The Den

Note: This review is for the post-comp release.

Aiden and Vee are two seventeen-year-olds who’ve lived in an underground bunker, aka “the den,” since infancy. They know of no other home. With only Father to look out for them, they’ve settled into a stable life of chores, education, and activities. Safe from the hostile world looming outside.

Then, one day, they discover a new, strange part of the den, forcing them to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about their- and the den’s- existence.

Gameplay
Everything is shaped around Aiden and Vee’s efforts to escape the den and reach the surface level. As a Twine game, The Den follows a format that I call “free range of movement.” It’s when a choice-based work allows the player to travel from room-to-room while freely interacting with objects and NPCs as if it were a parser. And there are many rooms to explore (I had fun mapping it all out in my head).

You can now switch between Aiden and Vee using the button in the sidebar.

What makes the gameplay unique is that it requires teamwork effort between both characters. Aiden and Vee end up stuck in different parts of the den, requiring them to communicate via computer terminals. The player toggles between the two as they find ways around obstacles and apply newly-acquired knowledge about the den’s secrets. While the puzzles aren’t overly technical, they present a nice variety of challenges.

Overall, I found the experience to be quite enjoyable.

Story
I love symbolism. This game overflows with it. Simply put, (Spoiler - click to show)The Den is modeled off the story of Adam and Eve. In this case, the humanity has been driven to extinction due to a sterility virus. Extinct… aside from Aiden and Vee who were engineered and conceived with the goal of repopulating the human race. There’s even a delicious, tempting apple tree, though here, it grants viral immunity. And if this isn’t clear enough, there’s this wham moment:

I also enjoyed piecing together the backstory via the computer files. I was left wanting more simply because the story is just that good. I couldn’t help but be curious: (Spoiler - click to show)Does Father have a freezer of frozen embryos stashed away somewhere? What else do Aiden and Vee know about their origins aside from the fact that Aiden is one day older? Did Father ever intent on informing them of their larger role in rebuilding the human race?

There is one thing that I would like clarified. (Spoiler - click to show)If you go back to bed instead of meeting Vee downstairs, you get a failure ending where Vee is never seen again. Aiden lives the rest of his life in the den without her while Father acts as if she never existed. Was she killed by debris from the earthquake? Did Father decide to force her to live elsewhere in the den? Was she turned into compost?

Genre
The Den is a good example of a work of science fiction that doesn’t lean too heavily into the genre. There’s mention of (Spoiler - click to show) cloning and A.I., and seems to take place in the distance future, but otherwise it’s more like mystery with sci-fi undertones. The game describes itself as “A light-hearted adventure with a darker mystery,” which I’d say is spot-on.

Characters
Narrated in third person, the writing captures the distinct personalities of Aiden and Vee. They contrast nicely: Aiden’s initial hesitance to break the rules with Vee’s playful rebelliousness. But no matter what, they are a team. After a lifetime of being sheltered, their sense of wonder is felt by the player.

And yes, (Spoiler - click to show)it took me forever to piece together that Father was a machine, not another human being (probably should have seen it coming). I like that he gets deeper characterization during the parts we experience from his perspective. Which makes me wonder: What are the odds that Father would have left the drawing of Alpha and Echo on Aiden’s bedroom wall? Could it have been deliberate, just like leaving the key in the kitchen for Aiden to find? I sense hidden depths…

Visual design
As is such with the author’s games, The Den boasts an appearance that is both simple and sleek. It uses a navy background with white text and blue links. Font effects are used for the computer terminals, and character dialogue is colour-coded.

Try the refuse room 🔒
Search the kitchen ✓

Leave the room

Icons add additional polish to appearance and functionality. The fact that the game lets you know when a room no longer has relevant content is immensely helpful.

Final thoughts
For me, The Den has it all: streamlined gameplay, characters you feel invested in, and a creative story- especially the story- that only fully reveals itself after everything has been said and done. It really goes the extra mile- you can even play the Vaccinator game via a link provided at the end! I was so impressed.

Whether or not you enjoy The Den may come down to personal preference regarding genre and/or puzzle complexity. But regardless, it’s a high-quality work that I strongly recommend anyone to try.

Fantastic game, no notes.