Have you tried mentioning the smell just when Charon’s boat arrives at the other shore to meet the pale man in a suit?
1 Like
I did end up asking the author for a hint after that (on the Twine server) and did get the ending. Just never went around to edit the review 
4 Likes
Lucid Coma by Eden Meridia
Entry - More by Eden - IFBD
Escape your nightmare
While this is not the first entry of this jam to have an escape your nightmare concept, this one add an extra mechanic with the “Will to Live”. Depending on your actions, you may lose part of said will… and be consumed by the darkness. This was a neat little addition, giving more gravitas to the concept.
There is another layer to this nightmare, a reason for its existence in the first place. Thought you only discover it when you get closer to dispelling the nightmare…
Overall pretty neat and anxiety inducing game.
I liked the added illustrations too! And this was made in the Snowman format!
4 Likes
The Day I Turned 22 by Cyrus Firheir
Entry - More by Cyrus Firheir CW: audio (volume setting) - IFDB
Anxiety about Adulthood, and Past Reflections
At the brink of a new birthday passing, one often reflects on where life has taken us, and this year’s celebration is different from the previous one. Passing certain milestones may add new challenges, like having to find a new job or your own value in society that may not value your skills, not having the time to (re-)connect with family and friends, or feeling inadequate for not having done certain things.
The entry is filled with sadness and with a hint of blasé-ness covers many things a lot of us worry about. The simple style of writing adds onto the sincerity of the text…
The audio file and images add a filter of melancholy to the whole.
3 Likes
I was away for a few days, but now I’m back to re-post the missing reviews 
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lark-mirror by vileidol
Entry - More by vileidol - IFDB
Hell is Other People
Or so Sartre says, in “No Exit”, the piece this entry is based on. In the play, three people are brought together to torture each other, including Inez, a woman who seduced her cousin’s wife and met her demise when the latter, filled with guilt, left the stove one while they slept (all this is referenced in the blurb/game).
Seemingly told from Inez’s perspective, this entry focuses on the burning love for a kept woman ended up burning her to the core. The entry sort of felt it was doing a one sided conversation with one of the other characters stuck with her…
A very interesting of a similarly poignant source!
5 Likes
The Time Waster Quiz by Alley/Allison Terry
Entry - More by Alley - IFDB
More of a Lovely Reminder than a Time Waster
This short quiz calling itself a time waster reminds us of two important things: taking breaks is important, especially if you’ve done a lot with your days, AND you often will find you’ve done more than you think. Either way, it is important to be kind to and take care of yourself.
Very sweet!~
3 Likes
Otolith by LemonPoppyseedGames
Entry - More by LemonPoppyseedGames - IFDB
Two Frogs… Floating in Space…
What happened to the two frogs sent into space by NASA in the 70s? This is what this entry tried to envision in those 500 words. Did they ignore each other? Did they console each other? Did they drive each other crazy? We will never know… but isn’t it interesting to think about?
2 Likes
Warriors and Samaritans by LemonPoppyseedGames
Entry - More by LemonPoppyseedGames - IFDB
What do we do without a Hero…
And end of an era is upon us when the last of the Heros returns on the brink of death. Who will be there to protect and care for the weak if no Hero is around? Who will fight for good and against evil marauders if not for a Hero?
The Hero provides an alternative (if you chose the correct path) of becoming the Warrior and Samaritan you look up to yourself…
And maybe, that is enough to survive the change…
2 Likes
vestiges of summer by graymeditations
Entry - More by graymeditations - IFDB
I am here now…
But you weren’t before, to the exasperation of others around, deep in your mediation or memories of older times, snippets of moments who marked you, realisation that nothing will ever be the same. Yet you seem stuck in the past or dreams…
I was honestly a bit confused by this piece, with a lot being quite vague and some controls a bit wonky…
2 Likes
vanitas by sweetfish
Entry - More by sweetfish - IFDB
The Enshittification of social media, visualised.
A conversation between two users start, as they meet once again after one of them left the social platform they connected. Thought this reconnection they discuss their experience of said platform and how changes have not gone over well, as well as the concept of anonymity through the ages.
The entry takes on multiple UIs through this conversation of different social media platforms, from the Tumblr DMs, Cohost posts, Twitter, Discord, Reddit, Youtube, and old Forum formats. It gives for a strange retrospective in parallel with the conversation, reminding us of what once was, and how those platforms (may) have changed over the years… often for the worst as they stop putting users first.
It is quite the relevant piece considering what has happened over the past years with Twitter, the past months with Reddit, or even more quietly with Tumblr…
Though, while our place on the internet may be temporary, the entry does give some hope that users who click will find each other elsewhere…
5 Likes
So You Have a Knife at Your Throat by Natasha Luna
Entry - More by Natasha - IFDB
But it doesn’t have to stay that way…
You are an assassin, interrupted in your job by a knife at your throat. Your next action will determine whether you live or die, or maybe walk away a bit worse for wear…
For all its violence and tension, I did giggle at some endings, as the writing has quite a bit of humour. Another was pretty hot as well.
A good bite-size thriller!
4 Likes
in igni by Lapin Lunaire Games/Jinx
Entry - More by Jinx - IFDB
Burning with desire, clawing her way to court.
Esme is an up-and-comer entertainer, trying to claw her way to a position in court, using her wits but mainly her beauty to be remembered. At this point in time, she relies on her patron to secure her standing with the court, even if it pains her soul and pride.
The writing does a wonderful job at burning the rage Esme feels, and how dedicated she is to achieve her goals, on the page. Almost in an animalistic way…
This is again an entry relevant to a TTRPG session I am part of. Me getting blindsided left and right…
4 Likes
JUDAS by vileidol
Entry - More by vileidol - IFDB
Inevitable, Inescapable, is the Fate of Judas
The tale of the Betrayer of the Son of God, whom a kiss dooms mankind to suffering, is recalled from the perspective of the sinner in this entry. Going through the multitudes of feelings held in Judas’s heart, one discovers his resentment towards his pre-determined fate.
There is a hint of homoeroticism between Judas and Jesus, and I’ve been wondering if that was meant from the beginning, or I am just reading into it…
I am not well versed in details of the catholic mythos and believes to pick up on all the details included in this entry…
3 Likes
The Orb by Adalil
Entry - More by Adalil - IFDB
An Invasion and a Strange Orb…
An alarm awaken you, warning you of a breach in your ship. Tasked to investigate, you come across a group of strangers… and an orb, which you had never seen before and which disappears when you try to touch it.
Unfortunately, there is not more to it, as bugs seem to have removed potential actions (and reached the 3 locked endings). Aside from dying or killing the intruders, there is not much to speak of…
2 Likes
Conduit of the Crypt by Grim Baccaris
Entry - More by Grim - IFDB
Dungeon Crawler with impressive UI
Locked in a dungeon, you find company in a Knight, who may or may not help you find your freedom (or something else…)… if you manage to escape the dungeon’s guardian, that is.
The UI of this entry is impeccable, with its little gif-sprites representing the player, changing at random at every start of the game, and its background moving with the mouse.
This is really a well thought-out and executed entry!
3 Likes
Résumé by Requiem
Entry - More by Requiem - IFDB
Never Good Enough…
Naming the game as a Chore on itch is very fitting, as filling out applications for a resume often, if not always feels like an absolute chore. The choice of using Texture for this was the correct one, as the click/drag on desktop reeeaaaaally adds to the chore-like feeling of this task.
The player gets to edit an application for a job, expanding, rephrasing, deleting or submitting at will the different parts. Through the writing, it is obvious the player character is frustrated with the task (and who isn’t, filling those applications are The Worst). Every action has quite a bit of humour in it, especially when expending on some sections.
Good vibes, not good times…
2 Likes
carmen cygni by corvusasteris
A Retelling from a Different Perspective
Son of Helios hurtling towards the ground, as his lover Cygnus cannot take her eyes away from the body about to disappear. After abandoning her kingdom for the one she loved, she is now abandoned herself… But the fates or the gods have other plans for her…
It would have been nice to have a clearer indication the story ended. Because of how the previous passages were formatted, I was expecting a delayed text to appear…
2 Likes
The ecology of the waterways of Mars by lizadaly
An exploration of Martian Ecology
Using snippets and illustrations of the novel “Journeys to the Planet Mars” (1903), the author created a sort of database/paper on the ecology of a certain region of Mars. This entry is more of a muted one compared to the other submitted one, but it is quite beautiful in the way it has been formatted and edited.
3 Likes
Cat vs Villain by Raccoon Raconteur
Entry - More by Raccoon Raconteur - IFDB
Defeat the worst evil of all: the Mighty Cat!
As a villain, you have a reputation to uphold, one of being defeated only by a Hero. How embarrassing it would be if someone knew every morning a Cat. But today…
Oh today, you will defeat it!
The game is adorably delightful, and has the right amount of humour to make the nonsensical situation “normal”. The addition of the Cat’s illustration was so so very cute!
3 Likes
One-Word Warlock by Damon L. Wakes
Entry - More by Damon - IFDB
Sound Effect Galore… and Laugh Galore!
Imagine an adventure text coupled with old timey sound effect. Now remove all words but 5, and make all of those except one choices. This is essentially this entry.
Going from a slice-of-life to absurd to fantasy adventure to easter eggs (the eagles xD), the entry if filled with hilarious moments (even with the limited amount of words on the page). I was giggling through and through while playing!
A very light and lovely addition to the jam!!
6 Likes