six of cups

Described as a "sad divorced man fic," six of cups is a series of six scenes from a man's life that include a rocky marriage, a divorce, and a strained relationship with a daughter, all of which are all linked with the recurring theme of drinking (or is Card #2 supposed to be a pickle jar?). The game is also a choice-based hybridization of Unity and Ink.

The player is presented with a spread of six cards, each adorned with an image of a glass. Clicking on a card brings up a scene from the protagonist’s life, and these can be visited in any order. Instead of the game ending, the player stops once they’ve seen everything.

The writing is brief and concise. I was impressed with the amount of depth it conveys. The composition of scenes varies. One scene may consist of a few short paragraphs. Another may be a haphazard string of text messages. Instead of a detailed story, the game works to establish tone- a tone that says more than enough about the state of the protagonist's marital life without further detail.

"Okay," you say, dismissively. A dead fly floats in your drink.

I found it easy to get invested in the story and characters. There’s a sense of cynicism that persists and drives the narrative forward without feeling heavy-handed. I will say, I am itching to know more about the implications of the final line in the game:

The combination of Unity and Ink works well for the game's purposes because it adds complexity visually and implementation-wise, taking the act of reading about moments in a person’s life and giving it dimension. The visual presentation of the cards on the screen makes a strong first impression, while a range of colours, patterns, and graphical elements tailor to the mood of each scene. The format adds a degree of interactivity. Clicking on the cards, for one thing, but also superficial ways of getting the player to interact with what they read, such as having them tap the screen to “send” the text messages.

The simplicity of the six card spread works so well in allowing players to bounce around a timeline at whim. The tense conversation with the daughter, (Spoiler - click to show)Phoebe, can immediately be countered by going back to the moment in college before such responsibilities existed. And vice versa. In exploring the timeline this way, the player is encouraged to contemplate the protagonist, his choices, and how they intersect with the lives of other people.

Arguably, six of cups is more like an experience than a game, and yet, I found it just as engaging as anything else I’ve played. The concise writing, visual design, and simple but consistent implementation work together to result in a strong slice-of-life game that I have a hard time backing away from.