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About the StoryIt’s the future. The remnants of humanity, in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event known only as The Fall, have fled a dying homeworld to seek refuge among the colonies of the solar system. Game Details
Language: English (en)
First Publication Date: June 25, 2014 Current Version: 1.00 License: Shareware Development System: Twine Forgiveness Rating: Merciful IFID: Unknown TUID: up4fos8qq7f8qnuy Followed by sequel [R]espawn, by Javy Gwaltney |
| Average Rating: ![]() Number of Reviews: 4 Write a review |
You Were Made for Loneliness is a rather poignant sci-fi tale. Like most twine works, it is a hyperlink story with minimal true interactivity. There is only really one choice that makes any difference to the story, but there is an interesting interlude in the form of hyperlink poetry, which works very well. The lack of choice certainly fits with the primary story arc and the nature of your character, but it is unsatisfying from a game perspective: provided the reader does not mind this, they will be rewarded.
The story is presented as one overarching narrative that branches off into vignettes of memories. It is, perhaps, a trifle overlong for the story it tells, possibly a consequence of multiple authors each contributing sections. And it is difficult to care about every perspective, every character, but for the most part they are all well-written and have a consistent air of melancholy. Trying to determine what connections there are, what repetitions in voice, or where they are simply glimpses into separate worlds solely connected by love and futility is also fairly compelling.
Overall, recommended for fans of twine, and those who don't mind an emphasis on the fiction over the interactive.
This story delivers a mad sort of intensity casting the reader as a past-its-prime robot which is purchased at a yard sale and pressed into service by a seemingly-horrible woman who gripes that she has to issue specific commands to you. You're about two decades obsolete, but old robots make good spare robots. You're not one of the newer ones that can carry out implicit actions.
And it also seems the robot's hard drive has been recycled several times. Snippets of other people's lives can be reviewed, nearly always at high-pitch emotional moments. These become almost too extensive to read in one sitting. The angst here is pitch-dark and unflinching in the places it goes. This is not a bad thing.
What worked against this piece is the text styling. If you know enough html to make the background dark gray, you know enough to change the teeny default 8pt Arial font to something else and make it bigger.
I love the interesting games the author plays with agency. I was overwhelmed by some of the lengthy, almost short story-length interludes. Many of these I did read are internet-age adult situations (not the fun kind by any means) that ache under the weight of lived experience. Some are seemingly related to the frame story, some seem out of left field. I was most interested in the owner of the robot. You're not the best one available, and people enjoy interacting with you with about as much care as they do with ATM machines and dial in voice-recognition menus.
Worth it if you like your fiction brewed emo-black and bitter. If the output were more comfortable to physically read I'd definitely want to delve into more of the tangental stories.
Come into this game expecting a novella rather than a quick text romp. If you don't read at 600 words per minute like I do, it may take you multiple afternoons or a whole evening dedicated solely to reading this piece.
It's totally worth it, though. The prose is varied and the concept is ingenious and immersive. There is some disturbing material - warning for a graphic description of suicide, among other subjects like murder and abuse and violence - but the story is grand.
One thing I enjoyed was how little I choice I had until the very end, making the final choice (no spoilers!) even more difficult. I was very torn.
Great game/story/novella/whatever-this-is!
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