Hand of God

This game reminded me a lot of choose-your-own-adventures mixed with Office Space mixed with a Heinlein book. It was a fun play, even though there were some typos and small proof-editing things that could have improved the reading. It's ironic, because I also ended up using Google to look up some words I had seen before but never read anywhere (demiurge, monad, cast mares, aeon, gynoid) in this game (so I am happy to walk away with some new words).

The story revolves around a programmer working a corporate job who lives out an existence (what David Foster Wallace called the "grind of day-to-day living"). I could relate to the character's desire for adventure. I liked the overall theme and enjoyed the different characters that were introduced. I most enjoyed the different paths and was intrigued by exploring how the story would play out. Even after I got the optimal ending, I kept playing to explore every option. I used to do this with CYOA books when I was a kid. It left me satisfied learning about all the possibilities in this fictional universe that was created. I would recommend playing it just to get a sense of what it must be like for people with jobs who feel trapped in grueling jobs working for companies that are too demanding on their personal lives. I know it is a work-in-progress, so I recommend some more play testing from friends to edit the text-- or running the text through a spellchecker/proofreading tool grammarly.

Unlike some other IF experiences, I didn't quit in frustration. It was a pleasant escape. I'm glad I played it.