Ratings and Reviews by manonamora

*La réclusion de Callisto* is a short textual adventure in the style of older CYOA books, both in form and content. Embodying a prisoner-jailer in a lonely island, you will recount your meeting with a very particular women sent to this prison. Mixing romance and unsatisfiable desires, the story pulls you into moral conflicts where your only solace is escape.

Though there are conflicting elements, I was certain from the start the tale was referencing Napoléon and his exiles on Elba/St Hélène, being sent away in a tiny island away from everything because of his actions. But this was clearly set in some imaginary land, with a focus more on piracy. And of course, Napoléon was the actual prisoner during his exile, not really the jailer.

As for the delectable prose, it was more the tales of Dumas, especially the imprisoned scenes, that came into mind while reading. Even with the limitation in words, and the surprisingly large variation of the text, the writing is flourishing and swallowing us into the whirlwind of emotions felt by the PC. Though there are only three ends, the journey is more fun than the end.

*Terra’s Leap : Un rêve incombustible* is a short sci-fi adventure, where we follow the ventures of Elio, a child in a faraway colony, dreaming that one day he will visit Earth. Earth's location being long forgotten, this task is not an easy feat! Thankfully, you get to meet multiple characters who have an idea about its location, though none are in the same spot. So you will need to decide how to get to it, considering you are still a child, and which person to trust, our of those strangers. Some of these choices do require you to sort of disregard logic, if you want to continue down those paths.

While the blurb indicate 19 endings, many of them end in the exact same way. Most of those are still pretty bad for the players as well - strangely, it is when you refuse to take the path pushed by the game that you end up with a more winning situation.

*Baston ou Ruse : L’Épopée de Krug* is a short humoristic game based on Warhammer 40k, where you play as Krug, an orc that has no idea with what to do with its life. Though known for their brutish behaviour, some orc find a more cunning approach to conflict more interesting. So choices are put before you at every turn: Ruse or Force. Depending on what you pick, you'll end up with one out of 16 different orc job (and its related epic end where your life is praised still after your death).

The writing is very funny and made me laugh many times per path. It was very entertaining trying to find all the different endings (I found 8-9), since the text is quite varied from the branching. And this I knew nothing about W40k lore, it was a fun and intriguing introduction to this universe!

Biblioflam is a short fantasy adventure in Moiki, where you play as an employee of a strange and magical library (where no books can be burnt!) tasked with retrieving late book returns (the tome in question being 3 years late...). Mixing more RPGs aspects, like dice rolls, and consequential choices, the game offers a frustrating but still satisfying puzzle to solve (even if you mess up a bunch, it's still fun to play).

With the change of palette/fonts depending on the current environment, and SFX/background sound to add to the ambiance, the game is really playful and fun to experience. You too will ask to retrieve more tomes after!

Susi is a sci-fi story, set in the 22nd century, where we follow the eponymous character, a half-wolf half-humanoid AI, after feeling a bloody conflict against salamanders (also half-AI) that ravaged everything. Seemingly the last of its kind, Susi get to choose the path forward, whether it is destructive for themselves or the salamander, or more (re)constructive. 5 different endings can be found, I managed 4.

Through the POV of Susi, the story explores crudely different human traits (vengeance, avarice, goodness, etc...), showing that even with the disappearance of the human race, and the evolution of the AI in such a way they've left machines behind, the humanoid beings would continue to behave exactly like humans, with their vices and virtues, rather than the animalkind they embody (or a completely different path). Like ghosts, humans still stay, one way or another, influencing those left behind.

Similarly to the bad paths, who often rambled on and repeated itself, the good ending wasn't much satisfying either, having a bit more of an open end to the story, somewhat giving the feeling that the story only actually started at that point, with the passages preceding the final screen upping up the intrigue.

The author also warns on the game page that some passages could be difficult to read, as it alludes to sensitive subject, but the allusions is actually explicit (stated or depicted) and the execution felt more "edgy for the sake of being edgy" rather than making it central to the plot or having commentary on it: (Spoiler - click to show)suicidal thoughts can be willed away or push Susi into destructive suicide, sexual slavery is mentioned in passing once and almost forgotten, living under a dictatorship is played as a twist so to try to force you to take the "high-road" and forgive the oppressor

L’abribus is a short fantasy story, where we either play as some sort of force controlling a magic orb (which can influence everything around) or the orb itself (still unclear on that, though it matters little to enjoy the game). At a bus stop, we/the orb meets different characters, which we can interact in some fashion (forge documents, tell the time, etc...). These actions can bring good or "evil" to those characters, with the last action defining which ending we get.
There are no issues with the game's construction (and being able to skip the intro is nice), but some of the consequences felt at times a bit too simplistic.

Ashes is a sci-fi text adventure written in Inklewriter, where you follow Josh and Aria, two space-travellers landing on Earth and finding it in disarray. Realising there is something wrong with their home, they set on finding the cause and fixing it. But, if they don't manage to return to the correct version of Earth, they will meet their end. There are *many* endings, but only two can be considered good ones.

While the story is quite intriguing (what happened on Earth??? where did these symbols come from?!), much of the mysterious situation is left unanswered. Which is not a problem whatsoever, because I would be down playing a longer version with more details or investigation of the phenomenon.
My main issue with the game is how abruptly and arbitrary you can reach the bad endings (why being cautious is rewarded with a sudden ending?), with no explanation or reason (I'd wager the limit in word count affected this). It makes replaying very frustrating... unless you manage to get the good ending first.

Corps Brulés is a mystery game made in INK, where you play as some sort of investigator/detective on holidays. Coming across three burnt bodies, with no witness around, you decide to solve this (potentially not) accident. But who could have done it? how? and more importantly why?

Hints for the mystery can be found in the 7 pieces of almost burnt paper on the bodies. Because of the fire, the paper has a limited shelf-life (taking one means another disappears), which means you need to have on plan on what to consult and in what order. However, the game isn't cruel, as every restart keeps a "copy" of found papers and previous knowledge.

The different pieces will give you an idea of who each of those bodies are, their reasons for being here, and maybe how they got there. You can link them under different tags, interchangeable when you consult them, learn new information, and make new accusations. Depending on which elements you consulted and its order, different accusations can be made at the end of each run.

The mystery is neat, reminding me a bit of the *Death in Paradise* series in its setting. The gameplay is also pretty fun, mixing a bit the Logic-Grid type of puzzle with timed-events.
I wish I had managed to actually finish the game. I got stuck, really close to the end I think, but still not having found (I guess?) the correct order to get to the true end (if there is one? I don't seem to be the only one). Though I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened...

La fonte du monde is a fantasy textual adventure in Inklewriter, when you incarnate Voulks Mirmabull, a great dragon who's destiny seems to reunite all the dragon clans and fight other kingdoms (from what I gathered playing the game). After a long introduction focusing on Voulks's past, you are thrown into the game with not much a clear goal or explanation. The game seems to branch off quite early, leading to a handful of endings - I think I found 3-4 different ones, mainly ending up in my death.

You are given multiple sequences of choices, on how to interact with the environment, other clans, or the different conflicts - often with a violent/peaceful dichotomy. Most choices do not result in a textual response, having either an AI-generated illustration or simply the next set of choices. This aspect, which might be due to the combination of a high-branching story and a restricted word count, made the story sometimes difficult to follow or see the consequences of our actions. I think a few more sentences between each choice would clear a lot of the confusion.

Daidala is a short text-adventure in Twine, where you play as an adventurer (archaeologist?*) waking up in a dark cave after a fall. You can explore your surroundings, discover ruins, examine different elements, solve a couple of puzzles, and delve deeper into the darkness. If you pick the right path, you might even find the ultimate end ((Spoiler - click to show)though none of the endings are particularly happy...). It took me a bit of trial and error to find that ending, even though I had managed to thwart previous danger...
The wink to the (Spoiler - click to show)Icarus myth for the puzzle was cute.

*It gave a bit Indiana Jones vibes

one way is a short kinetic dialogue through text between Syn and Lily, though it feels more like a monologue, as the latter doesn’t respond much. In the messages, Syn talks about the writing progress (or lack of) on a story, and the struggles of being relatable, even when drawing on one’s identity. The messages go unanswered, worrying Syn, who ends up confronting Lily for a sign of life.

Because of that one-sidedness in the exchange, and the minimal formatting, I thought at first I was reading Syn’s diary entries (the first few pages being pretty relatable, being in a writing rut is not fun). Though it was after going through the passages again did I wonder whether we were playing as Lily, clicking the arrow link to forward time, as if reading but avoiding answering, making Syn’s plea for a response all the more heartbreaking.
Or maybe I’m reading too much into it, and we’re simply a complete outsider.

story of my life is a tiny kinetic slice-of-life piece, centred on a couple of linked memories, snapshot seemingly mundane at the time but with hindsight and reminiscing may look important. It seems like a reflection of things seen and said, or more what was experienced differently and what was never said. This disconnect is made all the more obvious on the last screen, where the narrator admit they could actually say something… but still end up avoiding the subject through a more light-hearted question, further the miscommunication.

Sanguine: The Stygian Shore is a tiny Twine adventure, where you incarnate Ash’Garekh, a mercenary stranded on Lunaris after a storm at sea. Still, you need to get to your original destination, so you travel north and do your best to avoid the traps and the dangers, and maybe thwart a plot in the process.
The writing reminded me a bit of those darker fantasy pulp stories, with danger to overcome, some damsels to rescue, and cliché shouts, but all the good ways of those. The only negative thing I have to say about it, is that it ended way too quick. I would love to play a longer version of the game with trials and tribulations and puzzles… until I finally reach my destination!

Lunar Fall is a mini make-out-sim where two women, L and E, embrace each other for a while. With a short tangent about relationships and love (do we min-max one’s feelings by our actions?) and the definition of sex (is there a line to what or what isn’t sexual), the main focus of the game is the actual make-out part. Depending on the starting position (spooning or facing each other), you have two to four actions, one being one-off while the other options being repeatable, before you end it altogether.

I’ve tried multiple combination of actions, and always seemed to end with the same words and the same thanks, but I wonder if there are multiple endings to it.
Am I min-maxing enough this make-out session?!?! No matter, I’ll go make out with E again anyway.

Find a parser beta tester! is a short reflection piece on beta-testing, particularly when having your parser work beta-tested by others. Whatever the program used when making a game, beta-testing is the most painful part of the process: you not only need to have people play a game that isn’t complete and probably has too many bugs it’s embarrassing, but you also have to FIND THOSE PEOPLE IN THE FIRST PLACE. The pain…

The game give multiple options, between parser and non-parser players, players who know and don’t know you, so you would get a wide array of feedback, allowing you to fix it all before the deadline (though it is never truly fixed…). It is a pretty sound advice, having a wide-range of different testers, to ensure you’ve covered as much as possible the potential players base.

Testing is one of the most important part of game making*, as it can be the difference between receiving glowing reviews and… a torrent of negative comments because everything is broken. Not just that, but depending on the amount of issues with your game, you may feel guilty for having put them through such gruelling efforts (especially if they are not familiar with parsers).
*I say that but, lol, but I barely do that myself

Congrats! Your writing doesn’t stink! is a short reflection on sharing one’s work with others. Formatted as an exchange between an author (you) and a player/reviewer, you listen/read the latter’s opinion about your hypothetical piece. Through a thinly veil of “hey, I’m just trying to help”, the praise ends up being less then genuine, and the criticism borderline insulting. But maybe, it should have been expected with the title…

It’s weirdly relatable, having had my work judged, not always kindly (thought often with kernels of truth), to the point that it can turn you off from a community altogether. Putting your work out there is very courageous, and being met with malicious comments can be demoralizing. Words can be powerful things, lifting people spirits as well as burying them six-feet down. It’s a good reminder to think about how we phrase our comments, especially when we don’t like something.

in the digital age is a short fan-fic piece based on Great Ace Attorney, in a communication-sim type of way. You play as Su, getting a phone call from Haori in the middle of the night, having avoided talking to her for a while and informing her of your return (among other things). Except you are a pretty awkward person, and behave a bit erratically (though, if they were teenagers, it would make tons of sense). While I did find the actual text exchange to be a bit confusing (on who was who especially), the consequence of the first choice was very funny to me.

come thru at 330am is a short kinetic piece, a jumbled reflection at a barbershop, which dealing with a traumatic past due to abuse in the workplace, making getting a simple haircut a herculean trial. With a minimal use of punctuation, the prose weaves together an often confusing imagery, mixing past and present, real and felt, emotional and rational… blurring all the lines.

Garden Party is an interactive unfolding poem, where you attend a garden party. Clicking on the different elements on the screen, the party unfolds before you, with cheers and drinks, dancing and playing games… but you can also escape the commotions and enjoy a little bit of a break, in the calming surroundings of Nature.

This piece reminded me a bit of NESTED by Orteil in the way it unfolds and displays new elements on the screen - though Garden Party does is finite, with its 100 or so elements to click on. It’s a pretty comforting experience.

sappho fragment generator is exactly what the title says: randomly printing on the screen fragments of writings of the poet Sappho. Each verse on the screen will vary in length and content, though it will often not make much sense (or at least it was my experience generating them), as it displays them from a small bank of words. Because little has survived, the generator sometimes even includes unexpected characters - though the general nonsensical of the generated elements is already confusing enough as is.
Maybe… we could still try to analyse the unanalysable.

Little Kitty Cat is a kinetic Twine piece where you are… a little kitty cat doing little kitty cat things. The prose is very simplistic, trying to emulate the mind of a small cat (or what we think a cat’s mind is, for all we know they are super philosophical xD), with the sudden changes in emotions and wishes (like purring because of pets until jumping away because it’s not as good). But it’s SO fun. It’s really cute and just happy. A delight for a short break!

Chronostasis is a short almost linear Twine piece about time… or lack of. Your evening ticking away, tempo’d by the metronome-like rhythm of your clock, it is without surprise that you notice when your surrounding suddenly turn completely silent. The eeriness of the situation, where nothing you do seems to help, brings a lot of tension in the way it is simply conveyed. The culmination of the piece, when time starts again, is really clever.

Good Luck and Godspeed is a short Twine game, where you wake up in a spaceship with a headache, unable to remember a thing. You get to explore around and examine a few items, though you have a hard time putting things together. You seem to be some sort of astronaut on a mission with other people (none of which you meet). The prose is weirdly alienating, as the state of the craft seems dire, but you don’t seem particularly bothered by it – you almost welcome your fate by the end, whichever way you choose to go.

All I Am Is This is a short ChoiceScript game about being human and the will to live. Going through a short questionnaire, you define yourself through emotions and how you look at the future. However you answer, the game will attempt to make you realise how being human is full of flaws and confusion, but that life is worth it no matter what. It’s a lovely short uplifting piece of IF.

Nameless Dream is a short surreal Twine piece, about dreams, how vivid they can become and still how little we end up remembering them. With a slight sci-fi element to it, as the human race was upgraded with cooler, more vivid dreams, you get to choose between three different activities, experiencing the high of those awesome new ways of dreaming and the lows of realising you can never really have this in real life… But nothing further than that happens, nothing really affect your real life. All stays as always in your dreams. It’s weirdly both comforting and familiar, and concerning…

Never Have I Ever is a short ink game where a group of space marines take a break, share a drink, and partake in the most dangerous game of all: Never Have I Ever. You get to choose your poison, drink (or not) with each take, and talk about… the elephant in the room. It has great tension, from the start and still continues building, until it explodes and the scene turns to black.

But the kicker is to get to the end, and see the spicy answers BEING LOCKED FOR CLICKING! and having to restart the game and find the correct combination to get to select that option, while knowing something is bad. Like BAD bad.
And even if you don’t get the truth, all the truth, and nothing but the truth, it’s a fun borderline thriller like bite.

ALL PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE is a short kinetic visual novel, where you complete a seemingly normal to-do list. Kinda… sorta… well, it’s normal for you. In this thriller mini game, part of a larger multi-entries universe, you incarnate a serial-killer having just dealt with their latest victim, and going through all the steps to wrap up the day. Being (somewhat) methodical, you neatly clear up your mistakes, take care of your beloved pets, and definitely lying to your boss for a well-earned day-off. It’s weirdly sweet in the slice-of-life way, and a bit psychotic too. I dig the vibe of the interface quite a bit.

Translucent Trails is a short kinetic visual novel about mourning someone, and the aftermath of living without them, and the muddled feelings that come with it. Though the mentioned past is dark and pretty tragic, the prose seems hopeful and yearning for a happier future, as if trying to move on from the hurt and the pain, but chained down still by the guilt. It is a sad one-sided conversation, that seems confusing at first, due to the intended ill-placed text on the screen (somewhat forcing you to fill in the blanks).

Please Don’t Understand Me is a looping kinetic visual novel, where someone is trying to talk to you, but you can’t understand the words (as an illegible font with icons is used instead of latin letters). As you repeat the same thing over and over again, mentioning how you do not understand what they are saying, the other’s bubbles expand and double, covering the screen. Yet… the exchange does not lead anywhere.

However, the “problem” is resolved after finishing the first loop, with a typeface setting allowing you to change that font with a more legible one. Thanks to this, you can read what the other person is saying (though it does not matter for the story), and understand their struggle and frustration with communicating with you (as the player, not the character). The despair and loneliness coming from not being understood as they are, realising and trying to change for others, in vain.

A very interesting way of using the restriction.

Get Out of Match Lake is a short almost kinetic creepy entry, where doppelgängers attempts to communicate through tarot cards (I think? I was a bit confused, maybe you are summoning them). The prose creates a very weird atmosphere, threatening yet too far from harm. The effect of the cards were neat.

Happy Life Home is a cozy little sci-fi binksi visual novel, where you embody a helper bot designed to prepare a home for an incoming family. By looking through logs, you can learn about their wishes and preferences. And going through the house, you can transform it into an inviting home where they will be able to make tons of memories (which will include you, if you do well enough).
Coupled with a cute beat and very cool graphics, it is a very wholesome experience!

Heaven Alive is a short sci-fi horror-like conversation-sim made in Twine, where you play as an advisor to a warlord. Depending on your choices, the way you address your ruler, you can gain approval points, sending you to one of the three different endings. Along with the highly stylised interface and the stringent background music, the small game can make you feel uncomfortable pretty quick. I think I had the most fun trying to be rude to my boss…

Another Night With The Party is a short text-adventure set in a tavern, reminiscent of D&D games. Seeing your other members involved in different shenanigans, you can pick which of them you’d want to interact, going along or foiling their plans. Though it’s short, it’s pretty fun, and reminded me of the pickles my party got into during a campaign and how we always chose the most chaotic options to push the story forward.

Mud Bourbon is a short Twine piece about saying goodbyes to a loved one. In this mainly one-sided conversation, you reminisce over the life of your companion, Mud Bourbon, who is living its last moment with you. It is pretty emotional… and “horse-girl”-phase me would not have handled this game in the healthiest of fashion.
It was lovely how the prose builds up the heartbreaking tension, leading to that one final magical and tragic bit.

Amber & Myrrh is an interactive piece set in Ancient Greece, inspired by the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Weaved like a tapestry, the myth is both a passing sentence and a background against the contrasted tableau of very real women dealing with the objective perception of men, of loving women devoting themselves to each other passionately and wholly against the sculptor obsessive behaviour, the admiration of the person and of the body. It is enchanting and daunting.
A beautiful and lovely piece of sapphic writing.

Star Bearer is an evocative poetic kinetic entry, based on the author’s dream, where you incarnate a person bringing the body of a beloved to their final resting place. Each line is displayed one after the other, as your step move forward to your destination - one after the other. A wish of holding on to the soon departing clashing with the one to relieve others of their burden - the journey ending as expected, as requested, as wanted. Under the sun and the moon, one passing after the other, the prose takes us on this final voyage, with a promise of one day returning.
It is beautiful, both in the writing and interface. And incredibly smooth. Bringing upon a cocktail of conflicting emotions.

The Frightened is a short snippet of a larger mystery project. After an important item has been found stolen, you, as the knight commander of a magical institute, must investigate and interrogate the witnesses. This entry focusses on one of them, which seems frightened of you (understandable with your at-best combative behaviour), but was also first at the scene. There are some little hints about the surrounding setting, with the relationship between the mages and knights, and the maybe questionable treatment of the former. Though there are a few rough edges with consistency, the piece does set an intriguing scene and mystery, one I would love to solve.

strokes is a short kinetic Twine about appreciation for art and artists, especially the ones at the start of their journey. Going through the steps, from the sketches, to the lineart, to the colouring, the prose wants to be calming and reassuring. Coupled with illustrations, the game shows that art can be enjoyable, at whatever level of skills, and that like any other skills, it can be learned with practice and learning. Even if it’s not great art, it is still your art. And that’s awesome.

Summer rain is a micro interactive poems, a gentle break were you looking for one, experiencing a summer rain shower in the comfort of a cozy home. Through a window, while nice and snug, you peer into the distant landscape, finding peace and relaxation. Like the other two entries of this author for the jam, this atmospheric micro piece is so soothing and comforting.

A Bear Dreams of Clouds is a kinetic poetic entry about a bear obsessing over the sky, and the bewilderment of the man observing it. In a few short snippets, reminiscent of a season, the prose depicts the whims of the mammal, peering at the heavens, throwing tantrums when not finding what it hopes, or being distracted with its beauty, all the while the weather rummages through its fur. It was a pretty nice and dreamy entry.

four days is a kinetic interactive piece about healing when on a deadline. You have four days before being released from some in-patient hold following an implied suicide attempt, a tight period of time where you are supposed to “feel better”. As a rumination on trauma, the prose gives some snippets of those experiences, of being transferred between medial professional for being too much or being infantilised, or going through the same cycles without ever feeling any progress. Though disheartening, the final realisation is lovely.

A wonderful life is a tiny piece about revenge and new beginning in Twine. Trying to emulate a noir setting, with limited explanation and a focus on details, the prose does a good job at making the story intriguing - even if I found it a taaaad confusing, as we (players) always seem to be put in an arms way of what is happening. I would be very interested to see the story with a bit more writing to it.

The Invisible Smoke Factory is a surreal exploration of very weird dreams, made in Twine. In a more point-n-click form, you explore different space trying to collect 11 different pieces of paper scattered around the 100+ rooms. There are multiple endings, but I’ve only gone through one.
Between the dithered backgrounds, uncomfortable background music, and the unsettling animated elements, the game really pushes the boundaries of what IF can look like, through removing as many words as possible.

I am not sure how to explain this experience, actually. It’s weirdly cool, and often discomforting with the ambiance it creates. The almost lack of words is unsettling, leaving the visual to essentially tell the story (whatever it may be, I’m still struggling to interpret it). I just know I could feel my heart beating as if I was watching some psychological thriller and had chills crawling down my back.

Conformity is a micro dystopian (fantasy?) visual novel where you are forced to work under monstrous spider-like overlords, who seem to control your movements like puppets. Yet, you are given a choice to escape, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, where any slip up would mean death. Or worse… going back.
The theme of the piece might feel a bit one-note (and shallow), but the added illustration and interface add a lot to the atmosphere.

Whether is a philosophical branching piece, asking you on each screen to choose between two options: light or darkness, sweet or salty, forward or backward, love or hate… Forever ending, forever starting, round and round you go through the poetic prose, building choice by choice your personal poem. Not only the writing is fantastic, but the dithered vibe of Decker with the text boxes and the chosen illustration, really does make it a great piece of IF.

*Primordial* is a *strange*, very weird/surreal piece. After playing it, I am still not sure what to make of it. You start with birthing yourself, coming out into a strange world where you must fend for yourself (I honestly thought this was (Spoiler - click to show)the birth of an actual child and didn't get why crying out had someone literally EAT ME). Through encounters and exploration, you find enough sustenance to help your body grow and expand, with visual to match. It's weird, like *really weird*, but in a good way.

Though, I ended up being a bit bored of the fighting sequence, being pretty repetitive and same-y, so I ended up clicking the same action over and over until I could pick my reward.

Dragonslaying is a short branching visual novel, where you are a dragon-slayer, facing a dragon in a cave, with the intent of fulfilling your destiny… or maybe you will choose against it? For beast may be misunderstood or you wish to see the story end unexpectedly. With 2 choices, the game branches into 4 distinct endings, mixing acceptance and anger, questionable actions and trickery. Through your perception of the situation, and your reaction, blood may be shed. Will it be yours?
I thought it was an interesting take on fate and following orders.

inertia is a short kinetic entry about two men and their failed relationship. One still clings on his feelings for the other, while the latter has clearly moved on for better or for worse… With awkward dialogues, and descriptions of awkwarder behaviour, the prose creates an uncomfortable situation, which will not get any better, as neither participants seems willing to change their stances (for good reasons). One will not understand the other’s point of view, the other won’t return to a hurtful space.
Pretty well done, I could visualise so clearly the scene (and cringe).

Letters to strangers is a wonderful collection of letters, which you can receive from or send to strangers. Comforting words, positive stories, tiny slices of life, the mundane and the precious moments. Kindness to its pure form. Gentleness overflowing through each words, each bits sent. It is so freaking lovely and comforting. And we need more of this.
The only negative thing of this game is that it is WAY TOO SHORT!

EldritchMon is a short humorous adventure in Twine, in which you incarnate a 10 year-old going on an adventure. On the way, you even get a companion, that you can name, and become closer! The short adventure, that ends a bit abruptly, reminded me of Pokemon where… a 10 year old gets a companion and goes on an adventure! Though it is supposed to be “super wholesome”, there are some little bits that implies some darker elements in the adventure to come (like in the intro… or the title).

I was honestly surprised the game was really just 500 words (I went and double-checked), because it felt much longer with the different actions, and by the end I wished my adventure wouldn’t end… just yet. I would have loved to get maybe into more combats and such!

Temporal Thief is a moody ChoiceScript piece where you play as a time-traveller (or well, a time-thief), trying to change fate (their fate). With a dark modern fantasy setting, the prose really embodies the atmosphere of those gloomy back street, where nothing good ever happens. As to whether you do change things, only rewinds will tell…

Obsessive Tendencies is a short branching piece about the hold obsessive tendencies can have on people, and how it can disrupts someone’s state. Told from a very personal perspective, the piece shows some harsh realities of seeing themselves becoming obsessive specifically over fictional characters, knowing something is not quite right about it, but being unable to find a suitable solution to overcome it. A courageous effort.

Census is a short ink conversation between a retired widowed teacher and a strange census caller. The census starts pretty simple, asking (insistently) your run-of-the-mill questions. Though… something seems off about the questions asked and their responses. The hint of uneasiness from the conversation veer the short piece into horror territory… unless you hung up.

the vile want is a short piece in Twine set in an undescribed fantasy world, where you are a (elven?) fighter having a final showdown with their nemesis (I think? you are not told how/why). After such a long time since you last saw him, with your hatred fuelling you forward, you get to confront that person, and end him. Yet, you still hesitate to finally fulfil this want of yours. A very absorbing prose.

A Dodecapedic Box is a tiny parser where you are being chased by a dodecapedic box and must find a way for it to make it stop (or at least calm down). It involves fairly simple puzzles (AND YOU HAVING TO DO CRIMES!!), even if they are not always very sensible (I SAID CRIME) or logical at first glance. Still, with the absurd situation of it all (maybe it’s just all a dream), it was a pretty fun parser to complete! Quick and easy!

Oh Father, Please is a short interactive piece about a trans experience, being outed to an unsupportive parent and abused by said parent in retaliation. Your father, outraged by the new information, demands you give up parts of yourself to appease his sensibilities. You get to choose (or refuse) which part you can leave without to deflect his anger - the more important to your identity, the calmer he gets. But all comes with a price. Staying authentic to yourself bring his wrath, relenting to his request forces you back into a role that does not fit with you.
It’s pretty sad.

The One With Antlers is a fantasy mini-piece, where a knight returns to the castle with a Princess (which he probably rescued?) but meets a strange man on the way. Approaching it, they realise the man is more creature, with antlers and hooves: a satyr blocking their path, a dangerous aura defusing from it. There are a few options to go around it, though, none really lead to a happy resolution. A neat darker retelling of the princess rescue trope.

Bluebeard’s Not-Wives is a kinetic retelling of the Bluebeard story, in which you play one of the wives of Bluebeard ahead of the marriage. Except, the prose breaks the original mould about Bluebeard and his wife. Bluebeard is not some tyrannical blood-thirsty husband, but a misunderstood soul dealing with prejudice. And though the wives are never to be seen, you are not fearful of this terminal fate, for living as society demands of you actually feels like death.

The entry does a wonderful job at building the story, bringing the pieces together in such a lovely way, leading to a very touching end. It was very sweet, and though I would read a whole book of this, perfect the way it just is.

Thread unlocked. is a short interactive chat-sim like piece. Following a rough discussion, a (Forum?) thread is unlocked, enabling you to post something. Unknowing of the previous messages, you are given four different choices of words, leading to one of 36 different possible sentences (which you don’t know the content of either).

Ranging from short and sweet (which really makes you wonder what happened in that thread), to pretty antagonistic (which also makes you wonder what kind of arguments we had to deal with), with so few words, the piece does a pretty good job at giving a limited snapshot of what you could see after a Forum argument, when tension has supposedly died down and everyone has moved on. How so little words can really swift the vibe of a thread one way or another. Words that you know will just kill the thread for real, or see another way of doubling down (and maybe some stronger moderation action).

There is something slightly triggering about the first four words on the screen: Thread Unlocked. Slowmode Off. As some sort of slithering anxiety finding its way through your throat and tightening it more and more, as the worry, of people barging in back in and restart the argument that required the thread to be locked in the first place, just… bursts (these threads are emotionally draining).

I don’t think I’ll be able to look at another locked thread and not be reminded of this piece. Also a good reminder to pick your words… or just avoid posting? Yeah… sometimes it’s the best way of action.

maybe if i can find the right words. is a short emotional Twine piece about friendship drifting apart, and the induced anxiety of experiencing your friends ghosting you. You flip through snapshots, describing different moments of the feeling friendship, as you wonder what went wrong, and what you could do to fix things. But it’s pretty hard to fix things if the other person doesn’t interact with you.
One small thing, the interface kept flickering in the colour of the page when I clicked, which made reading a bit annoying.

You Died Sixty Seconds Into the Apocalypse is a short humoristic apocalyptic piece where you play as an artist in a recording room when the apocalypse starts. Like the title suggests, you didn’t make it very far. But, maybe you still tried?
Through crude snips, the short game was pretty entertaining. The final line was funny!

You is a tiny interactive piece focusing on the start and the end of relationships. The two paragraphs story lets you cycle through different options to create your own little final piece. The starts can be cute or maybe a bit creepy, and some pitiful, but the endings tend to be sadder, with only a hint of bittersweet. It makes for (bitter)sweet stories to downright depressing, depending on the options on the screen. Very much build-your-own-story.

A Whimsical Search is a short Twine piece, inspired by Tarot cards, where you play as Sage, the owner of a whimsical shop where you can trade in traits. A hermit comes in, looking for a tale, and it’s your job to fulfil the request (if you accept it). It was cute, and like the title suggests, whimsical. I liked the inclusion of the Tarot cards and what they represented in the story.

Carry On. is a short sci-fi Twine piece, broken into two scenes (seemingly unrelated? I am not quite sure, the break between the two is a bit jarring/confusing). You are a space farer at the start of a mission, looking for your captain, and finding more than you asked. That second part is a bit chilling, and made it feel like the whole was some sort of demo or prototype for a larger piece (it does set a bit of mystery/confrontation that would make for a neat game).

Mouse Train is an adorable tiny adventure in Twine, where you play as a little cutesie mouse boarding a train, but not remembering quite why (or why they are wearing their best scarf!), and also realising they forgot their ticket. Between the ominous train conductor to hide from, and trying to find why you are on this train, the game is well-rounded and so sweet. And the interface. Gosh, it’s so tight and well-done.

I fessed up right away to the conductor, didn’t want to carry the guilt of not having a ticket.

Reminisce is a short visual novel, where a Chronicler shares with you stories of the people she met, especially focusing on the themes of loss and dealing with grief. Each snapshot finished with the same mantra, repeated chorus throughout the game. A cycle never-ending. Remembrance. Requiem. Rebirth. Repeat. It is simple but very evocative in the writing and the accompanying illustrations.

peelings is a kinetic entry made in Decker about love, and how you can explain how it feels by comparing it to peeling an orange (or a tangerine). It is a sweet piece, and very comforting, that reminded me of times when there would be tangerine at the table for dessert, how we would peel them together, help the younger ones get their quarters more easily, putting them in each other’s mouths with a smile, or gathering the peels and squeeze it to release their oils (aiming it at eyes if we were cheeky). I really liked it, it made me feel warm inside.

A Reverie Of You is a dreamy poetic entry, with a long form poem displayed on pictures. The aesthetic is nostalgic, seen in the filters used on the picture, the interface behaving as if you were seeing pictures with a slide viewer (complete with sounds!), and the text appearing slowly, like calm waves on the beach. The poem is a celebration of life, of all the little fleeting moments you share with people, of the warm feelings other make you feel, of the dreams and disappointments, of the details that stick to your mind never forgotten. Pretty touching

WAKE UP is a horror Twine piece inspired by the creepypasta of the same name, in which following a traumatic event you fell into a catatonic dream state, unable to wake up, unable to remember what happened to you, until you find a note telling you to wake up. Like the original text, the game does a great job at adding unease to the text, with the protagonist not thinking much of the note at first, to feigning concern. Nice.

Please Don’t Reap my Soul, Mr. Grim Reaper is a short Twine game where you attempt to trick the Grim Reaper into putting your soul back into your body after a nasty fall. You have a couple of options, all of them pretty silly and funny, leading you to the end. If there was a message to this game, it would be: be careful of what you wish for.
Anyways, it was a fun short time.

the sword of justice plays a sick bassline is a tiny kinetic piece made in Twine mixing the superhero genre and your regular teen slice-of-life. You are a teenage superhero on a job, when you realise you’re going to be late for a gig! What’s a teen to do?!
The tone is pretty zany, and really what you’d expect from a teenager story. Different priorities, hard rolling of the eyes, jabs at everyone. It’s stilly, but fun.

After the Janazah is a beautiful short interactive piece, where you follow the protagonist going to the funeral of their baba, and converses with another woman, dressed in a bright red, as the body is put to rest (I am not sure what relationship they have, but they seem to be related in some fashion). They exchanges words about the deceased and memories of them (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and their families interferences. The simple and short writing is effective, but it is enhanced by the melancholic background and use of pixel art. Very touching.

Conductor’s Gambit is a short game of luck created in Twine, where you play as a prisoner of the threatening conductor. Though he intents on murdering you, he gives you one way out: play his little card game. If you win, he’ll set you free. If not…

The game is one of chance only: you draw a card, and if it is higher than the conductor’s you win a point, if it’s lower, you lose one. Reach 6 points (or go down to 0) and the game ends. It’s a bit like a Russian Roulette, if you didn’t die from the bullet right away. Since you are at the mercy of Lady Luck, there isn’t much for you to do. But the game does a pretty good job at keeping tension. And the winning end made me chuckle.

To Study a Butterfly is a surreal short interactive piece involving time distortions, where you experience this phenomenon at three different period in your life. Without getting too spoilery, it was interesting how everything related to each other, going almost cyclical. It reminded me of those time-traveller movies, where they go back in time, both by mistake and not really. Neat formatting of the text too!

Space Wizards Rendezvous 1.5: Music Lesson is a short magical moment made in Ink between Daffodil and Castillo, doing some little space magic, on a chill evening night. Either focusing on discarded seeds or the magically-infused instrument, Daffodil tests out some silly spells, leading to one of four endings. It’s silly, it’s fun, and quite lovely! More silly space magic please!

my third eye opened today is a short kinetic visual novel, where the narrator experiences a spiritual connection with their self during a dream. Through “opening their third eye”, they swift through their feelings, their struggles, in hopes for peace and acceptance. Their Self is the same but also different: happy and sure of themselves, with their hair unbounded and free. Along with lineart illustration and soft background music, the piece brings a very soothing experience.

A changing greenhouse is a relaxing mini-experience made in a custom format in Twine. Enjoying a stroll through a greenhouse, you can notice its ever-changing aspects, or simply reflect on memories or feeling, spend some time caring for its plants or have a lay down looking out the window. With a soft and calming background music and delightful cute illustration, this little game brings a cozy atmosphere. Extremely cute!

i really want that is a kinetic short poem about desires, especially the ones pushed aside for later. The text takes on both an absurd and philosophical approach to the question, as it wonders what happens to unfulfilled dreams. It made me wonder if going through the question was actually worth the effort, as your cursor runs after an exclamation mark (like a quest point), who is always running away every time you approach. Rather than running after the unreachable…

Tectonic is a short Twine piece, inspired by the myth of Persephone. While stuck in the underworld, you (as the goddess) reflect on your situation, with Hades being distant or seemingly interested in you, and you struggling with the reaction of your mother as the “deal” was made. Whichever ending will depend on whether you concede to your new role as the Queen of the Underworld, whether your anger is greater than your love. Whichever choice you make however, never brings back what was taken from you.

turn the lights off is the final part of the trilogy, wrapping up the story some times after the sequel, where the protagonist met someone new, but struggles with the differences in relationships. Comparing this one to the abusive one they left, they show how opposite these two men are towards them, in the way they interact with their body, respect their boundaries, and care for them.

While it is lovely to see the protagonist get their happy ending, or more like starting their path towards it, the entry still continues its depiction of how complex living the consequences of abuse is, and how it can still linger, frustratingly reverting you to old bad habits instead of going through the difficult work of accepting the past and healing from it.

Yet again, the minimalist aspect of the game, with one single dithered background, a looping muted track, and few words on the screen, hits all the more stronger. As a single entry, it is great. But as a whole, the series is fantastic.

Shrouded is the last snippet of a larger project, in which you interact with Joel, a religious man, praying by himself in a pristine church. Trying to find peace and solace, you interrupt his prayers, and he returns the favour by sharing his appreciation for the exercise. You get hints of his relationship with the other men of the cloth and his struggles in maintaining his circles separate (between his family and The Family?). Like inside a church, the atmosphere is solemn, both cold and comforting, warm and inviting.

(limited time offer) is a short Twine piece set on a faraway planet where you play as Theo, a drunk and dying woman, in front of Lisa’s door, your physician/crush, about to tell her the truth. Realising you have little time left, you take a leap of faith and blurt it all out. It is a short scene, muddled with many feelings, messy circumstances and inebriation. The choice given was a bit funny, with that second of clarity through the vapours of alcohol. I wished it had been longer. 500 words feels too short…

sweet shop is a short Twine piece about sweets, and accepting yourself. Feeling like having some sweet thing in your life, you go to a sweet shop, a place you find comforting and soothing. Seeing your favourite candy there, you give in and splurge a little… only to beat yourself up for it, falling into a cycle of despair where one negative feeling brings on another one (specifically of the trans experience). Until… something snaps. And you find some peace. Like the described candy, it’s very sweet.

It can’t be true it mustn’t be true is the third act of the RGB trilogy, recontextualising the events of the second act. Here, you embody another different person, in the bedroom of the man from the previous act, as you attempt to quietly leave his bedroom while he’s showering, following a warning text from a friend. Again, it switches up gameplay, going for the escape room puzzle. There are multiple ways to trigger the ending, though whether you are successful…

It didn’t click right away that this sequence wasn’t really following the previous one, though, as a whole, it made sense for it to happen now, making the events of the previous act even bleaker and somewhat more satisfying than at first play. And again, the game plays with your senses of agency and influence over the story (is this why the puzzles are relatively easy?). You get so entranced in trying to complete the game that it makes you forget about the inevitable end…

I don’t want it to end just yet… ;-;

Love, Sam is the second snippet of a future project, following Sam, a haemophiliac spending an afternoon with an unnamed person, decorating pots and talking about life. The snippets focuses specifically on a short moment, where Sam must carefully take his medication while keeping and eye on Mihr, his mischievous cat who like the pill bottle. It is a very touching moment, and bittersweet.

Swan Neck is a short medical kinetic piece, where you play as an intern to become a medical professional, looking to recreate that one-in-a-million event that affected you once when you were younger: a swan neck facture. Where your arm breaks in such a way it resembles the neck of a swan, with the bones still inside. Gruesome, right? But that pushed you into this path, obsessing into seeing it again. And then a trauma situation happens at the hospital, flooding the halls with patients…

This was so chilling and full of tension, building slowly until the final moment. In the back of my mind, I knew where it was going, but I hoped it wouldn’t end up there. And still. The descriptions are so clinical, looking at horrific and gruesome event with such coldness and strange admiration. So disturbing. And so good.

Eat the Rich is a short piece wanting to be thought provoking. Taking on the titular old slogan, the game takes it literally, showing that eating those billionaires would only result in realising there are still rich people out there, that maybe should be eaten too so it would be more fair. Or maybe wealth could be distributed instead and… oh wait, now we have more rich people and look there are still poor people in that other country.

So, what should we do? Is Eat the Rich the right way of looking at things? The message the author is trying to push forward is to take another approach on the matter. Rather than eating the rich, we should look into one’s self and… realise we’re actually richer than other people, and appreciate what we have.

Inspired by their personal background and realisations, the message ends up feeling preachy and tone-deaf (which the author already conceded).
To me, it made me think of those people pointing out at cancer patients when you’re complaining about a headache and berating you for not realising how lucky you are. Even if people share a trait (e.g. pain, feeling poor), situations can be completely different, with neither being unworthy of space. Knowing you’re part of the worldwide 1% won’t really matter to you if you’re already counting pennies.

It’s a bit of a shame, because the topic (wealth disparity) is all the more important, as many populations are suffering due to inflations while large corporations tout record profits and executive salaries. But the angle was maybe not the right one to tackle it.

Glory to the ghosts of us is a short Ink fanfic piece about Disco Elysium, in which Steban and Ulixes, two infra-materialist, discuss events involving Kras Mazov and Ignus Nilsen, two figures they look up to. Through the conversations, the two debate on whether a certain text is factual or misleading, whether the figures should have met the fate they did or whether they knew certain after-facts. It’s an interesting depiction of younger generations learning about older movements (they themselves follow or are influenced by), and a neat look into the more minor characters of the main game.

COMPANY is an absurdist short Twine piece, where you meet with HR at a COMPANY office for a job (I think? you seem pretty taken aback, like kidnapped/blindfolded/thrown in there). It is absolutely bonkers… and yet so close in the vibes of interviews I’ve sat for. Insane behaviour, wayyy too high energy, and questionable corpo practices. The all caps just sealed the deal for me. Slap onto that some sick collage, and you get… this. Surreal.

Shotgun in my Heart is a micro Action RPG where you are in some sort of dungeon, fighting against monsters to get out. Armed with your trusty shotgun, which deals enough damage to one shot the creatures blocking your path, you must target their weak link to move to the next area. And if you miss… you will likely die. And another thing: each monster has two version, chosen at random (that made it pretty frustrating to go through, because you can only make one mistake…). Good luck escaping?

I ended up cheating to get to the end...

I am in this photograph is a retelling of the Bluebeard story, as a point-n-click kinetic piece made in Twine. The poetic prose, revealed by clicking on different parts of the displayed photograph, depicts the perspective of one of Bluebeard’s wives, as she defies her husband’s directive, going into the fated basement and running away. Some of the previous wives are mentioned in passing, forgotten or done dirty. It is pretty chilling.

Losing Track is a short interactive game in Dendry where you realise you stepped out the train at the wrong station and must find your way home, by choosing the lighter or darker path before you. Fate watching over your shoulder, your choices will bring you closer or father from your goal, leading you to your home… or somewhere else.

The game does an interesting thing with the game play, as you need to counteract Fate, who is trying to predict your next move. Essentially you need to move between light and dark without making a pattern. Like trying to figure out the result of the coin toss. It’s silly fun, that works best in a small game (or a section of a larger one).

Big Brother, is an epistolary kinetic entry, where the narrator pens one last letter to an imaginary big brother, the one you never had, before saying goodbye. Whether created out of a need for support or loneliness, they now feel old enough, maybe strong enough, to let go of that childish creation. The one that gave them courage when they had none, comforted them when they felt low, celebrated them. The big brother they never truly had, but felt in their heart.

It is pretty emotionally charged, feeling like you’ve grown up enough to let things go, but still being anxious to do so, questioning whether you need to do so, removing that crutch you held on for so long. The yearning for good when all around is pain. And behind the metaphors and the “fancy” writing, vulnerability and maybe a bit of fear.

Soft prose under rugged feelings.

Hearth is a short conversation in Twine between you and a luxuriously dressed woman named Eloise, waiting for you before a fireplace, needing informations from you, which she will get one way or another. The game branches twice, leading to four different endings, each of them more disturbing that the last.
Yet, with the little word count, it is so gripping I felt the need to find at least one ending that would not end so badly for me. Needless to say, violence is invited in all paths, unchanging and still distinct from the other paths.

In this small format, there is only so much you can learn from or about Eloise, and the more you dive into the story, the more mysterious she becomes. Almost inhuman. God-like. Demonic maybe. Her cold behaviour contrasting with that is supposed to be a warm environment.

Very intriguing, I would love to read more of this!

leave the lights on is the sequel of let the lights bleed, a sort of continuation from the previous entry, where your abusive partner left you, and you find yourself completely alone, questioning yourself and your actions. Feeling cold (because you are alone), you leave the lights on to keep yourself company, or trick yourself into thinking he will come back. Though your situation has improved (in some fashion), you still struggle with the conflicting feelings and consequences of the abuse (like gaslighting was like… strong there). It portrays sensibly and raw some of the complex aspects of being a survivor of abuse.

a night at the inn is a short binksi piece set at the Cherry Marmalade Inn located in an unnamed fantasy land. After much travels tiring you, you decide to stop at the inn for a filling meal and a good night of sleep. Except… this inn is quite special. It will make whatever you desire right now, even if you don’t know what you want.

This is probably one of the cosiest little IF I’ve played in a while, filling me with joy and warmth (and making my empty stomach really hungry). I think it did those authors (the one who make found sound so delicious in their writing) real credits here. And it also reminded me of Isekai Izakaya in the setting. Really cute.

STRUDEL is a short mystery action piece in Twine, where you play as Riley, a cop (on dismissed leave?) who seems to see conspiracies everywhere, especially Pie-related conspiracies. Taking advantage of a few free days, you aim to try as many sweet delicacies sold in town. It is without wonder that you, a hot-head of a cop with a sus background, somehow ends up entangled into some shenanigans.
Though the premise is silly and had an interesting hook, the end felt a bit rushed (likely ran out of words).

Jellyfish is a short poetic kinetic entry, where you take a glimpse into another reality, after (what I assumed was) taking some drugs. In this psychedelic short piece, real and imagined merge and separate, memories and dreams dance, all as your brain process the next hit. It is very surreal and confusing (as trips often do), and melancholic.

A Description of the Newest Sculpture in the Gallery is a kinetic entry made in Decker looking at a new sculpture in a very cold and clinical way, focusing on details and their gruesome implications. The artist is only mentioned in passing, but seems to be holding your head, forcing you to look at his creation(s) and understand the control over their Muses’ body. You only need to look at the dates.

It is gruesome and bleak, but beautiful in its disturbing nature. All the retro/dithering effects from Decker adds a lot to this uncomfortable experience.

Suspended […] is the second instalment of the RGB cycle, where we play as a very flawed man, finding himself wounded and locked in some sort of basement. Above (and around), we can hear the voices of our wife and her mother (a returning character) looking for you (or better yet, “looking” for the latter). With your limited mobility and incredible pain, you still attempt to escape this dark situation. Surely… not in vain?

As the first instalment, the title is unsurprisingly quite telling about the setting, but nonetheless chilling. Though, unlike the former, the game plays with futility in actions. You can do much, but your influence over the story is well… what much can you do suspended. Still, you don’t seem to despair, trying anything you can, fighting for yourself.

It is an interesting look at man’s drive to push forward even when nothing good will surely come out of it. The unwillingness to give up. And with your MIL’s parting words, it made me wonder what it does day about the PC…

I can’t wait to see who/what we’re getting next!

*Lazy Day* is a short CYOA entry where you must decide what to do for a Saturday morning. Having no plans and many hours ahead, there are a handful of options, from chilling all day, to downright sleeping, have some food or maybe even be productive (*on a Saturday?! shocking!*). It's a very chill and cute adventure. A nice way to *start* your Saturday ;)

A recipe for a different kind of love is a short explorative story in Twine about a woman trying to find peace after a recent breakup. Accepting what happened and moving on can be hard, but retrospection can offer a way through the pain, helping us loving ourselves again.

TENT GAME is a short puzzle game in Ink about… pitching a tent. Simple right? Except you don’t remember which part goes where and when, some pieces also seems mismatched, and you don’t have instructions. So starts your struggle to complete your task. Which can be a bit frustrating (unless you pitch tents often enough that you know the correct order from the get go…). Still, between putting poles together, putting down the tarp, and planting the pegs, you are can also take a little tea break do defuse your frustration.

Funnily enough, the game is tagged as Psychological horror on itch.

Ontological Mystery; or, lack thereof is a slick point-n-click mystery piece made in Decker, where you find yourself locked in a room with a dead almost-carbon-copy of yourself and a blade in your hand. What will you do next?

You can explore the locked room for a while, your own self and the body lying on the floor, before a timer finally opens the door and you are left with a final choice, each revealing a little piece of the mystery. Because of the timer, you need a few replays to see all there is in the game and to piece out all there is (though much is still left unresolved). And the illustrations were neat, being all black-and-white-except-for-that-little-detail. A really cool piece.

THE CRIMSON LINE is a shot kinetic entry made in Calico, where following an unexplained erupting conflict, you flee your town aboard a train with a woman. Years later, you return to town, somewhat looking for answer, somewhat avoiding them altogether. Throughout it all, your sanity, memories and senses are put into question (are you truly seeing what is in front of you? did you remember things as they were?).

Thought I struggled at first to find where to click to get the next part of the text (it’s three little white dots on the left, just below the last paragraph), the piece was really atmospheric, with the vivid and almost surreal descriptions, the background illustrations and sound (made by the author!). The start is almost apocalyptic and clashes with the more tame quaint and quiet end.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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