Method in My Madness

despite being for the “really bad if” jam, i was actually a very big fan of the presumably “bad” off-kilter format—i was so compelled by the the blinking, jittering, transposing text acting as the overactive mind and intrusive thoughts of the protagonist as they obsess over a love interest. this was a very creative way to stir unease, from a horror standpoint—the text, the one static thing you can trust in a twine game, is betraying you. impactful as well, since this game starts with the default twine styling, so all deviations from the norm come as unexpected. this sparked a similar intrigue to yellow crane tower’s translation mechanic, though this time in a much more emotional, unnerving context, seeing the thoughts shift and change as you hover over to advance.

unfortunately, i lost most interest when this turned into a (Spoiler - click to show)murder story. the necessary characterization and nuance needed to make this type of plot compelling was not there for me, and i don't think the word limit of neo-twiny helps in that regard. this is probably my own fault for playing a game called “method in my madness.” though, since this was for an anti-jam, maybe that's also the point?

regardless, this was very inspiring showing text’s importance as a visual element and thus how the reinforcement/subversion of its conventions can be capable of emotional weight. which is so fun!