A Rock's Tale

I thought the writing task of “you’re a rock” would be a tough one to get much mileage out of, but I was wrong. You find yourself cursed in the form of a rock, yet one that can talk. This is about the limit of your agency, but with time on your side, you can talk to passers-by and interact with their quirky lives.

The gameplay loop ends up fairly straightforward: wait for a random encounter with an NPC, talk to them to uncover their quest, and match NPCs up against one another to solve problems. If this was all it was, it’d be just okay. But I quite enjoyed the layers of discovery shining light on the many mysteries. What initially came across as goofy ended up having a meaning, or at least a puzzle to uncover. It’s not hard work, but it pays careful reading.

I found the writing delightful. Each character felt far from being cookie-cutter and all had a part to play in the overall setting. Solving problems for the characters unlocks one of twenty different endings, which is impressive given they are all fates for a sentient rock. Some of them had a gentle transcendence to them, even though the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.

I accrued about 15 of the endings when I accidentally hit a slow text reveal that was also a link. Clicking impatiently sealed my fate by choosing one fate as the canonical one. This was the only rough edge I felt in the game.

So while the game didn’t shake my understanding of the world, it was oddly a lot of fun to just sit, and be patient and observant.