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Emotions bursting, with philosophy on the side..., November 22, 2023Xanthippe's Last Night with Socrates is the imagined final night between Xanthippe, Socrates's second wife, and the philosopher - the night before his execution. Though your goal is to sleep with the man, your conversation may take a different turn... or ten.
Do check the content warning in-game page before starting the game.
As we know little about Socrates (and what we do is only through posthumous accounts), and even less so about Xanthippe (who is often represented in a negative light), one has quite a bit of leeway when interpreting those figures into a piece of fiction*. What comes out of this entry is a very nuanced and multi-faceted characters with fears and hopes, convictions and grudges, and a deep sense of love for the other.
*did they really spend that last night together?
The writing of the game is delightful, with a modern tone that one might not expect with the setting. Take aside, the piece seems to be walking the tightrope of implausibility, especially during discussions of consent and marital commitment, or the role-play between the two lovers turning into a philosophy lesson with the roles reversed. For most of the game, the modern tone is not quite noticeable, but overly crude tone at times breaks the illusion.
What worked for me the most was the real and vulnerable moments between husband and wife: the want to spend those last moments together, the hurtful words and maybe petty way to get an apology, the truthful confession of one's feelings and hidden acts... The way the game turned a known and revered historical figure as just a man - with strong principles, so strong he'd choose death, but just a man still - and an unknown variable as more than a passing disregarded line into a fleshed out person.
The start made me hungry, which turned into pain and wish for Xanthippe to take some sort of revenge, to a soothing and warming discussion about love and respect... I could have taken or left the more spicy elements*.
*actually I would have welcomed an extra option at the end where you maybe just... cuddle?