I was able to get past the part about erasing the lines without too much trouble, but then I got stuck at the end when trying to find the Peep. It was because I was trying to search the drawer, not the āmessā!
I am BACK with reviews 
Starting today, I will be taking a look at the rest of the Bare-Bones entries.
and continuing to add the reviews to the IFDB, the Petite Mort are all queued/published with extra bits, Iām a third through the Grand Guignol.
I tried my best playing the Spanish entries of the EctoComp, but have been struggling to understand most of the text ;-;
(sowwy)
3 Likes
In that case I really wanted it to be a hunt. I thought searching the drawer was too easy.
But I get your point totally.
Rethinkingā¦
WHOM I SHOULD LOVE ABOVE ALL THINGS by Sophia de Augustine
Summary: A priest is confronted with the sudden return of his former lover.
Thoughts: micro piece stylised as some sort of play, a discussions between a priest and a confessor - both having history together. The story is dramatic and painful (for the characters, itās quite beautiful to read), and giving just enough information to understand the dynamic between the characters, yet leaving you wanting more. I have so many questions about those two characters (incl. a chicken an egg one on the priest and the potential forbidden lover trope), and hope the longer piece this extract is from will be published one day.
3 Likes
Adventure python by moob453
This is a very hard gameā¦ also known as Adventure python. the goal of the game is to survive 100 fights, if you do that you can win. or you can chicken out and just not fight, but your here to play a game not run away. there wont be a lot of things you can use so what are you doing here get out and survive ADVENTURE PYTHON!
Thoughts: Fairly basic adventure game, with a combat and inventory system. Fight āmonstersā, get coins, watch out for your health/hunger, get to the finish line or die. The fights are randomly generated, in names, attack and rewards. The input is fairly simple (press the number for the command).
It was fine. Just gets a little repetitive after a dozen fight. I died before reaching the required 100, but didnāt feel the need/want to try to beat the game.
The ASCII art was cute, and Iām glad the author had an online version.
2 Likes
Coffee (And a Shake) For Five by Iri
Summary: Step into the shoes of the unnamed protagonist as they spend a few moments alone with a very close friend while waiting for your big order of coffee (and a shake) to be prepared.
Thoughts: Cute little kinetic(-ish) story about what are/could/should have been. Retrospections and (unrequited?) feelings are the focus of the bit.
I still thought the You character is kind of a dick.
1 Like
Moonstrike: Superdim by redflagromancegames
Summary: Auto insurance agent and aggressively perfect big sister by day, world-class cat thief by night: Ji Min Cain throws her schedule out the window when her mortal enemy escapes from prison. Her enemy? Media darling and professional supervillain Hammer. Can she hunt him down before he gets away with his next big heist? Will she catch the eye of the government Bureau of Heroics-- or someone much more dangerous?
Thoughts: Pretty long game, could almost be kinetic (one ending, but still have a few choices). The setting is a bit silly (vigilante trying to take down the villain, but also life), but itās pretty fun. I thought many passages were very long tho, and many needed a break or to be shortened.
I was also confused with time passing. Since weāre supposed to be hunting a villain, and time being of the essence, it felt weird to spend so much time doing some random things? 
I think the middle part of the game felt a bit out of place, and didnāt help much with the pacing of the story overall.
There are some pretty funny moment and quibs between characters, especially you and the villain.
2 Likes
Our Cabin Was Cold by LeahPeach
Note: this is a NSFW entry. You can managed to not avoid the very NSFW bits.
Summary: Track your adventure as you run from the orcs massacring your hometown, and see if you can find yourself a little bit of warmth in the harshness of my world, even as winter is approaches.
Thoughts: Oh neat, a Twine format I hadnāt encountered before! CYOA book style! oh, the nostalgiaā¦
Neat fantasy story about survival (and maybe more, wink wink). Good balance between text length and choices. Stakes are high (need to find shelter and survive) but donāt feel insurmountable. Nice banter between the characters (Tent, best girl!).
Itās also nice that the more NSFW passages are behind choices (and itās made obvious enough in the option list), so you can go through the story with maybe some flirting but nothing explicit.
Shuffling the passages number was also smart: you canāt piece out easily the story, unless you follow the links on the page.
1 Like
Found Objects by mxelm
Summary: Youāre looking for your guitarās pedal, but end up finding other thingsā¦
Thoughts: This one hit hard. Short and sweet (also not sweet, it stings). Sometimes you donāt need more than a tiny snapshot to pull the heart strings.
1 Like
Maverick Hunter: Scandalous Mission by Noah Si
This is a demo/proof of concept/fan game, mashing up the Mega Man IP and CrĆØme de la CrĆØme by H Powell-Smith.
It had first been submitted to the Bring Out Your Ghost.
Thoughts: I didnāt know what to expect, but it for sure wasnāt this!
The project is definitely a demo (I found a few uncoded variables/statements on a passage), and probably isnāt supposed to be serious? I know it has some references to both the IPs mentioned above, but I donāt have enough prior knowledge to know for sure what is and what isnāt (though I could take some guesses).
The game starts off with a āget ready to fight some baddiesā moment. You can pick a sidekick and who you will fight. Itās very serious and importantā¦
ā¦ aaaaand the demo ends on a homage to Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die (no matter what you pick). Itās silly, but the whiplash from going to a set story to this made me laugh a lot. I donāt know whether it would actually fit the story planned, but I kinda hope it stays in the game.
Thanks for the good laugh!
3 Likes
POV: Youāre a Teenage Girl in a Conservative Christian Family by alyshkalia
Summary: A little piece of my religious trauma.
Thoughts: Iām gonna need a hug after this and so will you.
The way the choices are made available/disappear from the list, and the responses when you choose them, hit like a ton of brick.
Strangely, the harsh Harlowe interface adds to the bleakness of the situation.
3 Likes
Iāll have more to say about this soon, but anyway, thank you for that review!
1 Like
To Burn A God Down by BNT
Summary: a vengeful outcast who seeks to kill a god, after an incident where the god killed their last family member.
Thoughts: Another dark entry to the pile (so many of them ;-; ). You have a tragic back story, and are set on taking revenge for your misfortune, ready even to lose your life for your cause. You can sort of change your mind by the end, leading you towards different endings (and revelations). It felt a bit longer than it should have been?
Your World According to a Single Word by Kastel
Summary: A word wants to say more than words about your world.
Thoughts: I really, really, like pieces looking at the human experience from an outside perspective (aliens/other). Itās weird, but also makes you think about things you take for granted. Here, a word takes over your body for a month, and created a game to share its experience with you.
Itās strange, and endearing, and pretty meta/philosophical about the use of words, their meaning and whether there are better ways to communicate things to other people.
This was a really good entry!
1 Like
Roma Tenebris by voidrim
Summary: Roman Republic senatorās schemes simulator
Thoughts: A short and fun āpoliticalā simulator set in Ancient Rome. Try restoring the balance in the Senate while avoiding causing too many riots or lose the city altogether (I failed the first, sorry plebs). Nudge other Senators to change their votes (or not) with different approaches (Iām a great convincer it turns out, makes sense).
Also enjoyed the playful writing in this one.
sidenote: itās sliiiightly cheating with the use of colour/effect. technically Harlowe has build-in macros so you donāt have to edit the CSSā¦ Itās been two weeks, so Iām guess Iām late or whatever.
1 Like
Photographs from the Summer of 1987 by catsket
Summary: you find an old photo book in an antique store. summer of 1987. photographs by adonis dāamour. if lost, please return to āāāāāāā
Thoughts: Holy shit, the whiplash for this one. Do read the content warnings before playing the game. I did, I expected some weird stuff, but that is some gruesome weird stuff.
The gruesome aside, the writing is very vivid. The descriptions the photos from the book paints quite the pictures (eh, bad puns). The start is actually quite lovely, like a fun roadtrip where you meet someone cool and they tag along with you for the summer. And then you go on some dark shenanigans with them for lolzā¦
2 Likes
OBJECT PERMANENCE by graymeditations
Summary:
Thoughts: I donāt know what to make of this game just yet. There was no blurb or anythingā¦
You are shown an item and asked whether youād like to discard it or stop the process. For some objects you will also have the option to ruminate. The game ends when you either stop or discard the 27 items (of different levels of broken).
I just know it made me sad after I was done.
1 Like
The Secret of Flint Smith by trexanddrago
Summary: Anthony Fitzgerald, now as 18 years old man, sneaks into Flint Smithās house, after he got a message from someone if someone (or something) was locked in the basement under Flint Smithās house.
Note: this is a sequel to Ranaway, which had been submitted to the SingleChoice Jam
Thoughts: I got inside, looked around, and got stuck.
The kinetic parser uses unconventional keys to progress through the story (such as L to leave), but seems to be buggy (or I ran into the ending).
1 Like
Christian Delaney and the Dirigible of Death by noseflautist
Summary: a Murder Mystery set on an Airship
Thoughts: I do wish this had been a complete game rather than a demo, because I had fun while playing it (take the UNFINISHED paths at your own risks 
)
. Vibes of Agatha Christie mysteries (locked room, unexpected murder setting). You play as an up-n-comer detective, ready to prove to the word you have what it takes to do the job!
The writing is pretty playful and fun. Playing on those old detective tones from the 20s-40s.
The game offers multiple ways to interact, with different traits (reminded me of Thirty-Nine Steps in that way). And has a point system Ć -la Fate (TTRPG)?
Iām looking forward to see how the game pans outā¦
1 Like
Preordained (A Dimensions Tale) by Jackson The Bear
Summary: A short tale starring the Commander of a spaceship, their crew, and Death.
Thoughts: A short sci-fi story where a ship essentially lands into an ambush. There are multiple endings (all of which end fairly abruptly - if there is not link, itās an ending). The building of the action is interesting, but I wish the different elements (NPCs or other important groups) were more fleshed out, or you could have a bit more agency in what to do.
1 Like