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Review
The previous games I went through for the Great Play Marathon were about an hour each, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this one took me less than twelve minutes to finish. Despite that, I enjoyed it much more than the other, longer games.
The setting is surreal and whimsical, the story tightly crafted. No words are wasted. Everything hints at larger things going on behind the scenes, which you the reader hardly can comprehend because you are really just a guest in this strange place, helping the protagonist go about their daily business. I admire games written in this style. Several times I was reminded of S. Woodson's Beautiful Dreamer and Magical Makeover. There's a similar flair to Magical Makeover here; both games feature a dreamy European-esque environment with masks, revelry and elaborate costumes, though here it has a darker edge. Perhaps Summit or Porpentine's games, like Their Angelical Understanding, would also be a good comparison.
Shufflecomp games are all inspired by songs. I didn't listen to "Tragic Kingdom", so can't comment on it, but "Paper Planes" has an interesting story. In 2015, when this game was made, M.I.A was mainly known as a countercultural singer who advocated for refugees. "Paper Planes" itself was commonly seen as a pro-refugee song where she satirizes the perception of refugees and the poor as violent criminals. But she's since come out as a Trump-supporting antivaxxer and born-again Christian, losing many of her former fans. When I heard "Paper Planes" for the first time a few years ago, her new reputation was well-established, so it was an odd experience.
In general, while some details from the songs are used in To Spring Open, it mostly does its own thing. But like "Paper Planes", the game has undeniable overtones of class and political exploitation.
(Spoiler - click to show)The beginning is a frenzy of new and fantastical details, but as you settle in and become habituated, you realize the central story revolves around oppression and conquest. The angels and the jackal government force the Eiszapfen population to labor in the agricultural fields to produce a profitable drug called masque, which is used by the angelic church. In the ending, you participate in an act of revolution: watch the paper planes that have been delivering your tasks come down upon the fields of the agricultural laborers and set them on fire, removing the ability to harvest the fields and exploit the laborers for profit.
It's curious that you don't play a leading role in this act. It's kickstarted by a message you receive, and it's the paper planes that descend on the fields and set them on fire, not you yourself. The planes are guiding you the whole time, and you enact their will more than your own.
The whole story has the player at one remove: you're helping the protagonist act upon the world, but are unable to fully inhabit it due to unfamiliarity with the setting. Yet the protagonist, too, is removed from the world because they're only a messenger or envoy, acting at the behest of a party we don't fully understand. (Spoiler - click to show)Given the painful shock the protagonist receives every time they receive a new duty, I wonder if even the rebellions they participate in aren't something they fully chose. It could all be another shackle.
Somehow, I like this. It contributes to the fantastical nature of the piece to have ambiguity about who the protagonist is serving and why, and whether they really chose this life. And it feels appropriate that in this game's very short runtime, the story doesn't clog itself up trying to explain away every detail. It starts in media res, and ends that way. Though I haven't watched Spirited Away or much Studio Ghibli at all, other reviewers have brought them up, and the game really does have the feeling of the surreal, fantastical animations that come out of animation centers like Goebelins.
A few more concluding notes:
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The story mainly uses the default Sugarcube styling, but adds in some minimalist CSS effects to represent different in-game locations, including a wonderful animation that plays when on the subway. They accentuate the story without distracting from it.
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There are no true "puzzles" besides the task of figuring out where to go and what to do next, something I had no issues with.
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Haven't been able to figure out the meaning of the title. Wondering if I've missed something, or if the creators wanted to be coy. It could have symbolic meaning, but I don't know what exactly.
