Go to the game's main page
Review
Begscape is a Twine game about traveling from city to city and begging for coins to afford food and shelter. Begging is nearly the only action in the gameplay.
It is morning. Shelter costs 5 coins. You have 2 coins.
Beg
You beg for coins with the hope that you have enough at the end of the day. Otherwise, you sleep on the streets which worsens your health. You can either keep begging in the city or move on to the next one. Unless the locals kick you out first. The cost of food and shelter depends on the city. The game ends when you die.
While some players might find it too repetitive, it’s actually quite engaging and not entirely without strategy. Cost of food/shelter can range from 4 coins to 9 coins. My strategy involved moving on from the more expensive cities. However, it's possible to encounter hazards while traveling. And even if you find the game to be overly repetitive, the temptation of achieving a new high score may make it difficult to step away. In one playthrough, I lasted 23 days!
A prominent theme is the societal dismissal of people in need. While Begscape does not go into detail, the cities’ population inherently frowns upon your presence. Some individuals may give you coins, but most are content to look away or take advantage of your vulnerability. And sooner or later, you get thrown out. It is such that you are stuck in a continuous cycle of begging to afford basic necessitates with no way out.
Someone kicks over your bowl and grabs your coins. You lose 4 coins.
The gameplay briefly touches on the stigma around homeless people, such as the belief that they only spend money on drugs and nothing else. In addition to being homeless, it we battle other taboos. Notably, our gender.
A mutant beekeeper walks by, mocking your gender.
While there is no further elaboration on this, it nonetheless connects back into the subject of gender identity and judgement which is often found in Porpentine’s work- as is the usage of random generation for NPCs and scenery.
Begscape is a game that you can find yourself visiting time and time again due to its simple central mechanic and the temptation to replay it for a higher score. The protagonist’s situation gives you things to think about.
