Heaven Alive

I’ve played quite a few Neo-Twiny Jam games recently (they’re great to show students) and I’m always really impressed by the richness of story that authors can build into such a limited word count. This is a really fantastic example of that. The relationship between the warlord and the vizier is richly drawn through the dialogue (which feels authentic and not overly explanatory), and the music emphasises the atmosphere of dread and unease. It effectively builds a lot of tension in just a couple of minutes. The styling is just gorgeous, too. I played a few times to try and see all the different endings, and I appreciated that the variations between outcomes felt meaningful. I actually didn’t notice the approval counter in the top corner until a few playthroughs in (this is on me for being unobservant); I’m not sure if the numerical representation of the relationship added much to the narrative for me, but that might just be personal preference. A really well-made short game!