Saltwrack

The first thing I realize is that it hurts not having a back button. All the visual detail, snippets of backstory, and comments from the people who end up joining my party—what did they say before about the second interpreter? I have to slow down and pay attention. This is a good sign.

The buildup of suspense before my journey helps me prepare, and explains why my character knows so much and feels confident going on this journey in the first place. By the time I get out there, I’m pretty excited to see this saltwrack, as bleak as it is. I see rocks, lichen, iridescent worms. Some tentative connections to our world, maybe? But real-life concerns are just unsettling shapes in my peripheral vision. The saltwrack is overwhelmingly large. I’m getting lost in another world, and I really needed to get lost in another world.

I travel for many minutes/days until, how about that, I walk right up to the ominous location I’ve been searching for. Would you like to enter? the game asks. As I loiter at this choice point, I realize it’s absolutely crucial that this game has no back button.

Whether because of my choices or my groundless expectations, Saltwrack didn’t really feel threatening until it suddenly did, and I was appropriately disoriented, like the horror movie victim who doesn’t realize what they’re dealing with until it’s too late.

Things changed after that. I played a different game, the game of the victim trying to get back to safety. Let’s not worry about the details of my mistakes. I let my guard down, and I paid for it.

But the game eased me back into the real world without punishing me for any missteps. I can feel the emptiness of the routes I didn’t take in a way that echoes the boundlessness of the world I just visited. But the outcome of my adventure feels like mine.

Saltwrack luxuriates in the space between heavy-handed comparison with reality and abstract sci-fi fancy, leaving plenty of room for internal reflection and personal connection with the material. I would call it immersive. I would call it art. I would recommend it for anyone who feels like getting lost in a story, and I will be mining it for ways to improve my own writing. I think it’ll haunt me for a while.

A world ravaged by apocalypse. The salt wrack. As a researcher, your objective is to reach the center of the cataclysm and discover what you can.

The writing and descriptions are strong, conveying the different views of the salt wrack and the many perils as you try to reach the center and return. Geography, unusual lifeforms, cold and storms all stand in your way. This game is difficult, and it took me three attempts before I could reach the center and return to tell the tale. Even then, it was a clear pyrrhic victory, given the many horrors and losses along the way.

There are also plenty of choices to make, although I don't think I've figured out the most optimal set at this point. You will also need to manage your rations, but this isn't communicated very well, and the quantity remained at plentiful for a good long time before suddenly decreasing rapidly. I 'beat' the game on the third attempt by focusing on speed, unless I felt it was at the expense of safety, and had also run out of rations by the time I reached the end.

Additionally , there doesn't seem to be a save or undo feature. This game is forced ironman, which also adds to the difficulty and interestingly, the vibe.

Be warned, this is a horror story, showing the bleakness and hopelessness of navigating an apocalyptic landscape. If something like this causes distress, there is nothing wrong in seeking stories elsewhere. Still, if this is your thing, there is strong writing and atmosphere to be found here.

This is a genre of story I like: in a postapocalyptic world caused by unexplainable events that warp the very definition of life, an explorer is determined to discover the truth behind this new world.

While the game seems to be highly replayable (you can pick a wide variety of teammates and each day gives you different options), I only played to one ending, where I can become renowned as the discoverer of the truth.

The writing is descriptive, focused on the salt-covered world you live in and the strange creatures you begin to find in the wastes as you journey towards the center. Conversations with teammates reveal more about the worldbuilding and society in particular.

The atmosphere was moody, it felt scientific enough to provoke curiosity, and enjoyed my time with the game. I didn't feel compelled to try again, as I felt I had experienced a full story.