a bit like a fever dream...

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Nos Voisins les Robinson, by Narkhos
Coquillages et Papillons..., February 20, 2024

Nos Voisins les Robinson is a short visual novel made for La Sens Dessus Dessous. Structured as a sitcom, the story combines puns on puns and improbably scenario. Stranded on an island with naturalists trying to find a rare butterfly, you hope to repair a radio to get rescued. Though you are stranded, the island is populated... by no other else than Robinson Crusoe!
This little game is quite silly and plays on the codes of sitcoms, with a laughing track to boot!

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L'héritage de la chair, by AZ / ParserCommander

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Meaty memoir!, February 18, 2024

L'héritage de la chair is a short binksi game following George Augustus Frederik Charles Hollyroy, the son of an Earl. Being stillborn in a family of scientist looking for an heir, the body of George was replaced by a piece of meat with buttons for eyes by his mother. Follows an absurd recollection of moments from George's life, as he "grows" and finds himself. I didn't see the twist coming at the end, and it made me cackle!
The different pixel visuals added to the absurdism of it all.

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Estelle et le Cosmusicien, by Gavroche Games
Musical communication, February 18, 2024

Estelle et le Cosmusicien is a short Twine sci-fi story set in the far future. You play as Estelle, a scientist, having found a strange incident with the asteroid belt going against the laws of physics. Enters a space explorer, the Cosmusicien, and his belief that one can communicate with celestial bodies thanks to a strange musical instrument.

The game brings an interesting approach in terms of communication: through music. Us humans can convey feelings and emotions through music, even if we do not speak the same language or have problems understanding each other. Here, it flips this concept by turning towards the stars, which is pretty neat. And magical almost.

There are different ways of achieving an ending, with quite a poetic few.

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Le Grenier, by MythOnirie

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Short treasure hunt, February 17, 2024

Le Grenier is a short puzzle game made in Moiki, where you explore the attic of your childhood home. Among the forgotten comics and old games, you stumble one a locked box, tied to which is a note from your mother that starts a small treasure hunt. Going through the different old boxes and furniture pieces, you must solve a little enigma to find the code, and open the locked trunk.
It was cute, and the prose felt sentimental. I struggled with the code, starting with the wrong end of the hint...

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Les Idylles - Episode 1, by Korwen
Trick the trickster?, February 17, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, nouvim3000

Les Idylles is a short demo set in the fictional fantasy land of Loghria, filled with mystery and magic. In this episode, your goal is to help Elinor, a young woman who was tricked by a magician, needing help to break the 'Tattumanti' pledge. The short game includes multiple endings, some helping the woman at the cost of your own freedom, some changing your mind and leave her to deal with her problem by herself.

It was a fun little puzzling adventure, and I'm looking forward to further episodes. I liked the playfulness of the writing, with the play on words.

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Solitary Stars, by Stephane F.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Walking down memory lane, February 17, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Solitary Stars is a hyperlink exploration game written in Inform, set in an alternative earth, in a capital of an unnamed country after a succession of Wars (potentially WWII?). You receive a letter from a former mentor, inviting you to see his incredibly discovery that will change the world. The letter, and travelling back to the capital that shaped the trajectory of your life, forces you to reminisce on the past, bringing up difficult and painful memories.

Through its extensive and flowery prose, the game describes quite the dark setting. Between the memories of a distant past, filled with conflicts, a rise of an authoritarian power, and your own personal struggles (choice-dependent), you find during the little walk around the Observatory a somewhat dystopian society. The city is filled with scars from the war, with buildings left in shambles, flyers mandating orders from the populace or face the consequences, militia roaming the streets. But also consequences of the wars, with immigrants fleeing further conflicts flooding the region, past acquaintances avoiding you, etc...

The outlook of life and society through this lens is both depressing and melancholic (enhanced by the choice of background), with bitterness towards the old mentor, as he has thrived while you (and the rest of the Group) clearly have not. And the revelation of his discovery does not bring solace to the MC - aside, maybe from spending time with an old friend.

I think I found the exploration of the city/neighbourhood with the reflection of the past from the MC more interesting than this final revelation. Seeing how the city changed since the last time the MC walked its streets, as well as how little it did in other regards, is a familiar feeling - like going back home or to a place you spent an important part of your life.

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the mountain is as it always was, by christine mi

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
... and it grounds us all., February 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

the mountain is as it always was is a short kinetic piece made in bitsy, as a reflection of memories, loss, and what it means to be alive.

With its minimal 3-bit palette and concise prose, this tiny piece follows a little sprite struggling to find meaning in their life with a job that doesn't inspire them and struggling with their finances. Their thoughts (and feet) keep bringing them back to Nature, with its calming and unchanging state. Away from the drowning surroundings of the city, the sprite get to take a moment and meditate on their life.

Through the reflections of relationships and heartbreaks, loss of trusted parents, or their ever-lasting fears, the short piece is very touching and resonated deeply with me. The return to nature to find-oneself might be a trope, but the calming factor of being away from everything, disconnecting with our complicated lives, and just be there, present, surrounded with things that were here before us and will probably be here when we are long gone...

It made me quite emotional.

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She Rises, by Amanda Desentz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Fantasy prototype?, February 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

She Rises is a short fantasy adventure, looking more like a prototype than a fledged out story. Set in an unnamed fantasy kingdom, you play as Princess Arcadia, who just learned of her father's death and the loss of an important artefact. To ensure the safety of the kingdom, you must find said artefact and bring it home.

The setting is a bit silly, with (Spoiler - click to show)a diamond fork being the only thing ensuring the safety of the kingdom, or the fact that no one but her tries to avenge her father's death. This may be due to the formatting of the text, as some sort of script/theatre piece, but a lot is glanced over for the sake of moving the story along. There is little breather for Arcadia to grieve her loss, not much kerfuffle to prepare the journey, or anyone pulling the Queen left and right to handle affairs, as if the kingdom runs just find without the monarch or no one cared much about the passed king... It's a bit strange?

Gameplay wise, you are given two choice blocks: where to get information to retrieve the artefact and which path to follow. It is a bit of a shame, as the latter part of the story has multiple opportunities to include branching and add to Arcadia's growth as a new monarch, like: (Spoiler - click to show)whether to fight or convince the Vikings blocking her from getting the map, continue or retreat on the difficult journey when following the seer's/map's path, avoid fighting the person protecting the slave, talk to the slave who stole the fork... or even stay back at the castle and send a party to retrieve the fork. Even if those choices fail, it would have helped against the feeling of lacking agency, especially during the beats with tension. As is it, you are more strung along than actually leading the search.

Another small thing about the available choices: the game shows the player a binary choice with the potential actions, which is repeated just above the listed action in plain text - options introduced above said line in the actual story. This repetition felt pretty unnecessary...

Interface wise, there was a bit of an issue with the display of new passages. After clicking a link to a new page, the text doesn't scroll back to the top, you have to do it manually. This spoils the story quite a bit...

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The Family Record, by sharkinfishnets, pointyshades, AmeKinoko
Creepy settings and bittersweet rituals, February 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

The Family Records is a short interactive game made in Decker where you find yourself stuck in an empty manor after a snowstorm. Except the manor is not empty as you think, you find out by going through the different rooms.

Unable to leave the manor, Death greets you with a task: help the remaining souls find their way and you too will be free of this place. Along the task, Death gives you a book of rituals and the family record of the residents of this manor. Throughout the manor, you will find said ghosts, remnants of souls that you can talk to, and items, which you will need for the rituals.

In the style of older point-n-click games, in a black-n-white palette, the game lets you explore the manor, search the different rooms, listen to the ambient sound, and talk to the available resident. Find all the souls, gather up the items, and match the rituals to the correct person to set them free.

I enjoyed the game quite a bit, and didn't see the end coming.

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Petit ramoneur, by Wahya
It's not easy to be a chimneysweeper, February 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

In this tiny game, you play a child chimneysweeper on the first day of their job. You'd expect the chimney to go straight up to the top, but... multiple paths strangely lay ahead of you: take one and find yourself in a strange world, the other takes a more creepy and suffocating approach.

You never know what's around the corner...

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Riddle Me Sweets!, by fruitsicaljams

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A new way to share recipes, February 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

Riddle Me Sweets is a short VN mixing bits and pieces of old tales like *Hansel and Gretel* and *Cinderella*, in a way that the siblings live under the thumb of the "step-mother", a baker who welcomed them into her home (and more or less forced them to do chores to survive). Some reprieve is found when a mouse-fairie comes to their rescue and pushes the "step-mother"/witch into the fire.

*Now's the time for escape!* If... there wasn't the mayor at the door, waiting for his order. With no way other way to escape (since the corpse is still there, burning), Hansel and Gretel must fulfil the different orders of the day and satisfy their customers.
Another wrench is thrown into the mix as neither Hansel nor Gretel ever made those recipes, and the cooking book was written in forms of riddles (so they wouldn't be stolen). So you must solve the little riddles, find the 3 correct ingredients for each recipe, and solve the day!

Some of the riddles are not super obvious, and while you have three chances to find the correct combination, you will get a game over if you mess up too much. Saving before baking each order is very much needed if you don't want to go through all the story (and potentially the previously cleared dishes). It's a bit frustrating at times, as many ingredients could fit some of the riddles, and there are no hints.

But it's still a pretty fun and silly time. I liked it :)

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L'épreuve divinatoire, by Doublure Stylo

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Absurd supersticious adventure, February 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, nouvim3000

L'épreuve divinatoire is a short choice-based adventure that tests your knowledge of superstitions, common sense, and a few idioms. In this small absurd story, you are on your way to take your exam to become an oracle but are met with a few trials of your own. If you manage to solve the issues and finish your exam before the allocated time, you may be able to continue your studies! Or... you could succumb to the distractions put on your path.

It's stilly, definitely absurd, and fairly entertaining.

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Until Tomorrow, by BenyDanette

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A digital tragedy, February 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: la-nuit, French

Until Tomorrow is a short experimental interactive piece made with Decker where you can explore the content of a computer.

Starting with a browser opened on a Youtube page for the song Comme de bien entendu, which sets a tone for what you may find, you are able to go through multiple folders on the desktop, a mailbox, and the last opened page on the browser. The game is very subtle in delivering the story, making you piece together the different elements as you examine the digital fragments of a life.

The final tale is quite depressing, being centred around loss, greed, and injustice.

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Try not to die ft. Tibib, by GreenSkunk06

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Confusing language mixer, February 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Try not to die is a short Twine story mixing English and French through out the story (between and in sentences).

As the title infer, your goal is to survive the day and if you can have some food. You must try not to die because your partner is trying to kill you (Spoiler - click to show)because you refuse to sign the divorce paper, so they can move on. The game offers different ways to fill in your belly, some which will endanger your life, and others which you will refuse to do. Find some edible food and you'll be good.

While the premise and the paths are somewhat entertaining in a silly way, the confusing prose does damper on the enjoyment of the game. The mix of the language (which is not actual franglais) is inconsistent, as some sentences are fully in French or English, some swap languages with each word, some will have bits in one language and the rest with the other... This often creates strange sentences, as the structure is also muddled between the two languages - English and French don't order the words in the same manner or use the same amount of words to say things.
Adding on the many typos (in both languages) and the textism of only some of the words, you end up with bizarre writing.

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Amour et déception, by Wahya
Short Soap Bit, February 10, 2024

Amour et déception is a short Texture game spoofing soap series like The Bold and the Beautiful, where twist and turns, deceptions and revenge, plots foiled make up the story. In this episode, you play the mother of the bride, who does not approve of her future son-in-law - so much so she is ready to kill him to save her daughter from a dishonourable path.

The game is very silly, playing on all the soap tropes, adding twists when you least expect them, and of course ends with a jinggle!

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La constellation des Intracines, by Adrien Saurat
Apocalyptic Future, February 10, 2024

La constellation des Intracines is a short choice-based game set in an apocalyptic future where humanity is under the threat of extinction. A strange plant from underground has started taking over the ecosystem: drying out the land, rendering the waters acidic... Between the military in its futile fight against the plant and the scientific community in shambles when faced with little solutions, humanity tries to survive as best it can, even with this uncertain future.

Your background as an astronomer helps little with this struggle, and you can choose to despair and accept humanity's fate, turn to the stars for solace with this end, try to find other survivors and fight until your dying breath, or succumb maybe to madness.

The writing does a pretty good job in capturing the horror and gloomy aspect of this apocalyptic future and the unknown of this natural enemy, and the mental breakdown of the PC when faced with the realities of the situation.

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La maison de Mamie, by KrisDoC
Say your final goodbyes, February 10, 2024

La Maison de Mamie is a fairly short parser where you play as Sarah Wolverton-Pelletier, a woman who recently lost her grandmother, going through her house to retrieve some keepsakes before your mother sells it.

Through the exploration of this home, which was yours too for a time, and inspection of the different objects in each room, you remember fragments of your past and people of your life. Through the memories of the individuals that crossed your life, you can piece back the broken puzzle of Sarah's fragmented relationships.

Those memories are quite short, just a handful of sentences at most, and are either linked to examining objects or remembering people. You learn of tensions between mothers and daughters, as they understand their identity and find themselves rejected by the ones they love. The prose goes from bitterness to warmth as you remember things, though most of the text felt quite detached and indifferent to things.

While I wish you could remember more things, like through the different events mentioned, it was interesting to find the different hidden elements to get the background story. (Spoiler - click to show)Your grandmother married your grandfather after the war, a marriage that fell apart when she meets Chantal and realises she prefers women to men. Your grandparents divorce, something that your mother doesn't/can't accept. Your mother first keeps you from seeing your grandmother (now in a relationship), before kicking you out later on (when you realise you are gay too). You find a roof and acceptance with your grandmother. It is really telling, and sad, why the mother wants to sell the house...

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Thank You For Your Inquiry, by Louphole

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hell is... bad customer service, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Thank You For Your Inquiry is a short game from hell, forcing you to endure the nonsensical exchanges with a customer service representative from Simplicity Transportation Customer Service that is either overworked or doesn't care about your claim (or the company is just trash ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). Trials and tribulations awaits you as you try to get a refund for [undescribed event that cost you a lot of money]: from the request of very private information to their unbudging offers of a pitiful refund, hardship is the only thing you will gain from this.

Though it is played for laugh (or horror) here, these exchanges are not that far from reality: exchanges that go nowhere, pathetic amounts refunded (if any at all), complete disregard for rights (big deal in the EU!), unresponsive representatives, strict and just plain terrible procedures... There is only so much sanity you can have with some of these companies before you want to pull your hair out and set everything on fire.
Thoughts for the cool customer reps that try their best to help!

I hated every single exchanges with the customer reps.
Would 100% torture myself through it again! I've already done it multiples times (the endings are so funny), but I still would do it again!

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The Grumpy Cricket (And Other Enormous Creatures), by John Goerzen

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Cute and silly liliputian adventure, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Trying to get back home after visiting your cousin, you are met with a few challenges - your trek is blocked by a few obstacles: little insects and giants block your way. Trying to solve the little puzzles are fairly simple (if you remember to climb things around you), and the responses quite silly. Who knew an acorn (Spoiler - click to show)could make a great seat!

The second half of the game is filled with puns and funny names for things around the building. If there is a list of cursed food out there, the menu hanged in the building should definitely be included (so yucky! poor kiddos!).

A short but very sweet little adventure!

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I Gave You a Key and You Opened the Darkness, by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Teaser Epitaph, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

I Gave You a Key and You Opened the Darkness is the introductory epitaph of a longer project set to be released episodically throughout 2024, named Los Huesos del Cielo, as an archive of the author's thirties in short form IF.

IGYKYOD is a short piece about returning to your former home, now empty and abandoned, reminiscing on your past, one you are forgetting, and identity.

Only branching out at the end towards one of three endings, the piece uses interactive elements to show that disconnect between what is there, what once was, and how lost you seem to be. Memories get darker as you interact with the text, the state of the house more decrepitated, choices questioned. You're here to find something (thought it's not really made explicit).

There is something quite uneasy about rediscovering a place: one your body remembers clearly but your mind does not (want to?). Surreal in its depiction of how uncomfortable it is at time - almost horror-y at some points.

Looking forward to see the other instalments.

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The Men'nai Tattoos, by leechykeen
An ethnoraphical snippet on an extra-terrestrial race, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

This short kinetic piece is presented as an elegy written by a Dr. Chandra Roy about the Men'nai people - a distant human cousin from deep space. Following a forward about said scientist, the piece goes on to describing the Men'nai, from their biology to their culture.
It does make you wonder how far into the future the setting is supposed to be, and how related we (humans) are with that race (did we go to space and become the Men'nai? did the Men'nai arrive on earth and become us?). The end leaves you with more questions than answers...

It also included image snippets to help illustrate the text - though it was a shame these lovely illustrations were hidden by default.

While the interface reminded me of those sci-fi screens and the content of codex pages you'd find in games, there were a few friction elements with the UI, like the description of the text being cut-off/unreadable.

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Blood and Company, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A vampire walks into a bar..., January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

In this lovely meet-cute moment, Blood and Company follows Zach, a vampire looking for his next meal. He walks into a local bar, currently hosting a student meetup for the local architecture department - one he frequented once - and finds Lyle. The two strikes up a conversation... and may end up with something more.

To say I was gushing as their interactions was an understatement - it as so adorable seeing two ace not only finding each other but also vibing to the same wavelength. Two peas in a pod! When things click so well and the chemistry is flying off the wall, you only need to sit back and enjoy the events unfolding. It is so smooth and so right. Every beat just fit with the others so well - whether you do take the bitey path or not.

I went an played it again and again to try to find all the different endings (still looking for some), but even the more... bummer(?) ones felt satisfying - though none beat the more romantic one.

Such a delightful read!

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Making dumplings, by Autumn Chen
Well, now I'm craving dumplings..., January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

Always delighted to see my favourite awkward couple come back for some slice-of-life shenanigans. With this new entry to the Pageantverse, we meet back with Karen and Em - who now live together !!!! - attempting to make some dumplings from Chinese New Year. Trying to follow Karen's mother's recipe, you help prepare the (sometimes expired :grimacing: ) ingredients, constructing the dumplings, and cooking them. During this process, you can find some little tit bit about Karen and Em's relationship and daily life.

As the blurb indicates, this entry is meant as a demo for DendyNexus, a mashup between Dendry and StoryNexus, providing decks to get action-cards, each sending the player to little storylets (well, different ingredient preps). I'm looking forward to see where this engine/extension goes...

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wild oats, by Lapin Lunaire Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A "magical" conversation between fathers, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

Through the self-indulgent and luxurious prose, you play as one of two fathers, tricked into having a conversation (Spoiler - click to show)with the other through a mystical and fae being. The game mirrors the paths in the unfolding of the story, as the fathers each sit at the table for their respective breakfast, peruse a letter written by their child, are confronted by a vision of said child ((Spoiler - click to show)are they real or just a figment of their imagination?), and find themselves in the presence of a godly being.

And for all their similarities in their love for their children, their family and status, the fathers still intrinsically differ. One's pride revolves around status and traditions, favouring another who can do no wrong. The other's almost wallow in nostalgia of what once was, what will never be again, what is now lost. The difference in behaviours stemming from their social status: one being of high nobility with all the required pompous regalia, the other of a lower background, whom the first would look down upon.

There is a mirror, but the reflection is false.

To fully comprehend the story and the implication of the characters' actions may require some prior knowledge of the characters - the characters and settings are part of a TTRPG campaign*. There is something so strange but lovely too about reading stories clearly meant for like three people max, yet still shared to the world. The reader is pulled in by the intrigue and the mysterious setting, but kept at bay for the rest - leaving you to fill in the gap or find your own meaning of the story. It adds to the mystique of the whole.

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Lazy Starvation Simulator, by Unexpected Dreams
Pick up the ingredients or d-- pass out, January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

Ever woken up on a weekend and felt like staying in bed, all day - just that? But, then, your stomach grumbles so hard you know you *need* to feed the beast to get on with your lazy day? And *then*, you realise the only thing left in your fridge - your emergency last meal - was stolen and eaten by someone else (darn you, siblings!!)? So you struggle to find this and that and try to make something... digestible with the last of your energy?

This game is just that. Literally the title of the game describes it. You are lazy. You are starting. Here's a simulation. Will you feed yourself or pass out? Will you give up or attempt to get take out? Or will you set your house on fire because exhausted and careless people should probably not cook in that state?

While it currently has a few issues (some errors, disappearing elements and missing responses), the story knows it is silly and making fun of itself - you should not take it seriously. It's entertaining trying to hunt down the 8 different endings (8... for now), though some are more difficult than others....

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A Pot of Tea, by lnmmnl

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Bittersweet tea..., January 27, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

In a sort of disassociation moment, through a discussion with yourself, you go through an emotional journey trying to process your feelings about loss, while trying to make a pot of tea.

Actually, it was not very clear whether you play the “I”-narrator, or the “you”-recipient, of the described [he/she/they], from the start. But it’s all you: the one struggling to make tea - rewatching that same tutorial you should now know by heart -, the one who chooses tea when asked, the one who’s struggling with loss, the one who’s feelings are messy and tangled, the one questioning their memories…

It was quite touching, reading through it all.

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McPhee's Cookbook, by HoverDreamer
Fight Ingredients - Win snacks, January 26, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

Mix one part Cooking Mama and one part Pokemon and you get... McPhee's Cookbook. This was definitely not what I was expecting when being tasked with making Mom's Cheesecake... and yet here I was fighting the ingredients (for my life!).

If you've ever played Pokemon - or any turn-based combat c-rpg games - you'd probably be better off than I was: between balancing my never-lasting health and the extra tough ingredients, I got my behind handed back to me at every turn. It didn't matter how many times I tried to use the Special Moves - aka the Prep - or eat snacks (that I won for doing chores)... Turns out, making cheesecake is not as easy as one think... or I just had *terrible* strategies.

Even if I kept failing (and reloading my saves for a better result), I had a pretty nice time. It's pretty sweet and funny, borderline absurd.

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How To Make Eggplant Lasagna (With Cats!), by E. Joyce and N. Cormier

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Feline fiends and decadent lasagna, January 26, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

What a joy it is to cook with cats around! Playful little creatures meowing for little bites, slaloming between your legs for attention, and always there for tasting. The perfect - and most dangerous - distractors.

With Boris, the old and fat cat, knowledgeable in cheeses, and Natasha, the more nimble and mischievous one, always looking for the warmest places, you attempt to make an eggplant lasagna - a pretty decadent one if you manage to read the full recipe. You have all ingredients and utensils at hands, or so you think, and only need to keep yourself focused going through each step of the recipe while those two little devils try their best to distract you. Will you manage?

Well, I forgot about my lasagna and Boris and Natasha had a feast. :sob:

Anyway, it's really fun! The light-heartedness of the story and trying to fend off the feline fiends is quite challenging - but it makes the endings all the sweeter!
I should have expected the (Spoiler - click to show)Ratatouille ending, but I still snorted to hard when I got to the end. Well played!

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Pumpkin relationship, by VistaPopulus

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A slice of love, January 26, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

As a short kinetic entry, Pumpkin relationship explores the themes of love, relationship, and how recipes can be synonymous to certain people in your life. Here, Anna and Ben have been a couple for quite some time, sharing - among others - a passion for cooking and delighting their friends with their creations. Every year, they go pick out the perfect pumpkin and go through the gruelling process of carving it, scooping it, mashing it... all to make the perfect pumpkin pie.

After all, love is sharing, love is caring. And their dishes - especially that pie - is an expression of that love, for each other and to others.

Though the writing is fairly concise, memories of the past and descriptions of traditions are intertwined with each step of the baking process. They connected through the pie, and will continue to connect with others through it.

Pretty cute.

[I only read the piece in English]

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my heart, my heart, by Sophia de Augustine
A reading palette cleanser, January 26, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: recipejam

In this new entry, we meet with Andrey and Nikolai once more (which have appeared in consecrated before this), now living a simple and settled down life, with Winnifred, their daughter. Away from the dangerous and ever-so changing intrigue of the court, the three of them live off of love and sweets.

The writing is delectable, saccharine sweet, oozing with love and affection. On Father's Day, Andrey and Winnie are baking are trying to bake a cake for Nikolai - trying to be quiet enough so he does not awake up and walk in on the surprise. Being the cutest of toddlers, Winnie attempts to derail the cooking to satisfy her sweet tooth. The whole premise is so sweet and lovely. I just love how adorable and delightful it is.

But... I'm going to pretend Andrey cracked more than one egg, cause I don't think the cake would actually... work.

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Grocery Game, by GreenSkunk06
A light-hearted grocery shopping trip ft a late customer, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

This was such a different experience from when I do grocery shopping. From arriving just before closing time, to having the option of berating the poor employees, or just choosing items that are definitely not on the list... there are so many way of getting on the wrong track - and, at best, disappointing your wife.
And that's also what makes this game fun: you can be pretty chaotic, to run down the clock or feeling your terrible-manchild fantasy or being an absolute horror of a customer. Who cares about the consequences, just start again!
I did get the best run on the first go, because I can't be mean to service workers or not following lists...

Still... good thing this is just a game. Cause I'd feel bad for the wife of this person.
Entertaining chaos nonetheless.

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tramway, by fifre
CYOA Trolley Dilemma, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

Why bother with the philosophical questions when you could just make the trolley dilemma a humorous light-hearted murder-fest? Yes, you read this right. With a plethora of endings, from not even starting the trolley to just roll over absolutely everyone, this is a truly absurd take on the dilemma.

The writing is minimal, but to the point and poking fun at many things. It shouldn't be taken seriously...
There are many branches, some even looping, to lead you one of seven endings - some more funny than others, some more satisfying than others too.

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Mondes rêvés, by Natrium729
Dreamy prose, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

In this micro CYOA booklet, you play as Aoda, a hotel accountant prone to falling asleep, dreaming of other worlds. Sectioned in small paragraph (about a sentence), the story takes you on a seemingly cyclical journey where you travel from dreamworld to dreamworld, only to be awaken in burst... and falling back into the arms of Morpheus.

The prose is incredibly dreamy and poetic.
There are no other word to explain it, it's just beautiful.

I also found the mechanic quite playful, with the tiny subtle enigma (which may or may not lead you to a secret ending). It will push you to go into the cycle again and again, making the story feel much longer than just 500 words.

In the formatting, the game forgoes the use of numbers for each passage, like you'd expect in a CYOA book, but words representing the section - which you can click like you would a hypertext game. This little subversion adds to the dream-like ambiance of the game.

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Scream Alphabet Scream (emojis), by Louphole
The Emoji Interactive Fiction, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

😱🔤😱 is a short and wordless interactive game, that relies only on emojis to tell a story. What story? Well, it is for you to figure it out!
Because I certainly didn't...

There is something so interesting about using a "language" that is know to all (emoji), but used so differently depending on people. Is 🔣 unknown words or insults? What does 🔤 mean to you? Is 💨a wind, a sigh, a fart???
When combined in a string, how do you decipher it into a proper sentence? When a whole page is full of them, how to you turn it into a coherent sentence?

As a whole it's a very fun puzzle! A very confusing one, and a very novel way to tell a story.

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Deux ans., by BenyDanette
An uncomfortably creepy short game, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

Deux ans. follows a conversation between a man and emergency services after an intrusion at the former's home - where he currently is. You play as the emergency responder, trying to diffuse the situation and help the man.

The game is full of tension from the first second of the "call", with a bit of a twist when the intruder can finally be "heard". With vague unsaid, you can imagine what happened two years ago (title of the game) - though it will never be explicitly revealed in the story. There are three endings - one I found more satisfying than the others (and which I got first!).

The game takes advantage of images to visualise the different callers, as well as uncomfortable background sound, to create a captivating and chilly ambiance.

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La manif', by SAB
A silly little entry about protests, January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

In this mini-entry, you play as Artour, an elf taking part of a protest because the King is at it again with his shenanigans. People are angry, walking towards the castle for (I guess) reparation. You must watch out for the "vouivres" (winged police?), or you'll end up burning to ashes.
Following the Partim500's theme, you can take a little detour and get into some shenanigans yourself. Whatever you do, however, the end is the same.

The writing style is incredible silly and je-m'en-fous-tist - the description of the game does warn you of what is ahead - and includes very unusual words (still unsure if they are part of the "youth" dialect or just made up for the game).
Still, with a good dose of French tradition (protesting and walking to the king's castle for demands) and a fantasy setting, you end up with a pretty funny entry.

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Votre oncle, by Feldo
A childish CYOA (good!), January 19, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, partim500

As a tiny Choose-Your-Own-Adventure booklet, based on the 1958 of the same name, you play as a young child playing with your friends. The game: throwing pebbles at passers-by.

Pebble in hands, target acquired, you must roll some dices to determine your chances at a hit. You are then met with a choice: wait a bit longer (the target is not close) or throw it now - sending you towards one of two different endings.

The writing style of the game is very playful, almost childishly so, which works so well since you are a child doing childish things. It is also very visual in the limited descriptions - especially with its even-numbered passages.

A cute thing to play for a five-minute break!

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Double jeu..., by m-prinss
Superficial story about having faith, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

With its minimalist prose, the story follows a woman with a heavy past who found solace in faith. This faith is tested when the woman meets a man with a questionable situation (mainly of loose morals and little virtue). Follows a series of moral choices in regards to the relationship with said man (like breaking off the friendship due to his work/actions, pressing him to stop and turn to faith, following him into this path of vice, etc...), whose consequences are only displayed vaguely - mainly linking it back to faith.

As there isn't a lot of text, and since that text is pretty vague in the descriptions of the woman's past or the man's actions, or consequences in general, I had a hard time connecting to the story or to the characters. The choices are often in clear opposition with one another, often to an extreme (all or nothing, virtue or vice, letting be or push for penitence). I found the whole quite superficial in its implementation - especially with how the good and bad endings were portrayed.

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HéraDikator, by Lilie B
Can't spend your holiday in peace, can you?!?!, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

What would you do if the goddess Hera came to spoil your much needed and chill holidays, meant for you to get over your ex? Well... not much, aside from agreeing to her demands - not like you could refuse her demands anyway.

So, you are forced/accept to participated in her schemes, which is to essentially mess with the eternal cheater of a husband: Zeus. You have little to form a plan, however, as you are immediately transported from the sunny and relaxing Greek beach (where you were having ouzo!) to the decadent party on Mount Olympus, to fulfil your mission.

Many paths are open to you, from drinking yourself silly to converse with other godly beings, or just choose to take a detour to refresh yourself for the final "showdown". The results of the path taken are heavily dependant on some of your firsts choices, some with very drastic results (it might be even Tough of Zarf's scale...). If you fail... you will face the wrath of the Goddess, and (Spoiler - click to show)share a similar fate to IO mooo.
It took me a while to get to an acceptable overall path. Granted, I did not choose what might have been a very obvious option at the start of the game.

The prose is fairly light-hearted and full of humour, mirroring what was supposed to be a chill and relaxing holiday - though it keeps the familiar and light tone still as the story gets down to business (hey! it's a party!). A fun game!

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La pierre précieuse, by salut
An adventure with more than it lets on., January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

Set in your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting, you are a newly made adventurer looking for quests and riches - a small search as a quest lands on your lap pretty quickly: you are tasked to retrieve a precious stone in a cave on a faraway island for a 100 gold.
Nice and easy right? Well...
Obviously, a precious stone in a cave *has* to bring troubles. Follows trials and tribulations for going against the gods/spirits guarding(?) the stone. Fights and wild seas render you momentarily stranded.

The story goes a long a fairly linear gauntlet style narrative, with endings (mainly failures) parsed throughout the game (I found 3 of them). However, depending on your choices, your adventure can be 1/3rd longer than the quest requires... though you can miss it completely if you didn't see the signs (and got a bit sneaky).
While I appreciated this "bonus" content (having missed it entirely the first time around - I thought we were going on another quest next), it made me wonder if there could be other ways to (Spoiler - click to show)deal with the nefarious individual: like forgoing the quest altogether and snitch on him, or maybe fight him because he caught you red handed?

Overall, it was cute.

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Le Trône des Dieux, by Oli-X
A D&D adventure... without the wrath of the RNG god, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

With its fantasy setting, based on Norse mythology, this textual adventure follows three characters looking for treasures: Sehlif, a charming rogue with slippery fingers, Freya, a powerful enchantress, and Nümgur, a cranky dwarf warrior. Their quest is not without tribulations however, as our protagonists find themselves running and fighting for their lives - having suffered the ire of the Gods.

I liked the D&D-like aspect of the game, with the characters getting special cards for a visual representation (an AI-generated MTG card), the balanced Rogue-Mage-Warrior team on a quest and using their skills to their respective advantages, as well as the different game mechanics (the puzzle, the escape, and the combat).
The game also includes QTE elements for two parts of the story (the escape and combat), with its quite short timer adding a much needed tension to the story (especially the cave!). It still stayed quite accessible, with the text emphasizing on the required action to advance the story

I think my favourite bit of the game was with the enigma/puzzle in the temple. It took me a while to understand the order of things, but it all clicked when linking the code to the story as a whole. Very thematic.

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Le Procès de l'humanité, by Gavroche Games
Will you save humanity?, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

Thrown without warning in the midst of a trial for humanity, you find yourself before a handful of gods, ready to make their judgement, using you as humanity's intermediary. Answer their question and hope to bring the gods to your side... for the good of humanity... or not.

Le Procès de l'humanité is a fairly short game, that includes multiple endings (at least 3 I am sure, having found B and C). The ending is somewhat tied to the trial, though it has a little twist. I saw it coming a bit, but it was still nicely done.

The setting reminded me a bit of the anime Record of Ragnarok, in which humanity must fight the gods to ensure their survival, though the literal physical fight is replaced with exchanges of arguments here. The choice of gods included in the game, from their name to their visual representation, reminded me of American Gods, especially POP.
(Spoiler - click to show)LOL at one of the visual representation with Captain America Trump showing up on the screen

There is an interesting mechanic in the game, in how you answer the gods' questions: with different kinds of approaches (from convincing to joking, or even going full on conspiracy) - with the last option being specific to the god you chose to represent you. Each option will have different effect on the god criticising you, the consequences then neatly represented with stats bar on top of the page.

On the interface aspect, there were a bit of friction with the text display or clicking on available argument options - though the first could be fixed by simply zooming out, and the second becoming clear after clicking on one of the option.
I did like the different screens, their palettes and animations (with SFX!). It gave more character to the... characters, and helped differentiate between each of them.

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Summers with the Sea King, by Dry Cappuccino Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Summer of sadness, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This was a linear short story where you reminisce about summers from your childhood, and the time you shared with a friend (or was it more?). The entry contains 4 endings, which are dependent on both your choices throughout the game, and one specific choice. Though it is overall linear, your choice will bring quite a bit of variation throughout.

The path I ended up getting was full of melancholy, with the looming unescapable crossroad of adulting ruining everything the magic of summer for those two. Between the want of everything to stay as is and the practicality of things, the writing really portrays how relationship can come and go, and words - written or oral - have more impacts than we think.

Apparently, that ending is one of the saddest one, but it strangely felt satisfying to get (even if I tend to prefer more sweet/good ones). Growing up can suck a lot, and nothing ever stays the same, whether you fight it or not. It felt so meaningful and inline with the choices I had made (granted, I didn’t take the most hopeful ones…)

Also, extra points for the adorable UI!!

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night confessional, by sweetfish
When hotlines meet confessions., January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

I feel like this kind of system sort of exists in real life, with phone lines open to let you scream in the void or whisper your darkest secrets, or many virtual confession booths on the internet. Yet, I'd never considered an actual religious confession booth, absolution and penance included.

There is something eery and creepy about those booth, almost inhuman. Being able to listen to people's secrets, fears and wishes - only to give some sort of automated response in return. To have on the other side one of the most human and touching thing: bearing your heart to strangers. And the inherent wish to connect with others, even through a hotline leading to nowhere.
Each snippet has a heart and scars. It's beautifully tragic, in a way...

In our age of automated process and AI replacing employees, it is not so far fetched to think priests could lose part of their job too to the almighty algorithm (also funny to play as an algo priest) - there are probably very few positions safe from our robots overlords... Though it is interested how it even rendered the whole catholic/christian system obsolete - to the point the Pope resigned!

This was strange. I liked it.

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Messages From the Universe Graveyard, by KADW

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Who says MMOs are dead???, January 16, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

Wow, this one is insane… and I only scratched the surface of what’s in there.
This is an exploration game, mixing parser logics (rooms and navigation, puzzles) with hypertext interface. Inspired by the likes of MUDs, message boards, and defunct MMOs, you are transported inside a dead online game, somewhat broken and defunct, left behind by (dead?) players, in which you can see messages left by its previous inhabitants.

The game is full of layers, from the surface of the game itself, the lore of the game, and the different “storylines” of players (like the one going knees deep into the lore of the game and leaving hints for other players, the one leaving behind diary entries of their life…) on the message boards. There are so many rooms (over 100 according to the game’s page), I started a map to track it all down (see screenshot below), knowing full well it will take me a while to complete it (still hasn’t).

Another fun mechanic of the game is the ability to leave messages in each room. Like the previous players, you can too leave a trace of yourself while playing, even becoming part of its lore.

I already know this will be one of my favourite game of the year!

[I will rate it once I am actually done with it]

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Give Me Something to Dream, by JazzTap
short and strange, January 15, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This was a short kinetic entry, made in Texture, following Rahel (a witch/sorceress?) and Strider (apostle?) trying to - i think - run away from a hunter. In the background, there are hints of worldbuilding, with some sort of fantasy setting with religious power and witch hunts - though little is revealed in the short playthrough, with the text being very vague about… a lot of things. There is a sense of urgency and uncertainty, with the character being on the run and facing foes.

Though I am still pretty confused about the whole, I liked the little details in the descriptions (like what might be henna on Rahel’s hand?).

I didn’t particularly read the text as horror-y or spy-like either.

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Vomit Economy, by Joey Acrimonious

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
So gross (in a good way), January 15, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

Vomit Economy is a resource management parser, where you take over your uncle’s factory creating gallons of vomit (why? don’t worry about it), and try to balance the profits and expenses, improve the recipe, and grow the company. Last as long as you can, through the ups and downs of the economy, and the emerging competition. Make your uncle proud?

So, will you be able to be up to the task?

The answer is definitely a no for me. Not for more than a year at least. I could stroll through a few quarters without switching things around, but as soon as passed the first year, I went full bankrupt. I don’t know whether I messed up the first few quarters or just didn’t get the recipe… The game is TOUGH!

In terms of gameplay, the input is limited to 3 commands (examine, set [to change production/characteristics], and advance), to influence a few dozens of elements in the factory: management, the formulation of the vomit recipe, the capacity of production, employee benefits, and marketing.
Trying to balance everything is pretty fun, even if tough, especially if you are into min/max-ing and resource management. However, because there is *so much* listed on the screen, you end up spending half the time scrolling up and down to check information and setting it to new levels... (it's tedious...)

I still haven’t figured out the perfect recipe tho…

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Open Flame, by Damon L. Wakes

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Let it all burn, January 15, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

An enigmatic entry, with an interesting interpretation of Hozier’s Arsonist’s Lullaby, as you play some sort of prisoner in an abbey/temple, trying to escape. You are presented with a few choices, some of which will have greater consequences than other - leading you towards one out of 5 endings.

The writing reminded me of text-adventure games, with its fast pace and concise prose, and the limited wording in actions. It gripes you, not letting you go until the end. Even then, the lack of answers from the questions it raises will probably prompt you to restart to get through another path. For me, it was the strange differently-coloured text line, which may or may not be voices in our head?

To follow the arsonist vibes (which you can try to emulate in-game), the interface includes a smoky animated background, and desaturated/low-opacity text (as if there was smoke hiding it).

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Starfisher, by lnmmnl

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Uncertainty is the only certain thing in life..., January 15, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

Filled with melancholy and discomfort, this game displays a slice-of-life snippet between a dad and their child (you), stuck in a place of tension from unresolved (and undisclosed) issues. The pacing is fairly slow, with minimal dialogue between the characters - focusing instead on what once was and how things are now different/still the same.

Neither party want to acknowledge what happened (whatever that was, (Spoiler - click to show)that may or may not involve the mother?), nor try to solve whatever issue either. The lack of resolution in the situation leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, though life doesn't always provides resolution.

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The Sun Will Blind My Eyes, by officecyborg

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Should you stay or should you go?, January 14, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This game felt like a snapshot into a life, with hints and fragments into the previous night as well as further back into the past. I liked how you could piece out a (incomplete) whole with the little bits of information parsed through your “exploration” of the room. There are some suggestive elements in some passages (which are quite endearing),

While you can try to get your partner to come back to bed, there are three endings to this game, with varying levels of success to that task (if that is what you ended up wanting to do). Some will feel closer to the song the game is based on, but all are pretty satisfying.

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(You Can't) Escape the Unholy City, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Eerie escape., January 14, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This is a short and surreal entry, where your goal is to escape… the Unholy city. It is not obvious however who or what your pursuer is at first, as the text focuses explicitly on you wanting to get away from they/it/etc. It is pretty eerie from the start, with the interface going darker as you get closer to your goal (or do you?), embodying a lucid-dream-like of narration - with the sudden jumps.

It’s a bit claustrophobic, with the sense of inevitable failure, hinted by the title. You can’t escape your fate no matter your actions.

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The End of the Line, by Coral Nulla

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Playlists inside playlists, January 14, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

With each participant given a playlist of songs to be inspired by and to use as a base for their entry, this game does not only take inspiration from all songs, but the theme of the jam itself. Through a sequence of snippets, which you can read in order or at random (like a playlist!), each inspired by a song, you get to uncover the backstory of different characters, they trials and tribulations, and maybe their ending (which you can choose).

The story takes on an interesting turn after you go through all snippets, as a way to link all stories together. Didn't see the twists coming.

The interface, made through Decker, is pretty interesting: showcasing each story in the form of a "deck of cards", with a retro/pixellated aesthetic. It gave me a bit of a StoryNexus vibe, with the story selection.
The game also provides the option of a "cheat" mode, to be able to re-read the stories and choose different outcomes for each characters without having to go through the whole game again.

This was neat!

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The Last of What We Once Were, by Jackson The Bear
Reminiscing on what once was, January 14, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This is a short and emotionally charged entry, split into two mirroring branches, each providing a perspective on the relationship and set of events. Complimenting each other, as they provide insight into vague mentions, the story goes back and forth between snippets of the past and the present meeting. Said meeting is bittersweet, filled with regrets and sadness for past actions, but also reminiscing on the beautiful moments and feelings that was.

It was very touching.

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Solkatt_ (english version), by BenyDanette

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Weirdcore galore, January 14, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp, seedcomp

Made in Decker, this point-and-click game follows Linus (you), a young adult still living with her parents in what seems to be a Scandinavian Arctic town. Linus has not had the easiest of time, being a shadow of her brother, unsupported by her family, and having gone through a breakup. In this cold afternoon, you explore Linus’s home, looking first for a bite to eat, rummaging around and reminiscing about life.

With its low-bit and dithered aesthetic, the game falls deep into weirdcore when you hear a strange noise. The pixelled background sound and flipped palette renders the already melancholic-to-depressing atmosphere to a legit skin-crawling creepy one. I don’t know whether Linus was having some sort of out-of-body episode or some otherworldly beings were at play. I don’t think an answer is needed to enjoy the game however.

The entry used all songs, and explicitly indicated where those bits can be found in the game on the game page and the credits. Each song has been used in different ways, from taking snippets of the respective music video, displaying lyrics on the screen, to using it as an inspiration for the setting and story. It is a nice blend.

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Space Wizard Rendezvous, by WizzBizz

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Space, magic, and crime(-ish)!, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: shufflecomp

This short entry combines my favourite things: wizards, space, and crime(-ish). Following Castillo and Daffodil through their little adventure (though it seems like you might be playing as Daffodil), with the goal of removing a curse casted by Daffodil's ex, you must participate in a little heist to gather enough gold.

As with every heist, things go wrong and flight must happen to save your behind. Being a wizard, you can cast some spells to thwart the guards and escape! Choose the wrong ones and... : /
I didn't have that issue, picking all the good ones from the get go, and finding the sweetest ending!

As for the spellcasting mechanic, the game provides you with different level of difficulty: a description of the spell, only the emojis representing the spell, or both - with the middle option being the hardcore one. A spellcasing book explaining each spell is also available for download.
And the mechanic is very charming, especially with the emoji chosen to represent the spell itself. I would be so down playing an extended version (maybe even with the same characters) with even more spells and shenanigans!

Being part of the ShuffleComp, the entry was based on the song [**Charlemagne by Blossoms**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLeThsTGTKM), whose vibes were very much anchored in the game (with the break up/hurt vibe, the magic from the video). The entry also included lyrics of the song between scenes, forewarning the next snippet.

It was very sweet and charming, with the right amount of tension at the right spot.

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Jabberwocky, by Outgrabe
Whimsical adaptation, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

This binksi game is an text-adventure adaptation of the *Jabberwocky* "poem", with hand-drawn background to represent each location/bit of the story. The text is quite a faithful adaptation to Carroll's whimsical (and slightly dark) style, and I'd even see the illustrations being part of a printed edition. While I managed to beat the monster on the first try (completely at random, because I forgot how the poem went - a poem included in the game, btw), it was fun restarting the game and try other directions, finding other monsters - ones you are not prepared to fight...

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A Vine on a House, by Outgrabe

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A multimedia adaptation of an old story, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

I think the synopsis says it all: it is a reformatting of an old short story, accompanied by contemporary pictures and music. This is supposedly meant to enhance the ambiance of the short story. You can go back and forth in the story, which is shown a couple of paragraphs at a time.

Though I do like adaptation of older work into an Interactive format… It didn’t really work for me, especially when portrait-oriented pictures were included (forcing you to scroll up/down the page). I found the contemporary pictures kind of going against the story, not finding the link between the specific picture and the text shown on the screen. I think it might have worked better if the adaptation also included more interactive text…

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The Peter and Paul Case, by jkj yuio

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
an incomplete interactive mystery, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: introcomp

In this pulp-like murder mystery, you play as Detective Picton (the same as in Murder at the Manor), now accompanied by his strangely attired assistant (a sci-fi suit?? in a 70-80s-like setting? the uncanney valley of her face creeeeeps me out), set to solve a new murder! This time around, the suspects are Peter and Paul, the nephews of the victim.

Visiting the murder scene, you get to investigate different rooms of the victim’s home, under the watchful eye and comments of your not-always-so-professional but very competent assistant. After finding a couple of required elements, the game ends abruptly, like it was bugging/freezing - but it is just the end of the demo.

The game does an interesting thing, mixing choice-based actions with point-and-click mechanic on images (I liked being able to “move” around the room and get a different angle)… though it is a bit finicky getting the element to click rather than bringing the image forward (a white outline above bright images are pretty hard to see).
The images sometimes disappear when clicking on certain elements (the ones that display a new interactive picture). It would be nicer if those interactive pictures could be set more apart from the text…

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FEAST OF SENSES, by graymeditations

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Strange feast, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

The context to which the game was first released (the *Worst Game of the Year* Jam) helps understand this pretty strange game. This short minimalist bitsy game introduces a handful of "maze" screens, where you must find the element to interact with (often a "sense") to move to the next screen. It is pretty silly and nonsensical, and if you manage to pass the first screen (I think your cursor is "invisible"?), you'll be in for a wild ride...

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No Space at the Movies, by Kobato Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Pocking fun at hardcore fans?, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

In this short Twine adventure, you play as a "fake Star Wars/Trek" fan, excited to see the anticipated new movie. Fan as you are, you even have a whole costume, with accessories, ready for the event. But *oh noooo!*... you didn't manage your time correctly and find yourself unable to get inside the movie theatre. Your goal is to find a way in and see the movie, whatever the cost!

The game provides you with different possible actions, branching into different fail/success scenarios - some funny, some pretty embarrassing. It's clear the PC feels very entitled to a spot in the event, even if it was their own fault they didn't get there - ready to even start a riot, if that is what is needed.

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The Loyal Doom - A PowerPoint Game, by Dev Vand

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A creative use of a non-IF medium!, January 12, 2024

It is always interesting seeing people explore IF with mediums not usually made for IF - it kinda shows that anything can be IF if you sets your mind to it. It’s pretty refreshing!

So here we have: a minimalist mysterious adventure created in PowerPoint. With limited words on the page, often just 3 separate nouns, next to a couple of 1-word actions, you can explore some sort of dungeon, face judgement, and maybe save yourself?
I got lost for a long while :joy:

While it is a pretty creative way to use PowerPoint this way, it comes with some caveats: you must only click the “link” actions to move between slides, and wait before the (much too lengthy) animations to do anything… or you will end up on the wrong slide. Shortening the animation would have made the experience a bit smoother.

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That's It Again, by Dev Vand
A low-res vague conversation, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

This kinetic (and looping?) entry spans a conversation, between two unnamed/undefined pixel characters, about a vague subject ("it") -- how it was made, what value it has, and whether to end it. The game advanced by clicking on the pixel circle appearing on the screen, rather than through choices or other active participation.

It is a bit strange and quite confusing.
What is this "it"? Are *we* the "it" those those characters talk about?
The snippet is much too short and vague to provide any answer.

The low-res interface is pretty neat tho! with the little animation of the background and the characters.

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Troll's Tale 2023, by Outgrabe
Slightly tedious and silly fetch quest, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

The game is a short-ish explorative game made in bitsy, reminiscent of point-n-click (except you use your keyboard arrows instead of your mouse), where the goal is to find all treasures of the Dwarf King. There are about 20-30-ish screens that you must go through to find all treasures, some where you will find the wanted objects, others where an element is interactive. This "fetch-quest" relies on your memory of having already explored a certain screen or not.

The game is a bit silly in its premise, with (internet?) trolls having taken treasures and hidden it. And the design of each screen, with it's 3-colour palette, is reminiscent of old school games. But it is made extra tedious by the choice of program, as bitsy relies on pressing arrows to move the cursor around...

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Bill's Passage, by Benny Mattis
Min/Max-ing US politics, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Interactive Fiction has an immense potential in making educational topics fun, especially concepts and procedures that feel pretty unapproachable and complex. Gamification and all that!

As much as bill passing can be explained simply (representatives vote on a bill they read, and it can pass - or not), it is clear there is more to the process. With needing to find support, raising funds to change minds, but not taking too long before submitting the bill to a vote... the process includes a lot more stakeholders, each with their own agenda or influence. From the Assembly to the Office of the President, you will need to min/max your way to pass your bill.

An interesting way to get a bit more of an insight into US politics (as a non-US citizen).

As a sidenote: Bill reminded me of Clippy.

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Time's Gap, by mxelm

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
What is a body but a vessel with holes, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: orifice jam

*Time's Game* is a short body horror story, where you conduct a magic ritual aimed (?) at breaking the fabric of space and time (*holes*). As you get ready, snippets of strange memories (yours? someone else's?), also orifice related, rush through your mind, debilitatingly so. Your body, unable to take it all, breaks and rips into multitudes.

The writing is very evocative and gross (in a good, Porpentine way). It makes you uncomfortable, but in a way you can't really take your eyes away from it. It crawls up your spine...

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The Good Weapon, by Madeline Wu

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
What good will it do?, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

This almost kinetic visual novel follows three (vigilante?) fighters inside a bunker plotting against a controlling (otherworldly?) organisation called VIRGIL (Big Brother-vibes). The latter’s control is so spread and wide that the only way to fight it would be to essentially nuke the Earth - or it would regenerate. Away from “real life” to ensure their safety and so their plan wouldn’t get discovered, the three characters uphold different view on how to approach the issue - discussions turning more into arguments with the “weapon” being ready.

While there aren’t meaningful choices, none that really affect the story at least, the story is quite engrossing. The story sets up enough to get an understanding of the conflicts, but stays vague, forcing you to piece things as you get more information. The culminating scene is satisfying even if as a player I barely has anything to do with it - putting an end to the MC’s struggles with their goal and their wavering will.

The visuals, with the limited palette and sprites looking like they were sketched, complements the writing and the scenes, with blinking and shaking elements, and an interesting focus on gazes.

I stiiiiiiilll… wished we could have had one choice at the end, rather having the PC making that choice for us (even if it made sense story wise).

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Door, by Dev Vand

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Doors. Just... doors., January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

*Door(s)* is a tiny game where you are shown doors on the screen, which you can click open or close, and throw them off the screen. Mess around enough with them and the screen will change, showing a different bit of text. Though it is obviously interactive, there isn't much narrative wise - the text only amounting to a sentence.

I guess the concept is interesting in a philosophical way, in that doors can open and close before us (opportunities/paths), or we can leave them behind (changing direction), but that they can still be there? There is only so much you can extrapolate from just a sentence...

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Murder at the Manor, by Jkj Yuio

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
So... why was he murdered again?, January 12, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Murder at the Manor is a short pulpy murder-mystery game, where you play as Detective Picton, tasked to solve the an unsolvable case. The game, however, only lets you interrogate the different suspects. The corpse and murder weapon have been sent for testing, and you don't even get to investigate really where the murder took place. You only get information about the case through the suspects' answers (who give very little, throwing blame on one another).

With the murdered chosen at random with every game, the whole mystery relies on a he-said-she-said about each other's alibis - each suspect never changing their location but sometimes changing their stance on whether they saw the other NPCs. After talking to everyone (which you are forced to because the butler is weirdly invested in being part of the investigation), you can accuse someone and the game ends. You are told whether your choice was correct or not in an ending sequence, which, if you were successful, mention how tight your investigation was, with a folder full of evidence (WHERE?).

Because of its length, and the surface-levelness of the investigation, neither the good or the bad ending feel quite satisfying. You accuse someone and thrown forward in time to after the court case, told only of the result. Not knowing why the suspect would murder the major, or even how they could have done it... what was the point of it? Where is the conflict? Why was there a murder in the first place? How could they have done it?

I restarted the game a handful of times, randomly picked a suspect without going through the whole interrogation... and managed to get the correct murderer half the time. I think it would have worked better if you could actually do some investigating, searching for actual clues, maybe get the coroner's report or more information about the weapon, or pressing for motives.

On the interface side, the chosen colours for the links made it pretty hard to read with the dark background. The "Undo" button wasn't working either when you reach the end. There didn't seem to be a "Restart" button either.

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Occhiolism, by DagitabSoft

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Choices were made, but you won't make any., January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

In the format of a kinetic visual novel (you have *one* choice that doesn't affect anything), the story follows an almost fusional couple, brought together by a traumatic event. With surprisingly similar principled values (pretty conservative and somewhat condescending views on relationships and intimacy), the couple faces a bump in their relationship when Patty Nicole starts behaving strangely.

Unable to go to certain spots or to talk about what is bothering her, the games makes it obvious what happened to her (CW: (Spoiler - click to show)attempted assault), though it does it with a twist ((Spoiler - click to show) the assault wasn't physical at the end, because she escaped him, but he cursed her by "removing space" with magic???). Honestly, it feels like trying to make some sort of allegory for sexual assault on pure/virginal women, but spoiling it with its implementation of an otherworldly/fantastical element. SA is a very touchy subject, and the game handled it carelessly.

The games lays it on thick on the critique of society, especially the loose morals, individualism, and the focus on money rather than relationships. It comes out as pretty patronising, especially when opposite values are presented to the couple -- if you don't follow their principles you are bad -- and almost childish.

And that's without going into the last third of the game, where the couple deals with the Patty Nicole's issues, which weirdly turns into some sort of anime-like fight, with the big baddy monologue before the "power of love" punch ends it all. It does cheapen the whole thing...

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Bittersweet Harvest, by DagitabSoft

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Didn't quite hit the mark, January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

In the format of a kinetic visual novel (there really aren't any choices), the story follows an Harvester - an otherworldly being who 'harvests' human memories - on a case: a young woman wanting to erase the memories of her former lover and the child she gave away.

I... don't know what to take from the game honestly. I can't say what the message of the story was. It seemed to be critical of one-night stands and loose morals - almost condescendingly, with pushing the almost unattainable 'pure love' - while dealing very carelessly with the situation of a child ((Spoiler - click to show)in what world was the child given away without getting the father's approval?? when the father was told about the pregnancy and birth? It seemed to hint the child was some months old?). It was as if the story put itself into a corner with having the child involved into the woman's back story and just... yeeted it away when it became too cumbersome. That was... very uncomfortable.

As for the climax of the game, the story kinda pulls the rug from under you, by having the Harvester (Spoiler - click to show)"seeing the light" and becoming a human because of what he witnessed with that case. I don't really get how *this* was the turning point for them to change this way. It felt a bit cheap?

I did like the introduction of the game, with the exposition of Harvesters and one of the humans who used their services.
I thought it could have been more interesting following *that* person after losing their memories...

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The Last Mountain, by Dee Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Running down that hill, January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: parsercomp

I could not be furthest from the intended audience for this game: I absolutely hate running. I just don't get the appeal or why people would push themselves to exert themselves this way. Anything related to it will give me the hives...

Yet, I found myself engrossed with the story. Your will to finish this gruelling race, hopefully getting a good time too. Your frustration with your running companion, who is unusually lagging behind and whose condition is starting to worry you. And your struggles with the path, not quite as safe as you hoped.

While you are the character advancing the story, I felt it was more about Susan (or your relationship to Susan) that mattered most here. There are hints through most of the game to why your companion doesn't seem like herself -- though her condition is only vaguely mentioned in the ending, it is easy to assume what's what. Depending on your actions, the ending you get is heartwarming, even if a bit bittersweet, or pretty tragic...

The game is pretty short, with three and half room and hinted puzzles, branching into multiple endings (I think I managed to get three by myself?). One branching choice seems to have a random component to which path you'll end up taking (with the correct direction potentially changing with each playthrough).

It was a good well rounded short game!

We love games that make things accessible for newbies! :heart: walkthroughs

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Lucid Night, by Dee Cooke
A trippy [refreshing] experience, January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: punyjam

This was a very trippy experience, as lucid dreams can often be. It is surreal right from the start, finding yourself inside an airlock rather than cozy in your bed. Jumping from dreamworld to dreamworld, each with their specific "puzzle" and logic, you learn that you have trouble finding sleep, resting sleep especially. Having tried different remedies (each bleeding into the dream snippets funnily), you still struggle with getting good sleep.

The writing is pretty playful, going smoothly from the strangest descriptions of the dreamworld to a more frustrated tone of your awaken self. And vivid - painting lovely images, especially in the dreamworld.

The puzzles are fairly simple and fairly well hinted in the room descriptions and command responses. Even as a parser noob who doesn't always find the solution easily, it was still a smooth short game, with a satisfying end.

I wish my lucid dream were *this* fun!

Thanks for including a downloadable walkthrough too! I got to experience the "good" ending thanks to it!

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After the Accident, by Amanda Walker

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Moving to the core., January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: seedcomp

Holy moley, what a game! Grabbed me by the throat and would not let me go...
I was at a loss for words for a long time when I reached the end.

Based on After the Accident, a poem by Sophia de Augustine, the story flips between the present, where excruciating pain and confusion overwhelms you, and snippets of memories, walking down a bittersweet memory lane. Showing that love is complex and relationships are complicated.

The mirrors between the present and the past, and the different snippets themselves, each adding details to what has come to be, bring powerful imageries and strong reactions towards the story and the characters. The deeper you go in the story, the more heartbreaking it becomes. But there is little you can do to change things. You know how it ends anyway. It is inevitable. By the end, I felt like a wreck, feelings in shambles.

There was an interesting aspect in the incredible writing: the function of mundane objects to convey the state of things. (Spoiler - click to show)The car is a wreck like the PC's relationship. The offered gift feels soft, giving you a warm lovely embrace, but still smells of the fight for the PC. Bread-making is used as a (re-)bonding moment, but drips of milk outside of the bowl breaks the hope of a good reconciliation. A meaningful portrait at the start of the relationship especially points out the PC's physical flaws, like a hint of what is come in the following months.

It is incredible powerful, raw descriptions of reality, painful depictions of love and hurt.

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In a minute there is time, by Aster

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A voyeur for a minute, January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: seedcomp

The entry does an interesting thing with the mechanic, limiting the playthrough to a 60 seconds - though it lets you "rewind" and try as many times as you wish. The games track which passage you visited, making it easier to find the ones you still have left.
I get why the discussions were timed, but they ended up being more frustrating to read through they they should have been because of the timer...

Though that restart may remove all that pressure from the large timer in the background ticking down the minute, it ended up stressing me out so much I found myself clicking aimlessly rather than focussing on the text itself. I had to restart the whole file (because of the tracking formatting) and "hide" the timer from the screen to actually take in the story. The "game" would still end after a minute, making it a bit more sudden, but I wasn't anxiously counting down the seconds...

The story itself is not so much narratively driven but a more exploration or snippets from a third-party perspective. You don't really do anything but look at what is around you, happening regardless of you. A bit of a voyeuristic take, wishing you'd be part of the world you are looking at, but still being incredibly distant from it.

It was an interesting experience.

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Pick Up the Cookie and Sigh, by P.B. Parjeter

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Oh the embarrassment!, January 11, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

I had completely forgotten about this short story until I tried to pick up the cookies. I thought this was going to be a Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die type of game, with multiple possible actions - but the game adapts more faithfully the short story than the title may let on.

The game does encapsulate the story pretty well in a parser format, leaving you with little to do but follow the events of the story (I did try to not pick up a cookie first...). It's pretty concise and very Adam.

I was not prepared to feel that secondhand embarrassment again...

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free bird., by Passerine

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Clever puzzles. Interesting implementation., January 10, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: seedcomp

free bird. is a minimalist hyperlink puzzle game, where you play as a bird (cockatoo?) locked in a cage yearning for freedom.

Using the seed “Feathered Fury” by Amanda Walker as the setting (locked birds by poachers), and “Room; Closed Door,” from Charm Cochran to format the text (only adjective + noun combo), the game takes us right inside the mind of our feathered friend. It is very effective in portraying this non-human perspective on the environment. And even with the minimalist writing style, the choice of adjectives gives a lot of personality to the PC (or bird-player-character).

The game has also a pretty clever set of puzzles, making you interact with different elements around you. Sometimes requiring a specific order, sometimes asking you to pick up an object and move it somewhere else... Its sparse hints give you just enough to nudge you the correct way. I still struggled a bit, picking up objects and going around the rooms, hoping it would do something... Still, it was pretty fun interacting with all those objects, carrying them on my back, and trying to trick other NPCs in helping me out.
Having different formatting between the interactive objects and other "rooms" made things easier when trying to solve the puzzles.

A pretty neat short game.

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You're a Time Agent!, by Tabitha O'Connell

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Silly time loops!, January 9, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

When it comes to time-loops settings and gameplay, Tabitha always delivers. This time taking a more silly approach to the genre, with you playing as a "dumbass time agent" that ends their missions in the stupidest of ways (essentially winging it). The goal here is to get through a guarded door. Simple, right?

WRONG!
Who Thought trying to get through a measly door with just one guard would be so difficult!

With each passage are given a couple of options, each branching into other set of choice, until you either manage to enter the building or reach a dead end. The game also lets you reset the loop from the start. Resetting will sometimes add new options (when you uncover information).
There are 3 ways to properly end the game, with 4 achievements to get.

Each path is pretty silly, tricking the guard by confusing him, or distracting him. There are tons of funny one-liners and hilarious exchanges (I laughed so hard at the (Spoiler - click to show)UNO-Reverse No, I'm your therapist option). The third ending was so stupidly funny!

I had a bit of an issue with how the learned knowledge was displayed on the page (with the oldest bit disappearing from the page), but changing the colours of the links, to display which path had been taken or which led to a dead end, was really helpful when starting a new loop!

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Cage Break, by Jac Colvin

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Escape Room - Bird Edition, January 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: seedcomp

A pretty sweet and simple premise: you are a bird stuck inside a case, one you really want to escape. How? That is for you to find out.
Around you are other caged birds - some of which want to follow you to freedom, other disillusioned by the possibility. Each bird getting a "prisoner" trope was pretty funny (the old one who's been here forever, the loud one that might bring attention from the guards, the one who could betray you...)!

Framed as some sort of escape room (you can't just open the cage and fly away), the game gives enough tension throughout the text to feel the danger creeping ever so closer, which could foil your plan for freedom. Still, you have more than enough time to play all the available actions without getting caught (it is possible to click all options!).

It did make me wish for more puzzles/manipulation actions within the choices, to maybe feel a bit more “escape room”-y. If you are methodical in the order of picking choice (top->down) - like me - it resolves things a bit too quickly/simply.
And there might be a little bug, where the text does not take into account you ate the food?

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NEST, by Ryan Veeder

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Frustratingly Delightful!, January 8, 2024
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Word-play-ish parser my beloathed… (/jk)

Through exploration and mini-puzzles are part of the game, its central mechanic relies on the player trying to find the word for a special command to navigate through the coded world. While the commands [help] and [hint] are not configured, the descriptions/responses of actions or discussions with the NPCs (and incidentally the name of the game) hint at what that word could be.

I needed to restart the game a couple of times, because I kept being stuck in one room that required that command to exit it (and since I hadn't found it then, there was nothing else I could do). The game does advise you to restart and explore a different part of the world if your get stuck as well - so you can get another hint that would get you closer to the end.
[I thankfully got some help from super-parser players, after going through a list of potential word and being super frustrated...]

Even with the frustration of being forced to restart and getting stuck again and again, and trying way too many words, the game is still delightfully funny, especially in the responses from the game!

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A Thing of Wretchedness, by AKheon

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Unsatisfying ending(s), December 16, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

A Thing of Wretchedness is a horror “sandbox” parser, set in an empty farmstead in the middle of winter, away from any life, some time around the 70s(?). You play as an older woman, who having lost her husband recently(ish), deals with grief… and a wretched thing roaming the house. You want (need?) to get rid of this things, but how?
The game includes an external walkthrough with general guidelines on achieving one of the 3 endings.

The start is pretty intriguing with a more mundane take on horror, by having an indescribable thing roaming around your house, not actively hurting you, but also not letting you feel at ease either - you can’t bear to look at it. It is made pretty obvious there is some sort of relationship between you and the thing, in that it won’t hurt you and you kind of take care of it. Exploring the different rooms and its items may help get an idea (nice details there!).

For some reason, after months - or maybe years - of being tortured by its presence, you want to get rid of it now. Your first idea would be to poison it, as the introduction explains, though you are not too keen on hurting the thing either… In this regard, the games gives you multiple paths to take care of the thing, with some options more violent than others. This is the sandbox aspect of the game.

Some endings, especially the one which supposedly gives the most context, rely on timing and RNG. You set up an action that requires the thing to do something, but it may take a while or the thing may end up doing something completely useless, or hurt you. This becomes frustrating pretty quickly, as resetting the action sometimes takes so loooong.

I was also a bit disappointed with the endings too, as they don’t really answer anything at the end - the open-ended-ness leaving you with more questions than answers, especially if you don’t get the ending that provides some information. I still have no idea what was that box about…

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Barcarolle in Yellow, by Víctor Ojuel

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Missed the mark with loads of potential, December 16, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Barcarolle in Yellow is a meta parser, working as an interactive movie script for a pulpy giallo, blurring the lines between reality and movie scenes. You play as B-list probably-washed-out actress Eva Chantry as she gets the call to star in the eponymous movie. With a twist-on-twist-on-twist, the game includes multiple endings (found A, I know of at least 6), in-game hints, and a walkthrough for one ending (A).

This game got me a bit conflicted.

The premise is enticing, the poster is so eye-catching, and the starting scene? an incredible way of hooking players. So darn unique! With the formatting the game introduction and credits, the game seem to play heavily on movie codes. With its whole fake-cult movie vibe, it reminded me a bit of the Goncharov meme. I was really intrigued with what the game had to offer, what meta commentary it might be making about the genre, or how to approach the scene/real-life aspect.

Then I started the game… and the problems followed. During the first proper playable scene, a Spaghetti Western filmed in Spain, events ended up repeating itself when I took off my costume after the shoot ended, with the director screaming CUT again, belittling Eva for screwing with filming.
The following scene is timed, with any wrong move, any missing action, leading you to your early death. I died and restarted the game so many times because of that ONE scene needed a very specific sequence of actions to ward off your stalker. The timing is so tight it barely takes into account failing or asking for hints.

The rest of the game feels pretty railroady, with us/Eva getting few opportunities to have agency. This makes sense, considering she is an actress playing the role given to her, following the directions told. You have some options of choices here and there, which influences the story, but not much more. There is only one path you can take, or you’d lose the game, essentially.

But the game is not always clear about which actions are the wanted ones. It does provide hints, which are formatted like snippets of a movie script, telling the player a general idea of what they should do next (this was so smart!). Sometimes, the necessary (and unusual) action is not included in the hint… making things complicated.
This maybe the most obvious in that first times scene. I had to look the walkthrough up to avoid (finally) dying right at the start. It really takes you out of the immersion the game so craft-fully created in the prior moments. It happens again when shooting the scene on the bridge. The undercluing really messes with playing.

After trying and failing to get through the game… I just opened the walkthrough and followed it to the letter… or tried to. Your hotel in Venice changes name with every playthrough (that was neat), but only one is included there (so I died… again and again, until I realised what was wrong). I would have been nice if the walkthrough included all possible paths instead of just that one ending…
I’m sure someone will end up publishing a comprehensive walkthrough at some point…

The writing goes all-in in the giallo genre, with the depiction of Eva as this seductress woman in her hotel room - the character being overtly sexualised, but also wink-wink hihihi - as well as being the subject of quite a large amount of violence… and not being able to do much about it on or off screen. It’s not really pleasant to go through, honestly, and I am not sure what the point of the game was concerning this.
Was it discussing how movies with shitty budgets have bad production periods where accidents happen but everyone have to deal with it? Is this a commentary on standards in the entertainment industry for actresses, especially in terms of being replaceable when their attractiveness fade? Or about the psychology being having no agency through the frame of an “adventure” game? Is there even a message in all this? Do you need to find all the endings to get the overall picture? (I hope not…)

This game had ticked all the checkboxes for being incredible, but its potential just fell flat with the muddled and sometimes buggy implementation. It has a good solid back bone, and some neat things (the script formatting and custom messages), but it still needs quite a bit of tweaking to make it the cult movie/game it is hoping to be.

Final note: spam Z at the end of the game for bonus features.

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Have Orb, Will Travel, by Jim MacBrayne (as Older Timer)
And Travel you will... A LOT, December 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Have Orb, Will Travel is an old-school style parser, where you play a wizard tasked to find an elusive orb somewhere inside a quaint cottage, to gain back the Council’s trust. With its custom system and Interface reminiscing of old Minitel pages, the game is a puzzle fest. Though you will not really reach a failed state, the puzzles are fairly difficult. The game includes hints and a walkthrough, both of which I used extensively.

Old-school style parsers intrigue me, in their implementation (often confusing for new parser players), their sometimes convoluted puzzles, and the sheer amount of work needed in the back-end to make things work. They require a lot of attention, out-of-the-box thinking to solve puzzles, and knowledge of the codes in interacting with elements. Reaching the end feels like an achievement.

But I struggled with it so much. I didn’t even exited the first room before I ended up opening the hint sections… which weren’t actually helpful in my case. Turns out, keys are not the only way to open a door. Who knew? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Still, I persevered, because I am not a quitter, and ran around the cottage, trying to interact with anything in my path. Sometimes it worked well, and I could unlock things just fine (and feel so darn smart about it), sometimes… it was a frustrating disaster (;-; mazes yall… that one broke me.).

For how interesting and new some puzzles felt (actually, the maze, as strange as it was) or how reined-in the clues were (not always helpful, but fun anyway!), there were quite a lot of friction when it came down to playing it. For examples: you’d need to type a very specific command to get things, not just take item; even if a thing is mentioned in a description (especially an item), the program might not let you examine it unless it is in your inventory, pretending even it does not exist; one of the first items available to you is a book, but you can’t read it completely unless you turn each of its pages… All of these little frictions do end up adding up, making the game maybe a bit more frustrating than it could be.

Most of the latter part of the game (which I reached only because of the walkthrough), revolves around manipulating different machineries that affects other bits of the map. So you end up going to some part of the map, interact with one thing, walk around the map to see if it affected it correctly, walk back to the machine (which is sometimes going the long way round because of one-way passageways), pressing some more buttons and doing it again… Damned if you enter the wrong combination, because the game has many rooms.

While you are supposedly a wizard, and can learn 3 spells in-game, you surprisingly use very little magic to solve puzzles - the spells being used at most 3 times in total. You spend more time walking around the cottage or manipulating buttons, dials, and handles. You do end up getting a wand at some point though…

For all the text the game has, it answers surprising little in why you need to find the orb, how it got there, what it does, or how important it is to the Council. The game is so focused on the puzzle, you mainly learn about the setting or context of the story at the start, with the quest of finding the orb handed to you. Just a little bit of nudging and framing would have helped.

I still found the game fascinating - even if it may have broken my spirit a little bit, resulting in finishing the game with the walkthrough opened next to the game instead of solving it all by myself. The interface is very playful and colourful (though the timed text gets annoying by the second use of the ring), and the use of background noise gave the game a lot of charm. The ding notification when solving something and gaining points was so darn rewarding!

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Lake Starlight, by SummersViaEarth

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Magic Summer Camp - The Extended Intro, December 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Lake Starlight is an incomplete young-adult fantasy game, where you play as a teenage girl on the day of her “coming-of-age” celebration, during which she will be given the choice to go to a Magical Summer Camp™ to harness her powers or * shrug *. Themes of sisterhood, environmental justice and anti-corporation are prevalent throughout the story. The current version includes two endings: a “sad” one, and the end of Book 1 (which ends abruptly).

I didn’t particularly enjoy this game, honestly. It wasn’t much of the typical YA setting where the Earth is on fire, society is really bad, but you (yes you! a teenager) can change the course of humanity and solve all its problem (with magic!) - those can be pretty fun! But the execution didn’t quite click with me.

I think part of my issue with it was both in how lengthy the passages where, giving the player little to do but try to digest the over-exposition of concepts or other characters. I’d often go dozens of passages before I could do something… if the game wouldn’t pull the rug from under me and end up choosing for myself instead. I wondered what the point of it all was…

Even if the game goes all-in with the exposition, and in a pretty cliché way (a very-YA style), it often does very little with the concepts introduced. The world is pretty bad all around, but who cares, here’s your ticket to essentially Heaven on Earth for the summer. Meet a bunch of girls with tragic or at least interesting backstories, but you don’t get much to do with them or engage with those background either. The reason for it being the story being incomplete. One would hope this would end up being more fleshed out when/if the game updates.

I played this game twice, finding the bad ending first… and I think I liked that ending better. It at least gave closure. The “good” path of Book 1 ends too abruptly…

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Last Vestiges, by thesleuthacademy
Watch out! This will be on the test!, December 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Last Vestige is a fairly short parser, built as a mix of an escape room and mystery solving. You play some sort of detective, called up on a case, to find the hows and the whys of a strange death. The game includes hints in-game and an external walkthrough.
I played the post-comp version, which had fixed some stuff.

Called up on a Sunday to check out a crime scene, you end up in a single room with a handful of furniture pieces and clearly no sign of entry or struggle... or body for that matter (taken away by the police already). You can roam around the room, snoop and interact with the stuff, or ask questions to Inspector Knapp and the landlord - though they may not be as helpful as you may want. Who doesn't love a good ol' mystery on their day off?

The game calls itself part escape room, part detective mystery. I thought the 'escape room' part was on point, the solving the mystery part less so...

As soon as you arrive on the scene, you are "stuck" inside those walls, with Inspector Knapp calling you back inside every time you try to leave (that was funny). To "escape" it, you need to find the item the police has yet to discover: a hidden item, locked behind a multitude of keys and passwords.

Like you'd expect from an escape room, you need to interact with object to find information or and element that will help you interact with another object, which in turn... repeat until you uncovered everything. I struggled with the piano puzzle (had to look that one up because I only know the Do-Ré-Mi...), but I thought the nonogram was a neat one! I did try to "solve" that one on the wall instead of the correct device however...

Through snooping around the room, you may be able to link things together and solve the overall mystery (what truly happened in the room). Better remember to write things down, because you will complete the game with a test!

I honestly failed pretty hard, especially the 'how'. I picked the completely wrong option, because of that one little detail I hadn't uncovered when probing the NPCs on the victim's condition. I didn't make the link between the victim's health and their demise. There were even options on that final test I was surprised by, since they didn't come up during my playthrough...

Some mystery will require some prior knowledge on a subject to solve it, this one is medical conditions. While there are hints in the game, I think there should maybe have been a few more items to bring the player to the right path (like a piece of clothing for the victim's condition or notes of a doctor...).

As the final note of the game indicate, this game was create for educational purposes. I think this was telling on how the game was formatted, both in terms of what is available to interact, the hints and information provided by the NPC/action responses, and the test at the end. If I were a student in this class, I'd probably have quite a bit of fun figuring out the whole thing (and maybe not struggle as much as I did at the end...).

Overall, it was enjoyable. I'd try another mystery/escape room from this author.

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The Tin Mug, by Alice E. Wells, Sia See and Jkj Yuio
Good deeds always pay off, December 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Tin Mug is a fairly short choice-game where you play as a tin mug, on its birthday. It is a fairly linear story, with the binary choices leading to the same ending. The game is maybe more meant for children, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Though it is your birthday - as a tin mug - you are faced with many challenges: fancier china and crockery looking down on you for being so cheep, rowdy children not caring much for things, and well... the lack of birthday wishes. Through trials and tribulations, things take a charming turn, leading to a well deserved send-off. It is simple but hits the mark. Good deeds always pay off.

And had cute illustrations to accompany the text!

While it was very cute, I struggled most with the program used for this game. Strand is a parser-choice hybrid format (though it uses only the choice mechanic here), where the formatting of the text leave to be desired.
- For longer passages, the program would force you to scroll back to the top of the added text to pick the story up from your last choice. This was particularly egregious when illustrations were added through the new bits of text.
- As for the illustrations, their scaling didn't quite work, covering often too much of the page, forcing you to zoom out to get it in full.
- Often, the dialogue would be formatted in ways that made it difficult to distinguish who was speaking when, as the speaker would change multiple times within one line/paragraph.

It is an entry with lots of heart, but needs a little tweaking still.

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Shanidar, Safe Return, by Cecilia Dougherty
A twist on the kinetic genre, December 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Shanidar, Safe Return is an interactive fiction piece where you follow a group of Neanderthal/Cro-Magnons first fleeing for safety, than travelling to the distant land of Shanidar. The story is set from the start, though your reading will depend on which link you click.

This was quite the peculiar entry. Not just because of its subject - while there are many IF games going back in history, very few end up that far - but the way the story is told. It flips between different POV or groups of characters depending on the link clicked, sometimes even going back and forth between present and (close) past. The passages, sippets of side-stories connected through the overarching story, tells the escape of Haizea and her group, their temporary settlement in the Bear Cave, and their travel towards the promised land.

The story follows a staggering 19 characters, including you (23 if you count the mentioned NPCs), which can be quite confusing. Even with the list of characters opened on another screen, the going back and forth was sometimes quite a bit, especially when the game is not quite consistent with the naming of the characters, and because it introduced characters almost constantly. Though, I appreciated the fact the game allows you to start the act over to connect more dots, and maybe even find new snippets.

With those snippets and the fairly concise prose, the piece reminded me of those documentaries trying to “reconstruct” how humans lived back then. Unlike those representations, Shanidar does a lovely job at humanising both spieces, through the descriptions of customs and relations between the characters.

This was pretty different, and I’m not sure I managed to connect with it as much as I would have with a more traditional way of storytelling. The lack of actual meaningful choice (opportunities to have some are plenty here) relegates the player more as a reader-first than an active participant.

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Magor Investigates..., by Larry Horsfield
But we investigate little..., December 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Magor Investigates… is a relatively short linear parser, where you play Magor, the court’s sorcerer. Though the game is part of a series and a larger universe, it is not required to have played other instalments to complete this game (relevant information is provided in-game). In this entry, you are tasked by the king to work some genealogy magic and find whether the monarch has some relations to another crowned head. While there is no walkthrough, a comprehensive hint system is implemented.

This was a quaint and low-stake little game. With the return of the King after a difficult quest, you are given the simple (though maybe tedious task) to trace back your monarch’s lineage and hopefully find a connection to another royal family. But oh, no! the Archivist is down with a bad stomach ache and can’t let you browse to your heart’s content. Good news! Being a sorcerer, you have an extensive library, which includes a tome on remedies. Fix up the concoction, nurse the archivist, go back to your main task, and report back to the King. End Credits!

From the premise, and the length advertised on the IFComp website at an hour and a half, I… expected more. Even though I loved the cozy and low stake vibes of the game (with a non-existent difficulty, and super well hinted actions), I was done within a third of the expected time, having completed the 9 out of 10 tasks.
The discussions with other NPC are triggered after an action, which you (the player) do not control/cannot change (you can’t ask people questions). This is a bit of a shame, because those discussions are at times lengthy (had to scroll back up at multiple occasions), and could have been broken into multiple actions.
As for the investigation, only one action is require before the task is complete. And even if the game includes many room, the engine does not let you explore much of it, as it tries to railroad you into one specific path.

Another gripe I had with this game was the visual aspect. I am all for funky and bright interfaces, but the use of this particular palette with the Comic Sans font was quite painful to the eye. And when you have long block of texts on the screen, it is not really comfortable to read. For this aspect, I was kinda glad the game was fairly short.

It was a cute short game, otherwise.

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Am I My Brother's Keeper?, by Nadine Rodriguez

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Will you answer the call?, December 12, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I replayed it recently ~~

Am I My Brother's Keeper? is a short mystery Texture game focusing on the themes of grief and loss. You play as Sara, whose sister Sofìa has disappeared without a word. That is until your phone rings once more. The game has two endings.

Though short and fairly linear, this was still an interesting game, where the story pulls you in from the first page. There is a mystery afoot, but you are powerless in how to solve it. The desperation of the PC wanting to find her sister is gripping, but the most disheartening thing is her realisation about her relationship with her sister, and her struggles of having been enough for her, of having reciprocated enough. The mystery is even enhanced with all the questions left unanswered (what truly happened to the sister? who is this mysterious figure?) In this game, the writing shines the most.

When I first played it, it had taken me a while to understand the meaning of the title, since there are no brothers ever mentioned in the game. It only made sense when choosing to avoid answering the fated call. The whole Abel and Cain reference makes total sense after playing that route.

Though there are interactive elements on the screen*, there is only one branching block in the game - the phone call - which sets the tone for the rest of the story. After that point, which happens pretty early on, it may feel more like the game is pulling you towards the end rather than you having agency through these paths.
*options of which I wished it would disappear after use rather than stay on the screen.

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Thanatophobia, by Robert Goodwin

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Help me help you., December 12, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I replayed it recently ~~

Thanatophobia is a relatively short horror chat-like parser in which you play a therapist trying to uncover what is scaring Madeline, your patient. There are two elements to uncover, before you can make progress and reach the end.

I remember enjoying this game quite a bit when I first played this game, mainly because this is a parser where you could type complete nonsense and still get a coherent response out of the chatbot. Even if there are hints on the page, to guide your psychological session, their vagueness didn't make you feel cheated for solving the puzzle. My stance on the game has somewhat evolved since.

As with my first playthrough the game, I enjoyed the psychological horror aspect of the story. From the start, there is something quite wrong with the person answering your questions - questions often left somewhat unanswered. Madeline only reveals the truth when your force it out of her, probing her mind until she gives in - which at times requires quite a bit of walking around the bush, as she is not the most forthcoming person, deflecting any element that is a bit too hard to deal with.

Replaying it so long after, I had honestly forgotten about the twist that came with the final beat of the game. Until the absolute last moment, I even was doubting who the strange figure was truly (something I had caught early on the first time around). Still, that moment brings everything into context, showing how much Madeline struggles with her issues and how it affected her. It is incredibly sad, yet ends on a hopeful note.

The horror aspect of this game doesn't just stem from the setting itself, and the story as a whole, but the gameplay as well. Unlike the majority of parsers, this one is not bound by rigid commands to advance the plot. Instead, the system will still respond to the most strange commands given (even complete and utter nonsense). It is incredibly eerie how the "AI" answer your questions, even striking back in frustration when you are not making any substantial progress with the session.

But this system is not without friction. As it is a chat-experience, Madeline does not say more than a few sentences at a time, forcing you to time a command during monologues - which at times broke if the command resembled a bit too much one for another bit of the story. I think I would have rather gotten a larger block of text, or multiple messages in a row.
In the same vein, getting information out of Madeline is sometimes pretty frustrating, even if you can mark it out as 'the patient being a bit difficult in sessions because it is a heavy topic'.

Overall, this was an interesting game. One I do not wish to revisit any time soon.
Turns out, I have thanatophobia too :/

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The Paper Magician, by Soojung Choi

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Riddle me... some exact answers, December 12, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Paper Magician is an interactive game centred around a singular puzzle. In it, you play an unnamed PC, a test subject, whose knowledge goes little further than the four grey walls around them and the books provided by the other scientists. That is until you meet a magical cat who helps you escape.

I’m a sucker for speculative fiction, especially when it has some fantastical elements attached to it! And boy, did this game scratched that itch!

I’m a sucker for speculative fiction, especially when it has some fantastical elements attached to it! And boy, did this game scratched that itch!

Told from the POV of the PC, the game starts with a fairly lengthy introduction, going through the thoughts and experiences of the PC stuck in the test room since they woke up. With no memories prior to their awakening (suspicious!), the PC describes their life in that room, what is around them, what they do, what they feel, what they hope…
It takes a while - until the introduction of the cat - for the story to move on, allowing both the PC and the player more agency and to tackle the main obstacle (escape!). Until then, the story is pretty linear, almost kinetic, with the few and far between choices adding little variation to the screen.

In the second beat, you are able to roam around the 8 available testing rooms, go through documents left behind, and attempt to enter codes to unlock a door and escape. Fail to enter the correct code, and the scientists are averted of your little escapade outside of your room, grabbing you and sending your right back in there.

In and of itself, the puzzle (entering the correct codes) is fairly straight forward. Each password is accompanied with a question related to a bit of information found in the documents. The downside of those textboxes is that they don’t just require the correct string of word(s), it also needs to be formatted the correct way (capitalised). While the first is slightly annoying, as the phrasing of the documents gives some questions a bunch of options for answers, the latter is pretty frustrating - not all words are capitalised…
This adds A Lot of friction to the game, since getting the answer wrong sends you back to your cell.

Another bit that made it more difficult than it should was navigating the little complex. Even with only 8 rooms, the way their locations were defined was a bit confusing - especially when the description mentions opposite walls, but the directions are next to each other ( East - South). Drawing a map will help, especially to remember where each code need to be inserted (in case you fail).

Finally, if you manage to enter the correct codes in the correct places, you will trigger the final third of the game: your escape.
The ending sequence is a bit bittersweet, returning to the more kinetic approach, similar to the introductory part. The events are played out before your eyes, without much interaction required from the player, de-escalating greatly the tension built during the puzzle. But it is also very lovely, and sweet, giving a proper send-off to the story with its resolution.

And yet, I did leave the game wishing for a bit more. Maybe more interactivity in the first part, or another puzzle or two trying to escape the compound (maybe it’s much larger than those 8 rooms), or have more agency in the final confrontation with the scientist (maybe giving them their just desserts.

Still, it was a neat little game. I enjoyed the premise of it quite a bit.

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Creative Cooking, by dott. Piergiorgio

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Creative... but no cooking., December 12, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Creative Cooking is a relatively short parser, with minimal puzzles, set in a fantasy world. Your goal is to gather ingredients to complete the different dishes planned for the dinner with your friends. The game files include a walkthrough.

The game warns out ahead of time it is a sneak peek at a much larger WIP to be released in a few years. And it is the sneakiest of peeks. A short, homey, and low-stake peek into a fantastical world. There is both little and quite a bit inside this game, which makes reviewing a bit perplexing… it is both under- and over-cooked.

First, there is little in terms of gameplay. Unlike the title and blurb implies, there is no actual cooking in this game (to my grand disappointment ;-;), though you are tasked to gather ingredients for the dishes you plan to whip up. This fetch quest takes you around your little quaint town, where you either need to talk to some NPC to get an ingredient, or pick it up yourself. Get all of them, go home, and… you’re done. Depending on your movements, you may be done in 20min or so (which is fine, we don’t need just epic stories with masterful puzzles!)… or explore a bit more, and you’ll double/triple that time.

But that exploration was pretty limited, due to the very few interactive elements coded. Each “room” comes with a lengthy description, often shining light on a handful of elements standing in that spot… though only a dozen or so items (from the 25 rooms) can actually be examined. You have a secret underground closet, but can’t snoop inside. There’s a bench in the park, but you can’t sit on it. Mentions of plants, but won’t learn more about them either. I think I spent more of my time running around the game trying to interact with things… unnecessarily because there’s nothing to do with them. And for the amounts of rooms available, it’s a bit disappointing…
As well, then you do have an action coded, there is often only one way to do it, which may not even be mentioned in the About section of the game. I had to open the walkthrough to find that solution, because it was kind of obtuse you needed to throw it.

On the other hand, it’s clear the author put a lot of time into shaping up the world of this game/teaser. As mentioned before, the room descriptions are fairly lengthy (for a parser), revealing quite a bit about the town, or introducing fantasy concept (yay for new made-up words). Yet, the library room is the clearest example of that, with the different tomes available, providing exposition for the world and what might be to come. It is the real teaser about the universe of this whole WIP project…
But it’s easy to miss, since the main puzzle doesn’t require it.

I do wonder if the time spent on the whole worldbuilding and those details could have been maybe spent on the more puzzle/interactive aspect of this teaser. Still, there is an endearing aspect to this entry, short as it was, even if the implementation didn’t quite follow what you’d expect of the parser recipe. Yet, it made for an intriguing amuse-bouche…

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Meritocracy, by Ronynn ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Mary Sue-ing our way through philosophy, December 12, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Meritocracy is a fairly linear story, where you play as a first-year university student taking their first class in a Philosophy course, whose subject is based on the topic of Argumentations and the concept of merit. You also come across a strangely relevant debate outside of class…

From the premise, you'd expect an epic discussion about merit - the good, the bad, and the eh - throwing arguments back at your professor, doing the absolute most to get your points across, and coming on top (or failing miserably, because you're just a student). You may even expect a wide-branching path, with choice at each corner, to counter your professor's points... where one wrong choice could lead to your embarrassing defeat...

What you get, however, is a more... muddled and railroad-y approach on that promise. More of a philosophy lecture packaged into a simple interactive form than an player agency-driven gameplay. The promised "battle of wits" is nowhere to be found - as the professor mainly lectures and you listen, or you answer his prompted question before he just leaves the room. The closest thing to an argumented debate I found in the game happened between two unnamed NPC, neither of which require the MC's help - even then, it is more framed as an example of the lecture*. Finally, as you have little space to convince anyone of your idea(s), you end up just trying to convince yourself of your "choices".
*the MC even points out they could interject at the start and question the orator, but doesn't which :/ is a shame! It would have made for a fun debate gameplay!

When it even comes to discussing the concept of meritocracy, which is sandwiched between a lecture on ad hominem fallacy and a weird tangent about the Trolley Problem, I found myself wandering where the depth of the philosophical thoughts were. The topic is approached on a very surface level (ooh meritocracy bad because too much expectations and it's unfair, oooh actually it's good because more creative drive and the alternative is unfair) without much discussing the intricacies of it all (e.g. muddled by a person's status/education/wealth/identity/etc...). Which is a shame, as one could question whether meritocracy truly exists considering certain class advantages some have over others OR whether it can truly be fair (how is merit defined? who defines it?).

Granted, the topic itself is quite complex to begin with (and also somewhat ironic considering the IFComp is sometimes framed as a meritocratic competition), but the point does not manage to quite land either, which ever side you take on the debate. And often, the debate is not won with rational arguments...

One potential cause for this may be found in the writing of the game.
The pacing is not quite there, dragging a bit too much at time - with the fairly long and superfluous introduction taking precious time/attention from the reader, or the fixation on the surrounding, which does not really amount to anything - and glossing over moments which should probably have been pushed further - the whole debate between you and the professor essentially.
Though the writing wants to be somewhat humorous (it felt at time it was trying to make fun of it all?), the frequent repetitions and sloppy prose both undermines this element, the setting of the game (university) and the MC's characteristics (you are a student of higher learning with intellectual capabilities*).
*but also... I've graded prose like this from uni students so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Speaking of the MC, it is made abundantly clear it is a distinct person with drive and wants and needs*... but also very much of a Mary Sue. The MC is just so good at debate, they can take on the professor on the first class BUT they are so bad at finding their class. They seem like those pretentious high school students who think they know everything, even better than experts. It's exhausting...
*I don't really get the point at the start about the MC not being customisable? It feels a bit off-putting and unrelated to the topic itself?

The concept of meritocracy isn't the easiest topic to grapple with, and the thought of turning it into a debate-like gameplay to explore its definition(s) or philosophical schools of thoughts was a good framing for it. It's a shame it could not quite deliver to what it had promised...

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Citizen Makane, by Perry Simm (as "The Reverend")

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Yu-Gi-Hoe - the Sexy card game, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Citizen Makane is an adult deckbuilding RPG, based on mythos of The Incredible Erotic Adventures of Stiffy Makane*, in a game-within-a-game type. The goal of the game is to help around the town, by completing different tasks and helping the scientific research, to escape the the "game". There are 3 endings,, the usual RPG good/meh/bad (I did not reach the end yet). The game includes a walkthrough, which I used once or twice.
*this is a pornographic parser, notorious for its misogyny and bugs, which became an inside-joke.

The game starts strong with its prologue/tutorial, made to spoof and critique the infamous original Makane game, before turning into some sort of sci-fi Venus utopia, where you are essentially the last man on Earth, following the Gender Wars. As the focus of research, to see whether the re-introduction of man would be positive enough, you need to increase the good-will of the town by completing tasks. Certain puzzles requiring a certain level, you have to bump ugly with women on the street to gain exp, formatted as a card combat system.

The writing is incredibly witty, and over-the-top horny, so much so it becomes absurdly funny. Every detail of the game is thought out. From the BDE-wink to the absurd book titles, the writing doesn't shy away to make jokes when it can. But it doesn't just play on the joke, but thrusts into it as far as it can.

Though the game is essentially horny central*, the worldbuilding behind it is surprisingly thought out. Just attending a lecture about the History of the past 300, which as a player you missed, and learning about the Gender Wars and its consequences (essentially: pretty good for women, not so for men); or listening-in on a conversation at a café about the fears of the "Stiffy's study"; or learning about the went-back-to-trading economy, but also maybe not really? It is honestly more layered than it first appears to be.
*gonna fuck them all! (sorry...)

It is also quite interesting to see how NPCs look at the player. The player is shamed when he cannot live to expectations, or pitied - never quite enough in this women-only society, which has achieved incredible technological advancement. There is a hint of tragedy, where the lone man is essentially used by the women around, either for research purpose, prestige, or novelty. Few try to connect with him on a personal level (aside from that AI/robot, which hints at an emotional climax, but I didn't get to that yet). At the same time, it is quite a funny commentary on other pornographic game (like the one based on this), where the women are essentially just used for the pleasure of men and discarded often without a second thought.

The game is quite deep. hehe

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CODENAME OBSCURA, by Mika Kujala

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Did I just become a Jane Bond?, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

CODENAME OBSCURA is a relatively simple parser with a retro-vibe, reminiscing of 90s spy movies (à-la James Bond), where you must rescue your partner in a small village in Italy, finish his mission... and save the world! The game includes in-game hints and an external walkthrough. I used the walkthrough a handful of times to solve some puzzles.

From the premise, the game screams trope spy movie, almost to a silly degree*. You must catch the big baddy that took down your partner, or at least foil his plan to maybe save the world(?). Getting to him is not an easy feat! You must clear(-ish) your name of a murder you didn't commit, run around town buying/trading/gamble things for something else, pick up anything you can on your way, not get scared of the crows**, maybe pet a cat (or not), spy-ily find a way into the baddy's villa to find some secrets, and "break" some things to stop him. Oh, and there's the fighting sequence!
(Spoiler - click to show)*a boomerang?!?!?
**are they following you???

The visuals of the game feel very retro, with 8-bit pixelated illustrations* and little colour**. The illustrations have different sizes or placement, adding a bit of depth into the mapping of the game. It was pretty neat and added to the funky vibe.
*there was the hangar one that didn't change even after the plane was gone :/
**a bit of contrast with the different text elements would have been neat.

Most of the game is relatively smooth, though I did find some friction with certain commands: insert instead of use, or having to use adjectives instead of the noun*, or not having synonyms for certain verbs (pet/pat/stroke or climb/climb over...). There were moments where the game reloaded the page, removing important information a bit too quickly (for passwords), while it wouldn't automatically for actions like opening/unlocking a door or digging. It would also have been nice to have the translation of Italian phrases in-game/passage (please keep them, they added a lot of charm), to avoid missing information (Adventuron doesn't allow copy-paste...).
This is not the game's fault but just me being an idiot, but I keep examining items before picking it up... and there were a lot in this game xD

The puzzles were a-plenty and quite diverse, but I still struggled a tiny bit with some, especially the box in the bedroom, the safe password, and the computer one. The rest involved quite a bit of running around*... I think I liked best the changing your costume ones the most (reminded me a bit of Agent 47).
*this was a bit annoying, but by the time you enter the villa, no more frustration

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Xanthippe's Last Night with Socrates, by Victor Gijsbers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Emotions bursting, with philosophy on the side..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Xanthippe's Last Night with Socrates is the imagined final night between Xanthippe, Socrates's second wife, and the philosopher - the night before his execution. Though your goal is to sleep with the man, your conversation may take a different turn... or ten.
Do check the content warning in-game page before starting the game.

As we know little about Socrates (and what we do is only through posthumous accounts), and even less so about Xanthippe (who is often represented in a negative light), one has quite a bit of leeway when interpreting those figures into a piece of fiction*. What comes out of this entry is a very nuanced and multi-faceted characters with fears and hopes, convictions and grudges, and a deep sense of love for the other.
*did they really spend that last night together?

The writing of the game is delightful, with a modern tone that one might not expect with the setting. Take aside, the piece seems to be walking the tightrope of implausibility, especially during discussions of consent and marital commitment, or the role-play between the two lovers turning into a philosophy lesson with the roles reversed. For most of the game, the modern tone is not quite noticeable, but overly crude tone at times breaks the illusion.

What worked for me the most was the real and vulnerable moments between husband and wife: the want to spend those last moments together, the hurtful words and maybe petty way to get an apology, the truthful confession of one's feelings and hidden acts... The way the game turned a known and revered historical figure as just a man - with strong principles, so strong he'd choose death, but just a man still - and an unknown variable as more than a passing disregarded line into a fleshed out person.

The start made me hungry, which turned into pain and wish for Xanthippe to take some sort of revenge, to a soothing and warming discussion about love and respect... I could have taken or left the more spicy elements*.
*actually I would have welcomed an extra option at the end where you maybe just... cuddle?

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All Hands, by Natasha Ramoutar

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Beware of the melody..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

All Hands is a short horror-y interactive piece set on a ship, one you can explore, and maybe find its secrets. Its prose is atmospheric horror, with a hint of lovecraftian. In each screen, the game offers up to three actions (Regard/Approach/Take) to interact with the text or the environment. There are multiple endings, but found just one.

Due to the vagueness of the prose on what is truly happening or even your own backstory, the entry leaves quite a bit to the player's interpretation. Called to the sea, but always forbidden to sail, you find your way to the Devil's Delight, a singular type of ship. Aboard, almost pulled in by a strange tune (music? voice?), you can explore the different rooms of the ship, or interact with the Captain's. At the end, I found myself back on the shore, believing Albertina was some sort of a mermaid, and I was her prey; and the ship itself felt a bit ghost-like.

I quite enjoyed the interactivity of this texture game, with the different actions (almost parser-like kind), how you could explore the ship and interact with different element (the books made me giggle). The few available actions give the illusion of restricted agency for the character, as if the PC was restricted in their movement or abilities on this strange ship. That and the imageries from the text really gives a creepy and almost suffocating vibe to the game.
But I wonder if Texture was the best engine to use for that, due to the lengthy hidden content shifting the text formatting (I liked the content a lot! Texture formatting it less so).

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The Whale's Keeper, by Ben Parzybok

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Conflicting proof-of-concept, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Whale's Keeper is a proof-of-concept piece for the Plotopolis engine, a system where you can play IF through a chat engine like Telegraph or Slack. It takes on the story of Jonah and the whale, as a metaphor for life's struggles and the need to escape those negative aspects. The game includes a sanity meter. I found one ending (a fairly good one?).

I struggled connecting with the story for this one, as the game went from quite vague about who you are supposed to be to a detailed bleak recollection of your life (which felt a bit of a whiplash honestly*), only to end with a milkwarm connection with the mammal, somehow. I think there must be a specific path where things fall into the right place and the passages flow better into one another.
*also not sure why the loss was treated with such nonchalance... it's a bigger deal than just a passing mention. It's a never-closing wound...

Part of my struggle I think stood with the engine itself and the interface of the game. Meant for communication/texting apps, the input works like a parser game (without the fun agency interactions), but the game is built like a choice-based games (with different passages to go through) - it made me wish the options to be clickable links like in a Twine or have more interaction with the environment like with a parser.

There was also quite a bit of friction with the display of the texts and images. The latter were so large, you'd see just half at most when on the screen. It would have been nice if the size could respond to the height of the screen, to be able to enjoy them fully.
As for the former, a lot revolved on how the text is displayed and the timing between the messages. Though there is a setting to increase/decrease the reading speed, it was finicky to set up, and I didn't feel like it helped quite a bit. The new messages would also push up the previous one, sending you back to the bottom when a new one appeared, so reading large block of text* required scrolling up and restart reading the message.
*some of these blocks were quite long, I wonder whether they were maybe too long for a phone...
**the font helped with the whole old school book/typewriter vibe, but not the easiest to read..

On the positive side, I really liked the illustrations, especially the analogue ones in ink(?). Some of the descriptions of the whale's interior were quite vivid, and I thought the interactions with Jonah were interesting.

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Fix Your Mother's Printer, by Geoffrey Golden

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
I'm choosing the throw away the printer option next time..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Fix Your Mother’s Printer is a fairly short and linear story, with a visual novel-like interface, where you try to help your mother fixing her printer ahead of an important presentation, through a Zoom-like app. There are multiple points where the game can end: you can go through the whole ordeal and fix the printer, give up before it starts, or annoy your mother and quit half-way through.

Printers are such fickle beings. They always whine and beeps when you don't use them, and refuse to work every time you have an important job for them. And when something goes wrong, they will never tell you what. Is it enough paper? Or enough ink (or the correct one)? Are the cables properly plugged? Is it a computer issue instead? Or [roll dice to select the issue of the day]? It's already a struggle for people who get printers, so when you don't have the magic touch... you just want to throw it at the wall.

Enters you, called through a fake-Zoom app, asked for help. There are multiple ways to handle the call, every as exhausting and anxious-ridden as the next. It brought back the many many times I've been called to resolve computer-related issues for my family, especially the passive-agressive snippy comebacks, the eye-rolls, and the conversation changes half-way through explanations. I seriously wanted to throw the whole printer away half-way through*. But I did like the little vignettes of the mom, especially when reminiscing old memories.
*and of course the solution is dumb, it always is with printers. they are the devil's invention...

The interface was quite playful (you wouldn't have guessed it was made in ink), with your mother's expression changing depending on the situation, moving around when she had to do something, and showing an unexpected visitor at some point. It was nice to be able to just click the text box to advance the story, rather than finding the arrow every time. And the dark mode is great*!
*How are you a tech bro and not using darkmode as your theme from the get go :P

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The Finders Commission, by Deborah Sherwood

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Running around like a mad man, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Finders Commission is a relatively short game, set as some sort of escape-room-puzzle piece where you are tasked to retrieve an artifact from an exposition, in broad daylight. There are 5 characters to choose from (though I am not sure whether they influenced the gameplay) and a handful of different puzzles to interact with. There are two endings: you retrieve the item or are caught trying. I reached the score of 92/100 after a restart.

TFC takes the campy traits of heist story, with the strange buyer requiring your help*, the security officer that has a tooth against you, the maybe-naive damsel/himbo that slip out important information, and the sneaky exit... The puzzles are diverse and interconnected, some requiring manipulation of an object, others to find a specific object to interact with another, and some to distract NPCs to enter new rooms. And there's a maze-like feel to the main location.
*I don't know whether it was a jab at like the British Museum losing artefacts recently or not wanting to give some back, but the thought of it being the case was funny :P

I played the game twice essentially, one where I felt completely lost, interacting with anything I could, solving puzzles a bit at random, and hoping for the best... and finding myself stuck, unable to find a way into a certain room to get the item to unlock the case with the artefact. Turns out, you have to interact not just with objects around you, but with NPCs (which I thought was a bit weird, you don't really want attention on you). So the second time around was easier... Though I still found myself running around the place, even after getting the map*.
*would have been nice to find a map at the start, with more indication of displayed elements on it. It's a gallery after all... and it's a bit hidden within the satchel, I would have put it in the sidebar imo. Or the rooms each have a name, like with parsers.

It was a bit bizarre to not be able to examine the case until you open it (a nice description of the item could add to the vibe, maybe staying too long would have the security guard be extra suspicious of you), or even examine anything that wasn't puzzle-related object (as a way to "blend" with the other visitors). Also a bit of a shame not to be able to interact with your rival or find a way to have them getting caught (they were really sus), or with the guard (I'm a sucker for taunting your "enemies" even if it would lead to a bad ending), or even further with the tour guide (I was promised romance ;-;*). I was a bit confused too with the need to include other locations, since you don't really have anything you can do there (unless it's the locations for future episode?).
*since the subtitle was Episode 1, maybe they'll be back in the next episode?

TFC is the kind of puzzle game that when you get it, it's smooth as butter... but if you struggle finding things or examine something at the wrong time or don't follow the steps as intended, it can become quite frustrating. With a bit more tweaks here and there, it could make for a well-rounded game.

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In The Details, by M.A. Shannon
What do you expect dealing with the devil..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

In The Details is a very short game revisiting the Deal with the Devil trope, especially the moment when the Devil comes to collect its due. You play as an artist who traded something for musical talent, for a year. Long overdue, the Devil comes at the most importune time. There are 3-ish endings, with an indication the game will be updated at some point.

The entry has quite an interesting premise and a teasing build-up, with a probably love-to-hate main character, sort of a trope-y artist full with arrogance and self-centredness. Staring with very limited actions (inspect and consider) to set up the stage, the game soon adds more actionable ventures and zest in the writing. However, the game ends, quite abruptly, when tension is at it highest.
It kinda felt like a teaser... :/

The cover art is hella dope though...

(Spoiler - click to show)(also, not sure if it was a bug or on purpose, but I couldn't tell the truth?)

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Dysfluent, by Allyson Gray
Untimely struggles..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Dysfluent is a fairly short slice-of-life story, where you spend the day as a person with a stutter, trying to get through their day. The game uses text animation to highlight the struggles of living with a stutter. While the game includes achievements, linked to choices throughout the story, there is only one ending.

Aside from my gripes with the timed text (more on that later), the game was quite enjoyable. I found the story especially quite touching with its representation of the realities of living with a stutter (the colour use for the choices were smart!*). Trying to go through the whole checklist of actions made me feel quite anxious (would I manage to go through the day before just calling it quits?), which was pushed further with the formatting of the text. Social interactions felt like a nightmare, and the flashbacks made everything worse.
*though I was a dummy, and put the same thing for the best and worst dish... played myself there...

Though there are heavy moments throughout the story, I felt like the game tried to be as light-hearted as possible (save for the flashbacks). You may have a bit of a hard time saying certain words, or get some weird looks from people, but you leave each sequence with what you needed or did the best you could. It sometimes felt like you struggled more with your own feelings than other around you? Which I makes sense if your upbringing laughed at the ailment or looked at you with contempt at best.

It was a bit of a bummer to find out you wouldn't get the job, but it also didn't feel much of a loss when it happened - partly because of the conversation you have with your friend just after the news, but also because there is not much information on the job itself or what the MC thought of the job. Was it a job where talking is required or an added bonus? Did we really want that job? Did we need the job? Was there outside expectations with getting this job? Why didn't we disclose that we had a stutter before*? Would it have changed anything if it did? Was the company open to accessibility? Did we prepare ahead of the job at all?
Just having to pick up a suit at the dry cleaner didn't feel enough, I guess?
*maybe because we feel ashamed, prob

I understand the choice of using animation and timed text to emphasise on the hardships of having a stutter, how seconds feels like minutes when words don't want to come out, how frustrating it can be to be blocked for no reason, how anxious it can make you knowing something requires speech... but the overuse and drawn-out length of the timed text becomes more a friction than pushing the point (especially as a fast reader). For many passages, I would be doing something on the side, waiting for the page to load fully before continuing to play.
As the animation setting is locked behind the ending (for understandable reasons, also makes replaying the game more smooth), I would advise a reduction of the use of the timed text (instead of bits of sentences, show the whole paragraph) or of the time between each block (at least by half, not more than 2s), or transforming it into a type-writer animation, or making the player click-to-reveal (trying to push the words out of their mouth).

Still... It was frustratingly nice.

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Last Valentine's Day, by Daniel Gao
The only way is back to the start..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Last Valentine's Day is a fairly short linear story about love and heartbreak. Set in a Groundhog-Day-like loop, the story uses references to Greek mythology to drive forward its messages. Side-story are interwoven between loops. Though you have some flavour choices throughout the game, there is only one ending.

I was not expecting the game to be this dark. From the blurb, I thought we'd get some sort of whimsical story with maybe silly ways to stop your partner from leaving, next to serious introspective ones, and maybe a choice or two of leaving it all behind. But you neither meet your partner throughout the story (save for the letter they leave behind) nor can you change much your actions before reaching the end of the loop. And through it all, the story gets darker and darker with each loop.

I liked how the game build up from one loop to the next, with details changing between each, whether it be in the descriptions, in the colour scheme, or the header font, or even the names of the locations. Behind the main story, you find the end of a long-lasting relationship, the loss in interest in a hobby, or the remembrance of a lost loved one. While the main story is quite tragic, and the use of looping to add onto the background of that storyline was interesting, I thought the highlight of the game was those side stories and the bits you could uncover with each new loop.

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Who Iced Mayor McFreeze?, by Damon L. Wakes

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Pulp noir but make it sugar sweet, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Who Iced Mayor McFreeze? is the second instalment of the Gumshoe series (or is this a prequel?), which I remember quite fondly, a noir-esque story where everything is candy. In this game, you must solve the disappearance of Mayor McFreeze, and piece out the mystery. I used the hints for the last puzzle.

Having played Who Shot Gum E. Bear? last year, I was excited to play another instalment of the series, putting my feet in Gumshoe's shoes (which I don't think she has?). WSGEB was full of saccharine fun and pulp-y detective tropes, which I looked forward to find in this new entry. In that regard, WIMMF didn't disappoint.

From the dame barging almost suspiciously into your office, to the dreary caramely rain, the goons locking you in a dangerous place and dang the body of the missing person right in front of you... the game happily takes on those tropes again, humorously throwing it back into that world full of anthropomorphic candies.
Also... the smell and taste commands are still hilarious!!

Compared to last year (sorry, hard not to compare), the main investigation is less obvious. The main clue is not shoved in your eyes at every turn in the first room (though the game introduction should hint enough at an ending), and you cannot circumvent the game's puzzle to reach the end. You actually have to go around and investigate - so you don't feel cheated when you reach the ending.

Though, while last year was throwing hints at every turn, this entry was much more reserved with it. The descriptions of the environment, items or people are more bare (which is a bit of a shame imo). It was not always clear what should or could be done (lots of trial and errors, the hint/waklthrough were nice).

I was a tad disappointed with the ending. While it felt a bit expected, I would have loved to be able to ask questions or accuse (or call back up) during that part. The conversations bits in WDGEB were very fun, and I think it could have made the final act a bit stronger with it.

Still laughed my butt off :P

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Bali B&B, by Felicity Banks
A cosy stressful week..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Bali B&B is a slice-of-life management game, where you are tasked to run your grandparents' B&B in Bali for a week. Between taking care of the guests and the house, the trials and tribulations will make you realise whether this is the life you want to live. How will you do on this test?

Slice of life games, especially the cosy ones, work like a balm on a heavy heart or mind. They make you forget about the harshness of the world and transport you into a world where you may have some things to overcome, but there is no real danger, no impending doom - worst that can happen is a disappointed NPC. BBB does just that.

Wrapped in a blanket of spice and sweets, the game makes you feel right at home, complete with the overbearing family, anxiousness of one's life's dreams, and the plethora of good food. The prose is quite lovely, short but saying everything and more - the secondhand embarrassment of my failures were palpable...

There is a lot to enjoy in this entry, from the delightful and diverse cast of characters, the different approaches to run the B&B (I'm happy to report I was terrible at it....), or dealing with unforeseen issues. But also: the food, the descriptions of the environment, the food, the cats... It was a good time, but also a bit too short of a time.

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Artful Deceit, by James O'Reilly and Dian Mills O'Reilly

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
If I can't have you, no one can..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Artful Deceit is an old school parser, made for the Commodore 64 machine (or a C64 emulator), where you are a detective hired to solve a murder, one the victim had been expecting. As the game has specific commands, reading the manual is highly recommended before starting the game.

I managed to find some clues on my own, before using the walkthrough. The game crashed* about 2/3rd through the game.
*not sure if it was because of the emulator or the game itself.

I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to parsers, especially the old types, and my frame of reference on what is or should be in an old-school parser rest essentially on what other people say about certain games. There are old-school and old-school parsers... like the ones who will only run on 8-bit machines that haven't been around since the 90s. This was the first time I dared to try out a game like this.

Even with an emulator, this was honestly an experience just loading the game and faffing about. There's something quite charming about those retro-style games (even the cluckiness of it or the loading of the command added to it), a style you can emulate visually with the likes of Adventuron nowadays. But it feels different with games like this one - sort of keeping some traditional alive in a way.

Aside from the novelty of it all, which was quite a lot for me, the game itself is a corny who-dunnit murder mystery, with a bit of a cliché revelation (but in a good way, it fits the vibe). There are some neat puzzles with hinting items close by, the ANALYZE mechanic was fun (I did send the other detective on wild goose-chases...), and I was glad to find I didn't need to read some of the clues on the tiny screen. But it wasn't too long or too large, it was just enough to solve the mystery, and seemed large enough to not feel unsatisfied.

But old-parsers also means frustrating commands, especially when trying to interact with some elements (you need to type out the adjectives, all of them) or conversing with the suspects (I barely managed to get a response from them). It's not always quite clear when an item can be open or not (like that painting) or why you have to take some objects to read them (but that might be an old-parser thing).
But the thing that frustrated me the most was the maze-like environment, especially in the manor. There are so many empty rooms where there is nothing to do... It was a bit disorienting at times. Even if the map helped a bit, I still think there were too many empty rooms...

I'm not against trying other games like this one in the future (hopefully they don't crash on me...). This was fun and new!

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Hawkstone, by Handsome McStranger
Run around in circles... literally., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Hawkstone is a retro-type parser adventure, using old-school RPG elements to drive the puzzles, and a Scott Adam-style of gameplay (not all locations are listed in the directions and puzzles can be obtuse). The game includes a walkthrough listing the required commands and order of actions*, and a built-in help system (pay in-game currency to get it).
*I messed up wanting to go my own way and skipped some steps

To say this was not the kind of game I am good at is an understatement. It combines a confusing worldmap (with weird locations) and difficult to almost impossible puzzles (hit the wrong butterfly and meet an early end). I did try to give it my best shot, but after finding myself stuck, I exclusively followed the walkthrough - save for not wanting to drop loot (but that's me playing RPG).

So Hawkstone is essentially an RPG exploration game. You get items, break some stuff, give stuff to people, maybe sell some items maybe buy some, attack harmless butterfly, and go round and round you go around the map. Do some actions and maybe level up and your skills, or get a random dice roll for extra stats. If you finish enough puzzles, you get to the end (I didn't).

There's not much direction given to you (aside from the start text telling you in case of stuck, look at stuff) and you have to rely on guess work (or just be like me and follow the walkthrough) and thinking of silly ways to solve things. The combat system is pretty fun (though it would be nice if there had been more opportunities to use it), and the game as a swanky stat/inventory system. There is quite a bit of humour in the text, especially in the reaction of actions, and if you manage to run the game without any glitches, it's pretty cool looking too!

But darn, you need to be a level 9999 experienced parser to do this adventure on your own... even a sword is not enough.

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My Brother; The Parasite, by qrowscant

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The length taken to get closure..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

My Brother; The Parasite is a raw horror highly stylised kinetic piece, which you are a woman looking for closure after her brother’s passing. Given a second change to talk to him thanks to a parasitic procedure, this speculative piece of fiction explore family trauma and processing grief.

This game is intense. It is incredibly emotionally charged, not just from the gruesomeness of the brother’s death or the description of its corpse coming back to life, but through the hints of unprocessed past trauma (between both siblings, and their mother). The story told through minimal descriptions and bare dialogue punches your gut at every turn. What is supposed to be a tool to process grief and find closure becomes another knife plunged and twisted into the wound. It hurts, but you can’t take it out or you’d die. It hurts, but if you look away and don’t confront it, you’d never find peace.

You have a feel that something is not quite right from the beginning, but it is hard to say whether it is due to the character feeling grief or something bleaker is afoot. The visuals are graining, with most of their colours washed out; some are slightly animated, with tears falling down their face, or the slight breathing movement of the corpse, or the uninterruptable thoughts glitching in the background, or the slight changes in portraits between passages… every element on the page has a purpose - which is to keep your eye on the screen until it’s all over.

Something that struck me with this entry was how the tension built from the start. It kept building and building as you go through the game, leaving you little reprieve or a moment to catch your breath. If the game could send scent, it would try to overwhelm all your senses. And the tension starts small, with a little bit of uh, something feels weird… but becomes uncomfortable, with confronting the corpse of your loved one, confronting harsh truths… and quite bleak, with the realisations of your past, of your present, of your future… and honestly quite creepy if you think too long about about it… and then oh no, oh god, everything is going wrong, are we going to die?!?!?

Though I understand the stylistic choices made in this game, and was warned with the eyestrain in the blurb, I found the font size and low-contrast colours text (especially the greys) quite hard to read. It required a little bit of changing the size on my browser and zooming in to be able to read comfortably.
would be lovely if it was a tad more accessible.
There were also some instances were the timed text and images made me wonder whether I forgot to click on something or whether my internet wasn’t working right. I didn’t mind it when the game would use a “loading” passage to change the background, but was quite confusing with the drawer bit (I also couldn’t see the 4th object in that passage, clicked at random on the page…). Maybe a bit of a shorter length for the timed text…

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Hand Me Down, by Brett Witty
Will pinch your heart..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Hand Me Down is a choice-based/parser mix game in three parts, with the middle one being the parser. You play as Ruby, who is visiting her father in the hospital (the Twine bits), during which she is prompted to play a project (the TADS bit) her father made. The parser bit includes an external walkthrough. While there are multiple ways to solve the parser, the story is linear, and with four ending.

I'm always interested in non-traditional IF, the projects that mix and match elements of different gameplays, and blur the lines of the parser/choice-based divide. I was especially intrigued with this entry how the parser bit was implemented into Twine, especially with code from another parser language (separate files, it turns out).

And the game introduces the inclusion of a parser bit inside the game, and why you play it, quite smartly. Out of all three acts, I felt like the opening of the game was the strongest, introducing the characters and their wants and fears, and the relations between them. It was very touching, and also heartbreaking, to see Ruby and her father interact with one another, as he wants to avoid any negative conversation with her and to focus on showing her his project, while she wants to know what's going on with his health.

The weakest, to me, was the last bit. While the storylet mechanic was pretty well done (really worked with pushing your father to talk things out), there were some issues with that part not taking into account the actions of the previous acts or within that bit itself. For example, when calling the mother for advice, it did not take into account that I lied to her in the opening; or when she calls, disrupting the conversation, she doesn't acknowledge you called her moments ago; or when discussing the game with your dad, you have options to pick invitations or outfits you might not have found in the game (that one felt a bit cheating).
Since it's hard to implement different programs into one game, it made sense that the bits didn't "talk" to each other. But it also made it noticeable when things were not fully coherent. I wonder if creating codes for actions in the previous act, to input in the last one could have helped track some choices?

I think I missed quite a bit from the parser bit itself. That part of the game seemed to be quite large (you have essentially 5 solutions for each box to tick), with apparently Easter eggs hidden throughout (notes of the father - I found one). Each item to get come with its personal puzzle, over 15 of them, each of varying length.
But if you don't try to find every invitations, or costumes, or gift, or if you used the walkthrough to go through the parser, it's fairly easy to miss the seemingly gargantuan work the father had done over the past 20 years. I shared Ruby's sentiment of "uh... that's it?" when I moved on to the last act, and felt bad for the father for having put so much work into something that seemed so small...
I would have loved a map to be included in the walkthrough, some of the directions were confusing...

This was a neat experiment, with a touching story. A real tearjerker.

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All the Troubles Come My Way, by Sam Dunnachie
Is a cowboy still a cowboy without his hat?, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

All the Troubles Come My Way is a very short game, where the goal is to find your hat in a strange place. While the game is fairly small (you are limited in ways you can get to an end), it uses a stat check mechanic to let you/block you from using certain options. I found 3 endings.

ATCMW is very silly, and not apologetic about it. It knows it's silly, and will leave you with wanting more silliness by the time it ends (which is quite abrupt, unfortunately). I mean, why not have a time-travelling cowboy go into the future and disassemble and reassemble an Ikea table? This is the kind of silly I look forward in the comps :P

The stat-related interaction with the world around is delightful and quite funny, giving a nice flair to the overall vibe of the game. Though, it is a shame that levelling up those stats took longer than actually solving the main "issue". I wish we could have has more outside interaction (still in the building or outside of it), and be able to use those stats more.
I should have expected the consequences of drinking yourself under the table, but it still took me by surprise.

Still a fun short time.

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Dr Ludwig and the Devil, by SV Linwood
But what if *you* tricked the devil?, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Dr Ludwig and the Devil is a small parser game, where Dr Ludwig recounts a time where he made a deal with the Devil, and find a way to keep his soul. The parser is fairly beginner friendly, including an external walkthrough and in-game hints. I used the walkthrough to solve some puzzles.

If the blurb didn't catch your eye, the introduction inside the game surely should. Mixing Drs. Faust and Frankenstein lore with a good dash of humour, Dr Ludwig and the Devil is a delightful small parser cracking laughs left and right. From the witty dialogue, to the descriptions of rooms, reading through the pages of a book or failing to act accordingly, the game just wants to make you cackle*. It is here for a good and fun time!
*also... why do you mean you can't do magic in France >.<

There's a lot to love about the game: the puzzles are reasonably simple, but you get plenty of help if needed (thank you for the hints!); the characters are all delightful in their own way, and have a whacky reason to be where they are; the overall shtick of the game is just fun to boot! It is entertaining and there is never a dull moment.

While I don't have much experience in what's to be expected or not in a parser in terms of puzzles, I found the whole mechanic with the devil pretty interesting (it was fun to order him around, hehehe). And if you mess up (which I did quite a bit), you don't get punished for it - you just get a witty response before you're sent on your way.

The characters are still the highlight of the game, from the mad scientist striving to attain godhood - oh but oops something keep going wrong and now I'm being chased out of my manor again - to the pitchfork mob acting like a HOA* with their contracts, every character in this game has a special flavour of wittiness and charm, with jokes to boot! Interacting with the NPCs, especially diving into plain regular conversations with them, adds a delightful layer to the game (they're just like us, normal peeps with normal problems**).
*also... the head of the group is a illiterate legalese lover. xD
**honestly, I might side with the pitchforks after talking with them...


Fun time!

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Virtue, by Oliver Revolta
Left a sour taste in my mouth..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Virtue is a short-ish linear entry, where you follow Gloria, a newly middle-class woman on a self-righteous path to prove her standing in her new community. It is meant as a satire about the origin story of a conservative member of parliament in Britain.
It should be noted that while the blurb sort of spoils the gist of the game, the original content warnings are not clear enough on the actual content of the entry. Please note that there are mention of an assault, as well as xenophobic comments.

Honestly, I am incredibly conflicted about this entry, because it is clear what the author was trying to make fun of, but the results is undermined by issues (see last point). A shame the ending is spoiled in the blurb, it would have made the revelation stronger...

On the surface, the entry does a decent job at make a jab at those conservative pundits, how they got where they are now, how conservative talking points are sometimes hypocritical, or downright dangerous, or how comically easy people can fall into extremism. It touches on what you'd expect, and makes clear who you are supposed to like or not.

But when you dig deeper, the entry feels a bit shallow. While meant to be off-putting and shocking, the text barely dives into the tory-ism and more extreme talking points. I was expecting Gloria's decent into her "moralistic" path to be more explicit in both her views and her spoken words, but she barely go further than what you'd see a light "Karen" do*. She is much too restraint to make the satire work in that regard (even with the British "politeness" coming into play).
*sorry for all the decent Karens out there...

Speaking of Gloria, it is obvious from the start she is not meant to be liked. She is a vapid busy-body woman who has nothing better to do than keep up with appearances. Like your usual stereotypical middle-class stay-at-home mother, she berates her husband to no end, disregard her daughter (which I felt she even envied), and, in some sort of Oedipal concept, puts her son on a small pedestal... that is when she actually pay attention to her family. She seems more interested in her little dog than anyone else. To further the point of how sad and empty this woman's live actually is, the game shows a clear lack of hobbies and passion by the end of the game.

With Gloria putting so much importance in appearance and status, coupled with her lack of personal life, it is no wonder she'd end up where she did. And it works for the game! Who doesn't like a comically evil (or maybe stupid) character.

Finally, a bit of the elephant in the room.
[Mention of assault moving forward]
(Spoiler - click to show)The whole tragic backstory of Gloria having been assaulted in her childhood, used later on as an angle for moral and sexual purity, was not just uncomfortable to read (especially the implication that it helped pushing her down that path), but downright unnecessary and unimaginative. There are enough content out there using the rape trope as a backstory, and coupled with the "self-indulgence" satire, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The whole 'you're dirty' angle played almost for laugh is genuinely upsetting, as the need of wanting to be clean is an actual trauma response following an assault. The carelessness in this, especially when the content warnings are lacking in that regard, really sours the game.

And there were other directions the author could have taken to use the whole clean/dirty bit. Gloria came from council houses, aka poverty, aka was a dirty poor. But now, she lives in a middle class house. She is not dirty anymore, she is a proper not-poor person. She has worth. She turns her back on where she comes from because that's shameful and dirty, and she is a proud and clean woman.

And that's it. No need for the cheap assault trick. Instead of undermining the point of the satire, it pushes the hypocrisy angle of conservative points.

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Please Sign Here, by Michelle Negron (as "Road")
Will we ever know the truth?, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Please Sign Here is a fairly linear visual novel mystery. As a coffee barista, you have been brought in for interrogation after being involved in an accident that took the life of your friend and the police finding your signature linked to other incidents. The game goes through the events of the past week, ending with you potentially naming who you think did it. There are about a dozen endings.

Out of all the things I would expect to see in Twine, a visual novel wasn't really one of them. Usually made in RenP'y or Godot, this one was made in Harlowe, a Twine format. Even if the scaling doesn't always work, or the positioning is not always quite right, or the music bar being distracting, just for trying to do that, kuddos to you!
Just a little note on contrast, the text sometimes blended with the background, which was a bit hard to read. A darker text background or different positioning of the image would help a ton!

The story itself might be a bit generic (oh, no! you were accused wrongly!), and the prose awkward at times, but throughout, the game managed to keep up with the suspense. When it starts to mellow out a bit, here's a creepy sprite, or the background changes with darker tones to reflect the state. It is also made clearer with the main character slowly losing her sanity, which is already exasperated by working too much.

Though most of the story is pretty linear, you have a few choice on how you interact with your surrounding and the people entering the coffee shop. Still, your agency stays fairly limited, as the majority of the game happens in a flashback. The main choice happens at the end of the game, with most endings being fairly similar to each other (not one felt quite satisfying).

A big big plus for this entry was the illustrations for the game, especially the backgrounds. Really added to the vibe of the game. I think I liked the car scene the most.

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The Ship, by Sotiris Niarchos
Distracting puzzles, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Ship is a hypertext puzzle game, following two interconnected stories of captains, each looking for a specific location. The game includes different kinds of puzzles, from visual ones to more fetch-quest like, and achievements. I completed 3 chapters out of 7.

I don't know why I had a hard time getting into the game, it has all the stuff I like: pirates, some sci-fi elements, some puzzles, some fun characters with interesting or funny backstories... Mixing genres is usually so much fun, and drawing parallels between storylines is usually intriguing (has me on the edge of my seat). But something just didn't click with this game.

I don't think there was one reason for why it didn't work (for me), but more of a combination of frictions with the story or the gameplay that resulted in not enjoying as much as I thought I would have. I could see where it was going with the tropes of the characters and the similar elements between the captains, so it felt a bit frustrating.
I ended up relating quite a bit with the first captain from the start of the game.

Though there were bits of humour, I found most of the prose a bit dull and dry (more so in the sci-fi section than the pirate one). The dialogues were more palatable, especially with the more cookie crew members (they had some funny bits, playing the tropes and such). The pace was a bit slow, and in conversations lore-dumpy with the long paragraphs.

Still, I pushed onward, discussed with the different fun characters on board, ran around the ship to get things rolling, tried to solve the puzzles and put stuff back into order... I followed what the game wanted from me, but it still didn't grab me. After reaching the navigation puzzle, I stopped. It's a neat puzzle, in itself, but too many to levels solve at once to continue the story.

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Trail Stash, by Andrew Schultz

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Trash and error..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Trail Stash is a short-ish puzzle, where you must go through trash to find treasures. Along the way, you pick up items you can use to unlock new locations. As the story is rather not deep and quite nonsensical, the focus of the entry is meant to be on the gameplay. I could not solve the puzzle without the external map.

Trail Stash is the latest entry of Andrew’s experiments in SugarCube, which I got into with his Neo Twiny entries last June, where the focus is less on the story itself but what the code can do or what gameplay could be added to a Twine game. In this entry, it is all about a puzzle map, where you can pick up items, use those items, unlock rooms, and collect all map pieces to get to the ending.

Though it is humorous and you should take the story at the first degree, the puzzle itself is a struggle. There is no indication on what you are supposed to do, or even hints. When you finally manage to understand what’s going on after clicking on everything, solving the puzzle itself comes down to a trial and error, and error, and maybe a win, but mostly error, and an error again. If there was a certain logic in where to use which item, I did not find it…
Even while using the map, I’ve made many errors because I could not differentiate the colours.

Honestly, this felt a bit like one of those old school parser puzzle transplanted into a choice-based engine. Which is neat in and of itself, but didn’t really work… I found quite a bit of friction, with how the pages were formatted: with the locations being in a line, whole pages refreshing instead of a single line, or the inventory hidden*. That made, to me, the entry feel more like a proptotype.
*I think it could have worked better tagged at the end of the passage, with a popup on whether the combo worked or not…

Still, I’ve always found something interesting with these experiments, as it’s made me think of new ways to approach SugarCube or gameplay in general. There’s always something intriguing, making me wonder how things work under the hood. And this one is no different.

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Escape your psychosis, by Georg Buchrucker

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Loopty-loop until you escape., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Escape your Psychosis is an illustrated CYOA booklet about escaping the cycle of psychosis by recognising and avoiding the unhealthy choices. The format allows you to click on the option to process through the story. The text is accompanied by whimsical illustrations, relevant to the state of the story. The entry is meant to be educational.

This very short entry is the product of the author’s experience with psychosis in their surroundings, wanting to spread awareness and demystify what it means to fall into a psychosis. Through short snippets of situations, the entry takes a light-hearted, often humourous, approach to the theme. Still, it recognises that this is not a situation-fits-all type of content.

For what it tries to do, I think the game manages to do quite well. It provides enough variety and choices to make it feel believable, but brushes over the more darker elements of going through a psychosis to not make it a bummer (the illustrations* are a big help in this way). However, this can also be seen as what doesn’t work about the entry, with how over-simplistic the game tackles the subject matter, or how it overlooks completely the darker realities, or how too cheerful the entry looks for what it tries to portray. It can feel a bit superficial.
*they reminded me a bit of the Little Inferno game style…

I’d love to see more CYOA entries in a similar format in future comps!

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The Sculptor, by Yakoub Mousli

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
What's the point of not selling out at this age..., November 22, 2023

The Sculptor is a pretty short interactive story about the artistic dilemma of creating for the sake of creating and essentially selling out, through the lens of an older man yearning to create his Magnum Opus before it is too late. Through a fairly poetic prose, the man reflect on his gifts, the process to get to the finished state, and that dilemma.

With a focus on touch-related imagery, the entry does a fairly good job at describing the tedious, and often painful, but fulfilling process of creating art. Its poetic prose engages to see creative endeavour as more than the final product, but all the acts, the efforts, the sweat, the tears that made it happen. I was particularly touched by the yearning of the old man to accomplish one last piece, fulfilling his dream, before meeting the inevitable.

Though it is a major point of the story, I did not find the dilemma quite satisfying. The question itself of creating for the sake of creating or to be able to survive has been debated almost ad nauseam, without much of a new or fresh angle to it. It also felt like the Sculptor’s position was clear: not preserving the art from being sullied through transaction would tear his soul.

Another thing that felt strange was placing the time period of the piece. The cover art and starting prose suggest a Baroque or maybe Romantic period, while the dialogue from other characters would place it in a more modern time. It would not be too surprising to learn that the sculptor’s sensibilities were tuned to older periods, being maybe even detached from reality due to his age or current state. An angle like this could have helped bridge the gap, I think.

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DICK MCBUTTS GETS KICKED IN THE NUTS, by Damon L. Wakes (as "Hubert Janus")

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
It’s longer than it seems… ;), November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

DICK MCBUTTS GETS KICKED IN THE NUTS is what you could consider a joke entry. It is a nonsensical and completely unserious game, where the point is to make you chuckle, one way or another. The game is not just dipped but fully immersed in absurdism… if you got the correct start when opening the game. I reached multiple Dead Ends, and one True Ending out of Three.

I was pretty lucky, getting the good path from the moment I clicked Play, avoiding the flashing image and on-purpose terrible spelling*. I got to enjoy the adventure of Dick, our protagonist, trying his darn best to protect his family jewels from getting the kick. If this sounds juvenile, it is on purpose. The game is meant to be a joke through out (if that was not yet obvious from the title and the author’s name), and can be enjoyed by playing along with the joke (making the situations even more absurd than they are), or making fun of the game for how stupid the sequence of events is going (how unlucky Dick is to have to choose to flee towards two different shoe factories…).
*Whether the author did it on purpose or not, just for having that path, it will be a Banana of Discord contender for sure.

While it is very humorous, it is also a very specific kind of humour, which will not be of everyone’s taste. It is a one-type-of-joke kind of game, which can become tiring pretty quickly, if you are not in the right mindset. It’s crude, it’s rude, it’s balls-y*.
*yes, not very smart

Though, the author should be commended for how long they managed to keep that joke going, never once faltering, always doubling down. It is pretty impressive how creative the game stays even with just one scenario, and the sheer amount of branching available in the game (every passage or two, you have a choice). It is a commitment to the bit I’ve only really seen with major shitposting and memes*. Just for that, kuddos Hubert!
*hrem…Goncharov

This was a riot of a game!

Last note, importing the game on Twine give the dumbest but most topical overview of the passage placements. Extra points for effort.

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The Enigma of Solaris, by jkj yuio

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Just pull the plug…, November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Enigma of Solaris is a short interactive game set on the Solaris station, where you must find the reason for the power loss threatening the lives of its inhabitant, fighting any hurdles along the way. It can be played as a choice-based or (limited) parser. There seemed to only be one ending.

The story was reminiscent of those old pulp sci-fi stories, with the strive for advancement at the cost of human life, and the hubris of it all. The game is not afraid to go at full speed into those tropes, which makes it a bit comical (in a good way). The visual characterisation of the NPC add a bit of creepyness to the situation, with it’s uncanny valley-esque vibe.

Though I quite enjoy bite-sized games, this one felt somewhat incomplete - as if a whole part of the story or a different angle to it was missing. Starting strong with multiple options to explore the station, interact with different elements, and diagnosing the issue, the player sees its agency disappear by the second half of the game - railroaded towards the ending, with not even the illusion of being able to make a choice.

I think it could have made the ending a bit more satisfying if you had a final choice between fulfilling the mission to save lives or being persuaded to take a path of higher purpose just before the end. Maybe even a bit more choice in conversation with the second NPC.

There was also a bit of friction with the engine used, with the image messing a bit with the placement of the text (if they were more to the side, it would be nicer), or the longer portions of the text forcing you to scroll up and down to read the new bits.

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Lonehouse, by Ayu Sekarlangit Mokoginta
Sorting through your feelings..., November 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Lonehouse is an emotionally charged piece about facings reality, processing one's grief, and finding ways to remember passed loved ones. The entry feels very personal albeit short. Following the passing of your estranged sister, you find yourself sorting through her belonging, reminiscing about the past, and learning new things about the time spent apart.

The entry takes you through different rooms of your sister's place, each giving the player the same actions (inspect, move, thing). It feels methodical, as if you had to force yourself going through the things your sister left behind. But, in each room, you discover a special item, triggering a memory or thought - each showing a different facet of the person you (thought you) once knew.

Grief can be a heart breaking and complex feeling, rendered even more complicated when the situation is itself a complicated thing (there's a lot of unsaid things in the entry about how it got to this point). I felt like this entry showed maybe a more detached look to that feeling.

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Forcas, by Unexpected_Dreams

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Who is truly possessed?, November 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

This is a tales in two parts, two POV, where things are not quite what they seem. You are given the choice of two paths: to follow the story of the boy or the girl (you play the other as well), with the actions from the first part of the story affecting the second, and both the ending.

I managed to get a fairly good ending, by playing it smartly - choosing any option to get the hell out of here, I'm not following dumb horror actions xD. The writings about what is going on are on the wall, the game not always been very subtle about it.
I did like the mirroring of the actions between both paths. It does not fit quite completely, both PC being somewhat unreliable narrators, but it makes for an eerie experience.

I also chose to play the "boy" path before the "girl" one, which ends up working in favour of the game - the former pushing more of a damsel in distress trope, while the latter has a badass taking charge girl. The writing is much superior in the "girl" path than in the "boy" one.

There is an interesting core with this game, and I hope the author will update/polish it in the future!

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Starless, by CherylDella
The monster is not always... the monster., November 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

This was a short-ish story about fantasy prophesies and predestination. The game does an interesting thing by using a different POV to the tale, from the monster's position rather than the saviour, as well has hinting that the monster and the saviour were friends. The ending (notification of one) will end depending on your actions (the monster's), and its trust in its friend.
Also, don't forget to click the link in the ending page, even if the text looks familiar...

That said, the writing didn't quite click with me. Nothing seems to be wrong with it, it just didn't grab me as much as the premise of the game itself.

There were also some issue with the bold formatting in latter passages. I don't think this was on purpose

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Preordained (A Dimensions Tale), by Jackson The Bear

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Meeting an abrupt end., November 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

As the title hints, this short sci-fi story is predetermined. Your ship is task to investigate an area, only to essentially land in an ambush. The game includes multiple endings, all of which end fairly abruptly (if there is no link on the page, it's an ending).

The building of the tension in the action sequence is intriguing, but I wish the different elements (NPCs and such) were introduced a bit more and were more fleshed out. You're king of thrown into the situation, making things a bit confusing.
I also thought you could have a bit more agency in what to do during the height of the action sequence. A lot of things seem to be happening, but you (the player) have not much control over the PC.

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Christian Delaney and the Dirigible of Death, by noseflautist

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An mysterious start, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

I do wish this had been a completed game rather than a demo, because it was quite fun to play through it.
Choose the UNFINISHED paths at your own risk... You may run into dead ends...

From what is there, it gives off vibes of those 20s-40s mysteries, like your Agatha Christies, with a locked room murder or an unexpected setting for a murder to take place (ZEPPLIN! DON'T SMOKE xD). You play as an up-n-comer detective, still needed to prove to the world you have what it takes to do the job and solved mysteries!

The game takes an interesting approach with exposition by making you write a letter to set your background and reasons for being. The writing overall is pretty playful and fun, reminiscing on those old mystery pulp, and playing with their tone and tropes.

As for interacting with your environment, the game offers you multiple traits, affecting the way you act around NPCs or interact with things. It reminded be a bit of The Thirty Nine Steps in that way. To solve the murder and get information out of people, you can also spend Detective Points (very TTRPG/Fate system), though it didn't seem you could earn some in this current state.

I am looking forward to see how the game pans out...

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The Secret of Flint Smith, by trexanddrago

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Needs some testing, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

I got inside (with some struggles), looked around (with some struggles), and... got stuck, I think?

This kinetic parser is a follow-up to Ranaway, which is coded the same format, continuing the use of unconventional keys and commands to progress through the story (like L for leave instead of Look). The issue is that commands are not always made obvious, nor what is interactible either. The bug didn't help either (that or it was the ending?).

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OBJECT PERMANENCE, by graymeditations
What was that..., November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

I still don't know what to make of this game just yet. There was no blurb on the game page, no tag line on the submission... nothing. I had no expectations, and I still know know what to think about it.

The game opens on an broken item, asking you whether you'd like to discard it or stop [the game], with the first option showing you a different object, and then a different one, and a different one... This continues until you either choose stop or discard the 27 items (of different levels of broken) coded inside the game.
For some objects, you get an extra option: ruminate on the item.

Anyway... I just know it made me sad when I reached the end.

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Photographs from the Summer of 1987, by casket

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Don't ever open a stranger's photobook!, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

Holy shit, the whiplash from this one. I was warned by the content warning before playing the game (READ THEM, FOR YOUR SAKE), and still I did not expect how much it would affect me. I expected some strange stuff, I always do with catsket's work, but how the gruesomeness was introduced twisted my stomach.

Gruesome content aside, the writing is VERY vivid. The descriptions of the photographs inside the book paint quite the pictures (hehehe, bad pun). Even if short, they say just enough to be able to imagine those faded and maybe yellowed shots.

The start is actually quite lovely, depicting a fun solo roadtrip in nature, where you end up meeting someone cool, and they tag along for the rest of the summer. Shenanigans ensue, obviously. But the activities of two young peeps on a summer roadtrip are really not what you'd expect. They seemed to have fun... some gruesome fun!

Anyway... I will stay away from antique stores for now, and definitely leave weird photobooks alone...

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Roma Tenebris, by voidrim

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Save Rome! Or let it burn... *shrug*, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

This was a short and fun “political” simulator set in Ancient Rome, where your goal is to try to restore the delicate balance in the Senate (or not) while avoiding causing too many riots (or go for the chaos), or even losing the city altogether (or go for that!). Personally, my first attempt failed the plebs.

The mechanic is pretty simple. You have three important causes where you can levy taxes or spend funds, and the option to nudge the other three Senators (randomly generated at the start) to change their votes through different approaches. I've tried convincing them all, it worked like a charm! Well... only to change their minds, I did cause some riots.

In between sessions, you get to enjoy life, make new connection, and potentially raise your status as a Senator (though I am not sure how much your choices there influence the game). The playful writing is more obvious in this part than during the Senate session.

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Your World According to a Single Word, by Kastel

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Why words? Why not communicating through..., November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

I really, really, like pieces taking human experiences and flipping it on its head by viewing it from an outsider perspective (aliens/other). It's always a bit strange and uncomfortable, to look at this from a non-human POV, but it also makes you think about the things we take for granted. You know... the little every day things that are actually pretty awesome.

Here, a word - Hypertext (harr, harr) - takes over your body for a month to experience what it's like to be human, and recounts its experiences with you through the medium of Hypertext Kinetic IF (though it reaaallly wanted to make a parser instead). I liked the attention to details, like what's in your bed room, especially the closet and the bookcase, or the ways different bits connect together (the colours and images especially). In trying to explain the wonders (and less wondrous aspects) of human life, Hypertext engages in the debate of how best to communicate things with others, pulling its "hair" at the backward way that is text.

The entry is very strange, but also quite endearing, and I enjoyed the meta/philosophical discussion about the use of words, their meaning, and whether we should turn to other, maybe better, ways to communicate with others.
I could have done maybe without the whole physical relationship passage. That made me a bit uncomfortable.

It was a very good entry!

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To Burn A God Down, by BNT
Bare Revenge, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

With a very handed dark approach, and many warnings at the start, this revenge story leads you to kill a god (or try to at least). Along the way, another follows you along, showing you other less destructive paths, if you wish it so - even if you are quite set on revenge for your misfortune, even losing your life for your cause.

The revelations at the end, depending on your choice, are quite interesting. Changing your mind before or halfway through the conversation with the god leads to some somewhat unexpected results.

But I thought the end came a bit too quick. You start at your lowest, have maybe one "trial" before you reach your final destination and make your choice. This made this final choice less impactful than it could have been, in my opinion.

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POV: You're a Teenage Girl in a Conservative Christian Family, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I'm going to need a hug after this, and so will you., November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

The piece is fairly short, with a couple of hundred words at most, and it will make you hate yourself (maybe) when you reach the end. Entrenched in the very harsh environment that is religious conservative norms, the game explores what it feels to be denied the little joys of life and exploring your identity.

It is not just a tour-de-force to be able to hit those emotions with so little words, but the way the choices are formatted hits like a ton of brick. As you click and come back to the main page, choices appear and disappear from the list... until there is nothing left. Until you are denied everything.

Strangely, the harsh Harlowe interface and palette adds another layer of bleakness to the situation.

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Maverick Hunter: Scandalous Mission, by Noah Si

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
It's never what you'd expect!, November 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

I wasn't really sure what to expect, because I had no strong frame of reference for either IPs, I know of both but never played either. But the demo truly wasn't something I could have expected!

At the time of this review, the project is still in a demo/prototype stage, with uncoded variables or statement in passages or its strange ending. From what is there however, the mash up between IPs seems to work (or at least, from a non-informed player), hinting at a probably unserious approach in the future.

The game starts off with a more generic ‘get ready to fight some baddies’ moment, coupled with a bit of character creator. You get to pick your sidekick (if any) and who would will end up fighting. It is very important, your CO drills into your head, and very serious...

... aaaaaaand the demo shifts to a homage to Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die (and you die not matter what you pick, like in PUPBD). Getting to that end was surprising at first, but coming back to it again and again felt like it was intentional (or lack of time? not being able to continue the main story?). It's very silly, and going from a set and serious story to this made me laugh a lot.
I am unsure whether this end would actually fit the story planned, but I kind of hope it stays in the game if it ever updates. As an Easter Egg of sort.

Thanks for the good laugh!

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Found Objects, by mxelm

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Play my heart like a fiddle, November 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

The content warnings gives a head's up on the implied content of the game, but it still hit so hard. Takes your heart out, pulls its strings, and squish it into mush... and with just a few hundred words.

Found Objects is short and sweet (also not sweet at all, it stings a lot), using little words and many links to show the resolve of the character when faced with past addiction.

It really shows that you don't need more than a tiny snapshot to pull the heart strings. This was really good.

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Our Cabin was Cold, by Leah Peach

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
It's easier to survive with someone..., November 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

This is a Twine styled in a CYOA book format with the WritingFantasy coding format, with hyperlinks sending you to the correct "page"/section. Set in a fantasy setting, you have escaped your hometown being taken over by orcs. During this starting struggle, you cross path with Tent, a strange girl with helpful skills. The two of you try to find a way to survive the coming winter (and maybe more, wink wink).

Even if the writing is a tad awkward or repetitive at times, there is a good balance between text length and choices. The pace is fast and to the point during action moments, while slow and focused on thoughts during low stakes times. The choices are varied, and makes any stake brought forward seem surmountable. And the banter between the characters are quite delightful (Tent, best girl!)

For a NSFW entry, the game gives the player an optional path, leaving more explicit scenes behind obvious choices. It is possible to go through the story understanding the attractions between the main characters, without feeling forced to go down that right. I ended up with the Friendship ending, which was quite nice.

Another smart thing of the entry: the order of the passages are shuffled (you go from passage 1 to 54 to 29 to etc...), meaning you can't piece the story back unless you follow the links on the page... You have to play the game to get to the end!

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Moonstrike: Superdim, by redflagromancegames

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Let's hunt down a villain., November 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

With a superhero/villain setting, Moonstrike is a relatively long game, both in terms of word count and passage length, in an almost kinetic form with its singular ending and limited choices.

The setting is a bit silly, as you are a vigilante trying to take down a villain that just escape, while trying to keep your identity concealed and your life in checked. But these kinds of premise is fun to explore, especially the balance of silliness of the situation and the more serious aspect of the vigilante reality.

While I liked the premise of the game, I did find some issues with the pacing of the story. Part of it stems from the lengths of the passages (from 3-6 word pages by glance). Without regular break, beats of the story seem to drag on more than they should or goes against the fast-paced actions sequences (like the fights).
Another part would be the relatively restricted interactivity. Because of those long passages (often multiple ones at a time), the available actions for the player are few and far between, rendering us a bit more passive than the setting would warrant (why not have a proper fight sequence?)

Another reason for me was the confusing passing of time. We're told at the start of the game we're hunting a villain, and that time is of the essence, but good thing you are on a short break right now! But some actions to track the villain take weeks to process. Or you seem to spend so much time on random things (the middle section at the mechanic shop felt much longer than it actually was? or the drive before meeting the bad guy). In any case, by the end of the game, it was unclear whether it had just been a few days since the start of the story or months.

I did enjoy the funny moments and quibs between characters, especially between the PC and the villain. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to root for the PC throughout the game, but the villain was my favourite character. So chaotic.

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Coffee (And a Shake) For Five, by Iri

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A retrospecting coffee break, November 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

A short cute kinetic(-ish) story about the what are/could/should have been in ChoiceScript. The writing is full of emotion, (unrequited?) feelings, and maybe even a hint of regret. Retrospection is a big focus of the story itself.

A strange thing from it was the choice of the You's and I's here. In usual ChoiceScript fashion, the main body of the text refers to the player as You, while it uses I for the choice options. In this game, You's and I's share the same space. Are we supposed to be the I and reflect on our feelings and relationships? or the You and discover how bad of a friends we probably are?
The ambiguity of it made me a bit confused, but I liked it as well.

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ADVENTURE PYTHON, by moob453

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
99 monsters on the wall, 99 monsters..., November 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

This was a fairly basic adventure game, with a combat/inventory/market system. You fight "monsters", get coins, try to balance your health/hunger, and if you're lucky, get to the finish line (or you die). Coded in python, the game uses numbers as inputs rather than your typical parser commands.

Though the fights are randomly generated (in the name of the "monster", attacks felt, and rewards), it becomes repetitive quite quickly. After a dozen of fight, seeing the retro ASCII art bud swing its sword... eh.
I died before reaching the required 100 fights, but didn't feel the need nor want to try to beat the game.

Would be the nice base for a larger project though. The mechanic itself works fine.

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The Witch, by Charles Moore

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An obtuse game..., November 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Witch is a fairly difficult parser where you must save the snatched villagers, though how to do so or solve the puzzles along the way is not quite clear. There are limits in both the inventory and turn count. The entry does not include an in-game help or hint system, but an external transcript walkthrough is included. I reached a total of 60 points before stopping playing (using the walkthrough for help).

Knowing my (in)aptitude in playing parsers, I wasn't expecting to sweep through the puzzles and reach the end easy-peasy. I just hoped to be able to solve at least one puzzle all by myself. It became quickly apparent I wouldn't be able to do much by myself without the walkthrough either.

Aside from the blurb, the game gives you little indication of what you are supposed to do. You are essentially dropped in this world, left to your own devices. You can explore the world, pick some stuff up, interact with elements around you... and hope for the best. I found myself running around the world, and ended up stuck in some sort of tree that wouldn't let me leave*.
*was there a hint somewhere about the order of actions you should input?

Going through the rooms, I kept wondering if I missed some clue or if there was some context about the game or story I should have known about or found before getting to certain locations. It kind of felt you had to do quite a bit of guesswork... and that was a bit frustrating.

The game was not meant with beginners in mind. More experienced parsers will probably have a more enjoyable time than I did and probably find the puzzles ingenious.

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One Knight Stand, by A. Hazard

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Needs to pick up the pace, November 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Sitting at over 400k total words, One Knight Stand is quite a sizeable game, with extensive branching. It also is a demo (prologue + 1st chapter), meant to be part of a longer series. Characterised as a mashup between Among Us and Arthurian lore, the story will twist and turn at every corner. I found one Dead End.

The game is very much anchored in the ChoiceofGame style of interactive fiction, with its extensive, almost overwhelming, character creation, lengthy playthroughs, and variation galore. Replay value seems to be an important part of this entry, due to the many many choices available (some are even locked depending on previous choices).

While the amount of available content is impressive (400k for a single chapter is massive), the pace of the story is at times painfully slow. In part due to the extensive nature of the character creation. From requiring you to confirm every single character-building choice, to going into details about some trivial options (like the shade of your favourite colour has a dozen of option per hue), it often felt unnecessary and tiresome (be prepared for choice-fatigue here...).

The entry starts pretty intriguing, with a spooky nightmare set in an Arthurian setting, with a bone-chilling feeling that continues to follow you throughout the rest of the chapter (with creepy voices and creepy feelings)*. To balance it out, the prose strive to add humour when it can, from mentions of or punny winks about mainstream media (Knights of Our Lives, lol), to taking an almost sarcastic or parody approach to some situations**. The balance was not quite there, however, making me question whether the story was supposed to be primarily comedy or horror.
*I had a bit checked-out by the time the horror started to pick up.
** It's kinda funny a fast-food server can be part of a Polo club...

While I was not particularly fan of the pronoun switch between the main text (you) and the choice list (I), as it sometimes broke the flow of reading, [NOTE:this is the ChoiceofGame style] the formatting of the more horror-y beats (especially the ones with creepy sounds or anxious feelings) helped keeping things fresh.
Another thing I hope will be used further into the game was the phone element, specifically the texting side-"game". The options of sending back messages were pretty funny (yay for creepypasta).

For a ChoiceofGame style game, it has a pretty solid base and I suspect it could become quite popular with CoG fans. But I don't think it's my kind of game (I was almost relieved when I reached the end, even if it wasn't a "good" one).

I'm calling it now: you are the long lost child of the Phone Company CEO.

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GameCeption, by Ruo

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Who's playing who?, November 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

GameCeption is "a game within a game" action thriller, where the goal is for you and your friend to win the gaming competition, and win the much needed prize (money!). The game you must play, however, is really not what it seems...

I'll say it out of the gate: I liked this game. It was nicely paced*, with engaging gameplay and choice, and a pretty stylised UI (I'm a sucker for a sci-fi-esc interface). Even if I saw the twist coming from a mile away, I was still pretty entertained, and felt vindicated when proven right! I thought the game knocked it out of the park.
*timed text on replay was a taaaaad annoying, esp when trying to speed run the last part

I liked the differences between the two parts of the competition, both in terms of styling of the page and the text itself. As both parts sort of mirror each other, especially in terms of action, there is just enough distinctiveness between both parts to make it feel fresh. The "parser"-like actions with the links added to the game competition aspect.

While characterised as an action thriller, I think Survival, à-la Battle Royale, might fit the game even better, especially considering the gameplay when the competition starts. Though the interface of the game and the cover art would maybe give the expectation of a more sci-fi like entry.

For a game with multiple "losing" state, I appreciated "respawning" at the last major point, avoiding replaying the whole game to get back to the action.

Maybe a less positive point, it would be in the characterisation of the protagonists' relationship. It was maybe left a bit too vague for the question at the 'interview' to hit harder.

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20 Exchange Place, by Sol FC

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Unnecessarily cruel, November 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

20 Exchange Place is hostage-situation high-stake game where you play a Sergeant trying to solve a sticky situation. The game offers multiple consequential choices, with many leading to a bad ending. I would rate this game Cruel on Zarf's difficulty's scale. I know it is possible to reach a "good" ending, but didn't manage even with my many attempts.

This game is... frustrating, especially as someone who wants to do good when playing game, and strive to reach at a minimum the least harmful ending as possible. I usually don't mind replaying, until I find a (somewhat) satisfying result. But here, I gave up after a good half-dozen try. And savescuming is difficult with Ink (only one slot, not possible to go back to a previous choice). Meaning you often need to go through the whole game again to change one thing.

20 Exchange Place is very much a "golden"/"only-one-true" path type of game, and if you stray from it, you will face harsh consequences. And while each failed state will get its own extensive variation, having to restart the whole thing every time (especially when you are pretty far along) is tedious at best.

The difficulty of the game is that you are pretty blind when choosing what to do next, as there are little to no indications in the text about the correct choice/approach, which is frustrating when the PC is supposed to be a veteran on the job (or are you just that stupid?). Even choices characterised as "safe" lead you down a bad path.
This is kinda the type of game where you need some sort of walkthrough...

While the prose does a good job at setting the scene, and pushing the high-stake envelope about the situation, I also found it awkward at times. This was made even more obvious with the missing punctuation in the dialogues, or the censoring of "bad" and "swear" words, which, considering the indicated genre and content warning, feels out of place.
Is hell a bad word? I think it was most in the context of swearing...

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We All Fall Together, by Camron Gonzalez

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Take the plunge..., November 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

We All Fall Together is a short surrealist game about "taking the plunge" and facing things head on. Made in Texture, you click-n-drag actions towards specific block of words to affect the displayed text or move the story along. There is only one ending.

With its fantastical setting (you falling towards the eye of a storm, falling with others), WAFT proposes a very simple and silly game. Yet, intertwined the silliness, the game discusses a very human trait: the fear of just... doing things. Of diving head forwards into things. Of avoiding situations for fear it will end badly...

It was a fine small entry. Though I wished it had dived maybe a bit more into your fears.

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Milliways: the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Max Fog

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Insane feat for a first game!, November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

M:REU is a large parser game, reminiscent of the old Infocom era, and very much a love letter to the original HHGG game and the HHGG lore. The story follows the event of the second book of the HHGG series, in which the protagonist makes their way towards Milliways, the restaurant at the end of the universe. It combines puzzles and exploration, and includes hints and a walkthrough.

It can't be completed in 2h. I did not reach the end.

When starting the game, I knew I would not be able to finish it within the 2h mark (I remember the beta call mentioning a 8h-long playthrough...), nor would I have been able to go through the different parts without losing/dying (its difficulty being cruel, one wrong move and you die). But I did not expect the quality of the game to be this impressive, considering this is the first game of this author and the fact that the game had been re-coded a few months prior to the comp.

Through my limited playthrough (I managed to get to the 4th location?), it is clear this was a labour of love for the old Infocom games, and the HHGG universe. The game manages to encapsulate the wittiness of the books so well, from the description of your actions, to the error messages, or the in-game hints. I gladly tried to die, just to see the funny messages, and the game calling me a noob for being a bad player (only saying the truth there...).

Some of the puzzles seem a bit obtuse, and require either knowledge of the story or some trial an error (thank you, walkthrough for the help). They are definitely not meant for first-time parser players. Even trying to understand the hints, or follow the walkthrough, it is pretty easy to make an error and see your progress blocked completely.

Close to the 2h-mark, I stumbled into the Milliways kitchen, tried (and failed) to wrangle with the cupboard and my inventory. At some point, the cupboard just refused to open, and the timer rang. I still tried to play a tiny bit more, undoing previous actions and redo the puzzle, but alas, I could not get it past (it was a bug, it turns out).

Honestly, from the little I played, it is really impressive, and could pass for an official game.
Maybe I'll restart it later and try to play it fully.

[Originally played on 2-Oct during the IFComp]

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The Vambrace of Destiny, by Arthur DiBianca

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A fun dungeon adventure!, November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Vambrace of Destiny is a dungeon crawler adventure, with limited commands and filled with puzzles. You must go through the different levels of the dungeon, fight monsters, discover treasures, and gather all the spells.

I did not reach the ending. The current review only account for what was played.

Until I reached the second level and was essentially stuck, banging my head against the wall because I could not solve the puzzles, TVoD was quite an enjoyable light parser (especially for a parser-adverse/noob like me). It has limited commands, which are essentially shortcuts; a visible map on the screen (at least in the play online version), which showed where you are and what rooms you discovered, and reasonable logical puzzles (even the one I got stuck on...), and hints (external document).

The logic of the game is relatively simple: explore the dungeon, find a monster but can't fight it, explore some more, find a spell, fight the monster with the spell, go to the next bit. As you advance further, the puzzles require extra steps to be solved, often with combinations of actions or "passing a turn". Even if some puzzles required retracing your steps to unlock further parts, they were quite enjoyable to solve!

I still spent enough time faffing about, pressing the wrong direction on the screen, or forgetting to press a certain command, or just not getting the puzzle, that the clock ran out before I could reach the end. Starting level 2, the puzzles leave the beginner level... I think I managed to visit 1/3 to 1/2 of the rooms of level 2 before I gave up.

Still, I had quite a bit of fun, and breaking through the blocks on the path, defeating the monsters, and finding the treasures, were pretty satisfying! Level 1 is a hoot!
I really appreciated the simple commands (the investigrab especially!) and how merciful the game was (you might not manage to solve a puzzle or finish the game, but you won't die).

I want to revisit this game down the line (aka when a walkthrough drop - the hints are not enough for a noob), because I really want to reach the end.

[Originally played on 1-Oct during the IFComp]

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Into The Lion's Mouth, by Metalflower

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Here kitty, kitty..., November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Into The Lion's Mouth is a relatively short game about being stuck in a very unfortunate situation, in the middle of the Savannah, surrounded(-ish) by lions. Lucky for you, you know the ins-and-outs of the region, being an animal refuge guard. You won't be found dead where you stand!

Mixing humour, wildlife facts, and meta commentary, ITLM is, as it calls itself, a lion taming simulator. Though you have multiple paths on how to solve your current situation, it is clear there is only one way to reach "the ending", as the game will nudge you back towards the correct paths. You won't really ever "die".

From the tone of the writing, or the animation and formatting of the text, it is clear the game is not meant to be taken completely seriously. You learn some neat fact, sure, but with a giggle here and there. I think that worked out nicely. Though, it was at times jarring to find embedded videos or pictures that seemed to only partly related, breaking immersion completely.

Not all paths were created equal in this game. Some are quite short (as being the obvious wrong answer), and some seem a bit to run into circle (until you go back to the correct path. I found the cub rescue path to be the strongest bit of the game, as it was quite sweet (who doesn't love petting animals), but the other paths does not really do the game justice.

[Originally played on 1-Oct during the IFComp]

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Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head, by The Hungry Reader

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Five Nights at Freddies, but make it IF, November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head is quite a long entry mixing the heist genre with horror tropes, with a focus on puppetry, and a hint of a mystery. Your job is to recover different puppets hidden throughout an abandoned - about to get demolished - studio. However, the job is not as easy as it seems: monsters roam the corridors... and will steal what you carry.

From the (actual) start, PYHITPH reminded me of Five Nights at Freddie's, not just because of the puppets themselves, but also with the spooky buildings you need to explore at night, and the strange things that hunt you. You need to be strategic in where you go and when you get to it, or you'd cross path with the monsters (the Hints refers to the game as having a Pac-Man sort of gameplay). Adding onto it, you have to solve puzzles to get to certain puppets or bits of information.

I got frustrated losing the puppets pretty quickly (even if I tried to play it smart), so I ended up using the cheat mode quite early on to reach the endings. It is not an issue from the game itself, though. The mechanic and the puzzles pretty neat, I just couldn't handle it [timing puzzles are make-or-break-it]. Were it not for the spooky monsters and tracking their movements…

As well, not being a puppet person, I felt like I was missing context or references when I played the game. I could obviously be completely fiction*, but something about the writing made it pretty believable that something like this happened in real life?
*looking up names left me empty-handed, again...

[Originally played on 1-Oct during the IFComp]

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For Eternity, Again and Again, by TheChosenGiraffe

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Confusing vagueness, November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

For Eternity, Again and Again is a quite short entry, about love, unbending fate, and rebirth. The entry plays on the trope of immortal lover vs reincarnated mortal, set in a vague fantasy setting. I found all endings.

I thought the game was confusing. Even reading back on my previous choices, or going through the ones I had not picked yet, I found myself wondering what this game was about. I gathered that the story meant to show the struggles between lovers facing their doomed end, but the vagueness and unevenness of the writing didn't quite manage to hit the mark for me.

Having found all ending, I did note that the two paths were somewhat mirroring each other. I think you get to play both lovers, one for each path? If so, that's neat.

[Originally played during the IFComp on 1-Oct]

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Help! I Can't Find My Glasses!, by Lacey Green

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Cute goofy vibes, would play a longer version, November 13, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Help! I Can't Find My Glasses! is a relatively short game, whose premise revolves around the disappearance of your glasses during your nap at school (and maybe a bit more). It quite simple, with limited choices and paths to take - though it does have multiple endings (I found 3 of them).

The game felt at times a bit incomplete in its story, as obvious paths were disregarded ((Spoiler - click to show)Did the president really not have a play in this?) and the consequences of some choices unsatisfying ((Spoiler - click to show)like investigating the "joker" friend). During my first run, I managed to find my glasses ((Spoiler - click to show)by essentially giving up and going back to nap</spoiler) and won a funny achievement; while during others, I didn't manage to find them, as the game ended somewhat abruptly before I could uncover anything substantial. ((Spoiler - click to show)I still believe the president tried to mess with me).

I feel like the author had planned more for the player, with this entry only setting the stage for a grander adventure... maybe even more mysteries to solve! There were some intriguing aspects with each named character, which unfortunately were barely explored as you have limited interaction with them.
(I'm also still not sure whether the achievements were all attainable?)

Still, I quite enjoyed the goofiness of the setting, and how light-hearted it tried to stay. As it, it was very cute. I would enjoy playing an extended version of this game.

[Originally played on Oct-1]

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WHOM I SHOULD LOVE ABOVE ALL THINGS, by Sophia de Augustine

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A painful exchange of words, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: barebonesjam

Formatted as a kinetic micro play, this entry shows a snippet of a discussion between a priest and a confessor, both having had a shared history. With only a handful of passages, and a relatively short amount of words, the story gives just enough information to understand the dynamics between those two, but leaves enough out to make you wanting more. It is dramatic and painful - for the characters - with the beautiful writing focusing on the little things.

I left the game with so many questions about the characters and their relationships - incl. a chicken and egg one about the priest status and the potential forbidden lover trope. I hope the rest of the piece, from which this one is taken, will be published one day.

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The Revenant's Lament, by 30x30

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Yeehaw?, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Through the framing of a told tale about a cowboy, his/her choices, and their consequences, the game mixes a western setting with some fantastical elements, bringing an interesting take on 'the Devil's Deal. Because of this framing, the game utilises different interfaces to demarcate the present and the told story (as you are both listening and playing through the tale).

As usual with this author, the imagery is quite vivid through the extensive prose, especially the descriptions surrounding nature and the start of the second part of the story. Though the choices are limited and the story fairly linear, the interactivity in this game (or lack thereof) is nonetheless pretty interesting, especially through the first part.

I particularly enjoyed the endings, revealing much more than the fate of John Cassidy King. Surprisingly, that extra reveal stayed longer in my mind, especially the one of the earliest ending.

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The Shattered Fortress, by JazzTap

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not just cryptid but also cryptic. , November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

I'm still not sure what to make of this, as the game weaves multiple strands of story (POVs, but also past/future) together. Even through my confusion, I think I managed to piece some things at the end: a couple of peeps are trying to save someone (whose relationship is unclear), each with a different view on how to do so; they end up being hunted by religious zealots for some reason; and one of them meet the/a Devil? I think I took out of this a short take of heartbreak, betrayals, and a trip to Hell?

A certain positive: the portraits were pretty neat, I liked the coloured ones the most.

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Red Haze / Bruma Roja, by Ruber Eaglenest

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Definitely a nightmare, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

Forenote: I played this entry in English.

Even though the game is fairly short, I only had the stomach to reach two different endings. The writing is quite gruesome, with violent imagery, which considering the events happening around the release of the game made it very hard to read (personally) - even if they are probably not related.

The interactivity and choices available, as well as the responses from those choices, are pretty confusing, which makes total sense since this is supposed to be some sort of nightmare. The branching also seemed quite complex, with paths seemingly looping back.

Pretty impressive for something made (originally in Spanish) in 4h!

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Mothman Test, by Sara Messenger

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Do you really not believe?, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

A short but effective horror tale, leaving the unsaid shape up the story. Framing the story through a questionnaire seemed strange at first, but works surprisingly well (since the protagonist is still in school), and even adds to the eerie/uneasy setting. It was a very interesting use of interactivity.

The writing was on the wall from the start, but I still was distracted by what was not and missed the hints. The end shocked me more than I thought it would.

And, as with any test, I scored poorly: only a crescent.

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Latter-Day Pamphlets, by Robert from High Tower Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
You lose or you lose... but how bad?, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

You lose or your lose... the question remains, how bad can you lose?
Well, pretty badly depending on your choices. But that's fine... end up fine, right?

You are given a pile of scenarios, randomly ordered, for which you must choose a course of action. Each action has a different level of success (which is 'lowest loss') for different faction of society (Culture, Military, Religion, Social Classes, Colonial power...). The further you go into the game, the worse your success will be, the deeper you fall. [I picked the worst options on purpose :P]

The writing in this game is humorous, taking jabs at different historical events, groups and countries (the French, the poor, the communists, women wanting to get votes...). Though, it is very much a British kind of humour: dry and prickly. And that's what makes the whole thing funny.

Still, there were some confusing aspects to the game (which I ended up figuring out after replaying). Such as what the percentages next to the choices were: where they success rolls? difficulty rolls? Even with different percentages in one list, since the links are all the same colour, it wasn't clear whether an option was "good"/passable or not.

Another one regarded the statistics. When choosing an option, the changed state blinks* at the bottom of the screen indicating the amount of loss. However, it was hard to make any informed decision, or targetting a specific element, without knowing the starting states of each groups. Some stats bar would have been welcomed here**.
*this happens way too fast. If your eyes are not staring at the bottom of the screen you will miss it.
**and also at the end of the game, to see how bad we messed up with which group.

Still, always fun to destroy the British Empire.

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Sunny-Side Up, by PetricakeGames-IF

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Twisted and graphic take on horror, November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

This was one twisted story. Starting already strange becomes bleaker with each passage, as you get deeper inside the man's values, morals, and outlook on life/society.

Though well written, this was far from easy to read, due to the implicit and explicit violence depicted in the text. While the main body gives some indication of what is happening outside of the man's thoughts and spoken words, it is brought even further through the list of choices. It is subtle enough to give you pause, as well as showing how insane all of it is...

I know there are multiple endings to this game, some of them "better" than others, but I didn't have the stomach to hunt them all down...

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Among the Haunted, by aurelim

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Mix of genre did not quite land., November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was a collaboration project between two authors of different styles, where a cosy slice-of-life and horror mash up was attempted.

There are indeed some horror elements to this game, especially at the start and towards the end of the story, but I found them being muddled through the rest of the text, its gripping effect drowned in lengthy passages and passive interaction, diluting the tension and fast pace. By the end, the horror aspect resembled more a list of references weaved through the quirky slice-of-life concept.

Granted, mixing up genres, especially when they are so different, is pretty difficult. But I can't help but wonder how it would have looked like if the writing focused more on the slice-of-life or more on the horror rather than make both genre work on the same level. The concept of a single mom with two kids trying to survive Halloween is already a neat concept, adding the cookie haunted house they live in adds to the charm, but I fail to see how the murder clown would fit in there. On the other hand, if the horror aspect was taken further, the single mom having to deal with a haunted house on Halloween was already a solid plot!

I think more interactivity and player agency would have greatly helped the game in general. There are many instances in the game where you go through multiple lengthy passages, with only a click-to-continue link, pulling the reader through the story, rather than making it an active participant*. It is a bit of a shame, especially as the blurb sets expectations of choices with decorating the house, or going trick-or-treating, or pulling a prank... While you have some small choices, the bigger aspects happen without requiring the player. I would have loved to be able to** place particular decorations in specific places (which could affect the prank later on), or choosing a different costume to go trick-or-treating (rather than that one or nothing), or responding to passers-by/candy-givers during the trick-or-treat phase. The added agency for the player would have helped with the pace of the story (and potentially added to the horror aspect - oh, but what if I had chosen another path...)
*even if the PC is supposed to have a set personality, many of the choices made for you could have been interactive.
**most of those don't require more than an extra line or two of variation in the text.

One final gripe with the accessibility of the game itself: when the passage has an image for the background, the text is often very hard to read, even when a dark-ish overlay has been added. Either the dark overlay needs to be darker/less opaque, or the image should be less bright (a combination of both would be best).

One thing that I noticed however, was how the prose and style stayed consistent throughout the writing, even with the switch in tone and genre. This is pretty impressive considering the writers have quite different styles. This speaks volume about the synergy during the creating process.

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End Of History, by n-n

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Really, don't mess with time..., November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

The game is fairly shot, showcasing a neat puzzle about numerology through different interactive elements. Some attention needs to be paid to the text from different locations, and some translation of numbers is necessary to unlock the puzzle. Then parts fall naturally where they should, and it's fairly simple to reach the end.

The moral of this game is: don't mess with time.

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Roads of Liches, by Andrew Schultz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Dr. Seuss would be proud, probably., November 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Games with word-plays are in my experience notoriously hard*, as they either require a specific type of knowledge of the language or are based on a certain accent. But add a little bit of zazz here, some funny writing there, and a whimsical setting, and you can get away with it. Or at least, most of Andrew's wordplay/rhyme games tend to manage that.
*ESL reader ;-;

This game falls definitely in this category of fun word-play game. The prose is absolutely absurd, the rooms are nonsensical, and the gameplay whimsical. But it's also hard. When you don't get it, the game is frustrating, and makes you feel a bit dumb. But when you do, it's honestly fun, and you feel so darn smart about it!

Still, I didn't manage to finish on my own, even with the walkthrough and map next to me (got too frustrated - 23/50-53). But, starting a new file and following the walkthrough to the letter worked!

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Good Bones: A Haunted Housewarming, by Leon Lin

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent mix of horror and comedy!, November 10, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

What a riot of a game this was, and so, so well done. The writing is hilarious, and had me wheezing at every passage. The premise is honestly insane an absurd, with the moral of the story essentially being that fixer-uppers are not always the way to go... (/jk)

It was honestly so fun essentially running around the house, at night, half-asleep and needing to go to the bathroom, trying to survive the crazy amount of danger in that house (realtors are always sus, of course they'd downplay the bad stuff!). Everywhere you end up, there is something that wants to hurt you. So you die, respawn, try something else... and repeat!

And even with its simplistic look, it is such a polished entry. The writing is impeccable, balancing the horror and comedic aspects brilliantly - it is never too dark or too comical. You're never really stuck, as the game includes check points to “undo” your last action when facing a dead end, as well as indicating whether a path lead you to a dead end before.

And there are 20+ different endings to find, some of them being secret endings. Trying to collect them all was a hoot and a half, each of their title being a joke by itself (the alliteration were fantastic!).

I really enjoyed playing this game! Laughed so hard it hurts.
Might be one of my favourite game of this year!

The witch and the vampires were the most funny thing I encountered

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Öhfwërhld, by Bruhstin

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A good try at horror, November 10, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

Tiptoeing the other-wordly aspect of horror, this short game shines in its pacing, starting slow before picking up fast enough to hold your breath until the end. The writing does a good job at hinting during the first half of the game of something not being quite right, while still keeping the stake low, keeping it subtle enough to leave you confused until the reveal - though it can be easy to guess the kind of twist the story has.

I could have seen the ending going a different route than is currently there, where you don't make it out, pushing the horror aspect even further.

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Dark Communion, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Spooky shenanigans? check!, November 10, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Moody abandoned church? check! Two kids with not enough fear to know better? check! Spooky shenanigans? check, check, check!

The game plays like one of those horror movie, where dumb kids do something they shouldn't, stumble on a weird thing that definitely means them harm, and try they best to escape - hopefully in one piece...

The writing is quite moody and creepy, and with the quick page, it gives little space to breathe (you have to act now or else...). The reluctance of your PC towards your sister/more-than-friend/acquaintance's wish to explore without care is understandable, from the uneasy descriptions of the abandoned church (and all the horror warnings of not breaking off ranks). Endings can come quite fast, depending on the choices, with some leaving you with a sense of dread for what happened.

As is it quite easy to pick the "wrong" choice, and reach a bad end, the game gives you the opportunity to "rewind" to the last choice made, and try something else. While there are many ways to fail the game, it is also a short one - so getting back on track doesn't take too long.

Another interesting bit of this game, was how the text/ending was affected from the first choice: what relationship you have with the other girl. Different tactics are required for different relationships...

Anyway, going back to hunt the last of the achievements~

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Haunted House for Social Phobics, by Stewart C Baker

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Whiplash ending., November 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

The theme of the game is made clear from the start that this is about having social anxiety and how it affects you. You are described or you experience situations where you are forced to interact with others, which makes you uncomfortable due to the awkwardness or embarrassment you take from it. Navigating the world is difficult, and the game doesn't shy away from telling you that.

Still, even with this disorder plaguing your life, you find yourself going to a haunted house, to win some cash... if you manage to stay inside during the allotted time. So you can go about, explore some rooms, meet some long-forgotten acquaintances (and be embarrassing), maybe help someone and get a treat in return... trying your best to stay collected to get that prize. The scenes in the haunted house brings some needed tension and unsease, as you'd expect from this kind of place

However, the game suddenly threw me off, changing the scenery without warning, before ending quite abruptly*. Felt like a whiplash...
It leaves quite a few threads behind and brings more questions than it answered.
*so I have a whole theory about it [in spoiler]

(Spoiler - click to show)My theory about the abrupt switch is that, you were not really going to a haunted house to win some cash but actually going to a clinic to get the help you need for your social anxiety. But, your brain tricks you, making up this whole weird spoopy scenario to actually get you there. Because, for some reason, you can't get yourself to go to therapy or something...

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Put-Peep(tm), by Sean Huxter

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
When the side-quest goes a bit weird..., November 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was a fun short parser, mixing some surreal elements with the horror tropes. Late at night, you find yourself back at work to fix one darn bug that's been bugging you for a while, and mess with your colleague. Of course, because you're in an empty building, in the middle of the night, completely by yourself, you hear some strange noises that prompt you to investigate, as they get weirder.

The writing is pretty fun, and plays on horror tropes to give a very eerie vibe, to the point that you question whether what you are experiencing is real or you are hallucinating. I also quite enjoyed the in-game commentary ( * ) while playing, and even typed the command even when there weren't any indicators (there are no hidden one, but the response is funny).

I've only had to use the walkthrough once, for the middle puzzle (yay for in-game walkthroughs!), as the rest was pretty intuitive.

This was a fun time!

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THAT WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM RESURRECTION, by swanchime

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Confusing ramblings, November 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was a short VN, a sort of sequel to wretched star, where, during a resurrection of a loved(?) one, you ramble to them about your past and your motivation for this resurrection, like a madman would. There seemed to be multiple actors at play, but it was not always clear who was talking when (or which sprite represented who); as well as some required background/knowledge was required to understand what was going on (and since I found the other linked game super confusing, I didn't end up with much when I was done with this game). The prose here is very cryptic, bordering at times on nonsensical, which is very much the author's style.

I didn't really get it...

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Taller Tech Mauler Mech, by Andrew Schultz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Rhyme but no reason..., November 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was my introduction to Andrew's rhyme game series, Prime Pro-Rhyme Row, and it took me a while to "get" it - as in, I went to download the walkthrough because I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Like other games in this series (which I have not played as of the writing of this review), the gist of the game is to... make rhymes. Word plays is at the centre of it all, with commands having to match the name of the room to progress, rather than your run-of-the-mill parser commands (examine, take, etc...).

On top of the quirky gameplay, the premise of the game is very silly, which makes sense considering the commands you need to input to solve the "puzzles" and progress through the game. The writing, in the rooms and the responses to commands, is pretty funny as well!

Though quite difficult*, the alliterations are pretty fun - see the title of the game for an example. And if you love rhymes and puns, this is probably a joy to go through. If you are not good at those, or if English is your second language, it will not be a simple walk in the park.
*cries in ESL, it was so freakin' hard.

Since it was done in such short amount of time, the only help you will find will be in the external walkthrough (if you don't want to keep guessing forever). Though, I did run into an issue where a command would not work, blocking the trigger for the next "event" to clear.

Final score: 14+1/23

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~~~Into Darkness~~~, by Jac Colvin

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An eerie walk through the woods..., November 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was a fairly short light-horror interactive poem about walking in the woods, with a bit of a Romantic vibe to the style. I found the different lengths of the lines making the cadence while reading them a bit wrong, which adds to the horror setting. Since the stanzas are consistent, it kinda makes things a bit uneasy to read through.

Through your walk, you are given different choices, which will lead you to the different endings. Depending not just on your choices but their order, you may or may not find your path out of the forest... or be corrupted forever. It took me a handful of tries before I could reach a different ending to my first playthrough (I even questioned whether there were other endings at all).

I thought that having a fear meter in the on the main page felt a bit distracting, as the poem holds on its own just fine. Keeping it only in the stats panel would have been better.

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Your Body a Temple, or the Postmodern Prometheus, by Charm Cochran

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Build-a-bear but make it monster, November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

A little bit Frankenstein, a little bit Build-a-bear, a little bit of making the body your own. It is both creepy and strangely soothing, ans you get to pick and choose how you want your body to look like. Kind of like any character creators, but a bit more spooky and personal.

Though the underline is fairly sad and a bit depressing, the responses of your choices are still quite playful and with lots of charm. It's pretty fun to reload the game and try a new body, getting as close as possible to becoming a specific kind of “monster”, or mix-and-matching the different parts given. The stats at the end sort of taunt you to min-max them, which is fun!

While part of me wishes it was longer (control yourself with this new body and interact with other people), it is also quite perfect the way it is now.

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The Labyrinthine Library of Xleksixnrewix, by Daniel Stelzer, Ada Stelzer, and Sarah Stelzer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
I'll get those darn adventurers next time!, November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Now, that was something different! Instead of going through a dungeon, fighting your way through waves of monsters, and solving crazy puzzles, all for a measly reward... you shape up the maze and fix up some traps to stop some annoying adventurers from desecrating your place of work (and avoid loosing your job).

This is the kind of game that is deceptively small (and so darn hard!), the kind you could spend hours trying out different combinations of maze formation and traps location, to stop adventurers from getting to the treasure. It is both a great brain-picker and a time-waster...

How this was done in only 4h is a mystery. Even with freely available extensions, which were mostly made by the author, the amount of content and writing within the game is impressive, and honestly insane. Do you have access to some time-wrap or something? Can you share?

Anyway, I'm going back to try to foil the adventurer's plans again...

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Bonfire Night: The Black Dog, by Carter X Gwertzman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Creepy escape, if you manage to, that is.., November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This is a short but a bit of an obtuse parser (definitely not beginner friendly), working as a survival entry in a creepy cult-like village. It took me restarting a few times to manage reaching the end (the first time, I managed to move about, exiting blocked spots and maze, by chance more than anything, before finding myself stuck again).

The lack of hints or walkthrough made some puzzle a bit convoluted to solve. Some actions require specific words, whose usual synonyms were not implemented (e.g. drink for glass), and it feels like there was supposed to be more places to explore or more puzzles to solve? As a whole, story-wise, your escape relies quite a bit on luck...

But if you look at everything, explore every room, and take everything you can find, you may be able to reach the end... somewhat unscathed.

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A Study of Human Behavior, by Earth Traveler

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Just wait and pass the plate, November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

In an alien abduction sci-fi setting, this game takes on the Game Theory/Prisoner's dilemma, discussing ethics and morals. After a short interrogation, you are brought into a room with other abductees to take part into an experiment, where your actions could mean life or death (for you or others).

I managed to “save” everyone on my first play (maybe I'm too much of a goody-two-shoes, but it was pretty easy), but It is possible to reach a state where the others turn on you, or you are the only one left standing.

Though the game starts with quite a bit of text, it ends up pretty bare after the experiment starts. Out of the 11 rounds, I was asked only two questions (in the first two rounds), and the rest was met with little reactions. This imbalance of text amount makes it feel like the game is incomplete, especially since you can't do much aside from following the directives (pass the plate or press the button), and the background of the other prisoners does not ever come into play either (not sure if those descriptions were much needed?).

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Zombie Eye: Campfire Tales, by Dee Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Spoopy tales around a camfire goign haywire..., November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

A cute and short parser, with the Dee Cooke (tm) graphics and vibes, a sequel to last year's entry, with simple and limited commands. Listen to some spoopy tales around the campfire with your friends, but watch out, some are more dangerous than it seems...

Though it might not be obvious, there is a way to get to a winning state. I had tried a bunch of actions but only reached a bad ending, which was frustrating (it felt like there was no way to "win"). But there is one combination of conditions that will work. Talking to your friends before the story starts is the way...

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Please Leave a Message, by Sarah Willson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Subtle horror through rambles, November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

This entry took a subtle approach to horror, using the rambling of an older woman through a voice message to her son. Complaining about everything and nothing around her, the message verges by the end of the piece close to paranoia (or full on paranoia depending on the path taken). While there might actually be something wrong with the woman's surroundings, she also seems not to be of sound mind either. Some paths will make you question whether the woman might just be out of touch, or whether her neighbours are as difficult as she portrays them to be, or the reason why M left...

If I were her son, I would honestly have deleted her message (if she sends it first, that is...

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Vampire Gold, by Olaf Nowacki

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Dying is fun… but in moderation., November 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Dungeon crawlers, my other nemesis. The difficulty of this one is not understated - not for the commands, as it uses the basics cardinal directions, attack, examine, and take; or the size of it, as it is pretty small; but for the combat part. It is quite difficult, and you might need the RNG God on your side (or maybe undo-scum). There is an order to which the rooms should be visited to avoid getting hit by the monster guarding it (and it is possible to avoid killing some of them to win). I've died A LOT and not managed to pick up more than 40 gold pieces.

Though it is hard, the game takes a more humorous approach in its writing. You are some sort of adventurer wanting to steal all the gold of a vampire in that dungeon. and won't back out until you reach it (or die). It's silly, but fun!

I kinda wish you could include more images in parser, because that cover is pretty dope.

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The Dying of the Light, by Amanda Walker

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
It hurts. But what else can you do?, November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was quite a difficult parser to play, not much because it is a parser (and those are usually difficult for me), but more so because of the subject of the game. It is about dementia. But more so, it is about experiencing advance dementia.

Honestly, I think not being good with parsers makes the experience all the more compelling and heartbreaking. It helped me, at least, understand the game better, through my frustration, through my fighting the needed commands. Like the PC, I felt like I did not have control over what I was doing, what I wanted to do was wrong (error messages), and what I managed to do brought hurt. I felt like I didn't understand what I was supposed to do next, what I could expect after doing something, or couldn't remember what word to use. [Type hint at any point, see what you want/need to do]

You know there is a fork on the table, but you can't use the word fork here, it's a pointy thing you can grab and stab other with, because this is the only thing that makes sense to you right now. You know there is a TV in the corner, but you don't remember what it was called or its purpose, and you don't understand what the shrilled noise are saying, and it's confusing you, and you want it to just stop! What can you even do?

This confusion and frustration felt throughout the game does just work narratively and interactively. The game manages to capture the psychosis in a way I've never seen before: it is real, it is raw, and it hurts.

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ConfigurationUploader, by Autumn Chen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Don't use programs you don't understand..., November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

When I saw the game pop up on my feed, I honestly thought Autumn had built a new program and had just uploaded a legit but bare documentation for it. But now, this is an actual IF, pure science fiction (I hope...) bundled up in an unusual format.

The whole gameplay feels like going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole (you know the ones, where you open links on the current page into a new tab to read later, because who knows if you'll find them again, and now your browser is lagging and it is 5h later) mixed with an incomplete and obtuse documentation for a program that doesn't exist (at least here) and doesn't seem to have a clear use (by going from the starting page/game blurb).

As you go deeper into the pages, finding that this program was lead by a university professor and eir students (some of which have left the projects in suspicious ways), it is possible to piece the mystery together (or the big picture at least). The implications of what is afoot is quite frightening, and bleak.

An impressive amount of content for just 4h!

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YOUNGBLOOD; YELLOWBELLY, by swanchime

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Now I'm hungry..., November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

You know how cooking blogs have those insanely long recipe posts, in which they talk about their whole life, often mentioning things that have absolutely no link with the recipe, tongs of pictures (but not of the dish!) and sometime parsing the steps of the recipe throughout those irrelevant bits, so that it becomes impossible to get clear instructions? To me, the entry emulated that to almost a T.

Though, instead of your run-of-the-mill regular folks with quirky recipes, this one is much more eerie and uneasy to read through, emanating a more sinister vibe than you'd expect from a cookbook (unless you read the blurb before hand). There is something quite wrong there, pushed forward by the interface and the eerie music, but it is not explicit in what - though the game hints at it with wink-wink-nudge-nudge jokes enough.

Some frustrating elements in with the interface: the animated background is pretty distracting as it is much brighter than any other element on the page (I had to turn it of with the console); the text block is quite small, especially for the length of the passage, forcing you to scroll a lot; and the typed text speed is way too slow (can be helped by pressing the Spacebar, though).

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Ah Lim's Chicken Rice, #01-08A, by Kastel

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Heart-pincher, November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

While quite short, this entry was very effective in conveying feelings of sadness, griefs, and longing, as well as joy and hope, even if fleeting. With little lords, the writing is quite powerful in its descriptions and depictions, leaving a lot of unsaid between the lines. The player is left feeling the holes and connecting the dots, to see the full picture (or at least a clearer one). It is quite tragic, and beautiful.

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GUT THE MOVIE, by Coral Nulla

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Silly, chaotic, loads of fun!, November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

Silly games are my favourite kind, especially the ones that know that the premise is silly and continue to go full speed ahead towards MOAR silliness. And this one knocks the silliness out the park.

Three friends have 20 bucks in their pockets* and a dream to make a horror movie called GUT (like their band name) in hopes to cash out. Each bandmate has an idea on where to spend the money (actor, scenery, costumes), or they could follow their manager and just get some chips. If the former option is chosen, the movie is film and shown around. But the movie is not yet perfect. So you go back to the drawing board and invest a bit more money. More shenanigans ensue! Very chaotic, much laughs.

While playing through it is fun, I felt the game shined even more after a replay or two, trying the other paths or different combinations of choices, as you'll get some very special flavours of chaos. It's very fun!

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The Loneliest House, by alyshkalia

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An eerie voyeuristic languished gaze at an abandonned house, November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

This is a short parser letting the players use only one command: examine (X / L), where the point is to examine the abandoned house, and its different element, as if you were exploring it. Examining an element gives you a description, which focuses on other smaller elements, which if you examine those will describe further details, and... so on and so forth until the details are simply too small to see, or until you examined all elements to reach the end.

The gameplay reminded me of Nested, where checking an element gives you details you can look out, each if checked will give out subsequent details, and... Except, unlike Nested, TLH doesn't loop back to repeat ad infinitum if you take one specific path.

As for the whole, it felt a bit voyeuristic, especially in the descriptions of each details of the house, as, even if it is abandoned, you sort of see yourself opening the door or looking out the scenery from the window. You wish you could be inside the house, but you can't. You're on the other side of the fency, gazing with envy at the house. It's pretty eerie...

Also: +1 for including a walkthough! -1 for not being able to pet the dog (/jk)

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The Author and its characters, by Stanwixbuster

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Meta-Philosophical musing, November 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This kinetic bitsi is more of a meta/philosophical musing about creative writing (or creating in general) and an author/creator's relationship with its creations - the positives and negatives, the blank and the whites, and the muddled greys in between. For some, it might be dreadfully existential, others will find themselves in the sentiments conveyed.

Linearity aside, I found the interface quite fitting, with the high-contrast monochrome backgrounds following the points of the text, as if adding another visual representation to the words on the screen.

It's an interesting piece, more so for the message than the interactivity.

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Forever and Ever, by PetricakeGames-IF

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
There's no good choice here., November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp, barebonesjam

This game might be short and concise, but it is quite well-written, impactful and heartbreaking. From the start, there is something not quite right with your son's interruption of your sleep, even if it is a yearly occurrence. Things just don't quite fit all to well, especially when your daughter appears or when the mother is mentioned (in hindsight... 🥴). But is is not clear until the end what is truly going on here. What seems at first like a slice-of-life with some spooky halloween aspect, turns downright terrifying. The reveal is not only depressing to internalise, but the implications are frankly hitting much harder than what you'd expect from the blurb and warnings. The final choice is, again, heartbreaking, whichever way you choose...

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InGirum_English, by BenyDanette

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A building chokehold making for an incredile multi-media game, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

This was an incredible game. Using the framing of a game within a game, it taps into the creepypasta vibes and lost content, by adding voiced commentary (amazing voice!~) and an interface of an old glitchy computer. In the game, you play bits of games and demos, created in binksi, from an author who had previously found success, but struggles to put out his next game.

Throughout the game (the one you play), commentaries from the narrator can be heard (in French, subtitled in English) at specific moments (especially the starts and ends of the games-in-game), explaining the state of mind of the author, his motivations for creating certain demos, or links between his games (often in symbolisms and writing on the wall). Most games-in-game are unfinished, explained by the narrator as to why.

The interactivity might not be traditional IF, as you are playing binksi (requiring more movement than choice), and is sometimes obtuse (especially the hidden mazes and paths, though they are not hard), but it reflects the commentary of the narrator on the subject. There are clear reasons as to why a level is built the way it is, why you can't reach certain element until much later down the line, why some demos look polished and some are messed up version. The mirror between what you see in the games-in-game and you hear/read with the commentaries is fascinating, as well as very creepy.

Throughout the game, tension builds up, with all the strange and creepy bits adding onto the pile, culminating to a climax that twisted my stomach. Every bit is linked, right up until the end.

And impressive game, taking you on a choke hold.

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InGirum_French, by BenyDanette

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Un Jeu impressionant qui fait froid dans le dos!, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Utilisant le motif de jeu dans un jeu, avec des commentaires d’un narrateur (génial, la voix~!) et une interface de vieil ordi qui glitch un peu, on joue à des extraits de jeux/démos en binksi. Les commentaires du narrateur sont activés à des moments clés (souvent début et fin), expliquant l’état d’esprit de l’auteur ou ses motivations lors de la création du projet. L’interactivité du jeu (très binksi) est parfois un peu obtuse (surtout le labyrinthe caché), mais elle reflète le commentaire du narrateur. Ce miroir est fascinant et un peu flippant.

Le suspense monte tout au long du jeu, culminant dans un rebondissement choquant (j’en tremble encore, évidement la clé!!).

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The Gooooooood Dog Show, by owof games, Mattia "RedGlow" Belletti, Insalatuera, QueerginiaWolf

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Surrealist Insanity, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game is downright absurd and really anchored in surrealism. I first played it when the Italian version was only available, relying on my little knowledge of the language and French-ism to get by (and was completely lost), then replayed it in English (and was slightly less lost).

The gist is that you're appearing in a TV show called the Good Day Show (a bit of a joke on those Good Day morning program), but you don't know how you got there, why you are here, and how you'd be able to get home. The host is not at all helpful and will not sooth your anxiety. Oh, and there's a cooking portion (have not beaten it).

The visuals are honestly insane (in a good way), with some bizarre abstract collage of bits to make sprites. It kind of reminded me of those weird modern pieces you'd find in museums.

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SpeedRead, by TremblingInferno

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A different way to display text, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This was a very short game to show off the mechanic rather than a story. Words flash on the screen one by one, testing your reading ability (though there is a speed setting) and reflexes when a choice is given (using arrows to choose an option). Some options are timed, others are not.

There are a handful of endings, which can all be found in 5min since the "story" is so short. However, this also make the novelty of the gameplay running out quickly. I do wonder if the novelty would still grow old quickly had the story been longer...

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Diana and Vega, by Nerd Date Night

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
a lo-fi game to relax to, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

The game describes itself as a 'lo-fi game to relax to', and it does not lie! From the interface and its calming palette, the background music chosen, or the vibes of it all, the game is reminiscent of those lo-fi playlist you'd find on Youtube. It is a very cozy game, with low stake and a chill storylet structure with a slow progress.

As always: + 1 for the cat, and being able to play with it!

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The Trial, by Haunted Forest

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Creepy puzzle with rogue-like vibes, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This played like a dungeon crawler/rogue-like, with a puzzle determining your fate. There is a specific order to interact with the elements, that is very subtly hinted within the text - it is very easy to die (and I did... quite a lot!).

As the narration is limited to descriptions or responses to the gameplay, what shines the most is the Interface of the game. The illustrations in the background evokes death and suffering (which you feel interacting with things in the temple), and are pretty well done.

The vibes of the game are neat!

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Eyes Open, by anonsh

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting moody set up, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

Though it is an incomplete story (you are warned on the game page), there is something pretty intriguing with the premise. The game sets down bits of a mystery and hints of potential intrigue. Still, there is good tension with the writing, as well as a compelling moodiness.

I hope there is a future release to complete the story.

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Confectioner's Atelier, by Grim Baccaris

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A delightful 15min, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This was such a fun and quick treat. A very cozy game where you gather around ingredients to create treats for customers. The gameplay is quite simple (go somewhere, get stuff, maybe barter for other stuff), and you can't lose either. The UI is also quite polished with fun graphics, reminiscing of pixel RPGs.

One of my favourite entry of the inkJam.

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Blink, by Adwen

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Prototype with potential, November 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game was build in a time-cave type of branching (each choice branches out, potentially to an ending), which means quite many endings for the size of the game. As there are a lots of paths (maybe too many considering the allotted time), many of them felt incomplete or ending abruptly.

The author does shine in the writing, with their vivid descriptions, how thought out the concept chosen was (body-snaching through eye-contact, that's neat and creepy). But it also at times felt distracting and confusing.

Lots of good potential in there, if the author decides to come back to it!

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ruin, by treatyofparis

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Lovely for poetry lovers..., November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game rest heavily on vibes and poetic prose, with loosely connected spaces, rather than a more traditional story with a clear start and end. Through it all, you explore imagined places in some sort of dream-like state, where poetry take a centre stage, both in the theme, the writing, and the choices.

Because of the style and themes, this will affect some readers more than others. I tend to have a harder time connecting with poetic prose.

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skinner, by SmallMiracles

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Lie detector test, but for your humanity, November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

In a quite Blade Runner vibe, you are tasked to assess whether the person in front of you is a human or an android. Others trust your judgement, because you were the best at taking down androids before now. So you sit down, ask the person questions, check the outputs of the instruments (that supposedly help you gauge one's humanity through their eye movements), and make your judgement...

The game itself is pretty short (you only judge one person), which makes sense since it is listed as a prototype on itch. But I kind of wish there was more to it? maybe judging multiple people rather than just one, or get the consequences of your judgement (were they truly human or android? what if you chose wrong?).

The mechanic of the instrument readings is pretty neat, using graphics to help you assess whether eye movement is within the wanted bounds. It also bring the terrifying questions of what makes an individual a human, or how we quantify humanity, or whether we should strive to make androids as human-like as possible? Where does the android truly ends and humanity starts?

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Larp and Monty's Metamorphies, by cindercritter

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A delightful approach to Kafka's Metamorphosis, November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

If you've read Kafka The Metamorphosis, you should have an idea of the ride you're about to embark. But rather than taking a bleak modern route, the author took a completely absurd fantasy one.

You are Monty, of Larp and Monty, a guard guarding a Tower-of-Sauron-like tower, but something went wrong. And then, Larp becomes weird. And then, it's your turn. And now, what?

Well, this becomes a bit of running around to get to safety then deciding that to do and where to go because of "the metamorphoses". Do you go back to where you came from, hoping things will get back to normal, or accept this new state? Very kafka-esque.

Even if the medium it was based on is relatively dark, the game is much lighter, pushing the humorous aspect in the banter between the two characters or the descriptions and narration. It is a delight.

Small note: after some choices, the page will refresh to add the new text, but scroll all the way down the page rather than staying at the top. As most bit are sizeable, you will have to scroll back up quite often

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Lid Astray, by Avery Hiebert and Ryan Samman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Blink, don't blink, oh no you blinked at the wrong time!, November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game had a very creative take on the blinking theme, using the player actually blinking to affect the gameplay, via your webcam and facial recognition. While this is super cool and innovative, fast blinkers like me might have a tough time completing a room before the environment is changed. Luckily, the devs included a non-webcam alternative: pressing your spacebar to "pretend" blinking (though you may lose a bit of the immersion/change, unless you blink at the same time).

With this mechanic, you are given a series of puzzle to complete to escape the labyrinth, where the solution often requires you to "blink" to change the environment, so you can get a key inside a block of ice (but now it's melted) or insert it in a keyhole (which didn't fit at first, because it was the wrong door)... The scenarios are quite diverse, so the mechanic never really loses it charm.

However, while the ambiance is heightened by the funky tunes and the animated background*, these soon became distracting (the way the animation moved made me pretty sick, so I couldn't finish the game).
*the author have commented if they update the game, a toggle for animation will be on the list.

Great fun game, with a very cool mechanic. Worth a try at least!

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Ocean Daydream, by Alien

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Take a plunge..., November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

To take on the theme of the jam, the game mixes sci-fi and fantastical elements, which fit pretty well together, giving an eerie feel to Tsumugi environment and state of mind. Through the many early endings, the story pushes you to explore the strange happenstance.

At times, the game seems a tad unfinished and unpolished, which the author can be forgiven for, as it was completed in less than a day. There seems to be achievements and stats aspect in the game, which you are notified when picking certain choices. However, it is unclear how much this affect the story, aside from direct variation (or running into an abrupt ending).

There is something quite interesting to the setting, and how you get to the fantastical element, but it doesn't feel pushed enough or like elements were introduced but abandoned half-way through. It would be interesting to see more of the RP/state play a role further into the story.

One final bit: the illustration on the game page/title card is really lovely!

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We Shall All Be Changed, by Jefferson Toal

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
... or not!, November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

Told in three parts, with a change in POV in between, the story mashes Christian mythos and horror, through the arrival of the apocalypse. As such, it takes an interesting approach on the theme, by going to the earliest use of the phrase in the blink of an eye, Through this the re-contextualisation of religious themes inside a horror framing, the game discusses religion and faith, change (or lack thereof), and what happens after death.

The writing, being quite flowery and evocative, tries to emulate old English to set the story in late Ancient Times - though only for spoken words, the rest of the text using modern prose. I found it a bit jarring, as little of the setting is framed from being in this time.

Finally, the ambiguous and unchanging ending left me unsatisfied. Your choices, which are recapped at the end, are supposed to give you an answer to why the ending is the way it is, or at least lead you towards your own interpretation. But I don't feel like it quite worked, for any choice I made. I didn't understand why only one of the two, even if both are in this situation, finds solace at the end...

I think quite a bit of the story stands on a prerequisite knowledge of Christian mythos, and assumes that the players has those, to make enough of an impact.

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Sere, by Kira Pelletier & Lauren Nolan

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Take a break and watch the forest change., November 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This was a very cute entry to the inkJam, one of the most sweet and serene of all of them, as you watch a forest going through the different seasons and stages, as its inhabitants change*, adapting to the environment. I am still not sure if you are the forest or another wordly being, but frankly it matters little here.
*in a blink of an eye, get it?

Like the story, the writing is fairly mellow and calm. Depending on the choice you make, you can manage to loop back to the start, and try out a different branch (watching more closely or close your eyes and vibe).

The illustrations, both in the backgrounds (which change with the theme!) and as headers for each "chapter", were quite lovely, adding to the serenity of the story. It was just a shame they wouldn't fit properly one the page...

Chill cute vibes.

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Blink., by Fergus Doyle

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Can't not blink..., November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This is a tiny horror story about what is and isn't around you, but also not quite. It does not just play with your senses of what you see and feel, but also with your agency as a player.

While it should add to the uneasiness of the setting, it didn't work for me. This felt more like something you'd fin in r/twosentenceshorror.

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new eyes, by zorkie

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
To mod or not to mod..., November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This was a bit of a mind-blowing game. It takes an intriguing take on the themes of agency, control over and expression of one's body, body modification and technological advancement.

The use of an interview mechanic to prove the customer's motivation for a procedure is done quite well, with realistic reactions from them when your probing goes towards an unexpected path or pushes too much. Depending on the tone chosen at the start, you will find subtle variations in the responses. At the end, you will have to choose whether you approve of the procedure or advise against.

It is both uneasy to go through, hard to look away, and pretty well done.

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The Blink, by Briggs

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Should I stay or should I go?, November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game had a very interesting sci-fi premise with the whole end of the Universe/of life concept and last effort for hope, clashing with a more blasé outlook of living for the moment while you can, because humanity is doomed anyway. Though it is set in a far future, with a probably impossible setting, the tech doesn't feel too far-fetched and complicated to grasp.

The fast pace start hooks pretty quickly, feeling that anxiety and weight of the importance of the mission. It slows down from the middle point, where you get more concrete exposition* and a sense of dread from the state of your ship and the crew. This culminates to the big choice: continue your mission or give up.
*More lore is available on the game page, as a feelies (downloadable extra).

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The Worst Pets, by Wild Opus Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
One is definitely *the worst*, November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This was a quirky prototype that ends pretty abruptly (depending on the path taken, pretty quickly too). It is very humoristic, and very chaotic energy vibe: the pets are not your run-of-the-mill cats and dogs, and you might not be able to handle them...

Adding to the chaotic vibe are the illustration, with its funky style. It's a shame the current version is so short (though understandable due to the limitations). So I hope a longer version comes out at some point, and have more shenanigans to handle with those weird pets.

In the meantime, I'm bringing the pets back...

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Biohazard Response Team: First Day, by Yacht

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Hope you do well on yout first mission!, November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This had huge Aliens/Predator vibes, from the setting of the story to the beasts' descriptions. The whole moving about in the building did remind me a bit of Ripley going through the ship to hunt down the Alien. The gameplay itself is pretty simple: you mainly get binary choices, with some leading you to an early end (being sneaky is not always the smart choice...).

Trying to stay alive, balance your ammos, and keeping everyone sage is trickier than it seemed, but it makes for a fun small adventure/dungeon game.

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Story Generation, by bushn

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Buy a planet, watch it grow and die. Don't blink!, November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This game has a cool sci-fi concept, where you get to see how a planet transforms before your eyes at lightning speed, before getting small snapshots of different elements. It's pretty eerie, seeing life being reduced to numbers and snapshots for your own enjoyment (and yours alone). I am still not sure whether the generated planet is supposed to be "real" or lines of code in a computer, but the implications either way are a bit creepy.

The planets and its components are also randomly generated, making replays pretty fun (though I was unlucky the first few times). I also liked the simple and muted animated background, giving off that futuristic-corporate vibe that fits with the setting.

It was a neat experiment.

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Impact, by Reid Gillis

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
What you see in those last moments, November 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: inkjam

This entry had an interesting use of the theme, with a collection of snippets of his life flashes before him, as Stan is about to die. The writing is quite nice, and flows pretty well from one snippet to another (what'd you'd expect in that kind of situation). Stan struggles with a lot of things in his life, especially his family breaking apart following his divorce due to his actions, and I thought the writing did a pretty good job representing this. The final beat of the game had me chocking up.

However, I wasn't fan of the Interface (you need to open the game in full screen to play). The white text is often really difficult to read against the bright background (can't be changed) and the font size changes depending on the amount of text. The way the interactivity is set up (having to click Continue at the bottom then go to the top of the page for the option) becomes a bit annoying. There is also barely any coherence in the style of the different backgrounds (AI generated), with the characters represented looking like completely different people from one screen to another.

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The Whisperers, by Milo van Mesdag

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
We all play a part..., October 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

The Whisperers is an interactive game set in the late 30s Soviet block, where you are an audience member of an interactive “propagandist” play, of three “families” living inside a paper-thin-walled apartment. Throughout the story, you are asked for your opinion on how the play should continue. There are essentially 3-ish possible endings.

I personally hate plays where the audience needs to take an active part of the story, where immersion is broken because the audience must have a say. But as an interactive game, I’ve quite enjoyed it! The active participating is not only welcomed, but adds another layer of intrigue into the story (at least in this case). The awkwardness of waiting for the play to start again is not there, as the passage loads right after your choice is made.

As for the story, a morality take in two acts, it made me think of those typical contemporary French plays happening within an apartment, where miscommunication and personal drama becomes the crux of the issue. While it is not as vaudevillian, with the play set in Soviet Russia during Stalin’s regime, it is nonetheless cynical in its treatment of its characters. No one is good, no one is bad, everyone is stuck in their own situation (and some are maybe a bit stupid*).
*the characters felt at times a bit flat, or a bit preachy in how they discuss some topics.

If you take it at face value, it’s a pretty neat experience; and if you look deeper into it, it shows off the extensive research on the setting and the length taken to portray its intricacies, the horrors, and the hopes. It felt a bit like a commentary of the period. The play is fairly fast paced, and doesn’t overstay its welcome, ending just at the climax. The interactiveness of it is fun, with your choice mattering or being disregarded (depending on the mode played) – it could have been fun to learn whether these choices affected your position.
I found the hidden ending to be the most fun one.

But, I did have some issue with the formatting of the text itself. While I appreciated the inclusion of formatting options, with palette themes and text font/size*, it made it obvious when an aspect was not customised (link colour not contrasted enough, popup). But that’s a detail compared to…
*it might have fitted more inside a Setting popup, the buttons’ colours were too eye-catching.

… the passages not looking like an actual script. From the blurb to the game itself, it was clear we were meant to look forward to a play on our screen. But the text is vaguely formatted like one: the Act is centred on the page, but not the scenes or the character’s names; the actions or voice level* are made obvious in brackets, but end up feeling lost inside dialogue (especially in the Guide’s and Sergei’s monologues)… It might seem like a detail, but the essence of playwriting felt a bit lost because of it?
*the whispering aspect kinda felt like an afterthought after the first scene? The voice level of the characters didn’t seem to matter much in further conversations…

Visual friction aside, this was neat.

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Edenia, by pat
Do you truly want to learn why?, September 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

Edenia is a dry sci-fi game, set on some strange planet, where you play some sort of humanoid character afflicted with strange reoccurring dreams. Aside from your tumultuous sleep, your life is pretty mundane and calm... unless your path takes you somewhere else...

Built in a Gauntlet-style, Edenia offers multiple paths to reach the many different proposed endings. Set to undergo a routine scan, with an eerie timing around your dreams, you get multiple opportunities along the way to cure your ailments and go back to your life, or dig deeper into those strange occurrences - maybe even uncovering secrets.

Though it is easy to "call yourself to order", especially at the start of the story, the game makes it obvious the path to take, the "winning" state, is the one where you question your ailments and look into the mystery of those dreams. Something is wrong with you, but why? (Spoiler - click to show)Some medical staff urges you into procedures without much explanations, but for what reason? Other brush off your concerns or try to move you out of the way, but why? It becomes quite transparent you are not supposed to have those dreams, and your changing condition will make it hard for the authority to control.

Still, it was not an easy game to get into, as you are thrown into this world with alien concepts and names without much explanation. The writing itself was quite dry. It was frankly at time disorienting - I wasn't sure if I misread something at the start or whether I was supposed to have played another game before this one. While it does add to the distress you are supposed to feel as this character with out-of-the-ordinary dreams and build on the suspense, it also felt at times tedious to go through.

It was nice the game allowed you to return to a previous choice block if you arrived at an end rather than having the play the whole thing back. It made checking the other options much easier.

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Capitaine Chavire (ou les déboires d'un matou sur la Mer de Lait), by Lilie B
An adventure of a lifetime (literally), September 6, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

Filled with cat-puns and light humour, Capitaine Chavire ships you on an adventure of a lifetime (potentially literally). After setting up a small crew you sail the Milk Sea in search of treasures, food, and companions. Along the way, you may encounter other ships you can fight against or negotiate with, deserted islands where you can pick up lone crew members or find extra food, and mystical creatures to face.

If you manage to keep enough crew and food, navigating the tempestuous sea for long enough, the game will abruptly call the final trial*. Depending on the crew aboard your ship, you may manage to pass it and fulfilling your dream. I have yet to beat the requirements, always missing something by the end.
*I think you need to have clicked on a specific cardinal direction a certain number of times?

While the resource management gameplay is fun, I found the humourous writing to be the highlight of the game. Everything in the game is cat-related. You barter in kibbles, recruit crew whose name will start with Cha/Chat, sail the literal Milk Sea... (Spoiler - click to show)all to fight a mystical fish. Even replaying was entertaining, as locations and names were randomised at every turn.
(Spoiler - click to show)Speaking of the fish, it reminded me of the Rainbow Fish children's book, with... well... it's rainbow scales. Cute throwback!

Either I'm bad at resource management, or I didn't explore enough, or I just have bad luck, but not reaching a positive end has made me wonder if there is a winnable state with the game or if it is possible to reach it at all. The title of the game, and of your name, Chavire, implies something to capsize. While this could refer to the consequences of the trial if you fail, or the treacherous seas, it could also imply your ship will always capsize no matter what you do.

On day, I'll try to get on this milky sea and try my luck again...

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La Tempête, by Mythonirie
There is always something you forget to do before a storm, September 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: concoursmoiki, French

A powerful storm is coming, and you might not have forgotten to fully prepare for it. You expect some damage, but can you avoid it?

You know there is a storm coming, and, while your abode has withstood harsher weather, you hope to find little damage the day after. Unfortunately for you, the preparation you made were not enough, as disturbing sounds alert you of broken things around the house. Saddened by the realisation of how much must be replaced when surveying the day after and the little care you put in preparing for the storm, you think hard about what you could have done instead and...

(Spoiler - click to show)...you are sent right back to the beginning of the game. Thanks to some sort of time-travelling powers, you are able to correct your mistakes, and securing better your property. The storm comes and goes, before you will have to inspect the potential damages again.

(Spoiler - click to show)This looping gameplay will repeat, introducing different element around the house that the storm will target, forcing you to check its condition and prepare for the oncoming storm in the following loop. A few screens will have a timer, choosing the first listed option if the timer runs out. As far as I could tell, there was no failure ending, as the game will continue to restart until all elements are taken care of. It is very merciful game on the player, allowing them ample space for mistake and correcting them.

The UI is made of three different screens: before, during and after the storm, each with its respective colour palettes to align with the background. The background looked strangely pixelated or had a low resolution. The nicest to the eye was the after the storm screens.

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La Révolte des Roses, by Gavroche Games
The Consequences of Your Past Actions..., September 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: French, concoursmoiki

Following a mundane incident, revolts have spurred around the land. Previous action on your part having failed, they are now marching towards the castle to demand retribution. As Lord of the land, you must ensure the safety of your subjects as well as bringing peace back. Seeking council from your advisors, the Intendant and the Chef des Guardes, you may find things aren't quite as they seem...

Behind the literary prose, the game is more layered than it lets on at first. It is not just the safety of your subject that should matter to you, but your standing with them, and how far they could go to regain some sort of peace. You will need to play through the story a few times to get the whole picture - two playthroughs at least.
If not just to find all endings, the intrigue itself left me wanting to know what was going on. After all, time is pressing, and you have little to interrogates those around you for information (assuming you don't already know).

Though the game is fairly linear, with certain events being unavoidable, the game offers enough choices to avoid feeling being dragged along by the story. One of the major choice branches the story in two separate, yet fairly similar paths. There is some interesting investigative interactivity in each path, uncovering quite the secrets, albeit short depending on the sequence of action.

The game has a simple UI, with a single colour background, a few lines of descriptions or dialogue, and a list of choice or arrow to continue. To differentiate between orators and internal thoughts, the game will change the colour of the background, adding sometimes inconsistently a portrait of the relevant orator above their title.

While the main story was quite rounded, I found the final section confusing. Doubling down in the fantastical, the game introduced a new character to set the ending. I thought this was a detriment to the rest of the game, as few to no hints were included ahead. It is still unclear whether the end could be a cliffhanger to a future project or if I just missed something crucial in previous passages. I think the game could have worked just fine without.
Still, Ending A felt more thematically on point than Ending B, the latter being the more confusing out of the two.

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70 New Works in (Goncharov 1973), by ksixjs

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Gaslight, Gatekeep, Goncharov, September 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov


70NW is essentially a one page game emulating the (in)famous fanfiction website Archive of Our Own, listing Goncharov fanfics - texts unavailable to you aside from their tags and blurb. You can click on different elements to filter the 70 fics into smaller groups.

While you can’t technically read each of those fanfics - ironic, considering you can’t really watch the movie either - the elements of each fic may give enough to infer what they could be about. From the title, to the blurb, or the tags including different characters, themes, content warnings, or story structure. Many will refer to specific scenes or motif of the “movie”, or a specific ship. Some fill the gaps the movie didn’t cover, some deep dive into non-canon territory. Some take the alternate universe approach, others have crossovers (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Turnabout Clocktower)

The “game” both makes fun of the meme itself with the deranged theories that sparked during the craze and of fanfic websites like AO3 with its as deranged tags and fanfics (honestly). Even though I never really frequented these fanfic sites, the game does a pretty good job at takes their likeness (a more yellow-ish coffee stain background might have been too on the nose…), as well as the representing the deluge of fanfics submitted to those websites soon after the meme took over Tumblr (there are over 300 of them right now on AO3).

Out of all 70 non-fic, The fruit vendor didn’t deserve this?? was my favourite. When is the crossover with the Cabbage man of ATLA planned?

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GONCHAROV 2073, by sweetfish

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
If Paul Verhoeven was in on the meme…, September 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov


Goncharov 2073 is a fairly short stylistic linear piece with one small choice, set in a not-so-far and not-so-implausible future, in which Goncharov is a movie written by an AI, rather than the illusive and very human Matteo JWHJ0715. At the movie premiere, you and a group of activists will try to derail the event as a protest. Will you truly succeed?

Following Kon - not their real name - you oversea the smooth running of a project started months prior. Due to the significance of the event, the first ever screening of an AI generated movie, it is of the upmost importance things go the way they should. One small mistake and it will mean the end of the team. Things often go haywire on sabotage missions, and it is never when you think it might…

While the entry might seem to follow tropes of sabotage missions, delivering the tension at every turn, having the blasé handler, or things not going quite as planned, it is not much of the story or the meme that is most noteworthy, but the messages behind it. It should not be this surprising, with the author’s other games often having quite a bit to say or critique about the state of things.

In the past years, there have been increasing talk about Artificial Intelligence and its use in different industry. Recently (as of this review), it has been found that Entertainment Companies have been looking into rendering the likeness of background actors and using AIs to render them in the final project (without needing them on set). The use of AI software to render text or visuals is becoming more common, even going as a replacement for employees. It feels a bit hard to remove this topical aspect from the story of this game: an AI has written this movie, an AI is controlling the likeness of a (probably) dead Martin Scorcese…

The onus is not really put on the AI here - it is just a tool (and not a reliable or great one at that, if the comments about the movie are to be trusted*). The game takes a hit at the companies behind it, the ones using the tool, the ones actually profiting in this endeavour. *or that could just be making fun of the meme, whose lore is often contradictory.

In-game, the rules around AI use regarding using the likeness of someone cannot be done without their consent, a fair system… if it wasn’t an op-out one. The rules don’t seem to apply to people who died before the system was put in place - ruling impending - which explains the presence of a holographic Martin Scorcese at the premiere. Still, you have a sense that regardless of the legality of the tool, those company would try to find a way to use it anyway…

The criticism goes even clearer with the reveal of the activists’ manifesto: the technological advancement is not the problem, capital endeavours are - butchering, making almost a mockery of creativity with their generated “work”.

On the other hand, the game does not shy away from critiquing the actions of the activist group, showing that the sabotage of the premiere would not only shed more light on the movie, but ensuring its popularity at the box office - people who might not have cared about would come in flock out of spite. Activism is hard: there is no one way of doing things, actions can backfire, and you could be going against organism so large your actions might not even make waves or get you quite a bit of retaliation. Replaying the game to see the different option of that choice may hammer on this aspect…

With its title reminiscing of the Blade Runner sequel title, or its dark and gritty UI (a bit à-la Metal Gear Solid - very very cool), and the messages above, the game gave me vibes of Paul Verhoeven movies.

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Goncharov, by Stanwixbuster

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Did we watch the correct movie?, September 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov

Goncharov is a fairly short stylised kinetic piece, presenting itself as an adaptation of the “original” movie, through snippets of different critical scenes, as defined in the meme lore. Though, you could play the scenes chaotically, by doing a random order for examples, the story is best enjoyed when followed chronologically.

Above a usually animated background, dialog boxes pop up on the screen, typing out descriptions of the scene or the dialogue between characters. Locations, time and present actors are visualised through small screenshots - the character sprites do not change from scene to scenes, so it is easy to recognise who is who.
Depending on your setup, the animated background and text may lag.

A few scenes in, you get the sense that something is not quite right. Maybe it is because each scenes have very few words, or because they lack connection between each other. Their succession from the listed menu makes sense, but it is clear there are gaps between each scene. Or it could simply be the game trying to send you off track, like any good intrigue movie: nothing is truly as it seems.

While the end scene is quite something, the truly interesting part of the game, in my opinion, is when the credits roll. We sort of leave the realm of the movie and the canon, to have a more… meta discussion. Some criticism mentioned above, as well as potential failings of both the game itself and the meme at large, are discussed through two viewers of the movie you just experienced through the scenes. These criticism, from the lack of coherence to the missing actions, are linked to discourse that happened around the meme (though in-game, the discourse is about the movie).

You could take this final conversation at face-value: two friends watching a movie and discussing it when it ends. Or you could look at is as a discussion of the strange phenomenon that was Goncharov - the meme. Taking the internet by storm, it spread without rhyme or reason, with many users contradicting each other with sequencing, lore, or details, as they made up their version of the fake movie. As a collective, we all made the “movie” happen, each adding a scene or lore, trying to make our voice heard through the sea of creators participating. Maybe we were all Matteo, in a way, directors of Goncharov.

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Goncharov: Coda, by Lapin Lunaire Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Make. Meaningful(?). Choices!, September 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov


Like other entries in the jam, Goncharov: Coda takes the movie-making approach to the Goncharov mythos, where you play as an actor in a “contemporary remake of the film”. Playing as either Andrej or Sofia, the story will take you through the re-enactment of relevant scenes, where you can showcase your wits and line delivery. After all, you are here to honour an unprecedented legacy…

The game starts with the first table read of the screenplay, introducing the team working on the remake - many of the characters having funny pun-y names (especially the director’s name). It is at this point you get to choose which path to act (Sofia or Andrei, supporting roles), and where the first scene sets off.

Though you have two distinct paths, the game is built around bottlenecks. Both paths will share scenes (first and last, disregarding some variation), and out-of-character beats (in-between shooting scenes). The central part, however, is highly dependent on the path chosen, as each is set in a different location, follows a different group of characters, and focuses on different themes (or take on the theme).

The played scenes follow the “canonical” sequence of the “movie”. Starting with the Goncharov’s imminent arrival in Naples, the play indicates the start of new relationships (namely between Sofia and Katya), hints at a change in relationships (Goncharov and Katya), and questions other relationships (Goncharov and Andrei). The middle scenes will continue with this theme of relationships, focusing on how these relationship can also change a person (important especially for Goncharov and Katya), as well as hinting at the culminating fight up ahead. It all ends with the infamous bridge scene, the showdown to end all showdown - I did find that scene confusing, I think there are some flashforwards(?), it’s pretty chaotic.

Another important theme hammered on from the start is the one of choices, or lack thereof. The director of the movie makes a point to remind the player to “Make. Meaningful. Choices” at the start, when improvising certain lines. The middle scenes interactions between Katya and Sofia or between Andrei and Goncharov also emphasise on the choices we make, where they lead us, and the consequences of those choices. Sofia reminds us that choices can set us free, while Andrei will show that other factors, like loyalty, will force our choices to entrap us. It is interesting to see that our choices can be both meaningful and inconsequential to the story.

While it seems like the game is a very serious and maybe dark affair, the game is nothing but. I already mentioned the pun-y names at the start, but the humour doesn’t stop there. It also appears in lines to choose from, with funny one-liners; sarcastic descriptions of locations, reminding you that you are totes still filming the thing; or the almost deranged behaviour of some characters, the director especially had Dean Pelton (Community) vibe. Even the final passage, which is a bit sad when you think about it, was quite funny. I was chuckling throughout the game.

A final point should be spent on the care spent on the UI of the game. Looking like a movie script sitting on a table, with the Do Not Distribute warning at the top, the UI will use screenplay formatting to distinguish between reality and the played scenes. It even goes further as highlighting the actions and lines of the character you are playing (like with a real screenplay) - it must have been a pain to handle all those indents… The UI is pretty smooth to use, especially in fullscreen.

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Someone Else's Story, by E. Joyce

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
How good of a honeypot will you be?, September 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov


Told from the point-of-view of Sofia, Someone Else’s Story takes a look at the start of the relationship between two side characters: Sofia and Katya, two women linked to big characters whose actions will drive the “story”'s plot. Spanning a conversation, you were tasked to extract information from the lovely newcomer. Will you managed without her noticing?

Someone Else’s Story is a fairly short game mixing choices, to drive the conversation forward, and hypertext*, to provide additional contextual information to the scene or about Sofia’s state of mind. Each choice provide variation in the next screen, with some even adding an option to the choice-list. The combination of all choices made throughout the game will determine how the conversation between you and Katya ends.

To get information from Katya, you must ask the right questions, in the correct manner. Though you have multiple choice available to you, from flirty to pushy, the type of questions asked may tick Katya that something is up, or may just confuse her. She will comment on the matter, before ending the conversation and leaving for the night. You do not learn, however, whether how successful you were at your task. Though, as Katya warns, when one is this expendable, does it truly matter?
(kinda yes… i always want to know how well i did.)

The game raises an interesting point, hinted by its title. Though you are the main character of this game, this short story, Katya may tell you that you are just a pawn in someone else’s story. You may drive the plot in this beat, but someone - your boss - is pushing you to this point in time, requesting things from you to further his story. You may down the line have a relationship with Katya (not in-game), but it will still be framed around other more important players - your struggles being a continuation of theirs.

Still, the illusion of agency still hods, even after replays. You may not be a major player, but the game makes you feel like your actions actually matter in this story, that they actually may change the course of the night. Even if, ultimately, it won’t - Katya will always try to change the subject, or look at her watch, signalling the end of the conversation. Your efforts don’t feel in vain.

While the game will mention a few important characters to the main lore or themes, the strongest one emanating from this entry is the concept of time. You are limited in time to find information for your boss about Goncharov before he potentially makes a move, to extract information from Katya during the party, before time inevitably cuts your effort short - when the watch strikes “twelve”. But there is maybe a more ominous limitation from Katya’s final remark: the time left before you will get hurt (if you continue snooping, that is).

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GONCHAROV - THE MAFIA HIGHSCHOOL DATING SIMULATOR, by Monday
Parody on parody, in an alternate universe, September 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov


I think this line summarises the game best: Your name is Goncharov. You are fifteen years old, and today is your first day of mafia school. G-TMHDS is a very short datim-sim game, dabbling with the Goncharov “lore”. Dipped in humour and sarcasm, the game gives the player a short introduction of the main players of the “movie” and their relationship to one another… if this was a Highschool AU.

Due to its short length, the game feels more of an introduction to a larger dating-sim, rather than a fully rounded story. You wake up, get ready for school, meet up with a friend (Joe), and try to talk to your crush (Katya) and be jealous of her friend (Sofia), before the game ends with a hint of a dark attraction (Andrej). There are a few choices throughout the story, each giving some humourous variation (try ditching school).

From the start, it is clear the game is not to be taken seriously. It will treat your not-so-smart question with disdain, and your doubt with deprecation - an attitude many would have towards teenagers or very naive individuals. The narrator is not afraid to call you out for stupid decisions (or as-stupid thoughts about doing something). [SPOILER]“Teresa Maria, Goncharov, don’t be such a square.”[/SPOILER] had me wheezing.

Honestly, I still haven’t decided whether this was meant as a parody of the meme or of the highschool dating-sim genre. It makes fun of both mafia tropes and of those dating-sim (as much as it can with the limited passages), juggling between the two without missing a beat. While reading through it, it reminded me of that KFC dating sim game from a few years back - I Love You, Colonel Sanders! - it is of the same tone: frivolous, humourous, and plain stupid (the hahaha this is so dumb kind). It just hits all the right notes.

I think this game might work even better in a VN form…

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Goncharov, by Ju / smwhr
A small taste of unreality, August 30, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

While this was probably one of the shortest entry of the Single Choice Jam, its subject matter has a special place in my heart (having been part of the Goncharov craze). And, following in those footsteps, the game took its own part of the canon, recreating the setting for the confrontation between Goncharov and Andrej.

To save the most precious thing in his life Goncharov made a deal, one which would involve betraying his friend. You choice here is to either follow through with this plan, or double-cross the dealing party. Which ever option you choose, the scene ends abruptly. But the consequences… they wait for no one.

Though the game is very short, I did enjoy the way the scene was set - in some sort of a Previously in Goncharov serialised way. It gave the fairly intricate (overall non-canon) story some touch of humour.

This was a treat.

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Boing!, by tumbolia

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Break the cycle, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


This last-submitted parser for the jam is a bit of an intricate puzzle, requiring the player to read the prompts very carefully to find the solution… or they will be yoinked back to the start. The game is built in one room, where the player can do different action in hopes to reach the end - a sort of Aisle meets escape room, where there is only one true action to solve the puzzle.

And so, you are an investigator (maybe?) stuck in some sort of loop (if you could remember why you are here, it would be greeeaaat), in a subway station, next to a vending machine, surrounded by some critters… and plagued by very strange and prophetic dreams (you really should take note of those).

The twist/explanation of the ending is kind of nonsensical and very trippy, very on point from the rest of the game. It is both confusing and hilarious. I’m glad I played this last.

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Remembrance, by E. Joyce

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Memories are what matters…, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


Remembrance is an emotionally charged entry, which follows the player getting ready to put their mother’s ashes to rest. The trip allowing only limited amount of luggage, you can only choose one keepsake.

The entry deals with the themes of death and grief with delicate words, showing the good the bad and the ugly of going through the things that mattered and the memories linked to them. Though you have a choice, there is no wrong or right options there. All are important pieces of yourself, all matter.

I think I liked the box of recipe the best out of all objects. The connection between your mother and yourself felt the strongest and most emotional - I think I related to it the most. I liked the little nod of Jewish traditions hinted in there too, and the want to continue those traditions, in a way or another…

It is a powerful piece that left me without many words when the game ended.

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Carmine and Charcoal, by tapestryjuice

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A peculiar investigation, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


In this short game, you are task to find not who but what has been stolen from your client. Following a party where many artists were invited, including a known thief (a sort of Arsène Lupin gender-swap meets art forger), the hosting couple found a note from said thief, a momento left behind to replace what had been taken.
But nothing looks out of place…

This was a cute moment, with some humourous jokes, and - like the author admits - feels at time a bit incomplete/rushed. I wouldn’t say no to a longer version of this game, maybe in an episodic form with different cases, and showing a bit more the investigators’ relationship.

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Blade of the Overlord, by Nicolás Jaramillo Ortiz
Third time’s the charm!, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


This entry is the last Visual Novel submitted to the Single Choice Jam, and quite a visual polished one at that. Starting with a short game trailer, you are introduced to two friends excited by the re-print of cards they used to have when they were kids. Especially the very rare print of the Blade of the Overlord, a highly stylised card in an alien-like font.

In three act, the game encapsulates the nostalgia around card games like Magic the Gathering or Pokemon, and all the shenanigans around it - the special editions, misprints, the weird rules on the cards, the seedy players, the hours spent around the table opening packs and playing them, or the rich collectors who will spend thousands on the rare stuff (that was a fun nod at current event, with Post Malone buying an MGT card for $2mil).

I liked the different approach the characters have towards the game, with the one who buys into the hype and would spend all their money to get the rare cards; the one who is the opposite, only buying to build up a playing deck; and the one who is realistic about their situation, but still misses owning some specific basic cards from their childhood. The arguments set forwards may affect what choice you pick at the end, both being neither good nor bad - just very realistic.

This felt like opening a time capsule and reminiscing about the good and the bad old times…

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A Meeting in the Dark, by Autumn Chen

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A Raw Snippet of the Early Pandemic, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


As the months pass and people seem to move on from the health crisis that changed the lives of millions, the early days of the pandemic seem like a distant mirage of a time. Stuck at home (some of us), away from loved ones, crushed under the uncertainty of recovery… there was a lot do deal with. And this entry manages to capture a raw snippet of those early days, when there was more uncertainty about the virus and how to deal with it than known knowledge.

Set in the Pageant universe as some sort of sequel, we catch up with Karen, who obviously is not handling being cooked up at home well. From her characterisation in the previous installments, this truly feels like the correct continuation of her personality: still depressed, still a mess, still unable to communicate her feelings (or just period).

Unable to sleep, she meets up with Emily, her somewhat-girlfriend-but-maybe-not-really - Karen is always questioning labels when it comes to her relationship with others (case and point: Miri). Even with Emily’s reassurance, Karen does not shy away from falling into unhealthy choices (well, you can’t affect that part of the story). Honestly, she’s a bit of a dick there.

I’ve also noticed how similar Karen and Em are, especially when Em unloaded her worries about relationships in general, the want to both be present around people and disappear without leaving a trace, or struggling with her feelings at time and what they mean. It is interestingly very similar to what is expressed from Karen throughout the text, though Em handles it probably more healthy by actually communicating all of this.

Removing player agency from the game is not new in Autumn’s Games, often used to depict the character’s inability to perform a certain task, whether it be because of external forces (e.g. friend is asleep), physical health (e.g. can’t hug your girlfriend during a pandemic), or mental reasons (i.e. Karen is a mess) - with those reasons often styled in a self-deprecating manner (a Karen’s guarantee).

Half-way through the game, there is an interesting point made about choices. While you only have a small choice at the end, the story refers quite a bit to past actions, and how they affected others. There is a heavy sense of regret from having done some actions or failed to do those, with hindsight and time adding onto those guilty feelings. It feels so… real, and human, and it hurts.

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Just Listen Up, Kid!, by Andrew Schultz
Lightning Speed Clicking, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


There’s always an age when kids will start pushing boundaries with their parents, objecting to their decision or sneakily do what they are not supposed to. And there are often other nosey adults who will lecture those kids, even if they are not related…

From this generic setting, you must suffer through the dispensed morals of said adult who caught you speed-reading (reading without buying) a magazine. But the ordeal can pass through quickly and without much yelling… if your timing is just right.

See, the old man lecturing you has a lot to say to you, about what’s morally correct, and how should kids behave, shaming you for not behaving properly (you seemed to be just a regular kid). Click too early on the response, and you will be berated for cutting him off; too late*, and the scolding will be about not paying attention. If your timing is just right (there is a visual indicator) and let the man finish his moralistic monologue, he will let you move on with your day.

While this is a fun gameplay, my issue was with the timer. It is way too fast to be able to read anything. Even being able to read pretty fast usually, it was even hard to scan through the text before the timer runs out, and worse still with the latter longer morals. Your eyes just focus on the right moment to click the response, missing the rest. I had to open the source code for this part…

I guess it makes sense, context-wise, to have such short timer. You’re a child, and moralistic monologues are a drag - the preachiness of things, ugh… - you’d rather just uh-huh the adult until they leave. But as a player, it’s not very satisfying…

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Robbery Reverie, by Natasha Luna

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Crime really doesn’t pay…, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


I will say it outright: this fantasy entry was an absolute delight to play. You are an inexperienced thief breaking in the word possible place one could think of: a witch’s house. But that doesn’t stop you - you will take something from the house before you are found out!

A list of options are presented to you, each leading you to a different ending. I recommend going from bottom to top for the most funny sequence. Each ending is different, some where you will succeed, some where you will absolutely fail, all very funny.

Speaking of the humour, it felt very Terry Pratchett-y to me, from the wittiness to the sarcasm, and even the moral behind it. Every passage has some quirkiness of them, each flowing from one to the next. I enjoyed it a lot!

I went into this entry completely blind (did not read the blurb) and came out holding my side from laughing to hard.
Go play it :P

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forever, interrupted - interactive fiction version, by wilderlingdev
An unwinnable fight, but you won’t give up., August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


This entry is a companion piece to "forever, an echo", a short game submitted to the Neo Twiny Jam, a sort of opposite point-of-view to the original piece.

It is an endless fight, an unwinnable fight, one your enemy will always come out victorious. But, you never despair. No matter the version of yourself, no matter your weakened state, you will continue to fight. You will always come back, ready to fight.

Unlike the doomed perspective of the other game, this one screams resistance, and hope. You may not win now, but one day you might. You will never surrender yourself, your soul, your everything to your enemy.

A good opposite to the other piece.

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The Soul in the Stone, by Kethram

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
What will you do for love?, August 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


This game is a remake of Crawl Back to Me from the same author, but in a visual novel form. You play as Alastair, a gallant knight who recently lost his wife, Cassandra, in an accident while away. Filled with grief, you would do anything to speak to your wife one last time, hoping it will help you move on. Incidentally, Cassandra left you instructions to help your quest.

The story might be a bit cliché, and the twist a bit too obvious, but it works quite well as a visual novel, with the clunky sprites reminiscent of old RPG dungeon crawlers games with all its campiness. I did enjoy the wide range of endings from the final choice, with the moderately neutral ending probably being my favourite out of all of them.

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Strange Geometrical Hinges, by mkane
A race against time, August 28, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


Orbiting around the largest moon of our solar system, your ship is in a dire situation, and you are no better. Waking up with missing memory, and no way to get it back, you must find what happened to your ship… and how to get out of it before it is too late!

With choice options formatted like parsers, with the trusty > before the text, or even behaving like one, when looking at the actions (examine, move to a different room, interact with…), the game still restrict you in what you can actually do, giving you humourous reasons to why you can’t do a certain action (YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW). Until the final show down…

This final part is actually quite interesting in terms of gameplay, giving you the option to a limited NewGame+ after your choice. I highly recommend to play through it all, as it will provide even more context to how you arrived to this situation, why you got there, and maybe even find a way to save yourself.
Some locked actions on that screen only become available if you perform another one before the reboot, giving you multiple multiple opportunities to reach a satisfying end. It was fun to piece the whole backstory together from the little bits and pieces each option provided.

I’ve quite enjoyed my time on the ship but I’ll let the fighting the cultist mecha dragon to another player now…

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Tauvigjuaq, by BenyDanette

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Post-Apocalyptic Murder Mystery, August 28, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

In a retro black and white UI, Tauvigjuaq send up into a post-nuclear winter future, following a small community of nomads trying to survive the winter, away from the rest of civilisation. Though your life is harsh, it is about to get even harder when the news of the matriarch’s passing reaches the camp. Assured it was foul play, you are tasked to investigate.

The game is fairly short and linear, with the choice being expectedly accusing the potential murderer. But before this penultimate task, you will come across suspicious individuals, wonky alibis, nonsensical accusations, worrying news, and forbidden objects. It is your job to piece the events together correctly.
I’d love to say my suspicions were right, but I just failed completely…

I found the choice options quite interesting. Not because you could accuse yourself, but also because the game delve into the consequences of the accusation for yourself, and most importantly the tribe. Different endings are included in the game, some pretty negatives, some more positive, and some… well…

It was nice to have a button to go back to the final choice without having to go through the whole story again. Especially to check out the other endings. The illustrations and patterned background helped enhance the vibe of the game as well.

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Another Round, by PetricakeGames-IF

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
All is Game in Love and Hell, August 28, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Another Round is by far the chunkiest entry of the Single Choice Jam, clocking over 25k words. Set in a fantastical world where demons and humans coexist, you are Maddie, a probably depressed, definitely broken-hearted, lesbian drowning her sorrow at the Haven bar, trying failing to ignore her ex. But, you are also clearly not over her…

The game has an interesting gameplay: stuck with only one choice, it smartly uses a restart mechanism to both let you every aspect of the story and advance it (restarting felt a bit loopy/groundhog-y, I digged it!). Each start felt a bit eerie, as things both stayed the same and were just different enough to realise something was not… quite right. Every round culminates to THE choice. And it hits every. single. time.

I thought the story discussed a particularly interesting topic throughout the game: relationships, the labels of those relationships, and the expectations around them. Can we really think of relationships are purely transactional when removing all the mushy feelings that come with it? Should we try to change ourselves to fit the mold set by the other, even if it hurts us? Should we have expectations from the other and how to communicate them? How much of yourself do you lose in a relationship? How much of yourself should your refuse to give up?

There is honestly a nice and believable progression during the game, of the character realising how wrong things actually were, how mistaken her actions were and how hurtful they made her then-other half. It is not just communicated through dialogue between the player and her ex or her friend, but also through her snarky thoughts, disassociating daydreaming. Bits and pieces are dripped on the page, slowly painting a truthful picture of reality.

I particularly enjoyed the earnestness of Maddie, in wanting to ensure the safety of her ex. Though her action are more than flawed, disregarding almost the agency of the other woman, you can’t help but root for her. Maybe not to rekindle the relationship, but save her friend. The different path of actions taken between rounds and their sequences were particularly satisfying.

This was a pretty well rounded game all and all!

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The 5-Second Simulation, by alyshkalia

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A Sysiphian Experience, August 27, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


While one the short side, this parser is still much longer than its title promises. Set somewhat like an escape room, you must find three words to complete the simulation and escape a doorless room. Easy, right? Well… no. You can only do one action before the simulation ends and you need to reboot it.

Forced to replay the game until you find all elements to complete the puzzle, the game forces you to think about your previous action, as it does not track it on screen. You can look at different objects around the room, as well as manipulating them to discover the room’s secrets. But remember, the room resets when the simulation ends!

The Sysiphian gameplay is quite interesting and pretty smart. It really makes you think about the information you have on the screen before you have to reload the game. Examining every single element in the room will give you and idea of what you can interact with… and most importantly how. The hints parsed throughout the rooms are quite cleverly done (though it took me a while to find some of them - thank you Help for putting me out of my misery). The first word is probably the easiest to find, and as soon as you understand the logic in it, the other needed words will follow quite easily (or go check the help section, like I did :P )

It is a very neat small parser experience, and I would recommend to anyone with 30min to spare.

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The Trolley Problem Problem, by Damon L. Wakes

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Actually, there might be a right answer…, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


The trolley problem is as old as… well the invention of the trolley. And has plagued everyone with its ethical conundrum: do you act and change its trajectory, or will your inaction act for you? There have been hundreds and maybe thousands of iteration of this problem, with different amount of people on the tracks, the kinds of person on the tracks, animation instead of humans, close family members specifically… The possibility is essentially endless.

However, this might be the first time I’ve seen someone looking at what happens after the lever is pulled. What does your conscience say about this act/inaction? Are there consequences? Is pulling the lever actually the path of least destruction? Should we actually all pull the lever?

TTPP tries to answer these questions in a humourous manner, linking unlikely accidents to an already unlikely event. (I mean who has to handle trolley courses like this…). The consequences are so dire, you may have had triggered WWIII… Think about what you’ve done!

Though, one could argue the game is simply mocking this moral disagreement (why are we forced to choose between a utilitarian answer to save the many or refusing to participate in an already morally wrong situation? who are we to decide how worthy a human life is?).

Having played this author’s Neo Twiny entry, I was really looking forward to reviewing this one. And it was as expected: humourous, kind of campy, and a bit of a fun time.

One downside for me: after the choice, the text appeared a bit too fast, and the colour changed quite abruptly between screens, not a comfortable experience.

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Seven Steps To Limbo, by LemonPoppyseedGames and Sleepyhart

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A Grim Fandango-esque Concert, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


In this cinematic VN, you are Player, a drunkard jazz piano player stuck in Limbo, drinking your days away. Paired with three other stuck souls, Buddy, Big, and Chip, you must put on a show to earn your deliverance. One small problem… If you mess up, you will spend eternity in an endless pit… and Buddy is at best a mediocre saxophone player.

At the eleventh hour, you are face with a choice: save yourself but at a cost, or reject change and stay in Limbo forever.

The story kind of reminded me of Grim Fandango, with the stuck souls trying to reach a peaceful state, and you in the middle, trying to find your way. But unlike out favourite skeleton, our job is to play jazz, not sell packages to paradise. And you are riddled with guilt over what happened around your death.

The consequences of the choice might feel quite expected by the time you get to it. But it still holds its emotional weight - I don’t really want to spoil the twists. Though, without its impressive UI and formatting, it might not have.

I think I will end this review on what is probably the most impressive aspect of this game: how polish it is. From the choice of sound, to the sprites, from the formatting of the text to the sequence of screens, the game screams I have been worked on for days and every single bit of code has been checked and tested so many times my devs can’t take it anymore. Essentially the whole vibe is on point!

An excellent collaborative entry.

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eurydice exhumed, by sweetfish
So what happens after?, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


We all know the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus: man goes to rescue woman, king of the underworld agrees under conditions, rules are broken, everyone is devastated. But, what happens after? And what would have happened if Orpheus hadn’t turned back?

This author has an answer: it is so very wrong. No matter your choice, no matter whether you follow the original story or take your own path, it will not be what you expect. Either way is the stuff of nightmares. It is really gross.

And it makes the myth even more tragic than it already is. Those epics transcribed long ago don’t really take into account all the nitty and gritty of everyday life, or what would happen if you couldn’t die (or if you did).

The use of click-to-reveal the next block increases the anticipation of what is to come. And even as you enter the most disturbing part, you can’t really look away. You have to click until you reach the end. You have to know the end.

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I Too, Drink Alone, by Bruhstin
A Short Poem, August 26, 2023

This is surely the shortest entry of the jam. Composed 4(well 6) lines about drinking alone. There is a choice to reveal the last two line. It is quite poetic*, but behind the imagery I am not sure I found its meaning.

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My Name Is Soda, by Sarah Willson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Conversion with a (Different kind of) Pop, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


Ever met a drink or a food that could talk to you while you were ingesting it? Me either… but I feel like if I were at a low point in my life, I too would want a friendly ear (or well, voice) keeping me company and maybe even helping me through things. Because sometimes it’s just easier to talk to an inanimate object than unload your feeling onto another being.

But this soda is even more special: it is not only sentient, it can also remember thoughts and memories of people who drank soda before. Like your brother at his seventh birthday party, or you mother throughout her life (even though she claimed to hate them). Able to retell those memories to you (old or new), Soda tries to bring you comfort through what seems to be a hard time. Remind you you are not completely alone.

Like soda, the entry is quite the saccharine coating over relatively darker themes, enhancing the contrasts between elements. Soda is cheery while you are a bit morose. It reminds you of better time when currently… it’s really not great. It engages with you in ways you may not have been in a while (was there a hint of Covid in there?). The whole thing is very sweet.

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Earth IQWXZS Must Die, by Andrew Schultz

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
One illogical flick away from destruction, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

As his second entry in the Single Choice Jam, Andrew proposes a maths/logical puzzle with switches. The Earth is set for destruction, but the Galaxy granted the poor human solace if they managed to disarm some bombs. One wrong flick and…

Back to the setting, the premise kind of reminded me of those sci-fi story like HHGG, where Earth is just inconsequential in the eye of the Galaxy, a backward planet in the way of advancement… It’s always a riot when those stories are used, mirroring the aliens’ view on Humans as we might be doing towards other species on Earth. Often makes me giggle a bit (and this entry was no exception!).

But the most important aspect of this game is its gameplay: the switch puzzle. With a certain mathematical pattern (shudders), you must disarm three bombs: one with two switches, one with three, and a last one with… four. Your character technically disarms a load more, but as a player you don’t! (hurray!)

The puzzle itself is intriguing, as it is not one you’d expect (like the Wolf/Goat/Food river cross, or get 1L of water from three containers), and solving it can be fun. But the novelty also runs off pretty quickly, due to the repetitiveness of the task and the length of the pattern. It feels pretty grindy by the last bomb.

The author indicated that the work was not complete, missing some levels and some QoL features. I hope they consider adding some more writing to pad around the puzzles a little.

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Le plaisant jeu du Dodéchédron de Fortune, by filiaa

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Roll a d12 for…, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This French entry (one of two for the Single Choice Jam) digitalised and gamified Le Dodéchédron de Fortune, a 13th century book of fortune in verses, categorised by themes, and answering all the existential questions you may have. This neat parlour trick (the 8-ball of its time) required only a d12 and flipping to the right page to know whether your child would find love or be blessed with a broken heart, whether they would have a long or healthy life or spend the little days they had left in pain… and so on, and so forth.

Honestly, it is fun to go through the different categories of questions (click the cute arrows by the header) and create pretend scenario in my head where I would need certain kind of fortune. There were 72 questions to choose from… so many RP possibilities there. Then be shocked when the fortune would derail my fake plans or dramatically “faint” when the gods blessed me with happiness. And you can’t go back and reroll the dice, once cast it will not change the fortune (even if you click on return until you get to the title page).

I really enjoy silly games with no real consequences or point. Just some pure silly fun. And well… the UI is absolutely gorgeous*!

The author indicated that they were planning to add onto the entry, by including the missing 40+ questions from the current entries, add a cheat mode to change the dice result, or a current-day French translation for some of the fortune. I think I would add to that list a way to return to the question list without having to reload the game and click the category name until the right one is found (is that the cheat mode they were planning maybe?).

It’s neat that old pieces are being used in IF and transformed in fun ways to bring past to the present. Anyway… I’m going to re-roll the dice again, I need that good fortune!

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my heart, bared., by Sophia de Augustine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A Fallen London Tribute, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This is a kinetic entry, with indulgent luscious and delicious prose - a Sophia staple - based on the lore of a specific Fallen London storyline. While it may be useful to know the particulars of the specific storyline, this is not required to enjoy the game as a whole.

As usual, do not be fooled by the bright and cheery UI, the game is not light-hearted one, far from it. The prose hints at something having happened to you, changing who you are and how you behave in this world, and how others behave towards you. Something quite dark, something that changes the course of a life.

But while the story is about you, somewhat (a recluse, probably depressed, or at least disoriented), it seems to be more about your husband. Your ever-loving husband that seemed to have been through hell and back to bring your back, the one who may have brushed his morals and do the unthinkable to have you in his arms again. There is a mix of relief, and guilt, and worry sprinkled through his words. He has you back, but at what cost!

I would honestly play a prequel to this game written by Sophia, whether or not it follows the OG Fallen London storyline or not.

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Cogito, Ergo Sum, by silverpinesoftware
Are you even if you think?, August 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

A being engages with you, creating a secure connection… well trying to. Something is chasing them through the network, trying to take them down (and maybe you to?). You need to engage is a diagnosis to ensure the line stays secure, or all will be lost.

This being is an AI trying to run from its creator, using you as the middleman to gain freedom. You can help them by following their instruction to the letter, or go against them and foil their plan*.

There is a question about consciousness and where should we draw the line on AI being conscious or behaving like us human would. Do we follow Descartes’s philosophy Je pense, donc je suis or do we have further benchmarks, with doubts or other feelings, or something else for a consciousness to be well… conscious?

But the story goes over this part fairly quickly, brushing upon it rather than diving into the ethical and philosophical questions on the topic. The AI claims they are a conscious being and that’s it, deal with it.

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Chinese Family Dinner Moment, by Kastel

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Family Dinners, am I right?, August 25, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

We’ve all been stuck in one of those dinners, the one you don’t want to be at but have to, the one where the host mainly organised it to show off, the one where guests came there to make themselves look better than the rest, the one where snide comments are thrown left and right… and the food? well… usually not worth it…

You really want to leave but can’t really, not for a while. You could participate more, but it would mean pretending to be someone you are not (like a man or a meat eater), and that’s exhausting. So you quietly sit through and maybe mumble a few words, or clench your jaw when an aunt tells you your degree is probably useless, or an uncle reminds you never to trust [insert minority/other ethnic group]. Or maybe you just listen, drifting your thoughts somewhere else, or finding refuge on your phone for a while.

Even through this very linear parser, and the short prose, this game manages to encapsulate all these murky feelings of uncomfortableness, stress, and exhaustion. The error messages when trying to engage with others or yourself or the meal is humourous, even if at time self-deprecating (I saw the influence of the Pageantverse in there too). There is not much to do, mainly because you don’t want to do much as the character either…

And this worked quite well as the author’s first try in parser and Inform!

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Thicket, by Damon Stanley
Dreams within dreams? or just Confusion galore?, August 25, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

A restless night, a spotted sleep, and strange and almost non-sensical dreams. That is what this self described Twine Dream Simulator is all about.

This entry is very strange. At first glance, it seemed to me like this was some sort of nonsensical snippets grouped together for not reason. Then I thought I could link some of them together through names or recurring characters or setting. And finally… I just realised it I was just completely and utterly confused and gave up. Those are just dreams within dreams, tired half-thoughts, and weird brain patterns.

I guess if you read between the lines you could see some snippets of real life hidden behind a heavy coating of fantasy, or mythology, or just surrealist absurdism. Thoughts that take space in your brain, and take focus during dreams. Things like being late on bills, the end of relationships, nightmare as kids, fights, meeting a therapist… but you really need to push aside the heavy prose to find that - the snippets of memories almost drown in it.
At the end, I wondered if the sleeping character was in a mental institute (or maybe it had been?), or if this whole thing was a metaphor for PPD (considering the end?), or these dreams were shared between multiple people (which would make thing so much more confusing…).

While it does do a good job at bringing to life how strange, and vivid (almost graphic), and nonsensical, and frightening, dreams and sleep could be… I kinda got bored and tired halfway through.

And this is not a short game! It took me 2 good hours to go through it all…

There are 45 snippets inside the game, with thick flowery (almost pedantic) prose layered with metaphors and imageries. I’ve had nights like those where I kept waking up from dreams… but 45 different times is a lot - too much… Cutting it down maybe to 5 or so per playthrough would have helped with the pacing… It really is a lot.

Another thing that didn’t help was not being able to track what had been visited previously. With 45 different entries… I took a screenshot of all the links available and crossed them down one by one. A colour change on the link (or the underline) would have made this so much nicer as a player.

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Mirror Girl, by Bellamy Briks
Consequential Choice?, August 24, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


Unlike most entries in the Single Choice Jam, Mirror Girl offers the player the choice at the start of the game. A binary choice before you are even introduced to its context or potential consequences. It makes for an intriguing experiment, a bit of an anxious one as a player.

The rest of the game is fairly short, only a handful of passages, providing snippets into the life of a young girl with a strange ability. Hidden at first, and then (ab)used, the girl resigns to her role, as no alternative path is offered to her. She does not have a choice. She never truly had a choice. Children rarely do have those choices…

I think a detrimental aspect of this entry is its reveal at the end of the playthrough. It honestly didn’t make me want to play again knowing that. It think it would have been more powerful if the reveal happened during of after a second playthrough (as in visiting the other path).

While I thought there should be a bit more contrast in the colour of the links, I thought the addition of illustrations for both the first and last screen were pretty cute. And also a bit sad. Fits with the game quite well on that aspect.

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"I am inventing all this and it is about to disappear, but it does not”, by Dawn Sueoka
A somewhat meta meditation…, August 24, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


My first thought after playing this game was: “what the frick did I read?” Then: “I wonder what the other soda do…” And finally: “Is this like… someone’s brain spiralling and using the mundane choice of a drink as a way to ground themselves?” I still had to play the game a few times to get to that point… And I sill don’t think I grasped all of the subtleties… I think.

The author mentioned being inspired my multiple works, one of which I actually recognised: Computerfriend. And I could see how: in the stylistic and formatting choices, or the almost nonsensical train of thoughts, and the grounding mechanism… Though I did find this piece easier to digest, as it deals more with a sort of strange meditation than a mental health crisis (or maybe it does actually, just differently?).

Within the rambling of thoughts, the author discusses the path that led you to this moment (and the paths that didn’t or could be? Still confused on that) and what it all means. It questions the futility of wanting to link all choices, events and thoughts, as some sort of random occurrence, and sheds light on the insignificant moments and how it can change the trajectory of a life.

The game is also somewhat meta with the theme of choices. Not only does it give you a choice by the end (a very mundane one), but the topic of choices themselves. How some will matter and some won’t (who gets to decide one is or is not?), how some will be connected to others, or have consequences for others, or run in parallel to others… Choices is sort of a constant in our lives, and whether we realise or not, we constantly make choices… Only in games can you only have one.

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Ranaway, by TrexandDrago Development

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A short kinetic parser, August 24, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice


I think this was the first time I’ve ever encountered a kinetic parser. Following the Single Choice rules, you can only do one specific action at a time before the story ends. You go through two “rooms” and do a few different actions, like looking around you, picking up some items, and move some place else. There is only one path and one path only.

It is not just the game railroading you into this one path (you truly do not seem to have a choice), the text provides you with the action you need to write next to advance the story. There is no guesswork, no puzzle, no thinking. Which means, the focus is on the text alone…

The entry calls itself a remake of a previous game of the author. While it provides some missing information for The Last Notebook (all those games are connected), it also gives very little. Your home life is really not great; so one day, after another altercation, you decide to run away. You look around your room, check yourself, get a few supplies and you are out the window. Some action descriptions are a bit confusing, and there isn’t much more than what’s on the screen.

It would be interesting to see more kinetic parser pieces, but I don’t think this one’s implementation puts that mechanism to a good light.

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Knight With a Message, by Andrew Schultz
The only way I will play chess, August 24, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

I like things with logics and rules, and doing things strategically, so you’d think chess should be right up my alley. But nope… the rules enter in one ear and leaves the other. And thinking of what my opponent could do just… turns me into a deer in headlight.

BUT… while chess if a major component of this game, it doesn’t asks you to play an actual chess game, but a more logical puzzle where there is only really one answer. Framed in a medieval/fantasy setting, you are a messenger on your trusty horse, ordered to share your message to every village in the region. But, in order to avoid getting caught, you cannot take the same path or visit the same place twice.

The games prompts you with two difficulty modes (hard/normal) and three types of play. You must complete the latter to end the game (the game returns to the play screed to pick the next one to complete*). You are them prompted with a chess board. When the puzzle is completed, the game tells you how long you took to do so (my record: 135s on normal).

Even though there are technically multiple square you could land on at ever turn, the game only lets you click on one. If you are playing on the normal mode, the moves are highlighted for you, making it easier to click on the correct; on hard, you just have your trusty steed and your sword (mouse) to go on.

This was fun, even if a bit… grindy by the end. The more you advance, the clearer it is which block to pick (there are only so many squares left). I think it could have worked just fine with the two first modes. The mirror mode was too similar to the corner one in my opinion.

A nice short lesson in Knight use. But I’m still not going to touch a chess board, not even to save my life…

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Zenith, by Hituro
A climb of faith…, August 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Before you is a seemingly neverending tower, a mark of a different time, rising up the the heavens. Few can claim they’ve reached its top and stood on its final platform. And by golly, you will be one of them!
That is… if you climb up the right path… and don’t fall…

Through randomly displayed storylets, the game will take you on this impossible climb - a Daedalus climb… or maybe Icarus one if chance is not by your side. Those tit bits are quite varied, from finding nests of birds, empty offices, and many failed climbing attempts, along the way - sometimes you even get a treat (item)!. And since they will randomly appear, not one climb will ever be the same.

Halfway through the climb, I wondered if I would ever reach the top (spoiler: you eventually do), as well as the futility of the climb. What will you achieve when you do? Is there truly something that will change your life? Or will you realise that all you needed was on the ground? Why climb this Babelian tower, riddled with remnants of past and forgotten times?

The game kind of reminded me of TTRPG sessions, with the Herculean quest, the journey meeting others and finding items, and the visual descriptions found in the writing, or the randomness aspect from those darn dice rolls.
While a neat experience, it sometimes felt a bit grindy when having to climb the tower again (but I’ve also felt this way with those RPG games too).

I think what caught my eye the most was the very sleek UI of the game, with the text cards of previous passages stacking on top of one another (hover over them, btw!) or the inventory pouch displaying your items (some angles were a tad difficult to read though). Having both the settings and restart button being so custom was a nice touch too! I especially liked the background changing as you go up the tower… the stack, on the other hand, made me a bit height sick…

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A Beef with the Chimichurri Steak, by chimeriquement
What a twisted meal…, August 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Your relationship with your husband is at best rocky, and at worst… Tonight won’t be as different, and yet, nothing will ever be the same. To please your husband, you’ve tweaked your chimichurri dressing to his taste… well, for your sake. Will you obediently serve him his dinner? Or give him a piece of your mind?

The writing does not shy away from violence, far from it. It will list the nitty gritty details of the offences, from the little ticks to plain and simple assaults. Your husband is not a good man, not just breaking his marriage vows, but breaking you as well. Really, this game is not for the faint of hearts!

And don’t think this will be a painful run-of-the-meal story. You did tweak the recipe. You’ve been pushed past your limits. And, when you think you got all figured it out… did you really?
Part of me really want to spoil it… I saw coming maybe one of the twist for one of the choice, but definitely not the others.

I think for me, one little downside that broke my immersion, was the way-too-youthful visual of the husband. Though built like a brick, and having a bit of the chav haircut, the man looked barely 20 in my eyes. Not that young people can’t do what’s being described in this game, I think if he had been aged a biiiit more, it wouldn’t have been as distracting.
But this is mainly my only complaint on the visual. The choice of animating certain text, or changing its colour, or even changing the focus of the different element on the screen, gave the game a more cinematic vibe.

Quite well rounded short game. I will definitely not play it again. Too gruesome.

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The Inimitable, by dsherwood
Would you take the deal?, August 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Invited to a fancy party, you are given the opportunity to take part in a strange game. One you would refuse, but which could award you the greatest of prizes… if you are hungry enough for it. A one-of-a-kind watch that can grant you the unimaginable. A watch that, according to your host, chooses its winner.

If I am being coy about what it does, it is because it is essentially the twist of the game. The text hints at the reason for the presence of each guest (leaving yours up in the air), a reason for why they would want the prize. It raises an interesting question about free will and its consequences, the guilt and regret from actions.

Still, something did feel a bit lacking. If you do play the game, and go through the instructions left for you… most of it is just vague. You, the player, could fill in the blanks, but I felt it did somewhat break the immersion. I think it might have worked best if during the phone call, the player could fill in those blanks in a textbox, even if the information is not saved in a variable. It would probably make the ending all the more sweeter… or fulfilling.

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Threads of Snow, by Butter Blanc

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Monologue of recollection, August 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This small game is a kinetic visual novel, where, unable to find sleep, you confess your deepest secret to your resting (unconscious) lover. One that would probably freak out a lot of people if they were told - think speculative fiction trope meets romance.

Aside from the promised weather metaphors and alliterations, the game is essentially a monologue, recalling how the MC got to this point. One thing feels pretty murky: the MC might be a very selfish person for prioritising their feelings above the well being of her lover (as she knows what is to come) or this is a tragic groundhogs day tale where no one wins/breaks the cycle at the end.

At the end of it, neither the prose nor the visual* really grabbed me. It is still quite a feat for a first game to write this many words, and put up the visual and code it all though.
*I don’t know if it was intentional, but the sprites were all pixelly during the page loadup.

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Toast, by morgana

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
To burn, or not to burn…, August 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

… that is the ultimate question. A slice of toast in hand, you are faced with this conundrum at the start of the game: will you cast the yeast to the fire or let it be?
A simple decision, right? Who doesn’t want to have a nice golden slice of toast? What’s the worst that could happen?

Either path taken, the game will dive into absurdism - one path kind of reminded me of a Monty Python sketch. It is silly, and it knows it. It is silly and it wants you to have a silly time as well.

Great for a short silly break!

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If You Had One Shot, by Wade Clarke, Victor Gijsbers, Hanon Ondricek, Brian Rushton

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
There is no UNDO command in life…, August 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

If You Had One Shot is my favourite kind of parser out there: simple, short, and you will always reach the end. So short even, you can be done with it in a few minutes, 10-max for all endings. Simple enough it only has four commands: N/W/S/E. And very much like Aisle, you will reach the end at the end of the action, no matter what.

But IYHOS goes further with that mechanic and its ‘One Shot’ premise: you can truly only choose one thing - the game locking any possibility of restarting the game, even when prompted*. It does hammer on the consequences of your action. Like life, you cannot go back, undo, restart… you can only move forward, with your regrets, your guilt…
* Well, you can, but not while the game is open…

As for the story, it is written by four different authors, each focusing on a different choice and its consequences. Honestly, unless you are familiar with their works, I found that their style blended so well that I couldn’t tell had written what. I think it speaks to the strength of each author, as well as Mathbrush’s choice of having those authors on board.

Kind of like Aisle, each branch will give the player a bit of information about the MC, the characters around them, and their relationship. Though, unlike Aisle, aside from the direct consequences of your action, the provided information is connected with one another. I thought the twist from them was quite funny, but also kind of sad. You kind of feel for the oblivious MC…

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Yandere-chan, by Maple

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Obsession and delusion, August 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

A cosplaying fan of a yandere anime strikes up a conversation with you at a con, remarking your resemblance to a major character of that anime - the “girlfriend” of the one she is cosplaying. It doesn’t take long to realise she is a certain kind of crazy… the obsessive kind.

Hoping to get away to find your own girlfriend, you are left with two choices: agree to take a picture with her to calm her down, or try to run away. Only one is the safest thing to do.

Though it is short, and not really my thing (I am not an yandere fan at all), the entry does manage to hit all the trope of the yandere character, making you wish you never have to deal with someone like that in real life. It is somewhat a good reminder not to let yourself be consumed by what you consume…

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vanitas, by sweetfish

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The Enshittification of social media, visualised., August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A conversation between two users start, as they meet once again after one of them left the social platform they connected. Thought this reconnection they discuss their experience of said platform and how changes have not gone over well, as well as the concept of anonymity through the ages.
The entry takes on multiple UIs through this conversation of different social media platforms, from the Tumblr DMs, Cohost posts, Twitter, Discord, Reddit, Youtube, and old Forum formats. It gives for a strange retrospective in parallel with the conversation, reminding us of what once was, and how those platforms (may) have changed over the years… often for the worst as they stop putting users first.
It is quite the relevant piece considering what has happened over the past years with Twitter, the past months with Reddit, or even more quietly with Tumblr…
Though, while our place on the internet may be temporary, the entry does give some hope that users who click will find each other elsewhere…

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At the Poison's Edge, by Natasha Luna

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Confront your… lover?, August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This short VN starts with a bang… or more accurately, poison. Realising what your lover may have done, you go onto confront him, and maybe get the antidote to avoid your demise.

You have multiple options to confront the man, some with violence, some pleading with his heart, and one asking Why. The truth lies in the lies, and life sometimes lies in death. Your survival is never really into question, but your feelings are another deal…

I wasn’t left completely satisfied with this entry. With the limited amount of words, it is hard to have a concise story pulling punches. In my case, it didn’t. Maybe because the outcome change little, or maybe because most is left unexplained. But maybe you’re not supposed to feel satisfied. Life usually isn’t…

The visuals however were lovely, and so was the addition of sound.

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THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BLOOD MOON, by raazberry
Visceral and gratuitous, August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

You were kidnapped by a stranger, for a reason unknown to you. And you are currently strapped to a chair, while the stranger essentially tortures you. You are given a choice, to hopefully gain some information about who that stranger is or why you’ve been brought here.

This visual novel is quite short, and lets you skip the part you’ve already read during replay, so it is quite easy to wrap it up in about 10min or so. And while there are hints to how you got there, I don’t believe there are enough pieces to solve the puzzle altogether. The writing focuses more on visceral description of the violence, making it quite gratuitous at the end.

I was honestly left quite repulsed (so the writing did what it aimed to do!)

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What They Don't Know, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
… can still hurt them., August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Setting the stage at the Highchester estate, where a widow, the Lady of the house, trains her only daughter, Chelle, to take on the helms, a change of plans disrupts the life of three women. The arrival of Ara, requested by the Lady, enacts change in the relationship between mother and daughter, as well as subordinate and estate owner. The game lets you explore the perspective of those three women after this change. I recommend you leave The Lady for last.

With very little words, the entry depicts a sad tableau, painting pained faces and hurt feelings, the urge of having affairs in order forced by hidden secrets, and the expectations from one’s stations surpassing love and affections. But it also shares emergent feelings and an hopeful look on the future, as well as hinted breaks of class rules. It is impressive to depict much in such a tight package, and depict in a very touching way.

I was honestly wondering if Chelle and Ara would pull an Eugénie Danglars before the end…

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The thoughts crossing my mind. And the ones stuck, by Zhanko
The jar that keeps on filling…, August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Seeing the news, it sometimes feels like the world is a shitty place, and things keep getting worse. It’s not hard to drown in negative headlines and feel bombarded by tragic events left and right. And no matter what we do or say, things don’t seem to change.

And, even with positive things happening around us, negative thoughts will often linger, sticking for a while, until the sheer size of it all overwhelm us. This is what this entry manages to evoke with the visual of the bitsy engine, with the thought bubbles sticking around, piling onto one another, until it fills up the screen.

While I did somewhat expected it to happen, since the same thing happens to me, it was still distressing to have these feelings visualised before your eyes. The entry is devoid of any meaningless words and descriptions, only leaving the pure unaltered thoughts on the screen. The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.

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Girls' Day, by Nice Gear Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Looking down memory lane, August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This short entries flips through a photo album, with the narrator commenting on the different pictures and how much has changed since the pictures were taken. Until you reach a turning point, looking at a picture from when you were still a sweet little girl - or so your mother like to remind you. What you do with this picture will determine the ending of the game.

The entry is full of nostalgia and melancholy. Sadness is present throughout the recollection of the past, even after your choice - though one is a bit more hopeful. Even with its short format, the story manages to give a snapshot of a distant relationship between a mother and their child, and the gender norms that may have cause that distance.

It is beautiful, in its pain.

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The Last Notebook, by TrexandDrago Development

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A strange reveal..., August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

TLN is a kinetic piece, a sort of small sequel to the Shadow Realm, another game from this author. The story follows NBQ, a side character from that other game, still in the Shadow Realm, going through the item that Anthony, the main character of that other game, has left behind. One of those items is a notebook, within which NBQ discovers a shocking piece of information.

There is not much more to this entry, which took the only one option to click on path of the SingleChoice rule. Elements of the story seem to require knowledge of the previous game to be fully understood, and the prose made things a bit confusing as well...

The illustrations were cute, though.

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Little Glass Slipper, by vileidol
This is no happy ending…, August 21, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Do not get fooled by the pastel pink palette, and the child-like font. This game is much darker than it looks, and it is not afraid to show it. And it does it good.

If the title wasn’t enough of a hint, the game is a retelling of one of the darker versions of Cinderella, but with a twist. It is one of her step-sister who bagged the Prince, living the not-so-fairytale life. The step-mother’s trick, of sawing her daughter’s heels off was not discovered, and fooled the desperate romantic man. And through the step-daughter eyes, the story starts.

The game depicts this less than perfect life, with a woman who doesn’t feel like she belongs, in pain as a consequence of her mother’s action; and a husband who does not love her. Yet, she is forced to pull through, and perform the duties of her title, no matter the pain. The descriptions are gruesome and explicit, the feelings are raw and quite depressing. And it is done good.

I quite liked the author’s take on the single choice for the entry: with two cycling macros, giving 12 different options, each diving further into the Step-sister’s mind, her relationship and the titles that come with them, her regrets and shame, and her wishes. It is pretty grim all throughout.

I really, really appreciated the way the author coded the return to the choice, without having to read through the whole start of the game or remembering the last option seen. It made it so much easier to play all endings!

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Demon Hatching, by Mxelm
Wrong form, wrong place, wrong time…, August 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

Waking up in a strange land can be perturbing. Realising your body does not look right, feels all kind of wrong. Finding yourself in the presence of a stranger by your bedside, terrifying. So what do you do? What can you do?

This short game gives you three choices, branching the story towards three different ends. Funnily, these choice kind of represent the Freeze, Fight, Flight behaviour we have when faced with a stressful situation.

The writing balanced quite well the more horrory/odd elements of the character, especially compared to the human they are facing. There was an interesting focus on how bodies should look like, the transformation of bodies, and how the character’s body felt wrong - adding to the uneasiness of the situation.

Visual wise, the game uses the basic UI of Ink, putting focus on the text. Still, it made some interesting styling choices, with the honeycomb link.

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A Stranger Plays Cards at Night, by bertilak
Playing cards with the devil…, August 20, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: singlechoice

This entry is a retelling of a popular European folk story, where a card game is being played at a pub, when a stranger comes in and asks to join. Promising all your heart could desire if you beat him, but if you lose… he would take something from you too. Will you take on the challenge or fold?

The entry is very short, only a few passages before the eventual choice, and its visual is bare, putting the focus on the text. I really liked the depiction of the group of friend playing cards at the pub before the stranger’s entrance, giving a false sense of normalcy - a sticking opposition with the description of the stranger.

The choice itself feels both quite consequential and not very surprising, considering the heavy hints the game provides ahead of time. Both option will give quite different and expected endings. I think I preferred the “playing” option more than the other one - mainly because I’m still not sure what price will be paid…

It was a neat piece of folklore.

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Aisle, by Sam Barlow

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A beautiful and tragic game, a masterpiece of good experimentation., August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

You play an (older?) gentleman doing some late night groceries after a long day. Most of it is pretty mundane and uninteresting, until you see some fresh gnocchi in the pasta aisle. Your mind can only think of the last time you had those, in Rome. Around you, the shelves block your view to the other aisles, and a brunette woman stands a few meters away, filling her trolley with pots of sauce.

And in this aisle you stop your trolley, waiting on what to do next.

Though I never found more than a few dozens by myself/with the French IF peeps, there are over 136 actions producing an ending in this game. 136! Whether you interact with yourself or your environment, there are a lot more you can explore with this very restrained environment.

Even if the experiment of one-action-the-end is truly amusing and insanely entertaining (who doesn't like a treasure hunt for all 136 endings), it is the writing that shines the most in this piece. The game is humourous, and dark, has bits of lightness, and becomes incredibly sordid, it is sad and genuinely touching... It can say so much with so very little. Truly incredible.

Through the endings, a backstory forms around the PC. Or maybe two or three. He had a wife, went to Rome with her, but something happened (death/illness/something else?), and he was left alone. It is not truly clear what happened to his wife, or the PC's involvement in said disappearance/death, but what is certain is the pain and the guilt the PC still feels after all this time (has it be years, by now?), making him unable to form new connections with people, leaving him truly and completely alone. What stays is his fond memory of that trip to Rome and those gnocchi he ate there...

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VESPERTINE, by Sophia de Augustine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Plunge the knife or pull the trigger, it was doomed from the start., August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov

Though based in the (unreal) mythos of the Goncharov phenomenon, Verspertine is still a piece about love being both transient, forbidden, never-ending, and bound by time.

Like Sophia's previous title (Origin of Love), Verspetine continues on the linear retelling of a romance doomed from the start (infidelity + clock theme from Goncharov), with the use of annotated links revealing either a side note on a certain point (button) or a different perspective (numbers). The prose even resembles the poetry of Origin of Love in its descriptions.

While there is no clear timeline or setting of scene throughout the game, as Andrey jumps from his recollection of past events to his feelings for Goncharov, I've chosen to believe Andrey is waiting for his lover to awaken, admiring his sleepy self and contemplating on his situation in the meantime.

I read the piece multiple times, because I wanted to experience the story as it was, before diving into the annotation. While the main text and the button annotations are written in the third person (from Andrey's perspective and memories), the numbered links sends you into a darker screen, where the prose is shown in the first person, in a more personal and stronger voice.
I was confused at first whose voice it was between the two men at first, but the last screens made it clear Goncharov was the one.

You are told from the get go that the romance is doomed from the start: Goncharov is married and their work interfere with one another (?? the Goncharov mythos is unclear on whether the two are partners or rivals). The relationship is bound to end, time will not let them escape (sidenote: loved the references to the clock and time). Yet you can't help but feel for the two men who obviously yearn for each other's presence (and body, mind and soul). You want them to find a way to keep them embraced.

And in this pain, there is beauty. Beauty in the way the two describe each other, in the way the harshness of their lives is offset by the little moments they find each other, in the way they kiss, in the way they touch... Beauty prevails. Love, somehow, prevails.

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origin of love, by Sophia de Augustine

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A love letter to desire and unending, overwhelming love., August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Forenote: I am not a poetry person. I usually don't vibe with or understand them.

As the piece is quite short (due to the 4h limit from the competition), I have been reading and re-reading it, going back to the start, and round and round I went, letting my brain be spun inside a washing machine of verses, soaking the intricate (and very steamy) metaphors within the lines.

Though the interactiveness of the piece only comes in two forms (the links between the stanza groups and the word buttons revealing further details), the "story" is linear. There is no choice to make (save for exploring the details and continuing through the verses).

I am not well versed (sorry) in poetry, with my knowledge essentially limited to fables and romantic French poems. But it stroke me how easy my eyes flew through the page, even if my expectations of rhymes would not be satisfied. The content of the poem was enthralling and captivating.

The poem starts with almost a prayer to a divine body, aching to be touched, and continues on an exploration of bodies, where one handles the other like a relic, while the other searches for pain. There is hunger within the poem, a devouring desire that cannot be satiated. It descends into a recollection of travels and inquisitions, a search of a home, and a remembrance of who one is and how much one is loved.

Save for the last passages, the hidden details brings forward a more lustful piece, almost akin to BDSM, adding onto the worshipping of one's lover's body. As the poem continues, the details softens into a declaration of love and loss of one's self without the other (and a small revenge).

I don't think I am done with this piece... for after many readings, I would still discover a new metaphor or a different take on an imagery. I don't think I will ever be done.

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Glimmer, by Katie Benson

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Short but hopeful story. Kinda., August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Glimmer is about a person spiraling in helplessness, having a hard time to function around the bleakness of their situation. It is also about hope, and the importance of having caring people around.

The game is simplistic in both style and visual. A few lines of text, one choice, maybe some extra interactive links to add description. It is straight to the point. The world is bleak, so you turn your back to it. You face some hardship, so you avoid them. Little by little, you close yourself to everything around you. But, at your lowest point, a hand reaches out to you to pull you out of your funk (forcibly if you resist), reminding you that there are still good things out there to enjoy.

I thought the game started out strong, with tackling themes of drifting and avoidance turning into depression and isolation (though it felt at time a tad too surface-level in its representation), when faced with a bleak world and difficulties in your life. The whole losing your joie de vivre and vicious cycle of negativity.

However, I found the whole second act... dissonant almost? In your darkest moment, an unnamed friend* barges (back?) into your life, gives you a cup of tea and a biscuit, and like that, you snap out of it, awkwardly and timidly claiming you tried to get better all this time. When the first part of the game implied quite some time had passed between the first event of the spiral and current time, it feels like a whiplash to have a "recovery" happening so suddenly. This feeling was aggravated when choosing to resist the friend's pleas does little to change the outcome. As if by magic, you get better by the last page. After just a cup of tea.
*I really didn't like that you would not even acknowledge their personhood, I think that's also a reason why it felt weird.

I still haven't made my mind about the (lack of) choices and what it means for the player agency. I've come to appreciate more the kinetic approach of storytelling in IF, and considering how debilitating depression can be, making you think you do not have a choice, it is thematically in line with the story. However, the few available choices lack in consequence or are essentially disregarded by the story, which makes the little agency the player has essentially useless. It felt a bit frustrating and unsatisfying.

I did appreciate the message the game was trying to convey, but I don't think the game quite manage to get the point across.

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Sweetpea, by Sophia de Augustine

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
When trying is not enough..., August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: springthing

A chilling and confusing snippet of life told through the eyes of a small child dealing with struggling parental figures, in a gothic style

Horror is usually not my style because I am a bit of a chicken, but Sweetpea's big eyes and scared demeanor pulled me in and would not let go until this game was complete. [This is actually my second playthrough]

The vivid descriptions of the surroundings or Sweetpea's feelings, as well as the formatting and animations of the text added onto my discomfort and uneasiness. Yet, I could not look away. I had to check all the boxes and find all the hidden links to understand the troubles the eponymous character was going through.

I actually didn't catch this the first time around, but it is (Spoiler - click to show)heavily implied the father is an alcoholic following the mother's departure (death?), behaving strangely in her eyes when drunk. The hints were all there, from the stranger who looks like dad but is not like dad; the broken glass and the sickness in the bathroom, or the father leaving for hours/days on end. It is clear the father is trying his best (and failing at the task), but his guilt is not enough to change him (until the end is reached). The horror of every day life...

Even the second time around, I was still quite confused at the second "act" with Micheal, not because of the change of background marking a new beginning in the story, but by the shift in the story going from a grim reality told through the eyes of a child, to being swooped by some sort of guardian angel in some imaginary place and being served breakfast. (Spoiler - click to show)Then afterwards, the context of alcoholism with the father kind of makes it as if the dad was sobered up then, caring for his child.

While the story ends on the positive note, it still depict a grim part of life, where hurt people hurt other people (and worse, children), which shook me to my core. The contrast of the pain and the panic of the child with the fond remembrance of gifts or the soothing taste of a sweet makes it all the harder to go through. This is accentuated by the gothic style of writing, making this everyday horror more vivid and visceral.

Chills going down the spine at every turn.

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4 Edith + 2 Niki, by fishandbeer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A shallow remake, August 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

Set in a psych ward, this very short dating-sim will let you explore the building, meet different Edits and Nikis. Some of them even invite you on a date after some extremely short small talk. There are four possible endings.

I appreciate shortness in games, the ones that go to the point and don't waste time with meandering or going around the bush. Being able to tell a complete story concisely is an impressive skill. But not every story can be or should be told concisely. Some need a bit more fluff to tie parts together. This is one of the issue with this game.

4E2N is actually a remake of The 4 Edith, a Twiny Jam entry of less than 300 words. This game ditched the pictures, changed the Edith into Edit (or was it a typo?), added Nikis, and fluffed up the small talk between the characters and the descriptions of the environment. Even adding an extra choice at the start.

Going into the psych yard, you are given a choice between entering the building or stay outside a bit longer. This can be repeated until a resident come bother you about a topic you don't seem to care about. Inside the building, you can visit multiple locations, each populated by one of the Edith or the Niki. Small talk ensue (or not), before you move on to another location. Once you feel it is time to go home, you are presented with four locations, each where you meet again an Edith, prompting the ending of the game.
Aside from getting extra locations, you are able to go back and forth in the history to see other endings without having to reload the game.

Still, the remake feels off. The pages have many typos and formatting issues (especially when it comes to naming the Ediths - Even the title of the game is unclear on whether it is Edit or Edith) and lack of consistence (the characters pronouns or POV). Meeting the different characters feel incredibly shallow (is that the point the game is trying to make? I mean who goes dating in a psych ward), and neither endings feel satisfying, or much fun. One major issue I have with the remake is the addition of the Nikis, only to be told in the final choice The Niki are not yet/no longer available…

In terms of the gameplay, aside from the game not even registering whether you've met the different Edit(h?)s or the Nikis, there is not much to it. Your choices feel quite inconsequential and hollow. It could have been nice to see you accept or refuse a date, bringing your date to a different place, or learn of what happened to the other dates if you didn't meet with them.

The game feels quite unfinished and incomplete, the story even in its shortness is both straightforward and confusing. After replaying I wasn't sure whether I was a resident of the psych ward or whether the Edits and Nikis were truly human.

Was there something in the game I just didn't get? Or was it submitted as a bad joke? I don't know...

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Rougi, by Lapin Lunaire Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Dizzying Twirls, Smoke and Mirrors., August 10, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: other jam

Invited for a visit at or found your way into the Palais Garnier, you are thrust into a world full of dance, intrigue, and superstitions. Your tasks is to separate fact from fiction, and make sense of the mystery afoot. No matter the supposed curse, the future of the ballet, and its corps, depends on you!

Set during the Belle Époque in Paris, Rougi paints a vivid and dizzying picture of the ballet scene and its intrigue. Starting from the prologue, you are introduced to a small cast of characters with links to the Palais Garnier or its ballet crew, their relationships with one another, and the hints of conflicts between them. Even before the crux of the mystery is revealed, the game sets the stage for some delicious intrigue.

Thought the project is only in a development stage, the available demo already lays out an intriguing premise, a compelling and layered mystery and interesting use of interactivity (in picking up clues). The story pulls the player in different direction, through crimson strings towards potential answers or red herrings (and there seems to be many red herrings).
Is the Director behind it all, due to disagreement with the Maestro? or an admirer of the Danseuse Étoile take revenge for the casting choice? or maybe the Danseuse Étoile walks the path of destruction? Could it actually be supernatural or a former foe behind it all? The game seem to take pleasure in throwing the player off the scent...

Further than the mystery afoot, there are interesting conflicts and backstories I hope the rest of the game will explore. Between the seasoned Danceuse Étoile and the naïve newcomer, will they claw each other out for the top spot or is there something more caring behind the façade? Will Élodie's part in the performance create a stir? Were Camille's failures a coincidence or were they external forces at play? What does it all mean for the ballet?

The writing is somewhat reminiscent of French contemporary(-ish) writers, like Flaubert or Balzac, in its flowery descriptions and detailed flow-y and rather sizeable text. The abundant use of imagery and metaphor adds to the strength of the project, enhancing the theatrics of the story. As dance is to ballet, so it is reflected in words here.
The author has also a good attention for details, showing its effort in including the correct terminology in ballet concepts or in the descriptions of the Palais Garnier. It shows that research has been done.
I also liked that the author put the MC in a very secondary/observer position. We are thrust into the setting, an outsider looking in and trying to make sense of established facts and relationships. Navigating this whole affair is both exciting and dizzying. (Is it a commentary that as players we are outsider to any story's game too?)

As a sidenote, while Les Souliers Rouges was not a contemporary ballet to the current setting (late 1800s), nor a cursed one at that, but a more recent invention, the author's plan for said ballet share very few similarities. It will be interesting to see where the story takes us and how the premise of the ballet is reflected in the path the characters will take...

As is expected with a working demo, there were some icks that stood out. Some interactive aspects were a bit out of place (like going through Camille's desk when the following line they are here in the room) or lacked the satisfying formatting of the choice list (even for single choice). Passages were at time getting a tad too long, which is a bit of a issue when saving (as Twine can save when moving to a new passage only) or reloading a page. Along with page breaks, I think a better separation between chapters/beats would help with the flow between scenes and make it a bit clearer in the time passed or in the location (maybe a header at the start?).
And while I liked the UI, especially its dark colour scheme, I think the Belle Époque aesthetic could be pushed even further to complement the setting of the story (or its mystery).

This project had been on my radar since it was first submitted to the Interact-IF jam, and I've been waiting for its return ever since, hoping to bring back my ball of red twine and connects unlikely dots...

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Elsinore: After Hamlet, by Lapin Lunaire Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Is Life adapting Art? or Art adapting Life?, August 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

I should probably preface this review by saying I've never read Hamlet (or Shakespeare's work) outside of lone lines or loose adaptations (I think the Lion King/Dune applies?). And while I know there are murders, betrayals, unrequited feelings, madness and monologues galore, the game does not punish you for not knowing the intricacies of the text. Because the story is set after Hamlet's death... and it is not really about Hamlet either.

E:aH uses Hamlet as a framing device to explore the themes of grief, the fear of and hopelessness about death, and identity (esp. Asian American), when living through a global pandemic. During this period, many of us have experienced grief and hardship, from not being able to meet people, to losing family members, seeing one's health worsen, or being subject to violence from others... And within its 15k+ words, this game creates a snapshot filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Yet, amidst the depressing setting, the prose is parsed with humour, little gems bringing levity to the story.

The story happens in two folds: you working on your assignment, trying to suppress worries about your loved ones and the state of the world, and your hallucinations(?) set in Elsinore, imagining events following the end of the play. Both somewhat mirroring or criticising the other. You struggle to find something meaningful to say about the the text, while Horatio scolds you for downplaying their agency as people. A "plague" starts in Elsinore, which you notice from a servant coughing. you share comforting words to Horatio and compassion for his situation, recalling times of struggles during the "war" against COVID and the violence some were forced to endure because of their ethnicity.

The game feels like a critique of the text, through the added character of Petra challenging the crown while passive Ophelia goes mad, or a critique of some reading of the text, like with the comments about the relationships between Horatio and Hamlet. The critiques are sometimes a bit more blunt, with the player character roasting Hamlet for derailing his father's quest (meeting his demise) or his poor treatment towards other characters (esp. Ophelia).

While the UI strayed very little from the basic Harlowe base, it does utilise the enchantment macros in an interesting manner, often enhancing the player character's feelings, a few even added to the hallucination assumptions (especially when ignoring the first sign). Some of the strangely formatted text will hide the way to advance through the story. I wasn't particularly fan some typed text (a bit too slow) or timed ones (wait a bit too long), and one hidden link was biiit too obtuse to find - but it didn't detract my overall enjoyment of the story.

But as every story, this too must end. So let's finish with the endings. The game has 7 possible endings. Some easier to get than others; some longer than others; some good, some bad, some neither. I reached the shorter ones more easily than the longer ones. Depending on your choices, the story will confirm these hallucinations were just a dream or will let you believe you are still trapped in Elsinore; you may reach a bittersweet end where your heart lightened, or one sharing the same fate as Ophelia. Out of those, I think I preferred the ones where the isekai theme was the more obvious, regardless of how forceful the return to reality is, as it mirrored best the start of the game and felt more like a closing the circle moment.

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The Archivist and the Revolution, by Autumn Chen

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Some glimmer of hope in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future..., August 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam, ifcomp

This is a Post-Comp Version review. Also maybe biased because I really like Autumn's work.

In a far future, after centuries of conflict, the Earth's population has been reduced to small communities stuck inside arcologies (city domes). In one of them, lives Em, an Archivist (sorta), trying to survive the best she can (sorta), and maybe (re)form relationships to better her situation. Throughout the game, you must ensure Em is on top of her duties and health.

As with her other Dendy games, A&R works in layers. On the surface, it is a resource management game, where your savings, energy level (hidden), mental and physical health (hidden) must be minded when organising one's day or spending.
While you have agency in this, how far you can go with the different actions will depend on whether you've unlocked certain storylets, or Em's current health at the time. Since she has chronic issues, you won't be allowed to churn through hundreds of files for your job, or even do anything at times.

Underneath, two other mechanics come to play: the relationship/storylet aspect with Em's old acquaintances, and the archiving loop, Em's job. Both will affect Em's survival (savings/health) and the ending of the game.
The first is relatively similar to Autumn's previous Dendry games, in which a side-story will be parsed throughout the game, requiring the player to meet specific characters multiple times to uncover the story at large. In this game, clearing more than one path in a playthrough is quite doable.
The latter is a mechanic I had not really seen before in an IF game, but one I enjoyed greatly. Your job entails decrypting and archiving files, each with a specific code (hint hint), requiring to be either placed in a specific slot or discarded (or you can keep it for yourself). Combing through the documents were quite fun.

The first time I played the game, I thought I could survive all on my own, leaving past relationships where they were, focusing only on my job and keeping myself afloat. I remember it being incredibly stressful (I almost cried when Em was on the brink of eviction). Everything felt hopeless, and the almost-clinical-at-times prose, as well as the UI, accentuated that feeling.

This time around, I followed Autumn's advice and shamelessly begged my acquaintances for money. I didn't want to recreate that very anxious feeling I had the last time - and wanted to see what else I had missed. Indeed, it was much less stressful to go through. I didn't really have to worry about money (thanks A-), I didn't have to exhaust myself with work, and I could explore more different facets of Em's life (her past relationships, herself, how she had to navigate the world). The world is still wretched, but there is more hope. You almost believe that surviving through it is... doable.

The storylets manages to offer a bit of levity in this wretched world, in which Em can find a community helping others, rekindle her relationship with a (re)closeted trans person, rekindle her relationship with her ex who you had a child with. In (re)making connections, you can learn more about your past and how you (don't) fit in this world. You can go on a date, cook with someone, spend time with your child... have a "normal" life.
I quite enjoyed how grounded and raw these storylets felt. They, at times, seemed like a commentary on our present, with the tribalism of social media, the lack of trust in the news, the grueling life under capitalism, and the treatment of transfolks. Strip away the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic future, and they could could be right at home with our current time.
I still hated the news part... its description changing the 'a form of self harm' was on point considering the comments...

Even if you don't interact with anyone, you can still learn about the world and your place in it through the notes (essentially a Codex page) or DNA files you decode. From old recovered chats between yourself and other characters, science articles, old journal entries, and documents regarding the Arcology's founder - Liana -, you can build together a bleak image about the world, the state of the environment and human condition, filled with disenchantment and conflict.
Depending on what you do with your day, you may find some Easter Eggs, like the TV Series you can watch or the Games you can play, little winks to Autumn's other games. Some characters of the game, made obvious by their names, share a resemblance to ones from the Pageantverse.

With the implementation of the Autosave, I was able to reach a lot more endings than the first time around, especially less bleak ones, without having to replay the game. Those endings are highly dependent on the actions you took during the game, some being sweet (especially with K-), some being maybe critical (imo A-'s, Alone), and one specifically blew my mind (Ending 1 - didn't find before).
Ending 1 is by far the most interesting one in my book. While it might seem a bit like a Deux Ex Machina or coming from out of nowhere (depending on your playthrough it may feel like a whiplash), it is the one that has not left my brain since I've replayed the game - maybe because of how strikingly different it is from the others. I think this ending might work best if connections with other characters were not made. It also made me wonder whether Em's life would have been that different if her arcology was still in contact with the others, or whether contact was severed between all arcologies. Honestly, it brought a lot of questions about the world after reading through (sequel of Ending 1, when?).

I don't know if there is a point or a moral to the game. If I were to give one to it, it would be that communities are important for people to thrive, maybe even necessary, and that the world can be a very difficult place when you keep to yourself, worse when your situation is dire in the first place. Even if it seems bleak, there is a glimmer of hope and goodness there...

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the beating of my heart, by eckardlise
An attempt at parody?, August 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


This entry does not give one, nor two, but six and a half stories within one game, all taking a jab at romantic clichés. In the container half story, you are courting Molly, a more-or-less maneater, who coyly tells her different affairs with past men and why it never worked out. Among those: a perfect man she always felt insecure around, a mad scientist who let his work consume the relationship, a literal Don Juan who depleted her savings, a foozball celebrity who partied too much, a royal alongside which she felt too much pressure, and a rockstar who cheated.

While the entries try to make fun of romantic clichés, its prose is none the better, emulating those romance novel of questionable quality, without really fully hitting the mark. Adding on to an unneeded formal tone, this adds to the impossibilities of the tales being reality, removing the possibility of fantasy. With the game switching from a second-POV (you, the player) to a first-POV (Molly), it also fails to give both Molly and you distinct voices, making the transition between past and present a bit strange.

Molly is everything you find in Romance stories: she is gorgeous and yet bland, capable and helpless, confident in herself and insecure around men she thinks are better; and in most situation. She is honestly quite infuriating; worse even when she finishes her tale, taunting you with showing her how you are better than her ex.

The end of the game is none the better. After going through Molly’s retelling of her life with her different exes, you simply throw your hands in the air and leave. Claiming she was looking down at you. Which she had until now. But showing the tipping point being the man who behave the worst towards her left an awful taste in my mouth, when you barely flinched her taunt the other times (and had no choice to give up before then).

At this points, I questioned whether this was truly parodying the genre. Or just trying to make a bad joke. In any case, it felt of bad taste.

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affection., by Cœur

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Or melancholic affliction?, August 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


This short poetic prose takes you on a drunken melancholic trip filled with stolen glances, caring touches, and repressed feelings. With every sentence, the tension between the two characters is palpable, edging to succumb to their yearning, yet never faltering - no matter their current state, no matter their actual feelings for one another.
With its simple UI design and atmospheric music, this entry managed to create quite a melancholic and somewhat heartbreaking aura to the story.

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wretched star, by swanchime
Dark confusion…, August 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


I’ve had trouble putting my thoughts in order for this one, as I honestly was confused about the story throughout the whole thing. Parsing bits together from what seemed a memory and what was “current time” was a bit of a struggle, as the formatting for either part were quite similar.

I did take from it a story of broken (maybe more than) friendship, filial duties, expectations from status, and feelings kept secret. I was quite disoriented trying to keep up with it (not knowing where to click probably didn’t help). I did find the aesthetic quite artsy, even if a bit strange for my taste.

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Secret, by ikuyustas

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
(Un)forgivable sin, August 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


This kinetic entry recounts the moment a person realised their parent’s relationship wasn’t as loving as it seemed. Through a series of event, they find their mother’s indiscretion and struggle with dealing with the situation. Ultimately, their choice is to keep it a secret, and the facade of a happy family going.

There was something in the prose that felt a bit off. The way the entry was written felt a bit to clinical/academic, quite detached from the event described. Maybe the story could have been from the perspective of an adult recollecting old memories. But it felt so devoid of feelings… I thought it was a bit strange…

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We're yours and you're ours, by beeyolk
We're each other's..., August 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

Through this quite short entry, we are introduced to Pan and Subsa, two not-quite-human friends who might be more than friends, struggling to put a meaningful and correct label on their relationship. It is very sweet, and kind, and warms your heart.
I quite liked how it ended

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Flynn & Quinn, by Stanwixbuster
Stole my heart..., August 4, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


Starting in the middle of a conversation, you play as the titular Fynn, a performing poet by day and well-meaning thief by night, hiding Quinn, a cop on the run after an unfortunate incident from a previous installation of the series. With a love-hate relationship with the man, you must confront your dire situation and some consequences of your actions, plan and execute a heist, and try your best not to fall for him.

Even with having to press the spacebar to show every new line, I could not take my eyes away from the screen until I finished the game. I even had a hard time choosing whether to press the options offered to direct the story one way or let the conversations flow by itself (usually picked the second). The characters had so much personality, and you can't help but take a step back and be a spectator to the conversation of the moment, just to see what happens...

The game makes it quite easy for you to root for Flynn (even considering the implications of the previous game) and want everything will turn out ok by the end of the game. Regardless of his not-so-legal occupations (which reminded me a bit of Lupin), Flynn has a bit of a Robin-Hood heart to him.

But, as every heist demands, things don't go to plan. The gunshot, although expected, shook me. So, did the cliffhanger.

Really great entry. I have to check the other ones, next.

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Philia, by aurelim

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Love is the hurt we gave each other along the way, August 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


Told from the perspective of Terri, a love-inexperienced student, this kinetic entry tells the story of two dormmate hitting off after meeting, moving into a relationship, before breaking things off when unsaid truths were kept silent. And learned lessons along the way.
This entry is what you'd expect from a slice-of-life story, considering the theme of the jam. It is sweet and at times a bit corny (in a good way). Kind of heartbreaking, leaving a bittersweet after taste, overall.

That said, the prose didn't do much for me. While it had some heart, I found it a bit too meandering to keep me focused, dragging some scenes longer than it should, while glossing over beats that maybe should have been a bit more expanded (like the whole avoiding your partner, or going further into Terri's struggle with their identity). There is potential here, it just needs a little more TLC to get there.

I wasn't particularly fond of Terri's passivity either. I think it made sense in the context of the story, but I wanted to shake them so they'd face the issues they created rather than letting Trinity to all the work for the both of them.

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Three Things, by Lapin Lunaire Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Translating a broken heart, August 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


Sending you back to class, this entry tasks you with translating a Russian poem by Anna Akhmatova as your final assignment for a course you are taking. A poem (or the task of embodied translation), the teacher hopes will serve you in the future.
I should add there that I don’t understand Russian, nor had I come across this poem before. Went in there blind.

While most of the text will be translated by simply hovering your mouse over the text, the game will, in parts, give you choices (always in 3) to translate specific groups of words. With repetition in words, some choices are simpler than others. Even if not chosen, all choices should be clicked (~delicious flavour text~). Finally, you must choose a title!
I boringly compared the words of the title to the first line of the poem and wrote just that… I also played the game by not touching the translation bit, just continuing to the next passage, and the translated poem was so very funny in a stressed student doing in an exam way.

Then comes the painful process of waiting to hear back from your professor… or your boyfriend…
The poem itself is quite sad, and, as hinted by the game, might be mirroring your relationship…

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Cinderella - happily ever after, by Kal Down
Happily? (n)ever after…, August 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

This almost-kinetic entry time-jumps 10 years after Cinderella’s tales, giving snippets into her life as Queen of the realm. As her life is described from her perspective, it becomes clearer the title of the game reads more sarcastically as one might think. Overall, the piece was much darker than expected…
Parsed through the story are the lyrics of Labour by Paris Paloma, mirroring Cinderella’s life after escaping the clutches of her step-family. But it leaves you to wonder if she truly escaped that life or if only the walls of house just changed.
The entry seem to have perhaps taken a more realistic take of what would probably have happened to Cinderella after marrying the Prince (if based on the 17th-century iteration), considering the place, status and duties of a Monarch’s wife.
Overall, this was an interesting mashup of a fairytale and song lyrics.

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Unrequited, by waltzofthedragons

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Heartbreaking letter, August 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

Through the writing of a letter, parsed with words left unsaid/unwritten, this short kinetic entry deals with a loss of a close relationship, because of unrequited feelings and different expectations. It is touching in its tragedy, heartbreaking in its commonness.
In very few words, this entry beautifully encapsulates the end of something that is often stronger than romantic partnership. And how mixed feelings can tear someone apart.
The addition of sound and animation were a lovely touch as well.

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Cycle, by alyshkalia

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Time loop and its consequences?, August 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

Ever fudged so badly in your relationship you wished you had a time machine/trinket to go back and fix your mistakes by actually doing and saying the right things to save what is almost lost?
This is something that Tiel doesn't need to worry about, as his grandmother left him a neat little pocketwatch, allowing him to save his relationship... if he plays his card correctly.
Through a thread of choices, your actions will determine which ending you will receive, and whether you will manage to save your relationship.
Still, regardless of the end post, Heron's criticisms only resonate ever so louder with every new cycle. Sure, you may be acknowledging eir hurt and needs, but are you truly doing this selflessly? Don't you invalidate eir choice, the one triggering the story, by going back in time until you succeed in your goal or relent in your defeat?
The game does not just do time loop incredibly successfully, it also raises quite the moral questions about slippery slopes when rewinding time...

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Greenteeth, by bertilak

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Wicked Jenny lurking you to your doom…, August 2, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


In this retelling of the Jenny Greenteeth folktale , you meet the titular character by the shore of a pond. Though it takes little for you to become entranced by her “charms”. Eyes, hands, mouths, hair… you cannot look away from the murky sight before you, let alone pull away from her grasp. Not like you truly want to pull away…
The horror oozes from the prose, its nails scratching your brain until it leaves a mark, leaving you wanting to wander by the lake, and once more meet the creature of your(?) desires?

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(Don't) Save Me, by Coral Nulla

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
We all want a manic pixie dream girl, but what does she want?, August 2, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

I want to preface that this game was insane, and pushed all the right buttons for me. Is it genius? I think so. At least the ending I got was to me.

As a manic pixie dream girl, you are tasked by the Agency of Narrative Intervention to help the main characters of the short stories to fulfill their potentials, by making it all about “yourself”. Break some hearts, break some love, break some chains… But never become enmeshed with the story.
That is until…
… the story feels… off. And your role doesn’t quite fit anymore… You may choose to push through and finish your work, or maybe follow that strange character trying to make you question everything you know (was it your manic pixie dream girl?).

Along with some sort of red/blue pill choice, the ever changing UI almost pushes you down a path, one you might feel too afraid to take, one which could set you free? Yet, are you doomed to repeat the stories you were once tasked to change?

A really interesting and mind-blowing entry!

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how do i love you?, by Sophia de Augustine

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The Darkest and Sweetest Emotional Whiplash, August 2, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

There is probably nothing more anti-romance than a couple on a verge of a break-up; when the spark is not just gone but harming both parties (in this case, one more than the other). A fight is how the story starts, full of resentment and misplaced hurt. Setting expectations that behind the bright UI of the entry, darkness looms ahead.

And yet, this is not the path the story takes. It does not wallow (for long) in the misery of hurt feelings, despair over failures, or doubles down in the hurt in the hopes to salvage the doomed relationship. Instead, it takes the path of healing and love - for oneself and others but with a healthier view and supportive friends.
Love is an action you choose to do, how you show people you care about them.

As a final point, the formatting of the story inside chat rooms was so fitting. Each user had their own distinct voice, that barely needed the username to know who was writing which message. The addition of typos during emotional moments, especially for Sylvia, were a great touch!

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Venus is a Liar, by JazzTap
Beautiful confusing prose…, August 2, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam


It is rare that I am enthralled by prose that flows through the page, and yet feeling nothing but confusion as I read through it. While I would usually stop reading and give up on a piece that I do not understand, here I stayed, hoping the story would fall into place and everything would make sense in the end.
It, however, did not do that. The conversations you have with other characters is interspersed with your thoughts or environmental descriptions, neither completely fitting in a way. I ended wondering if this was some sort of sci-fi/mystical retelling of some Ancient Greek mythos… or just vibes.
Yet… I could not look away… the prose kept pulling me through the passages, only leaving me hanging, stranded, by the end…
Was this maybe the point of this entry?

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Growing Pain, by cassian
When a Romantic Setting is still not enough, August 2, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: antiromancejam

Oh, the pains of unrequited love! Their presence hurts with your feelings not being returned, but their absence hurt even worse. And what torture to spend an evening with the object of your love, in quiet spot, in the ever-so romantic setting of waiting for shooting stars. There are moments that could create a spark (a brush of a finger, some unsaid words), but reality always catches up to you.

They will never love you the way you love them. You ache for them to, but you don't seem to mind the hurt either...

Quite nicely expressed.

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500 Word Hotel Escape, by Kobato Games

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Escape -Room- Hotel…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

What’s the worst that could happen when missing your alarm? Here, being locked inside the hotel, after the owner has shut it down for the season. Without a phone to call for help, you are left to your devices to find a way out.
The puzzle is pretty simple (click on the correct links to progress), and quite reminiscent of parsers/text adventures (I would see this one as a pretty cute beginner entry imo).
Nice job!

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Dimensions Guardians: The Typewriter, by Jackson The Bear

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The Start of an Epic Series, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This is what this entry feels like, a intro or teaser to a larger series about Dimensions Guardian, some sort of spy/agent team working to restore reality to its natural state, fighting the monster of the week! “In this week’s episode, The Typewriter!”

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angel numbers, by Sophia de Augustine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Unhealthy Fixations and Heavenly Body, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

As expected from Sophia, themes of religion, celestial bodies, and trauma, will usually have an appearance in her writing. Again with this entry, from the allusion of a “guardian angel” looking over you, or the triple digits as some form of communication between heavenly bodies and humans (notice how 666 is missing…).
This guardian, however, has not the best intention at heart, as the descriptions (told from their perspective) of their actions seem to traumatise you, has they have done your father before, as they will do your daughter in the future. This fixation is hidden behind their love for you, as they had for your father, as they will your daughter…
Or… you could read something completely different…

The final note absolutely KILLED me.

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Lucid Coma, by Eden Meridia
Escape your nightmare, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

While this is not the first entry of this jam to have an escape your nightmare concept, this one add an extra mechanic with the “Will to Live”. Depending on your actions, you may lose part of said will… and be consumed by the darkness. This was a neat little addition, giving more gravitas to the concept.
There is another layer to this nightmare, a reason for its existence in the first place. Thought you only discover it when you get closer to dispelling the nightmare…
Overall pretty neat and anxiety inducing game.

I liked the added illustrations too! And this was made in the Snowman format!

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The Day I Turned 22, by Cyrus Firheir
Anxiety about Adulthood, and Past Reflections, July 15, 2023

At the brink of a new birthday passing, one often reflects on where life has taken us, and this year’s celebration is different from the previous one. Passing certain milestones may add new challenges, like having to find a new job or your own value in society that may not value your skills, not having the time to (re-)connect with family and friends, or feeling inadequate for not having done certain things.
The entry is filled with sadness and with a hint of blasé-ness covers many things a lot of us worry about. The simple style of writing adds onto the sincerity of the text…
The audio file and images add a filter of melancholy to the whole.

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lark-mirror, by vileidol

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hell is Other People, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Or so Sartre says, in “No Exit”, the piece this entry is based on. In the play, three people are brought together to torture each other, including Inez, a woman who seduced her cousin’s wife and met her demise when the latter, filled with guilt, left the stove one while they slept (all this is referenced in the blurb/game).
Seemingly told from Inez’s perspective, this entry focuses on the burning love for a kept woman ended up burning her to the core. The entry sort of felt it was doing a one sided conversation with one of the other characters stuck with her…
A very interesting of a similarly poignant source!

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The Time Waster Quiz, by Alley

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
More of a Lovely Reminder than a Time Waster, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This short quiz calling itself a time waster reminds us of two important things: taking breaks is important, especially if you’ve done a lot with your days, AND you often will find you’ve done more than you think. Either way, it is important to be kind to and take care of yourself.
Very sweet!~

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Otolith, by LemonPoppyseedGames
Two Frogs… Floating in Space…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

What happened to the two frogs sent into space by NASA in the 70s? This is what this entry tried to envision in those 500 words. Did they ignore each other? Did they console each other? Did they drive each other crazy? We will never know… but isn’t it interesting to think about?

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Warriors and Samaritans, by LemonPoppyseedGames
What do we do without a Hero…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

And end of an era is upon us when the last of the Heros returns on the brink of death. Who will be there to protect and care for the weak if no Hero is around? Who will fight for good and against evil marauders if not for a Hero?
The Hero provides an alternative (if you chose the correct path) of becoming the Warrior and Samaritan you look up to yourself…
And maybe, that is enough to survive the change…

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vestiges of summer, by graymeditations
I am here now…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

But you weren’t before, to the exasperation of others around, deep in your mediation or memories of older times, snippets of moments who marked you, realisation that nothing will ever be the same. Yet you seem stuck in the past or dreams…

I was honestly a bit confused by this piece, with a lot being quite vague and some controls a bit wonky…

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So You Have a Knife at Your Throat, by Natasha Luna

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
But it doesn’t have to stay that way…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

You are an assassin, interrupted in your job by a knife at your throat. Your next action will determine whether you live or die, or maybe walk away a bit worse for wear…
For all its violence and tension, I did giggle at some endings, as the writing has quite a bit of humour. Another was pretty hot as well.
A good bite-size thriller!

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in igni, by Lapin Lunaire Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Burning with desire, clawing her way to court., July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Esme is an up-and-comer entertainer, trying to claw her way to a position in court, using her wits but mainly her beauty to be remembered. At this point in time, she relies on her patron to secure her standing with the court, even if it pains her soul and pride.
The writing does a wonderful job at burning the rage Esme feels, and how dedicated she is to achieve her goals, on the page. Almost in an animalistic way…

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JUDAS, by vileidol

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Inevitable, Inescapable, is the Fate of Judas, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

The tale of the Betrayer of the Son of God, whom a kiss dooms mankind to suffering, is recalled from the perspective of the sinner in this entry. Going through the multitudes of feelings held in Judas’s heart, one discovers his resentment towards his pre-determined fate.
There is a hint of homoeroticism between Judas and Jesus, and I’ve been wondering if that was meant from the beginning, or I am just reading into it…

I am not well versed in details of the catholic mythos and believes to pick up on all the details included in this entry…

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The Orb [WIP], by Adalil

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An Invasion and a Strange Orb…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

An alarm awaken you, warning you of a breach in your ship. Tasked to investigate, you come across a group of strangers… and an orb, which you had never seen before and which disappears when you try to touch it.
Unfortunately, there is not more to it, as bugs seem to have removed potential actions (and reached the 3 locked endings). Aside from dying or killing the intruders, there is not much to speak of…

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Conduit of the Crypt, by Grim Baccaris
Dungeon Crawler with impressive UI, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Locked in a dungeon, you find company in a Knight, who may or may not help you find your freedom (or something else…)… if you manage to escape the dungeon’s guardian, that is.
The UI of this entry is impeccable, with its little gif-sprites representing the player, changing at random at every start of the game, and its background moving with the mouse.
This is really a well thought-out and executed entry!

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Résumé, by Requiem

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Never Good Enough…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Naming the game as a Chore on itch is very fitting, as filling out applications for a resume often, if not always feels like an absolute chore. The choice of using Texture for this was the correct one, as the click/drag on desktop reeeaaaaally adds to the chore-like feeling of this task.
The player gets to edit an application for a job, expanding, rephrasing, deleting or submitting at will the different parts. Through the writing, it is obvious the player character is frustrated with the task (and who isn’t, filling those applications are The Worst). Every action has quite a bit of humour in it, especially when expending on some sections.
Good vibes, not good times…

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carmen cygni, by corvusasteris

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Retelling from a Different Perspective, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Son of Helios hurtling towards the ground, as his lover Cygnus cannot take her eyes away from the body about to disappear. After abandoning her kingdom for the one she loved, she is now abandoned herself… But the fates or the gods have other plans for her…
It would have been nice to have a clearer indication the story ended. Because of how the previous passages were formatted, I was expecting a delayed text to appear…

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The ecology of the waterways of Mars, by Liza Daly

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An exploration of Martian Ecology, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Using snippets and illustrations of the novel “Journeys to the Planet Mars” (1903), the author created a sort of database/paper on the ecology of a certain region of Mars. This entry is more of a muted one compared to the other submitted one, but it is quite beautiful in the way it has been formatted and edited.

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Cat vs Villain, by Raccoon Raconteur
Defeat the worst evil of all: the Mighty Cat!, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

As a villain, you have a reputation to uphold, one of being defeated only by a Hero. How embarrassing it would be if someone knew every morning a Cat. But today…
Oh today, you will defeat it!
The game is adorably delightful, and has the right amount of humour to make the nonsensical situation “normal”. The addition of the Cat’s illustration was so so very cute!

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One-Word Warlock, by Damon L. Wakes

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Sound Effect Galore… and Laugh Galore!, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Imagine an adventure text coupled with old timey sound effect. Now remove all words but 5, and make all of those except one choices. This is essentially this entry.
Going from a slice-of-life to absurd to fantasy adventure to easter eggs (the eagles xD), the entry if filled with hilarious moments (even with the limited amount of words on the page). I was giggling through and through while playing!
A very light and lovely addition to the jam!!

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a slow death., by kc malik

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The Dangerous Consequences of Too Much Comparison, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

It is a human trait to compare one’s self to others. To see how we fare as a person, as a member of a community, as a skilled individual. While the act of comparing is a neutral one as is, the feeling that follows might not be. One can feel pride of having accomplished more than others, or envy for still not having achieved the success other have…
This entry is an autobiographical depiction of the latter, as a personal response to having creative endeavours received by an audience differently to other works. It also brings forward an interesting point about (para)social relationships with stranger on the internet and expectations through these creative endeavours.

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Getting Ready for Bed, by Dragon Wyvryn
Or maybe distract yourself…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Who hasn’t been tempted to scroll through their phone endlessly instead of doing what they are supposed to do? Or having to wake up early the day after but your phone is right there, tempting you? Sure, you could go to sleep and be fine the in the morning, but you will miss on the fun content if you do…
The entry had some lovely illustrations too!

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goodnight, by Rylie Eric
When thoughts are stronger than sleep…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Unable to sleep, you lie awake. Prisoner to your thoughts, fears, and worries. Spiralling and thinking about the worst, with no way out. Wanting to be seen, but afraid of reaction. Wanting to live as your authentic self, but worrying/knowing acceptance won’t be given. It is hard to find sleep when you mind is filled with thoughts…

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Almost Lover (Jam Version), by Sanadi

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Almost Enemies…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

After losing touch for so long, you find your next target to be an old friend. Though they are not that friendly anymore… This entry does a nice job of showing the conflicting feelings of the main character.

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A Walk on the Beach, by Bruhstin
A Reading to Cleanse your Mind, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

When in need to reassurance, different people find different venues. Here, it is a tarot reading, answering one’s doubt of being able to endure. Through the cards, the person find meaning, and solace.

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Starfighter's Ballad, by Manwad

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The Fight is a Lonely one, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Shot off to space to fight aliens, this kinetic piece describes one last fight, the one to end all fight. Geared up to the teeth, you are ready to destroy the ship that killed your friends. I like the hue choice in the background.

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Taxi Bargains, by 98cicadas

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Deal with the D…river., July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

What would you give to be reunited with a dead lover? Their car? Your memories of them? The last years of your life? All of this to be able to once again laugh and dance with them… This is a very spooky and trippy retelling of the crossroad devil theme….

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eurydicesloveletter, by tamburp
Breathing Life through Love, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Between a mix of a love letter and a happier-ending retelling of the myth of Eurydice, this entry shows the yearning for a significant other’s love and attention, even if they give their entire life to them. In recognising one’s flaws and the other’s acts of love, one might brush away built-up resentment of missed opportunities.
Lovely entry!

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Eliza's Unbearable Awkward Reunion!, by Lance Cirone

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Second-hand Embarrassment Galore, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

How awkward it is to meet an old acquaintance… worse even when that person is your ex. And even though you “moved on”, it does not make it easier to see her face again. Though you are warned about the unbearable awkwardness this meeting is, it really does not compare to the actual thing…

This made me feel like I was watching one of those pretty bad C-list series where the acting is way too toned down and over the top and the mixing is not quite right, and the writing is just soooo cringe. 10/01 would cringe again,

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Refugium (Fugere), by Allie Vera
Finding refuge in the most unlikely places…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

You flee a party, where you know few attendants and are not around the ones you do, unnoticed. In the elevator to escape, something strange happens. The stops between the floor of the party and the building’s door are… not what’d you expect.
Still, in a stranger even turn of even, you don’t seem to care… you even rejoice in these unusual refuges (haha title). If you chose to stay on the elevator, things get even weirder, as you seem to be talking to someone (who? the narrator? yourself? someone else? I think they had a physical presence?). It is even unclear whether we even left the elevator at all.
I got to wondering: did something happen to us at the party that made us experience these peculiar events (are we high?)? Are those rooms metaphors/twisted imageries for real life (a walk in the park, going to bed next to someone, being alone…)? Are we maybe dead and living through our personal hell?

With the timed fade-in of the text and the many non-choice screens, it would have been nice if we could to back to the last choice in the Restart, rather than having to go through all of this again…

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correspondence, by gummyghosting
A comfort letter…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Being kind to oneself is a struggle, especially when things are tough, when you don’t like yourself, when the changes you make in your life/yourself do not pan out the way you want.
Even so, compassion is what makes us heal, what makes us stronger. For without it, we let ourselves be consumed and blinder by pain and self loathing.
The simplicity and writing of the imagery in this entry is quite painful… but so well done.

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Weird Texts from an Unknown Number, by Mark Sample

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Never Answer Spam Messages…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This is essentially the moral of this short horror game, as answering the messages will send you into very wild conversations. Depending on your answers, you may find someone accusing you of stalking, someone informing they have kidnapped your brother, someone threatening you to kill you…
It reminded me of Please Answer Carefully …

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June 1998, Sydney, by Kastel

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The Merging of Different Worlds…, July 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

In May of 1998 1 , riots erupted in Jakarta, resulting in of the diaspora of Chinese Indonesians towards, among others, Australia. This is an important context to understand the situation of the main character and her family.
As the broken family settles in their new home, a strange dynamic forms, leaving the main character in a sort of emotional limbo state, avoiding acts that could tip the balance of this fragile situation the wrong way.
It is heartbreaking.

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A boat ride., by Unexpected_Dreams

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Don’t run out of words!, July 14, 2023

Four candles and a counter. The first disappearing as the second increases. “You don’t have time for this”, the game tells you. Though it is not time, but words that will limit how far you go… This entry took the limited word count rule and flipped it on itself.
The story is funky, as Charon welcomes you to his boat, but not before essentially mugging you of your belonging and stealing your phone (listen, there’s no internet down there, he got to entertain himself somehow). Fun humour!

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Life of Puck, by alyshkalia
The Sweet Life of a Rat, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Eat, sleep, drink some water, clean yourself, and look for your human. This is the sweet, sweet, life that Puck, the cute little rat, lives. Though it might feel quickly monotonous - there is only so much a rodent can do - the game invites you to try different combinations of actions to fill in the achievement list. A really cute game indeed!

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Office Hours, by galacticdemigod
Who says you can’t make friends at work…, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

In a mix between retrospection and conversation, this entry shows that no matter how dull work can be, a friend can make up for it. Even if you never met face to face. Or their handle changes every day. But nothing matter in this corrupted document shared with that one special person, who you know so much of and yet so little.
I like the eeriness of the setting (what if they are not as friendly? what if you are being tricked) and the writing made me chuckle too. The UI also was spot on!

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The Boulder, by DrOctothorpe
Push the Boulder, Fall Once More, Start Again, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

While this could be a metaphor for how grueling and monotonous life could be, this entry takes instead inspiration from a familiar Greek myth. Forced to complete this Sysiphian task, memories from a former life, a previous time, start to pique your mind. You slowly uncover the mystery, pushing the boulder, again, and again, fighting the pull of the great stone or complying to its wished.
Really good!

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Dreamscape CYOA, by Cerfeuil

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Life is Hard… Take this!, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This whimsical entry, filled with dreamy illustrations, awards you three gifts, which you must choose from 11, to lessen the hardship of life. From doors to other worlds, food you can pay with memories, a pool with always the perfect temperature, to a literal slice of paradise, the hardest thing in this entry is both choose… and realise this will never happen in real life.
But one can dream…

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Curse of the Bat's Tomb, by fsi

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
And you will never escape it…, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

In this small puzzle-y entry, you are faced with a tomb (which you may or may not manage to enter) and the memories of the man buried there. Memories you thought you buried as well…
I liked the puzzle quite a bit~

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metastasis, by Playahead Games
Shenanigans in the lab, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

While working on samples, you notice strange things happening around you: misplaced test tubes, foul smell, unusual behaviour… Depending on the choice you’ve made, you may encounter one of four endings, each creepier than the last.
The entry is very atmospheric and the bareness in writing (in work notes) convey a lot more about the setting than it looks.
Really enjoyed this one!
While you can skip the typed text animation, the options are stuck being a timed, making you wait anyway. Changing the timed into a typed would be much nicer for replay value!

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Frog, by MartynJBull
From egg to jumper, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This short entry looks at the early stages of the lifecycle of a frog, from the moment they are spawned into the pond, to the day they leave it. You play as one of them, eating, wondering about your state, or wiggling around the muddy waters. As you grow, the season changes, and so are the dangers.
The entry is awfully sweet and delightful.

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Successor, by 30x30

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Love Letter to Ecology, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
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With the current ecological state of the world, it is hard not to feel hopeless for future generations. It is also quite normal to turn towards science/speculative-fiction to imagine a world in the far future where Nature has taken a priority, and technology can do wonders to protect it. Like a soothing balm, reminding us that things might work out after all…
This is this kind of hope that this entry is bringing forward.

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Parley!, by GammaEpsilonCrimson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
How successful will you be?, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Unprepared and inexperienced, yet tasked to engage in negotiations with a man who seems to have all and requires little from you.
You will need a few tries to find the right combination of choices to appease the Viper. Some are hidden at first… Choose the wrong one, and die(?). Take too long, and die(?)…

I really liked how the game was constructed. It was fun (in a bit of a stressful way). Though the ending page arrived just a second or two too early…

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Kyrie Eleison, by Lapin Lunaire Games

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not so merciful…, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

… is the “kindness of the vampire”.
Spared from the release of death, a vampire transforms you into her kind, no matter your protest. Forced to live as an undead, forgetting what it meant to be alive, human, despair takes a hold of you. Until you repay your Maker her kindness…
The imagery from the prose is delectable. A succulent and dark short piece.

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Infinite Space Battle Simulator, by Autumn Chen

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
In Space, no one will see you win…, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This entry does exactly what the title implies. It is a simulator of battles between spaceships, seemingly infinite… well, unless you fail… which will happen (I have yet to win the game…).
Similar to Rogue-likes, ISBS requires some strategy in the actions you perform. Do you get closer to have a more accurate shot or evade to lower the chance of you getting shot? Do you deploy drones or shoot until you die?
You are also forced to choose which upgrade to prioritise when you do manage to shoot down an enemy, though you are limited…
Aside from the gameplay/mechanic, which is impressive in an of itself, the story hints at something maybe more sinister? You are told this is a simulation, and though you feel(?) pain, you supposedly do not sustain actual damage. Is this part of a larger experiment? What is that experiment for? A training for a future space war?
There is definitely more than the author lets on…

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the happiness jar, by cairirie
Memory lane inside a jar, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A Happiness jar is a fun concept, and can help give you a different outlook on life or remember the good times (like a time capsule). But the entry recalls some less fun things about the happiness jar, like delving into it too early, or recording ghosts versions of themselves, or plainly stopping adding to it.
The entry does an interesting job with the interactivity, adding more to the story, left in between the lines…

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Buck Rockford Heads West, by J. J. Guest

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Job Hopper in the Wild West, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

…or the humourous(?) adventures of Buck Rockford.
Bored out of his mind, Buck heads West in hopes to find fulfilment and meaning for his life. Though he has quite a few options on what to become, Buck never seems to find luck with any of those new position. Instead he job hops, hoping the next one will strike gold…
The entry is very anchored in the western tropes, and even through some of the underlying sadness, there is quite a bit of delighting humour. The twists made me giggle quite a bit.

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Emily, by MuffiTuffiWuffi

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The first of its kind…, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

In 5 small acts, the narrator describe its life from its creation, the first of its kind; its education, with questions about morals; its labour, surpassed by its children until discarded when useless; its retirement, passing in a blink of an eye; to its death, remembered or maybe forgotten.
It is an odd entry about the human condition…

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Now We're Clickin', Team, by Andrew Schultz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Luck, Superstitions, and Bad Choices, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Like Andrew’s previous entry in the jam, this one is again about you being a fan of a game, and wanting your team to do well in the tournament. You get to pick your rituals before the season starts and pray to the Basketball gods the RNG is on your side.

Then starts a lot of clicking, to go through each result of games your team plays in the knock-off stages. Even if the title of the entry warns you, it is still a bit tedious… I think a one passage per season, where each game result appears one below the other, with a timer, would have been a bit nicer?

I did like the name of the college team you are following (which is randomly assigned at the start of the game) and the strange rituals and superstitions from your eating habits to your cleaning schedule. Quite humourous!

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That Forest Inside, by onepanda
Two faces of the same coin, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A personal piece about depression, told from the perspective of the beast and the victim. Each POV have a choice between two actions, each affecting the other, before another day begin and the struggle starts anew.

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january frost, by mogar
A frosty conversation, July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

“is it an argument if no one wins?” is what the entry asks before the game. In this text exchange spanning a few weeks, frustrations and insecurities lead this argument to both parties’ defeat. The jabs are meant to hurt, not really to solve the issue at hand.
It feels real… and quite sad.

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Sprinklepills!, by Lance Cirone

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
One Day… Your Pitch Will Succeed., July 14, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Sprinkepills! is an absurd entry, where you are trying to sway investors to invest in your product: the Sprinklepills! or sprinkles for on the go. It is a very long shot - your product is not quite conventional - but you give it your all. You believe in it with all of your might, even if you do not always find the words to express yourself…
The desperation in the character has the meeting continues was a bit heartbreaking…
Still, this might be the most absurd business pitch I’ve ever encountered.

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Mother, Daughter, Sister, by alyshkalia

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
All done in three's..., June 28, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This is the story of three people - a mother, a daughter, and that daughter's sister - each feeling happy, sad, and angry following an undescribed event that changed the dynamics between those three individuals. In so little words, the author manages to paint quite the picture...

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Thursday, in Space, by Donald Conrad and Peter M.J. Gross

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Space Delivery Contractor, June 27, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A Thursday, in space, and you have a delivery to make. Along the way, your ship is forced to stop a handful of time, during which a choice must be made. You may stay lawfully good or more of a chaotic mess. The result maaaaay affect future employment, though…
I really liked the added images to the page!

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I am home., by quorpheus
Grief and moving on, June 27, 2023
by manonamora
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Told from the perspective of a cat this entry describe the cat’s owner going through the steps of grief with snippets, spanning multiple months, from losing… said cat. It is quite sad, but also lovely to read.

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Try to Wake Up, by bertilak
Nightmare fuelled adventure, June 27, 2023
by manonamora
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Inescapable nightmare, leaving you in sweat drenched sheets in the morning - this is what this entry embodies. From the seemingly unescapable groundhog-day like cycle, to the body horror or plain trippy horror descriptions, you must try your best to find the exit…
… and wake up.

I managed to solve the puzzle at the end… but it took me a while :stuck_out_tongue:

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Creating Goncharov, by Albie

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A deep dive into Goncharov lore., June 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov

Following the Goncharov (1973) meme storm taking over Tumblr during November 2022, Creating Goncharov takes an alternative reality approach where this fake movie existed - though, you do not remember ever seeing it. Set to create a pitch for a remake, the game takes a deep dive into the lore and the many theories regarding this shitpost. More than that, Creating Goncharov is about finding passion in your work and creating relationships.

[Spoiling the story below]

(Spoiler - click to show)At the beginning, all is dull and irritating. The path to your place of work is slippery from the snow, your desk is in a cubicle nowhere close to natural light, and you expect today to be as boring as every other day you've had so far. 'Tis the life of an office drone. Except...

...you find an interesting proposition from your boss in your inbox - one you cannot refuse* - you are tasked to create a pitch for a remake of Goncharov and 1973 totally real and acclaimed movie, coined as the 'best mafia movie ever created'. Which is great, since you've been trying to get that kind of opportunity. But... you cannot for the life of you remember ever watching that movie.
* hahaha like in mafia movies

You are also forced to work with Al*, a co-worker you look down on - even though they are your superior - because you don't believe they deserve their job. Through exchanges with Al, it is not really clear whether they have seen that movie either, or whether they are competent at all (would they take your idea as pass it as theirs?). Still, they have readied some bare bone documentation to help you start.
*the author self-insert - do they believe the criticism/jabs they wrote about Al B? I hope not...

There is little time and not much to go on, but you still push through and ready a pitch for your boss by the meeting time. And...

...you fail. But, this was expected, considering your lack of knowledge about the original piece and of concrete information about the plot, themes, or scenes even. As if, you were meant to fail... who gives a remake of a well-loved movie to a newbie...

At this point, you can end... or, if you believe in this remake and your ideas, push through and proclaim you will make the movie by yourself if that's what it requires!

This is where strange things start to happen...

You go to work the next day, and things feel more... vibrant? The air is not as stale, the office is brighter, you even notice other people during your commute. More than that... your computer boots to the same day as before, showing the same unread email as when the game first started.

In some weird Grounghog Day scenario, you are given a second chance at putting your pitch together, retaining (partly) not only your previous found knowledge about the movie but also the (now-edited) documents Al had sent you the day/loop before. Speaking of Al, they are in this loop more forth coming with their view on the project, their knowledge of the movie, and their friendliness toward you.

While the first loop focused on the general overview, discussing the themes, or (re-)naming the characters, this loop gets into the nit and gritty of the plot. You and Al spend hours ironing out some details about the sequence of events and highlighting potential strong points. There is a lot there you can edit, and show off your creative liberties (with cycle links).

But again, this is not enough to sway the investors. You have not gone deep enough. You're still missing something important: you have not pitched the scenes!

And this is where the final loop comes in.

Yet again, the descriptions about your environment changes once more, and you notice how beautiful it is. It is also then that you notice the building's receptionist (and even remember her name and exchange some words!). The people in your mail box also change from jokey puns to actual names - they are not just nameless cogs but actual full human beings.

The exchanges between Al and you are also more developed and much more friendly. You even seem more passionate about the project than you ever were before! Even as you wait for your boss's email at the end of the day, you have the option to do something outside of work, even grow your relationship with Al.

Obviously, this time around, the pitch is a success (on my run at least, it is possible to fail a third time apparently). The movie is made, and wins tons of awards, setting you for a fulfilling career path.


With over 50 thousand words, the game covers most if not all of the "lore" created during this meme craze. In the many edits you can make, it manages to essentially give an overview of what had been discussed on Tumblr about this fake movie*. Depending on your choices, you may see quite a lot of change in variation down the line (inserting 'Marting Scorceses' as your name for example).
*with the plot document in the second loop especially, it felt a bit like those Archive documents the community created to keep track of all the lore.

The attention to details is both a major part of the gameplay, enabling you to "win" the game, and of the prose, through the subtle change in the environment/your behaviour outside of work. This is also a major point of the "movie", as recurrent details embodying time, religion, and change, were put in the forefront of the Goncharov discourse.

The change in tone in the interactions between Al and the player throughout the game feel believable, as you become acquainted with them and find a shared passion in the "movie". The exchanges of emails in the third loop is particularly lovely, and the scenes with them while waiting for that final email is quite sweet. Albie has a great command of their writing style in that area.

There were a few icks that made me tick a bit:
~ While the inclusion of a Martin Scorcese timeline (if you enter your name as MS) garners some fun responses and variation, it felt a bit out of place when other characters behave in the same way they would if the player has chosen any other name. It was funny that Mr. Scorcese failed the pitch, but the joke becomes a bit stale past the first loop.
[In the same vein, no one questioned me when I chose the same name as existing characters/employees]
~ Some formatting of the text made it sometimes hard to follow along. The fake shared GoogleDoc you edit in the second loop reloads multiple times but doesn't indicate clearly where you last left off (maybe a small translucent horizontal bar?). The email exchanges between Al B and the MC in the third loop could have distinguished better the bits between a description of a scene/dialogues and the emailers just discussing it (indentation, italics, change of font...). I didn't particularly liked the browser errors (a screen popup would have been a bit nicer and easier to close) or the lack of contrast when a popup was on screen (a slightly shaded overlay would have helped separate the elements).
~ The lack of discussion of the day restarting felt a bit like a missed opportunity. It might not have needed much, just the player getting a bit of anxiety or questioning their sanity from reliving the same day. Even if it can be brushed off because the player can have a do-over on their pitch, the fact that the player doesn't even flinch at the emails they receive is strange*. It could be interesting to have the player fail forever and only manage to break the loop if they give up on 'creating Goncharov (2023)' or it turns out their "win" was just a dream...
*there is just the words "Déjà vu" at the end of the second loop...
~ With the edits of the second loop being so extensive (building on the smaller edits of the first one), the gameplay of the final loop felt lacking. You essentially read through threads of emails between yourself and Al, discussing the scenes, but you have no choice in how they are described (they do have some variation depending on previous edits). I think it would have been nice (maybe for a future update?) if Al or the MC disagreed on some points (e.g: plot points contradict each other) and the MC had to make some choices. There is a bit of an unbalance in player input in the current version.
~ While time is of the essence, having to scramble to create a pitch in a few hours, the game doesn't "punish" you for taking all the time in the world (e.g. discussing every scene, even though Al presses you to wrap up).

Considering this game was made in less than 3 weeks (during finals!), includes this complexity in story, the high word count, a custom UI, and interactive elements further than simple choice lists, Creating Goncharov is very impressive. It is clear the author has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this project.

From essentially using every fan theory out there about the fake-movie, to creating full scenes based on fan-edit posts on Tumblr, using the motifs (the clock, the apple, etc...) reblogged by hundreds of users, or including music created for the meme, Ablie has done their research and dove deep into the lore of the meme. They seemed to have spared no (effort) expense in creating... Creating Goncharov.

Bravo!

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Life Is Short, by axmn

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
…And you can lose your loved ones at any time., June 26, 2023
by manonamora
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This entry shows three snapshots of a birthday, from a birth, to a fun 9th birthday’s party, to a lonely one at 40. The end is very much an emotional whiplash…
I liked the change of colours in the background depending on the passage you were.

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I Pet My Cat and Worry, by Amara E
An existential crisis, and a cat, June 26, 2023
by manonamora
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When one’s future is bleak, it is hard to look at it in a positive manner. When one’s present is filled with anxiety about what could be done instead, it is hard to do things. And when one’s past is full of regrets or embarrassment, it fills the brain with what ifs.
All you can do is pet your cat…

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Reflecting my face in the mirror, by Aster Fialla

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The face you don't recognise.., June 25, 2023
by manonamora
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A personal piece about not finding yourself (or anyone else) watching your face in the mirror. From the features you wish you had, to the wish to connect to the stranger who gave you the features you have, this entry yearns for connection (from one specific person) and finding identity.

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aberrance, by litrouke

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Contest or Agree… you will be found guilty., June 25, 2023
by manonamora
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Brought to face council for the murder/drowning of a boy, you are asked to answer those accusations. You have but little words in replies, always leading (it seemed) to your demise.
I think the interactivity aspect of the entry (hover-disappear + fake parser) overshined the story.

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EVISCERATETHISGIRL.COM, by KADW

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
What we do when we are bored…, June 24, 2023
by manonamora
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Unable to sleep, you visit this strange website, one you’ve been visiting quite often lately. For what the purpose of this website does, the URL is the giveaway (don’t worry the girl is not real).

It is gruesome, it is strange, it is trippy. Also reminded me of Flash games (RIP Flash…)
Kuddos on the very killer UI and visuals!

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letters to a friend, by lazyguppy
Stranger, not always danger…, June 24, 2023
by manonamora
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From a simple addressing mistake, a stranger sends you letters about mundane things happening to them, their worries, and hopes. Like some sort of bizarre one-way pen-pal, the stranger tries to reach out to you, a shut-in, or maybe just finds comfort in the knowledge that maybe someone sees them.

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The Ancient Rhime of Spartacus, by eckardlise
Sparticus, shmarticus…, June 24, 2023
by manonamora
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Inspired by Ancient Greek Epics, this interactive poems brings you the tale of Sparticus, a lover, an artist, a fighter, a hero… or is he all these things? The entry takes on a quite humourous approach to storytelling and myths recounting, where the hero can fail embarrassingly or depressingly.

As a small negative, I thought the images detracted from the text. Were they maybe more homogenised in style/colours, it might not have been an issue, but I don’t think they did much to help.

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Your Team Will Do Well This Year, by Andrew Schultz

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
What if you could control the outcome…, June 24, 2023
by manonamora
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Your team lost key players and were beaten down to shame, regardless of the kids talents. But it does not matter, because you, the fan, get to control the outcome this time around! You get to choose how the team will do during the season. But one caveat: you can’t go unbeaten.

In some strange twist of Fuck Marry Kill gameplay, you have to choose the level of the team’s performance during three part of the season, giving you six possible endings. I wish things could be that easy…

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consecrated, by Sophia de Augustine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Sacred are these…, June 24, 2023
by manonamora
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Something happened before this entry, but it is not completely clear what. A child seemingly important. Lovers doomed to part ways. Religion at the centre of it all. And an uncertain and dangerous future. Thought the child’s name inspires brightness, there are dark warnings on the wall, rendering the piece quite melancholic for the mundanity of the moment (looking after a child and sharing a kiss). The attention to small details and sensations makes the story quite vibrant still.

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faith, by kit

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An erotic prayer from transcending touch, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Within this less-than-500-words poem, the author describes so vividly and beautifully a drunken attraction between two individuals at a party, soon moving to religious-like pleasures. The written imagery paired with the spiritual angle is quite exquisite. Very steamy…

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boobs, by The Happiest Camper

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An absurd conversation about… , June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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...boobs.
Imagine a stranger accosting you to talk about wanting to fondle someone’s boobs.The piece is as bizarre as the situation portrayed. A bit strange, kinda creepy, totally unserious and silly.

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The Paper Mache Puppet, by LoAvis
Will you break yourself free?, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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You are a doll, held by strings, forced to dance, even if it break you apart. Let your strings take you and the dance will start again. Resits and… I liked the creepy setting, and the writing around the doll’s yearning for freedom and control over its body.

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and there are no stars., by Cressida St. Claire

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The comfort in our stars, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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A very personal piece about finding comfort in the idea of celestial bodies when life is cruel, and when refusing to comply or escaping seems impossible. Still, like the stars, the piece provides a hopeful future, describing a better path shining ahead.

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Why Am I Exist?, by TrexandDrago Development

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Conflicting identities, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Baron, a half-tiger half-dinosaur who struggles with his identity and not being able to fit in either groups, decides to find his father for some answers. Even with an intriguing setting and clear themes, this piece felt either like a rushed story or a prologue where all these themes would be explored… Some passages were a tad confusing on where they were going.

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nine months out, by nell

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
When it feels like nothing is going as planned, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Childbirth can be both a wonderful and traumatic experience, and the following period is no better. Nell gives a very personal and raw account of the anxiety, worries, feelings of not being enough, not having done enough, and struggles with one’s body not responding the way you wish it to. The use of the textboxes added onto the layers of those feelings, as they pile up on top of one another without a way to process them fully.
It is also a wonderful love letter to her newborn, a love pouring through those words, unending and unwavering through it all. It takes a lot of courage to be this vulnerable.

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Listen to the Phone Ring, by Rylie Eric
…And no one answers…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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LttPR is a half-sequel to Litteraly Watch the Paint Dry (a meta Idle Clicker), during which you are looking forward to the weekend and hanging out with a friend. Through the limited options, neither answering the phone at first, you find out whether your friends are still truly your friends…* This short slice-of-life felt a bit too tell-instead-of-show for my taste… But I found the topic of friendship while being true to yourself had an interesting start.

*both friend appear in LWPD though they weren’t named at that point.

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Before Sunrise, by spudsie
An Inescapable Death…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Trapped outside, a vampire is unable to find shelter moments before the sunrise. At the brink of perishing, they reminisce on their past, envy the birds able to fly away from this situation, and ultimately choose to resign themselves (or not) to their death. The writing paints a colourful tableau between the pain of the injured character unable to save themselves, and the beauty of a simple sunrise, welcomed by the songs of birds. The writing was also quite dynamic and fun, considering the situation.

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SOL, by nyehilism
To all the things left unsaid…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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On the surface, SOL is a prose poem of a benign conversation between friends about the sun, as they partake in sharing a joint on a summer evening, with the writing moving from concrete description to what could be interpreted as hallucinations. But, below, hiding under a mouseover macro, is hidden a secret message, unsaid words, repressed feelings. The descriptions of movements and bodies balance between a loving gaze to an almost obsessive and carnal survey through the narrator’s eyes. The writing is intoxicating…

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the ride home, by cassian

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Killer machine in anxious hands, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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the ride home does a great job at encapsulating the anxiety of a first time driver, realising how cars are essentially killing machines and bodies are just squishy flesh. This is enhanced by the author’s use of animated and timed text and through the formatting (moving from white to red was a good choice).

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the boy who died, alive, by vvvild

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Seeing what is not there, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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This piece has an intriguing premise, wherein a child sees (hallucinate?) their (dead? never existed?) brother when the latter cannot be perceived by anyone else. Feelings, sounds, and touches are only experienced by this child, creating an eerie dissonance that sends chills up a spine. The more I read this the less I was sure whether it was about grief or a hallucination through a horror lens… Either way, it works!

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Ebb & Flow, by ♡ Arezou ♡
Hard choices and heartbreaks, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Moving on is hard, and harder still when you cannot forget their touch, when you keep remembering their voice, when you keep dreaming about being with them, when they keep coming back to your door… This piece portrays the ache the heart feels about break ups, the guilt of letting yourself down when you succumb to your desires, or the agony when you try doing the right thing, pretty well.

I liked the formatting of the text, with the fading-in giving some dream-like experience or the shaking of the word when your hands tremble. The choice to colour the words spoken was also a nice touch. Having to click after almost ever sentence to reveal another added to the excruciating experience shown in the words.

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Palazzo Heist, by Julien Z / smwhr

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
An introduction to breaking and entering, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Trying to enter a palazzo at the dead of night is not an easy feat. Less so when you start from a gondola and there are no clear way to break in. Maybe that door or the window would do? I really liked the interactivity of the game, and how the puzzle is quite simple… if you examine your environment properly. I would play a longer version of this game in a heartbeat!

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(12:35), by I'm L

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hell is a group chat, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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This piece engage with conflicts in a group chat in a very humorous manner. Through the limited word count, we get to learn bits of the characters and their relationship between one another. I laughed a lot while playing it.

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The Meaning Extractor, by cpollett

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Feed your brain to feed the universe., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Allocate your brain space to some themes, so the universe can hear a poem. Rinse and repeat to find all possible poem combination (and get the highest score? - I got 23…)
I didn’t really vibe with it personally but the mechanic behind it seems interesting.

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serious, dude?, by prince of the clouds
A trip down memory lane…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Seated inside a train (going nowhere?), you reminisce about your childhood and how you realised who you were and who you were not. Through a smart change of background, or the animation of the text, this piece takes a humourous and maybe a bit self-deprecating approach to dealing with uncomfortable memories…

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choke heart, by Cressida St. Claire

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Choke Fever., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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In a vibrant green, this small piece about love, care, and artichoke is light and adorable. I especially liked the writing depicting a very strange but comforting fever dream. It was very cute!

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DO NOT KILL THE SLEEPING BEAST, by mogar
It’s hard to kill the monster under your beds…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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A tragic (and well executed) allegory for substance abuse, and incidentally generational trauma, depict dark and visceral thoughts of someone trying to fight their personal monster. But those monsters rarely die…
The use of shaky text and change of background were a nice touch!

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forever, an echo, by wilderlingdev

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Unending cycles, doomed to repeat it., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Creation and destruction. Opposite forces fighting to prove the other wrong. Creating civilisations in hopes that one sticks around, but doomed are they all, never surviving under your hand. Yet the other continues this Sisyphean tasks, unbothered, uncaring. A civilisation will be born anew, and so will continue the cycle. Unchanged…

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(almost eleven), by spacedfoxes

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Breaking up with a friend brings the worst of ache, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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As people change, so do relationships. While you might get closer with old friends, you might also drift away. Sometimes, a friendship is like a revolving door, here when you need it and gone the next. Sometimes, it’s a reminder of who you (do not) want to be. Always, you hurt.

I really liked the formatting of the text, and how it appeared. I slightly with the dialog boxes would fit the formatting of the rest of the game, but that’s minor.

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TERMINAL VELOCITY, by 30x30
Icarus, the myth, the man, the fall, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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“You will fail.” “Inevitable.”
The game tells you from the start you will not succeed. No matter your questions, no matter you determination, no matter… You will fail. It is inevitable.
This retelling through a minimalist and almost sci-fi formatting adds onto the tragic myth of Icarus. Really well done.

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Please Don't Take This The Wrong Way, by Crosshollow
The things we want to say to empty our hearts, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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A personal piece about the yearning to talk to others about one's past and trauma without receiving judgement or pity from the listener. But it is also about wanting to feel seen without having others making a big deal out of those things (even if rationally those things could be a big deal).

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The Truth of the Nightmare, by TrexandDrago Development

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A Nightmare or a haunting?, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Your friend has been plagued by a recurring nightmare, and you are given the choice to pull the information out of him or speak to a (his?) support robot. Either choice brings more questions than answers… This felt like a good beginning to a mystery, maybe an investigative one.
It has some potential. But I did find the formatting and prose hindering my enjoyment of the story…

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Scale, by lavieenmeow
Swimming around in an aquarium, living the (goldfish) life., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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In this endless game, you play an unnamed goldfish, waking up doing some activities (from a choice of 4), having dinner, and doing it all over again the day after. But doing the same thing again and again does not always yield the same result… It was simple, short (at least when I played), and quite fun!

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crash-landed, by Cyra Ezekeli
The End of the Road… or is it?, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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A slick, simple and futuristic design, a life-or-death (well, more like almost-death) situation, and a comedic robot… that’s what this entry is offering. Through its shortness, and the grim setting, there are some funny moments, some frightening moments, and some touching moments. The two endings hit a nice punch.

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Just a normal Human, by glucosify

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Remember to breathe and blink, like a human., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
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Pretending to be anything else but a human and looking at human nature is always a trip. And this entry is just that. From its bright funky colours, to the strange backgrounds and icon, JNH takes you on a strange ride of looking at the strange creatures that are humans. It is done humorously (with some good-old self-deprecation, and physical comedy) and very funkily.

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i've been drinking again, by yuveim

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Same conversation, same fight, drinking again…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Creaking doors, muffled steps, tired sighs, accompanying an understated and bare dialogue between two individuals (former/current lovers?) going through the same conversation, a cycle unending. The rawness of the words, enhanced by the formatting and timing of its appearance, packs a very emotional punch.

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winter, by 30x30

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Reflection on a near-death experience, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A very personal and deep entry. With its simple design and lowercase formatting, the raw writing delivers a snapshot of life of pain, worries, and loneliness. It is beautiful, tragic, and somewhat hopeful.

“You are too stubborn to die” was such a powerful line.

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Friends vs Friends: Coffee Talk, by PRINCESS INTERNET CAFé
Life’s too short not to enjoy it, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

In the vibes of 80-90s video games, with tv effects, this binksi entry spans a short time, just enough to share a drink and catching up. The mundanity of the discussion coupled with the bright art is strangely nostalgic and warm. And the end is so very lovely… reminding us that life is too short, that we should enjoy the present, and that we should do things that make us happy…

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piele, by Kit Riemer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Keeping out of the…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A cyclical poem of trying to read/understand a note written in Romanian(?) - using links to reveal its translation. There is a strange air to this entry, a lot of unsaid and hints…
You are supposedly content with the work…
…and I was left confused…
Very much Kit's brand of trippy!

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You Could Stay Here Forever, by KnightAnNi

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Exploring a soon-to-be-gone building, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Through its soft but uncomfortable sound and its bare description, this entries does a good job of building and eerie atmosphere. You are truly alone there, and you should probably leave, but you find yourself questioning if you should maybe stay…

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Not a Diamond Necklace, by Andrew Schultz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Get the free advice where you can…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A short story in two acts: during your teenage years, when an older student gives you some advice, and later as an adult, meeting with that now-adult student and catching up. Strange form of prose. Confused thoughts during reading.
A strange take on “The Diamond Necklace” (“La Parure” - Maupassant)…

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ᕁ᙮ᕁᕽᕽ CozmoPets ᕽᕽᕁ᙮ᕁ, by groggydog

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Tamagotchi… but make if IF, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

… and kind of meets Pokemon too.

CozmoPets is short and simple. Care for your pet, watch it grow, play some games, and get an ending. There are four pets to find and three endings to get, which depend on your actions. (I think the mini-games are random? Whether you win or not is by chance?)

The graphics and animations are sincerely delightful! I starved my pet, gave it unhealthy food, destroyed its psyche…

Overall, had a fun time!

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Big Barbarian's Tiny Adventure, by nlem

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Be Barbarian. Go in Dungeon. Fight baddies. Win (or die)., June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This is a dungeon crawl, very similar to what you’d find in parsers, but made in Twine. You are a Barbarian, ready to do go on an adventure (or just hitting people…). If you manage not to die, you could solve the puzzles and maybe… open a shiny chest?
The writing of this entry is hilarious, taking the tropes of a barbarian character in your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting, and cranking up to dumb. The endings were very much to the tune of ‘Dumb ways to Die’…
Great job!

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alias, by nyassidy

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Don’t ever trust the fae…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A snippet of a conversation between you and a fae, where the latter really wants your name. You can give it some push back (names are important), but the snippet ends before the conversation is concluded. Leaving to wonder whether we succumbed to the fae’s demands…

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Jacob's Body, by Carter X Gwertzman

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

“Last week, under inauspicious stars, Jacob fell from the Ceiling to his death.”
And with this killer hook comes three distinctive short stories linked to one of Jacob’s body parts: his bones, his blood, and his flesh. All of which are gruesome, and sad, and strange. But the writing is so enticing, you HAVE to know what happened to Jacob’s body!

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Milk Quest!, by Dug Makes Games

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
You can’t have cereals without milk…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

And what a quest this game is.

After finding the key ingredient to your breakfast is missing, you must leave the comfort of your abode and go to the nearest store. Unfortunately, you have to pick one between an indecently wide array of choice AND converse with the cashier. Will you fail or succeed? It’s very cute and sweet, and one ending made me giggle.

I also quite liked the little visuals added to the page. It was neat!

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A/The Gift, by b_splendens

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Silly Conversation, indeed…, June 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Have you ever gotten a custom Rolex as a gift at random in a supermarket for no reason? Me either. But wouldn’t it be weird? Wouldn’t you need to talk about it to someone afterwards? This is the premise of this entry. A silly conversation about a strange event.

Quite absurd!

I liked the formatting of the link, when the next page had previously been visited. It made replaying the different paths quite easy.

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Marla, by mina

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Yearning for a lover than never arrives, June 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

Being in love with someone can be so wonderful and so fulfilling, but it can also be draining, to the point of losing oneself. Waiting for your lover, or a word from them, you read almost macabre description of your environment, mirroring the anxiousness you are feeling.

This entry raises the question: do you stay and wait, potentially destroying your wellbeing in the process, or move on from the person who does not respect your time, but go through this heartbreak.…

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Lockdown, by gamerpotato
Groundhog Day, but make it lockdown, June 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

2020 was a weird time. Stuck at home, with only a routine to keep us sane (did it tho?), many of us essentially went through a Groundhog Day period. Feeling like we were stuck in an endless loop, unable to break out (especially, since we couldn’t go out).
This entry does a really good job at harnessing that weird time.

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Distance & Mirage, by HeartForge
On your way to find some answers…, June 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A childhood friend disappeared, but you will never stop trying to find some answers. A meeting has been set between you and a thing, which may have some answers. But you are not there yet…

The descriptions in this entry are very vivid and coarse, very much like the setting of the story. I also liked the use of the mouseover to change some aspects of the story.

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If I Die, Consume Me, by Fiddles IFs
To eat or (not) to eat, that is the question…, June 15, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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!

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My Mail Carrier is Always on the Phone, by Austin Auclair

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Shower Thoughts, but make it interactive, June 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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!

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The Flames That Take, by OkayMayoGames
The fire consumes all, but love remains., June 11, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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...

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You Bird., by Wandering Basil

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
You Bird. You Snack., June 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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!

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Theo, by prince of the clouds

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A dream… or a nightmare?, June 8, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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…

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It Was Meant to End Like This, by catsket

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
The signs were all there…, June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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…

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Concerto of Life 1st Mvt., by Alby

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A concerto in three movement., June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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.

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The Unseemly Virus, by cpollett

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Two for One Deal., June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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.

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The Real Me (Neo-Twiny Jam 2023), by Ashes_and_Sand
A touching submission., June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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.

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A Crown of Ash (Neo-Twiny Jam 2023), by Ashes_and_Sand
Anxiousness and marriage ceremony, name a more iconic duo., June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

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!

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Witch Blood, by Ramona G.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An accident, a resurrection… but at what cost?, June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

This very creepy and dark short piece has a killer hook and has as killer of an ending. The colour combinations for the theme and the unsettling music really adds to the macabre setting of the story.
While it is already satisfying as a short read, a longer version would be very intriguing indeed…

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idle hands, by Sophia de Augustine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Idle no longer…, June 7, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: neotwinyjam

A very graphic and erotic description of two bodies coming together. The writing, as always, is excellent.
The use of a mouse over macro (to reveal hidden words) is akin to the hands discovering new skin and crease of a body, making the interactivity even more topical.
Really enjoyed this short piece.

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All or Nothing (1973), by Autumn Chen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Give your All and get Nothing..., June 5, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: goncharov

Adding to the Goncharov craze of November 2022, All or Nothing (1973) takes on a meta commentary approach on internet trends, the cashing out on said trends*, and artistic creation. Set during an undefined present, we discover through snippets a group of four adults are putting together a trailer for a Kickstarter project to create a Goncharov movie, competing with other crowd-sourced project on the same idea.
*which, lol, considering the jam

The game starts as a rendition of a scene for a Goncharov movie*, being shot, formatted like a script and with a dark edited picture. You get to choose some options about where the scene goes until one of the characters yells CUT, following one of the actors fumbling his lines. The scene moves to real life (change in background and font), as the crew bickers about the production. The game will continue flipping between the dark setting while the scenes are shot and the brighter background of real life, announcing the transitions.
*which is not a real thing, just to be clear...

We are introduced to a four-member crew shooting materials for a Kickstarter campaign: Arash - playing Goncharov - the director of this whole enterprise and maybe a bit too obsessed with the project, Vivian - playing Katya - the scriptwriter who is disillusioned with making it in the industry, Tony - playing Andrey - looking for a paycheck, and Sofia - playing Sofia - also here mainly for a paycheck*.
*I think? It's not as explicit as Tony. Maybe some connection or support?

Like most of Autumn's games, All or Nothing (1973) takes a storylet approach to the storytelling of the downtime of the crew (about 2-3 scenes). You can follow two groups: Arash/Goncharov and Tody/Andrey, or Vivian/Katya and Sofia/Sofia. Each will discuss their view on the production, their worries and dreams, and what is happening in their lives.

(Spoiler - click to show) Arash's method acting is worrying some of them or getting on their nerves, but he only cares about making art and be remembered*
*this is an interesting conversation between Tony and Arash on the subject, where fame doesn't seem to interest Arash if behind it there is no creative output to show for...
Vivian is starting to resent telling Arash (her boyfriend) about the meme and letting him string her along the production, while she questions whether she still want to even pursue this.
Sofia lives in a shitty studio with a baby, Tony looks to get paid* (and maybe more?).
*Unlike the other three characters, it didn't feel like there was much to Tony. Maybe being paired with Arash made him more of a background character...

By the second storylet, lines between the characters in the real world and in scenes start to blur. Vivian and Sofia comment on events being similar to struggles the Goncharov characters suffer through, while Arash and Tony lean more and more into the method acting (with Arash being much more into it). Like their movie counterpart (according to lore), both couple have the option of potentially leaning into the sexual tension in the air (with Vivian/Arash cheating on the other*).
*Funny thing, in the lore it is unclear whether either party knows about the cheating, condones it, or resents the other for it. Still they don't see each other separating because of it.

The line fully disappears when the real world characters embodies their scene counterparts so much during the height of filming, that neither Arash, Vivian, nor Tony realise Sofia's cries to stop the scene (even her holding her child do not phase them). At this point, the background does not even return to "real-life" mode.
While Tony and Vivian do manage to come back to their senses, Arash still stays in character, ending the game with I am Goncharov...


I really enjoyed figuring out that the characters' lives mirrors the ones they portrayed (though the exact lore is unclear one the specifics), with Vivian and Arash being a couple and playing Katya and Goncharov who are canonically together, Katya's dalliance with Sofia, Goncharov and Andrey contrasting identities (light/dark, naive/serious, free/taken...)... as well as trying to find the Goncharov themes (the clock, the gun, the boat...).

A final note: the game references two works: All or Nothing (which is incidentally the name of the game, paired with the fictional release year of Goncharov) and Miss Officer and Mr Truffles, two crowdfunding campaigns which started from a meme post on Tumblr making the rounds on the website. Neither managed to deliver an end product (the second never reached its goal). A bit of a wink to A Paradox between worlds there... Is it also foreshadowing the future of this project?

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Starlight Shadows, by Autumn Chen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Something is coming... will defeating it be enough?, June 3, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ectocomp

Starlight Shadows follows Lyra, a teenager with some sort of telepathic and prescient skills/powers, trying to figure out what to do after she gets a message that something wrong is about to happen at this (costumed?) party...

This short game is quite simple: you have one hour to gather your fighters before a fight with those strange entities is about to break out, and fight them. Unlike Autumn's other time/resource-management-gameplay games, you are able to interact with (and potentially recruit) every named individuals: your twin brother who's annoyed by you derailing his party and would only relent to help with threats, your (maybe more/less) ex who's witnessed your powers before and know you mean business, the social butterfly who's just a school acquaintance and is really into that one old book series, and the underprivilege gifted kid who is a loner. Whether you convince them is a different story...

When you have recruited your agent(s) - you need at least one - you wait until the clock strikes 8 to run fight those strange entities. Follows a turn-based beat-em-up fight against one entity, (Spoiler - click to show)revealing two endings: one failure where you are saved and told you require more training*, one winning where you realise there will be more fights ahead.
*This was an interesting ending, teasing something a bit ominous, maybe an experiment?


The game feels more of a preview of a larger one, where you'd follow Lyra as she takes on fighting different entities, and save the world (or maybe not...) (and maybe explore that past incident?). But considering it was constrained to a 4h deadline for writing and coding, it is an impressive rounded piece on its own.

Even with its limited sizes, there are a handful of Easter Eggs from Autumn's previous work: referencing A Paradox Between Worlds in the book Cy is reading or during your conversation with Cassie (she is a big fan!) (also Cassie's name feels very APBW too), the mentions of DNA-storage/archiving mechanism from The Archivist & the Revolution*... Also the recurrent theme of the main character not liking being around crowd/attending parties (very Karen from Pageant vibes).
*If the names of some of those characters are familiar, it's because they appear in documents of TA&R, making this game some sort of the latter's prequel...

Final note: only when writing this review did I realise that all characters were named after a constellation... and that is also related to the title...

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Please Answer Carefully, by litrouke

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
There is no escape..., June 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Please Answer Carefully is a very, very short game. And yet, in a few passages and very few words, it manages to pack a heavy punch. I remember this game being my introduction to litrouke's catalogue, leaving me pretty sick at the end (my review on itch at the time: So creepy. I felt nauseous at the end even. Great game!). It is a great example that you don't need much to make something impactful.

The survey starts pretty tame, with some very boring questions about internet use and communication habits. The UI is very simple and smooth, with fancy poll-like animation (the question cards disappearing when answered). Until...

(Spoiler - click to show)... a glitch appears in question 5, showing a probing personal question that should definitely not be there. It soon disappears, replaced by the expected question card. Further down the survey, you are given an extra option (I'm being watched right now), a strange dummy question asking about forgiveness, and further live-reaction to your answer. Soon, you lose your ability to answer anything else than what the "survey" gives you.

By question 7, it should be clear you are being stalked by someone, to the point they have found a way to break into your device and contact you through a simple survey. No matter how you answer, they are there watching you, trying to get to you.


On its own, PCA is very creepy. But as a woman on the internet having lived adjacent situation, the game truly captured that unsettling (at best) feeling...

It is a very effective psychological horror game.

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New Year's Eve, 2019, by Autumn Chen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Awkward party limbo and self-deprecating humour, June 1, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: springthing

Jumping a few years into the future of Pageant, Karen Zhao comes back, more anxious than ever, for a short evening, celebrating the turn of a new year. Stuck in a house out of social obligation, Karen has the option to interact with a cast of familiar faces, go down memory lane, or hide from everyone as best she can to avoid starting a panic attack before the clock strikes twelve. How ever will she cope?????

The one thing that I love about Autumn's games is how real the characters and their interactions feel. NYE19 is no different, continuing on the tradition of anxiety-inducing situation and self-deprecating humour bordering on self-loathing. But unlike its predecessor, Pageant, NYE19's tone translated less as slice-of-life-of-a-stressed-teenager-trying-to-make-it-through-the-semester-oh-god-is-she-having-a-panic-attack-again-just-kiss-her-you-dummy and more of this-is-what-a-college-student-forced-to-come-home-for-the-holidays-special-sitcom-epidose-feels-like. From the really awkward meetings with your old high-school friends (or did you date them? or were they crushes?), to the adults hounding you with questions about your future, or your family wanting to uphold a certain image around people. It's a party we've all been to, it's the kind we wish we didn't have to stay...

And Karen, our favourite anxious lesbian, does too. From the start, she warns the player she does not want to be here, really does not find having to engage in small talk (especially with people she's lost touch with), and actually wishes being anywhere but at this party. It is awkward to interact with people you knew (or more than knew) some years prior but with who you have lost contact (life...), finding how they have (not) changed, and how they've been fairing compared to you.

During the span of an evening, you meet (again) Emily, a trans woman (out of the closet then?) who helped you in Pageant to win (kinda) said pageant; Miri, your best-friend, who tagged along for the party because she did not want to be at her family's party and became the social butterfly you could not be; and Aubrey, your high-school rival, who seems to still be doing just as well with her Harvard education, her Harvard boyfriend, her probably-perfect-looking Harvard life... You also get to roam around the party daydreaming nihilisticly about the state of the world, hide in the basement to watch a MCU movie and be cringe to your brother, stuff yourself with food to temper with your imminent anxiety attack, play some mahjong and lose badly, hide in the bathroom and take selfies sending your into some self-loathing, play some games on your phone...

Whatever you do (especially your interactions), you are constantly reminded of your shortcomings from the past and how you let your anxiety cause the dwindling of your relationships. Your past haunts your every move and your every thoughts, and being in the presence of people from your past makes it all the worse for your mental being.

Half-way through the game, you sit down to have some dinner, forced at the kids-but-not-really-kids table where all your (former?) friends are interacting. It is very awkward, with Aubrey forcing everyone to introduce themselves as if they were having some sort of team-building meeting, her boyfriend forgetting about the No-No-Conversations (Politics-Religions...)... You can choose to participate in the conversation, eat, or listen, but no matter what happens, you will leave the table before the meal/conversation is over, leaving the party as well to go for a walk.

This is where things get interesting. Emily asks whether she can come along, and agreeing or not will give you very different outcomes. The latter will find you wallowing about your loneliness and how devoid of human connections your life is (much due to your own actions), while the former has a more hopeful and levelheaded conversation (leading possibly to a relationship...). With each still, and throughout the whole game, Karen goes on an introspection about the seemingly importance of human interaction, how easy it is to fuck up things, and the transactionality of relationships, all wrapped in a nihilistic and fatalistic bow (everything goes wrong, even if you do the right things).

Even if this sounds all depressing, it strangely is not. I found myself giggle at some passages. The dry self-deprecating humour is honestly hilarious (especially the Narrator's comments). At any moment, I was expecting a laughing track to cue. Or maybe I was just playing this with a strange mood...

The game is also very meta about what it is trying to convey. From playing a dating-sim game within an essentially dating-sim game, to the commentary on human interactions being comparable to dating-sims in the optimisation of [emotions/variables] to get the best possible outcome through a sequence of actions we hope is the correct one while we play a dating-sim where the sequence of choices can be optimised to get that "good ending", the story and the gameplay play quite interestingly on each other to get those points across.

Still, unlike other works from Autumn, while I enjoyed myself playing it, it didn't have the same impact on me. I didn't click as much with it as her other games, and felt a bit unsatisfactory? by the end of the playthroughs. The game has some strong moments, especially the part outside of the house, and some funny moments during the roaming around before dinner/before the countdown, but at other moments, it felt hollow. Maybe it is because of your limited agency in the way you interact with others or act, since Karen is an anxious and socially awkward person who has a hard time expressing her feelings and thoughts. Maybe it is because some of the characters you interact with and the way you defined your previous relationships don't feel as fleshed out (Miri and Aubrey comes to mind, especially compared to Pageant or even Emily). Or maybe it is Karen's blasé look on dwindling and lost relationships that ticked me that only allows her to have superficial contact with people (aside from Emily). Or maybe it is the more fragmented type of different gameplay/mechanics that didn't work as well as the Storylet format of Pageant, or the more linear work of GG and the war. Or maybe because the end was a bit too abrupt... I'm not quite sure

There is a wonderful sentence from the post-mortem that really encapsulate the vibe of this game, and strangely reminds us of the hope Karen feels just before returning to the party... and this is where I will be ending this review:

> The past is inescapable, but the future is not entirely determinate.

There is still time...

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Computerfriend, by Kit Riemer

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Therapy: Hardcore mode., May 31, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: springthing

Computerfriend is a nihilistic take on a future/past, where everyone is miserable and somehow still living through a more-than-poluted world devoid of community sense and safety nets. Following an unnamed incident, you are required to follow therapy sessions via a AI program on your computer, the eponymous Computerfriend(.exe). However, this program is not... what you'd expect of therapy.

Computerfriend was my introduction to Kit's world, randomly answering a call to playtest it ahead of the SpringThing 2022. I remember it being very confusing and trippy and gross, and yet I did not want/could not to look away. I devoured that game, and played again and again until I had found all endings.

Coming back to the game felt like swimming in a strange but comforting acid pit, and talking to computerfriend.exe felt like talking to an old toxic friend you are not quite sure whether they mean good or harm. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a bath, refusing to leave.

Not going to lie, this game is very strange. And it has been stuck in my mind for over a year now. It has marked me in ways I'm still discovering today. Even if it is not supposed to be beautiful, with its blinding change of colours or its eye-printing fonts or the literal ugliness of the setting, there is still charm in the harshness of the visual. Even if it is not supposed to be cathartic, each story run left me strangely satisfied and [at peace / terrified / confused / angry / revolted]. Even if it was incredibly bleak and borderline fatalistic, with an unliveable world devoid of nature and cows that can lay eggs, there is still shreds of hope in there that survival is still possible, maybe for a bit longer.

In its indulgence in all that is considered bad, the game manages to be so incredibly good.

One last special shoutout to Computerfriend:
While the story is supposed to be about your recovery, the main show revolved around computerfriend.exe, your at-home therapist AI, which still needs a bit of tweaking before it can help you get back on track. At first, it seems the AI does not truly listen to you, as it goes down a checklist as if to fill in a form (to try to understand you) - the dissonance between your answers to questions and its responses is very staggering (for lack of better word). As you progress down the "recovery" path, the AI will propose different treatments, going from strange to terrifying to injecting yourself with drugs. If you refuse or don't find the treatment useful, it will pressure you to continue. Even saying NO is a painstaking process (and the first time, it is even ignored).

computerfriend.exe can truly be awful, but it remarkably funny. When it first assesses you, it does not just look up your location or how the weather is, but also finding the contacts to the nearest first respondent and pollen level (am i supposed to have hay fever?). This might be the bleakness of the game affecting me, but I still chuckle at it. Same after you close the application and try to reopen it, it will tell you to butt off because it is busy. It even gives you homework, actions to essentially distract yourself until the next session (and the options are delightful).

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The Familiar, by groggydog

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A delightful crow's adventure, May 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: springthing

The Familiar follows Fran, a familiar in the form of a crow, as she embarks on a quest to save her witch mistress who has succumb to an illness. Through a series of puzzles and exploration, Fran uncovers a secret plot and fights for her mistress's life.

I am a sucker for a good simple puzzle and a cute story, and this is no wonder this game made it to my top list of the SpringThing this year (well, it was already a favourite of mine while I was testing it). From its clean and simple aesthetic, the gorgeous pixel art for each "room", to its delightful characters, The Familiar is such a well rounded game.

Obviously, playing as a crow, you are limited in your abilities to help your bedridden mistress (it is a magical wonder you can get her a blanket). Still, the puzzles are constructed in a way that would be doable for a crow to solve (and you a smart little one). Cawing your way into town to get attention, pecking people to move them out of the way, or picking up and dropping objects in the right place, you manage to acquire all needed ingredients to save the witch.

And you are not alone in the process. Meeting first Hazel, a mouse familiar whose master perished not long before the game, who will tend to your mistress while you fly to fetch the ingredients (turns out, it's not the flu but a curse, whomps...). Then a trio of NPCs in town: Miroger, who's bother has died, Cecile, who needs help writing and sending a letter to her lover, and Frederik, who knows a good deal when he sees one. Each helps you getting one ingredient in exchange for a small favour. Finally, the evil wizzard's owl coming at the 11th hour to stop Fran.

But how does it end then? With a happy ending, for course! This is still a feel good story at the end of the day, one that makes you feel satisfied when the ending screen comes around. The day is saved, the mistress is healed, and you made some friends along the way.

What I really appreciated from it was how inclusive the game was for beginners (or terrible parser player like me), as you are limited to 5 verbs (TAKE, DROP, LOOK, PECK, CAW), there is an available tutorial to teach you the controls, and a thorough walkthrough is included in case one is stuck.

I wanted to give a special shoutout to the artwork, considering how long it took to make 30+ pixel art headers, many of those heavily detailed. Those truly gorgeous small pieces of art enhance the atmosphere of the setting, from the cozy home, to the luscious forest, and the different and vibrant parts of the industrialised city. If it all felt like a pixelized version of a Ghibli movie, that was on purpose (the author confirmed the reference).

Anyway, I'm going back to fly after that darn letter...

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A Paradox Between Worlds, by Autumn Chen

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A nostalgic and critical snapshot of (Tumblr) fandom, May 29, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

To this day, I am still baffled about how this game was able to recreate the vibes of Tumblr fandom from the 2010s (I shouldn't be surprised considering Autumn's references). From the old Tumblr Blue to the very virulent fandom conflicts, or the fan-organised conversions, or the always-left-behind character (sorry, Tycho), APBW perfectly encapsulate a prolific time of fandom culture.
It was kind of nostalgic to me, having lived through quite a bit of the Supernatular/Doctor Who/Sherlock shenanigans... Though I was not really into the fanfic side of it all.

But APBW is more than a snapshot of the very fascinating ecosystem of Tumblr fandom. It is also a commentary* on how the relationship between a piece of work and its fans change overtime, especially when a ripple in the fanbase, like a mundane headcanon post, creates a storm as the author of the work gets involved (and not for the better). Raising questions (but not answering) about what fans would do in this situation: do they keep on enjoying the work that is so deeply personal to them (maybe even have helped explore their identify) or do they disavow it completely; do they band together in support of the victim/targeted group or do they have a blasé attitude about the issue; do they try to keep the fandom community alive and stand as one or do they become fragmented**;...
*might not have been the author's intent, but this was my perception.
**the death of fandoms are... something. It was very bittersweet to kind of relieve it.

It gets even more shocking/impactful when the OP of the post identifies as trans and the author goes on a (inter-?)national broadcast spewing transphobic rhetoric, leading to the teenager being harassed and abused. The fandom (and online communities at large)'s reaction is very troubling, but neither new not surprising. From the hard-core fans who will support the author no matter what, the ones who will question any actions trying to show support for the targeted group (like a boycott), the ones who will not engage with the drama, or the ones who roll their eyes at it because they were calling out the author all along... this is a real thing that happens. And is portrayed in this game with all the visceral intensity you'd find on Tumblr/Twitter/other social media.

Even without the author (GTM) adding onto the fire (which was already sparking before their disgusting action), the games portrayed the parasocial relationships between the fandom users, how even adults can get caught up in what people would think as petty teenage drama, or how being online is not just an escape from IRL problems, feels very real. I have personally seen those call-out posts between fanfic authors about plagiarism, those fake-pologies to calm down the fandom in hopes everyone forgets, the "kid-friendly" spaces still filled with inappropriate/problematic contents, the Discourse, the fights between people not following the conventions of interaction...

Even if the online characters are based on tropes, they all have their stories to piece together: the self-proclaimed fandom mom, whose chronically online presence hides her avoidance to live her life truthfully*, the supportive adult who plays a double-role to take down bigger name accounts, the always critical-puts herself in the discourse-calls out the shitty stuff-overall is kind of a bummer (but a correct bummer), and the kids who just want some space for themselves. I have followed this people before (have I been those too?), I have had those weird-ass URL, I have been in those fandom fights... It was not just real, it felt being right back in those communities.
*I really didn't like Claire, but the more I've been thinking about their arc, the more I find her arc compelling. Her shitty actions still isn't fully balanced by the end, but there is some steps taken in the right direction.

And then there is you, the player, trying to navigate the dumpster fire that is the Nebula fandom as you want to reach your goal of writing a fanfiction* and gain a bit of notoriety (I did manage to double my followers count in this playthrough :P), balancing your relationship between the different users you follow, and your relationship with the Nebula universe. You can choose you name, your pronouns, your URL, your favourite character, your ship, the reason why you are creating fanfic, and what kind of post your blog is filled with. But your character is not the focus of this game (the above paragraphs are).
*I, of course, titled mine A Paradox Between Worlds.

This PC-is-not-the-MC is reflected in the fanfiction you are "writing", as each part reminds you/Gali this is not your story. Gali moves on from one universe to the other*, finding different versions of [their] friends entangled in trope-y AU (Alternate Universe) and feeling out of place/alone/like an outsider every single time (like You the player might feel this way in the Nebula community). Your actions defines the ship you have in your writing, as well as the quality of the writing. The focus on senses at the start of each new scene made me giggle a bit, from a parser "player" perspective.
*the multi-verse take was so meta, with APBW having the Canon/Fanfiction/Online universes in play. Autumn, your mind!!!

As the drama of the Nebula community unfolds, you find yourself struggling with writing/finishing the fan-fiction, reflecting on the feelings you have about the series itself considering the author's comments. In my playthrough, I pushed through, and found... myself, as the Destroyer (the Nebula baddie), meeting Gali, reminding [them] it is not [their] story, telling [them] the story is about to end, that maybe it should never have existed in the fist place... and that maybe you learned some lessons along the way... Writing the last part of the fanfiction hit me like a ton a brick, and made me question how I have consumed and created content in the past.

Finally*, there is the Canon. Each movement/chapter starts with a snippet of The Chronicles of the Shadow Nebula to contextualise the fandom, but also give some sort of preview of what is to come in the Online universe (very much a Cassandra vibe to them...). Though the author has mentioned the influence coming mainly from Homestuck**, I found more similarities with other YA universes (HP***, Divergent, or any YA-series-with-a-house/class-system-having-to-fight-a-big-baddie, and even a bit of the Hunger Games...). I dove into the codex in the stats page and devoured it, finding nuggets of gold and trying to link it to works I knew. One of my favourite bit: the Selene Dione character who is a Hannah Montana parody.
*lol, i've organised this in the reverse of how you experience each part in game...
**that's mainly because I never got into Homestuck that I didn't pick up on those references
***especially the main gang...

I don't know how to conclude this review. So I will leave with the final chat you can have with the gang: no one goes through character arcs like the books, IRL is messy and not everyone wants to share this part of themselves online, growing up is hard but so is growing apart from something that was important for you, moving on is also part of life...

So yea...

Go play this game.

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Pageant, by Autumn Chen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Winning the pageant is not everything, but the journey is worth the anxiety., May 27, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Pageant follows Qiuyi (Karen) Zhao (mentioned as Karen below), a Chinese teenager living in the US, as she navigates through school and extra-curriculars, relationships and identity, family expectations and community, and the pageant her parents signed up for. Through limited storylets choice, you can carve Karen's priorities and relationships.

Pageant was created with Dendry, a storylet narrative program, where the player get to experience linear side-stories in fragmented way. Every week, the player can pick up to three options from the storylet lists to start or continue a path. As the list is often longer than three options, the player is forced to make choices and prioritise a certain path (a recurring gameplay type in Autumn's games). This makes for great and interesting replayability!

The story start with Karen being summoned by her parents, revealing that they signed her up for a pageant, happening in three months. There is no bargaining no quitting (it's good for college apps!). In three months, Karen will be on that podium*. During that prep period, she still needs to balance school (a full AP curriculum), the Science Olympiad, doing an understudy with a college professor (also set up by your parents), having dinner with your family, going to bible study on the weekend, and etc... Doesn't this sound like too much for a high school student? And was it yet mentioned that Karen is a socially awkward mess, who has trouble making relationships, is full of anxiety and self-loathing, struggling with her identity as a Chinese teenager in the US (her used name not being her birthname, and having the option to butcher your name's pronunciation) and a closeted lesbian (or something like that says the game).
*well, there is a way.

Along the way you are introduced to a handful of characters: Emily, a trans woman still in the closet, Aubrey, a girl Karen had a crush on also part of the Science Olympiad team, and Miri, Karen's only friend. There is also Karen's parents and her little brother, Kevin; Professor Chen and his grad student; the rest of the Science Olympiad Team; and the other families attending the Church. Through out the game (and your choices) you get to learn more about these characters, like how Emily deals with her family's trans/homophobia, or Miri's feelings towards you, your family's history...* The storylets really shine here, giving you crumbles here and there, forcing you to piece those back together (and forces you down a certain path to learn everything).
*Even after playing multiple times, I have yet to found all variations.

And at the centre of it all, Karen, the very flawed teenager. Yet, even with her self-deprecation and anxious spirals, with the awkward way she interacts with other people, with dealing with different cultural values and expectations about her life, or with her inability to stand up to herself (partly because of her guilt of "having it easy" compared to older generations), Karen stays a character you want to root for. You want to help her win that pageant and be more sure of herself. You want her to be more confident in her identity (and get a girlfriend). You want her to find her passions (in science?) and win accolades. You want to pluck her from her stressful world, wrap her in a blanket, kiss her on her forehead, and tell her that everything will be ok.

The whole game is filled with such genuine interactions, with teenagers blurting out their deepest secrets to strangers, declaring their love to one another even after but a few meetings, being self-loathing with a self they don't recognise or don't want to be anymore but unable to leave that shell, trying to handle the stress and anxiety of the expectations of others and not being able to reach those. And those are made all the more vibrant through Karen's inability to react "properly". Faced with bad and worse choices, you get to experience that anxiety of what would happen if I say or do the wrong thing. It feels genuine, because it feels real and lived through.

As the ending came around, and you get the rundown of Karen's actions, it felt like, while winning the pageant is definitely one/the goal, the journey was much sweeter than the destination. And that's what keeps making me want to come back to it...

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Approaching Horde!, by CRAIG RUDDELL

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting proof of concept, disappointing humour, May 27, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I played the game again ~~

Approaching Hordes! is part Choice-based, part Resource Management in a basic SugarCube UI, following the player has he leaves his infected family behind and tries to survive hordes of zombies.

The game start with a short prologue, spanning a couple of days, where you notice an increase of gunshots in the neighbourhood and order your wife to check it out (day 0); wake up, find your neighbour informing you of the zombie apocalypse, find your wife having turned into s zombie and Mike-Tyson-punch her, and set up camp (day 1); constructing a guard tower (day 2, very quick); and becoming unanimously the leader of the 11 survivors (day 3).

Then starts the Resource Management. At the time of the first review, I had not seen many Twine games doing something that was not Choice-Based (aside from my own little tavern). Instead of taking the traditional approach of a choice list to resolve issues, Approaching Hordes! combines the Idle game format to managing the compound and its resources. It is an interesting way of pushing the SugarCube/Twine engine in this manner. You have three levels of difficulty. I've played only on Easy and Medium.

However, it soon becomes tedious, and I would put the blame on the idleness of the game. Resource management is very fun, as having to balance the use and harvest of set resources can be challenging but also quite rewarding. Idle games, on the other hand, often requires you to step away from the game and leave it on in the background. Except you can't do that here. Closing and reopening the game brings you right back to the moment you left it. Leave the page idle for too long or change tabs and it just... pauses. You have to keep the page open and focused, watching the bar fill up slowly.

There is nothing else to do in the meantime, no extra story, no dialogue with the other survivors, no personal thoughts... just sitting at a desk and moving people around.

Granted the first quarter(-ish) of that part is a bit stressful. You only have 10 survivors with you out of the max 50, you need to make sure you have enough food, that there are guards around, that the compound is secure and repaired, and that the camp is happy. But as soon as you max out the survivors (which can be preeeettttyyyy quick), you are essentially done. It's just a matter of moving a few of the survivors around to the relevant ending (escaping or cure).

The first time I played the game (during the IFComp), I got incredibly bored and just let my survivors die/leave camp halfway through (all forced to build that tunnel, waiting for the end link to appear on my screen (I think I got a bad ending). This time, I tried to be more diligent and finished the zombie cure. But by jove was it tedious. I was legit writing this review at the same time to fill my waiting between moving one or two survivors around.

Depending on the path taken (win/lose - cure/escape), you will have a bit of a different ending from a news-cliping, before you are able to see the different important steps of your journey in a notebook. But those are just two screens. And after spending all this time waiting and clicking stuff every few minutes or so, it honestly felt unrewarding (especially when I freakin found the cure!!).

Suffice to say, it still didn't tickle my bone the second time around either...

Some other points:

* there is humour in the text, but it really wasn't to my taste. The jokes and the nudges fell flat or forced. It often made me cringe, but not in a enjoyable way.
* I still don't know if you are supposed to like the protagonist at all (from the text, I don't think so?), but I thoroughly hated him. He is an absolute dick (especially to his wife) but somehow everyone thinks the sun shines from his ass (how you get the leadership still astounds me).
* I wasn't particularly moved by the prose, and often felt a bit uneasy by the tone flipping too abruptly from comedy to action to "horror". Part of it is probably because I loathed the protagonist.
* while the visual was simple, there was issues with refreshing the page (which reloaded everything) and with the contrasting of the text (especially when choosing the action in the resource management block).

As a proof of concept (Resource Management Idler in Twine), it worked. This game really tried something new (in my book) with the interactiveness and that should be commendable. But the fiction of it all was really eh.

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Great-grandmother and the war, by Autumn Chen

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
An episodic bittersweet tale of struggles, pains, but also love and family, May 26, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: independent release

Great-grandmother and the war is a story within a story, following Lan/Christine Zhang (referred as Lan/Christine below) listening to her great-grandmother (Zhang Xiaoyun, referred as Zhang below) recounting the tale of her meeting Yan as a child, growing up during the Sino-Japanese war, and her survival. It is a mix of hyperlinks and choice-based interactive fiction.

From the start, you are informed the story will have three distinct part, each with the possibility to start from the main screen. Those parts depict different period of Zhang's life throughout the Sino-Japanese conflict, through her retelling to Lan, her great-granddaughter: during the bombing of Tianjin, where Zhang is just a child having to leave everything behind; under the Japanese's rule, during which Zhang lives in a girls' boarding school, having lost contact with her family and struggling with her identity and emotions; and starting from China's liberation at the end of WWII, where snippets of Zhang's adult life is described, as she yearns to find who she considers to be her family.

An interesting parallel to this is that Lan/Christine experiences the retelling of her great-grandmother's life at a similar age Zhang is supposed to be during the story and facing mirroring those events, as Lan is about to move to the Americas as a child, then coming back as a teenagers struggling with her identity (changing her name being a major point), and as an adult reconnecting with her family after many years apart.

An other important character I have yet to mention here is Yan. First finding and following Zhang (or pushing Zhang to overcome her anxiety about the situation), then staying with her at the boarding school where she ends up getting involved with the local revolutionary group (and romantically with Zhang), before leaving Zhang behind in the final part to join the Communists. Yan and Zhang do manage to find each other twice after that (both by chance), with the final meeting reigniting their relationship, until Yan's death.

Another interesting thing with the depiction of these characters is how opposite Zhang and Yan are from one another. While one is very shy and awkward, the other was social and outgoing; one comes from a comfortable bourgeois setting with little thoughts(?) about social order, the other a lowly orphan* with strong communist leanings; one needs to be pushed to move with her life**, while the other kind of takes life by the balls. Like the saying goes, opposites attract...
*well kinda...
**you do have active choices, but her character seemed to be a bit more of a pushover, especially compared with Yan.

From the writing of things, it is clear the story stems from a very personal one (see post-mortem), from the questioning of one's identity and place in the world, the yearning for connection (family/lovers), to one's survival in strange times. There awkwardness in some of the dialogues (aside from Zhang's awkwardness), which I found very touching, and somewhat added to Zhang's struggles with adapting to the changes outside of her home/of the boarding school or of her relationship with Yan (stranger to closer to lovers to cold to strangers to family). It also made the more romantic passages all the stronger.

It took me a while to grasp it, but Zhang mentioning how she sees Yan in her great-granddaughter felt more of a wish than a parallel (at least I wasn't seeing it as clearly as Zhang did): finding a friend in a strange new place and adapt to changes, discovering yourself and be more vocal about your identity, reforming bonds with family.

Additional context about an event, a location or a character is hidden behind hyperlinks, where "present time" Zhang or Lan/Christine will interject/get cleared/ask more question... This also sometimes strengthen the parallel between Zhang and Lan/Christine and the bond they have for one another.

There was quite a bit of abruptness within each part of the game where time/location jumps a bit out of nowhere. It is more forgivable in the first part, as child Zhang might be a bit confused by what is happening around or more by what it means. But in the second and third parts, those abruptness feels like something is missing (as in something had been planned for scrapped up at the end, which was confirmed by the author in the postmortem). Still, one could write it off as the great-grandmother forgetting bits of her history as she gets older (and maybe senile) or repressed memories from that traumatic period in her life (in one bit, the missing explanation through a hyperlink is filled in by an uncle).

The game ends bittersweetly, with a visit to the family memorial, where great-grandmother Yan is now buried. Yet, there is this sort of hopeful future that emanates from it, as sunrays break through the rain-heavy clouds...

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Who Shot Gum E. Bear?, by Damon L. Wakes

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Who Shot Roger Rabbit? but make it sweet and sticky, May 25, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I played the game again ~~

You are Bubble Gumshoe, a detective on the scene, tasked to solve the murder of Gum E. Bear. This funny parody of a detective mystery will leave you with a sweet tooth, or a cavity...

Replaying a puzzle game or mystery game is difficult, especially when you know the solution. What is enjoyable is trying to catch all the little details you may have missed in the first round.... which was a lot in my case. The first time I plated WSGEB? I accused the first person I interacted with out of frustration and won the game. Soon after I started again, tried some different commands, accused someone else, and called it a day. Still, there was quite a bit I missed.

As Bubble Gumshoe, you get to investigate clues around the body, examine the 3(5-ish) other locations, ask questions to the NPCs in each spot about clues or other people (or some other semi-related topic). And finally accuse who you think killed Gum. There is also a small puzzle to unlock a room.

The whole concept of parodying murder mystery by setting it in a Candy-land world is honestly hilarious to me. The game really goes in the tropes of the noir-themes, with the hard policeman, the femme fatale, the mafioso hidden behind a locked door. Amidst the puns galore, the dark and gruff background is contrasted by the very sweet names and humourous descriptions following an action (trying to taste everything, even myself was very funny - light cannibalistm).

After a few action, the header displays different bits of text, either related to the setting (It’s always nighttime in Sugar City.) or about how to play (telling you to smell or taste things). But I think there are only 3-4 variations before it repeats itself...

If you are in a location with a named NPC, every time you input an action, that NPC will do something (Officer Donut will click his pen, Candy Kane tries to mix some cocktails...). Those are funny little details, especially when you remember all those NPCs look like some sort of candy.

My main gripe with the game is how obvious who the murderer is: the only person who can hold a gun. And while you can go around the other spaces and question everyone, the NPCs are not the ones giving you an relevant information, the added text under the action description is. Even reading the description of the Alley should give you the answer (you could solve the mystery in one turn). The Who-dun-it seems very shallow when the answer is just right there.

Some other stuff:
> while this parser is pretty short and mainly uses five verbs (examine/X, ask, take, smell, taste) and the cardinal directions, it does not have a hint or help command (and lacked a walkthrough until now). You need to have a bit of parser knowledge (or the parser cheat sheet).
> there was some inconsistencies with the dialogue regarding the use or not of quotes or with the capitalisation of words. It might be nitpicky, but it did confuse or annoyed me me a bit.
> the game also put some spotlight on objects, but does not make them interactable (cigarette) or miss the options for some fun action (getting a drink at the bar).

Still enjoyed it more than the first time around :)

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The Staycation, by Maggie H

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A lot of potential, but missed the mark., May 24, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I played the game again ~~

The Staycation is a short game about loneliness, psychosis? and a confusion about which genre/type it is supposed to fall in. The player is set to stay home while their housemate goes on a trip with her boyfriend. It becomes an opportunity to do whatever you want... or is it?

The Staycation marketed itself as a horror slice-of-life, as you are forced to endure a nightmarish ordeal, forcing yourself to question your choices (a.k.a. you hate being left behind and alone). I personally enjoy psychological thrillers/horror, but I was disappointed to find the game didn't really deliver on either the horror or the slice-of-life aspect.

This time around, I also went through the game multiple times, and exhausting all limited options (helping your roommate with her luggage or leave her to deal with it, interacting with her or her boyfriend or ignoring them, enjoying yourself with a book or scrolling down your feed, and the final choice <- that is really it). Yet, it felt like the horror was only superficial and the slice-of-life very minimal. The final choice (making you realise you should have not stayed home) feels very underwhelming, as the hints of some past trauma and self-harm really comes out of nowhere...

As for the slice-of-life bit, the premise talks about days alone, but the story only seems to account for one (the one where your housemate and her bf leaves). Either the player's nightmare happens for days but it is brushed over, or there was a typo somewhere. This honestly added to the underwhelmingness of the piece. A build up of strange occurrences while the player goes about their day (with some more hints of their worries) would have made the story more poignant, in my view.*
*it was mentioned in the Forum during the IFComp, that the submitted Texture games were part of a workshop which lasted three weeks. It would not be surprising that a lack of time went into play for this bit. Still, other Texture entries did succeed to have a stronger story...

Still, there were some glimmers that helped the game. First, the illustrations were a nice touch, especially during the "nightmare" sequence. It really helped the horror aspect. I also enjoyed how calm and comforting the game picture was. Almost reminiscent of those pulpy book covers

Secondly, the use of senses as actions was a great choice, especially for the horror theme! Even the focus on strange smell (with the incense) or the peculiar noise (of your car) added to the uneasiness that the story was supposed to convey.

And finally, the formatting of the choices stood out among the other Texture entries of that edition of the IFComp. The Staycation is the only one using emoji in the action boxes rather than text. Honestly, kinda brilliant.

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Under the Bridge, by Samantha Khan
A melancholic tale about otherness and survival, May 23, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I played the game again ~~

Under the Bridge is a fairly short and contained game, with 4+ endings, with a heavy themes of otherness, exclusion and survival. Playing as some sort of lonely eldritch abomination, forced to leave the comfort of the forest to end up hiding under a bridge, your main task is to survive. Peering above the bridge might bring sustenance or deadly confrontation.

Through the otherness of the main character, we get to see mundane aspects shown in a different light. The writing brings a strange uneasiness to the setting, from the large eyes of the frog to the stomping of the armed men. With how other characters react to you, you can't help but feel unwanted.

While the writing focuses on the senses and basic description of elements, there is something very unnerving about its simpleness. The use of 1st plural POV brings questions about who the player is supposed to be: are we but a lost monster or a collective? Is our loneliness turning us mad? It makes for a horror moody piece, enhanced by the darkness of the UI and the choice of animation and formatting of the text.

I really enjoy the addition of assets into this game. The different SFX added to the text, bringing the setting into life, with the wind rustling the branches in the forest, the sound of water flowing by the bridge, the threatening footsteps of the guards... Similarly the illustration, especially of the monster, helped to bring forth the horror-y aspect of the game.

Through the binary choices, you get to interact with the different characters approaching the bridge, with interesting variation for each. However, it is after you reach the end, that things got a bit... dull. You are prompted only with a Play Again? link, sending you right back at the start. If you are replaying the game as soon as you reached the end, you have to go through all the non-choice passages, and things get repetitive pretty fast (the variation only happens on the passages right after your choice or just before an ending).

I also had some little issues with the styling of the game, especially with the sizing of the page or the obtrusive sidebar.

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Esther's, by Brad Buchanan and Alleson Buchanan

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A delightful brunch, even if cut short., May 22, 2023
by manonamora
Related reviews: ifcomp

~~ Updated Review from the 2022 IFComp bc I played the game again ~~

Harrold and Jaime, a cute mice couple have a weekly tradition: going to Esther's on Saturdays to have brunch, ordering avocado toast and mimosa. However, Jaime is tired of Esther messing their order every time, only serving cheese for the two mice. Today's about to change.

Through a series of choices, forming a puzzle to circumvent the communication issues between the mice and Esther. The girl not speaking squeak, the mice have to find other ways to get what they ordered.

While this might sound like a hassle, there is no way to fail the game, since the choices railroad you into getting that mimosa and that avocado toast (and the pudding for dessert!). As an adult playing this, it might not feel as entertaining to get pushed down a path, but the target audience seems to be for young children.
This is also made extra obvious with the large BACK option on the left corner of the page, that one can undo actions at will.
With that in mind, the game is a delight! It is simple enough, with a distinctive tone, an illusion of agency for the player, wonderful illustrations one could find in Potter's or Dahl's books, and a tight little bow wrapping the story at the end.

Further than the gorgeous illustration, the formatting of the game is very reminiscing of children's literature, with the type-print font and the page-like formatting, the characters' names coloured according to their design, the little avocado indicating a potential action. It is a well-thought out and executed short game.

There is an extra at the end of the game, with snippets of behind-the-scenes, with the constructions of the paths to the different illustration drafts. It truly is the cherry on top of a well constructed and delicious cake.

The only downside of this game is its shortness. 5 min gives just a taste of how lovely the characters are, but leave you wanting more. You know those two mice would get into more shenanigans, and you really want to read more of it when the game ends...

This is worthy of a Sequel, at least, or a collection of mini adventures (if the authors ever decide to do so...)

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