Reviews by manonamora
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Yeehaw?, November 11, 2023Through 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.
Not just cryptid but also cryptic. , November 11, 2023I'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.
Definitely a nightmare, November 11, 2023Forenote: 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!
Do you really not believe?, November 11, 2023A 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.
You lose or you lose... but how bad?, November 11, 2023You 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.
Twisted and graphic take on horror, November 11, 2023This 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...
Mix of genre did not quite land., November 11, 2023This 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.
Really, don't mess with time..., November 11, 2023The 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.
Dr. Seuss would be proud, probably., November 11, 2023Games 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!
An excellent mix of horror and comedy!, November 10, 2023What 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
A good try at horror, November 10, 2023Tiptoeing 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.
Spooky shenanigans? check!, November 10, 2023Moody 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~
Whiplash ending., November 8, 2023The 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...
When the side-quest goes a bit weird..., November 8, 2023This 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!
Confusing ramblings, November 8, 2023This 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...
Rhyme but no reason..., November 8, 2023This 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
An eerie walk through the woods..., November 8, 2023This 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.
Build-a-bear but make it monster, November 7, 2023A 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.
I'll get those darn adventurers next time!, November 7, 2023Now, 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...
Creepy escape, if you manage to, that is.., November 7, 2023This 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.
Just wait and pass the plate, November 7, 2023In 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?).
Spoopy tales around a camfire goign haywire..., November 7, 2023A 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...
Subtle horror through rambles, November 7, 2023This 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...
Dying is fun… but in moderation., November 7, 2023Dungeon 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.
It hurts. But what else can you do?, November 6, 2023This 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.
Don't use programs you don't understand..., November 6, 2023When 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!
Now I'm hungry..., November 6, 2023You 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).
Heart-pincher, November 6, 2023While 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.
Silly, chaotic, loads of fun!, November 6, 2023Silly 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!
An eerie voyeuristic languished gaze at an abandonned house, November 6, 2023This 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)
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.
There's no good choice here., November 5, 2023This 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...
A building chokehold making for an incredile multi-media game, November 5, 2023This 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.
Un Jeu impressionant qui fait froid dans le dos!, November 5, 2023Utilisant 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!!).
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.
Something is coming... will defeating it be enough?, June 3, 2023Starlight 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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