Starfisher

Filled with melancholy and discomfort, this game displays a slice-of-life snippet between a dad and their child (you), stuck in a place of tension from unresolved (and undisclosed) issues. The pacing is fairly slow, with minimal dialogue between the characters - focusing instead on what once was and how things are now different/still the same.

Neither party want to acknowledge what happened (whatever that was, (Spoiler - click to show)that may or may not involve the mother?), nor try to solve whatever issue either. The lack of resolution in the situation leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, though life doesn't always provides resolution.

A nice slice-of-life story about family. The protagonist and their father go on a fishing trip together - the stuff of an old-timey family tale - but towards the end it's gradually revealed (Spoiler - click to show)the fishing takes place in OUTER SPACE and this is a science fiction story, hence the title. But despite the grandiose backdrop, the story focuses on the minutiae of everyday life, the intricacies of father-child relationships. The other stuff, really, is just a backdrop. (Spoiler - click to show)Even though humans have advanced to the outer boundaries of the solar system, family and all the complicated emotions that come with it still hold strong.

I wish there was less linearity in the story. You can make choices, but they don't influence much and some are never brought up again after you make them. There were also a few grammatical errors, which at times made it hard to parse what was happening. But I liked the overall atmosphere, especially the Twine theming. Blue-grey color scheme goes hard.

Finished in ~10 minutes.

This game had a few surprises for me, and I liked it. It was entered in Shufflecomp.

You play as a child come to visit your father. There are a few customization options for yourself, which I thought were nice.

What makes the game work for me is the reflective and meaningful (to me) choices you can make. They aren't really black or white, but instead give you a chance to roleplay yourself and your own relationships.

Nice writing, very thoughtful, not too long, and with nice visuals that I was trying to figure out how to emulate for my own future games.