Forevermore: A Game of Writing Horror

Forevermore: A Game of Writing Horror is a poetic Twine game in which you play as famous brooder Edgar Allen Poe, in search for inspiration for his newest poem. Except, he’s having a hard time staying on track, lacking the words and feelings for his pen to translate to paper. And distractions keep breaking his flow, when he finally gets it. There are five different endings, which the game tracks for you, and you can keep the stanza you created then too (some of them are pretty hilarious).

It’s pretty funny to see the contrast between the Brooder-in-Charge struggling to get into the mood, especially when you learn a bit more about his life. It feel a bit too fake: you practice the occult with a plaster skull, your dark study where you brood has been cleaned a bit too well by your maid (yes, a thick layer of dust is needed for the ambiance, you see), and you’re living a pretty cushioned life (a nice little cottage and a maid that cares for you). Truly, the fresh scones and tea do not bring upon the so needed ravens.

Overall, it’s a really fun game with a good sense of humour. And it’s especially fun replaying it, to find the other poems/endings (I got the “bad” ones first which were hilarious). Seeing the ChoiceScript-like stats bar on top of the screen change as you try to brood or enjoy the day.

This was a fun little game that involved writing a text that varies depending on your inputs. Given that the game was written in 4 hours or less, I doubt it uses full procedural generation, but there is at least some visible variation in text and it gives the feel of procedural generation in a good way.

You play as Edgar Allan Poe (or equivalent) and you're trying to compose what is essentially *The Raven*. You get distracted, so you you have to battle to be either gloomy or happy. Whatever you pick, it affects your writing.

I love the idea, although there's not enough time to really expand on it, so we only get a couple of stanzas. I had difficulty making and executing plans, as I couldn't figure out how to maximize gloominess or cheerfulness. I did get 2 endings, and had a good time.