Go to the game's main page
Review
I left a spoiler-free review on the competition's website, so I thought I'd give my thoughts on more specific moments. For anyone wondering if they should play, this is a great and eerie coming-of-age tale from the perspective of a teenage girl, and it captures that tone wonderfully.
(Spoiler - click to show)My first ending was the Cuckoo-return ending, and after getting most of the others, I found this one to be the weakest of the lot. The imagery of the jellyfish, and especially the disgusting scene of forcing down the hairy tooth like a pill, made my skin crawl, and made me so much more interested in what exactly these not-boys are in comparison to what they become when the ritual is done right. And even the zombie boyfriends were interesting in their confusion, the way they seem to create these vacuum holes in the memories of everyone who interacts with them is so interesting. In comparison, the boys becoming like your brothers is still interesting, but feels a bit more by-the-books for a homunculus story like this. Which is fine, it was only one ending of many.But that's part of why I wished we got to see more of this weird magic at work. The points where we get to see the protagonist struggle and squirm to deal with this weird, gross magic that's seeping into her life are so strong, and have such a unique, cool voice, I'm left wanting more of it.
This game is very very cool, I'd be very interested in seeing more of your work, especially if you have any longer projects of a similar style.
Comments on this review
Previous | << 1 >> | Next
Hey, just so you know, the feedback you enter on the IFComp website can only be seen by the author, and only after the comp is over. If you wrote something there that you intended as a public-facing review, you might want to share it here instead/as well.
Oh gotcha, thanks for letting me know! In that case, here's what I put down:
A very interesting look into the uncertainty that comes with coming of age, from the prespective of two tweenage girls trying to literally manifest themselves into maturity.
I got a majority of the game's endings, and found them to be compelling to varying degrees, not quite created equal. I find this particular game gets more interesting when you make the "wrong" choices.
I loved the characterization of the school and the teenage environment therein; the constant presence of social conformity, fear of judgment, kids racing for popularity and, humorously, lesbophobia in particular immerses me into all the worst, anxiety-laden aspects of high school life.
On the other hand, I don't feel like the magic here has nearly as much of a presence, which is a shame, because the few moments where the magical horror takes the spotlight I feel are the strongest. I wish we'd lingered a little on the protagonist witnessing the weirdness of the magic- seeing its effects, talking to the boy-things, etc.
Lastly, the optional green links were a mixed bag. About a quarter of them felt like they gave refreshing insights into the protagonists head- like a reward for paying attention. But the other three-fourths could have either been left as regular text, or just omitted entirely.
Overall, a very strong CYOA with a distinct identity. Very enjoyable read.
