Studying titles and tags and making up plots

[Hidnook]

The Den by Ben Jackson

@radiosity
Adventure, Mystery, Puzzle • An hour and a half • Choice-based • Twine

Other than the (likely unintentional) assonance/rhyme formed by the title and the author’s name (“den”, “Ben”), the title is very straightforward. It describes the setting of the game in a blunt and brief way that is strangely foreboding. The goal is to escape this Den, so maybe the title does a good job of somehow illustrating how ominous the place is.

The tags are straightforward, and it seems to be an escape-the-room(s)-type game where you solve puzzles to dramatically make your way out. The “mystery” part suggests that there may be a greater puzzle to solve, though. Who are you? Why are you here? What, really, is the Den?

The cover has what looks to be a man and a woman holding hands, and the blurb names them “Aiden” and “Vee”. Adam and Eve, perhaps? Now that I’m on this biblical journey, I can’t unsee the similarities. They’ve been living in paradise for a long time, overseen by a protective Father. Something happens, making them want to leave where they’ve been: the Den. If you read “the Den” using a long e sound (ee) for “the”, there’s another allusion: Eden.

TLDR: Biblical Ben and a Father playing Mother Hen

[Hidnook]

The Deserter by MemoryCanyon

@MemoryCanyon
Content warning: While there is not graphic depictions of violence, this is a story about war and some of the content could be emotionally triggering for some readers. The is a work of fiction and any similarities to real persons or events are purely coincidental.
Adventure - War • Longer than two hours • Choice-based • Ink

Another title with a likely-unintentional relationship to the author name. A deserter leaves until what they deserted is nothing but a memory. And deserts and canyons are…similar enough.

The content warning doubles as a fictitious persons disclaimer, which I haven’t seen yet in a game. The game is also based on war, with both the content warning and the tags mentioning this. So the deserter probably deserted their…squadron? regiment? battalion? I don’t know the military terms, sorry.

Why desert, though? Desertion does imply insubordination, which means that the C.O. did something that the deserter didn’t appreciate. Maybe it was a buildup of many little things that eventually caused the deserter to leave. But it is hard to leave the middle of an active warzone. Leaving is probably a feat in itself, along with gathering the resources to do so. The game might revolve around either preparing to leave or the trek of leaving. But the leaving part itself is arduous, and doesn’t make a very good choice game, unless it’s walking until you encounter something, like a village, and deciding whether you go into the bakery for food or keep walking.

TLDR: deserter contemplates dessert

[Hidnook]

Doctor Who and the Dalek Super-Brain by jkj yuio

@jkj_yuio
Sci-fi retro • Half an hour • Choice-based • Web-based

Clearly based on, well, Doctor Who, which I haven’t seen and barely know the plot of. The Daleks seem to be a race or species, who built an ultra-intelligent super-brain to conquer the world, or the universe, or something.

“Sci-fi” and “retro” is an interesting combination. Science fiction naturally implies the future, while retro naturally implies the past. Doctor Who is somewhat of an old show, but it is in a science-fiction-fantasy setting (I think?). So maybe there’s old time-period appropriate stuff (I believe the series has been going since the 60s) as well as futuristic stuff. Maybe it’s something like Back to the Future where it’s the past’s (then-present) interpretation of the future, where there’s futuristic things like flying cars but also old (sorry) things like fax machines. Although I haven’t seen Back to the Future either, so who knows.

TLDR: fancy screens and fax machines

[Draconis (Daniel Stelzer)]

I think the term for it is “retrofuturism”: how people of the past imagined the future. My favorite example is the “Im Jahre 2000” (In the Year 2000) advertisements for Stollwerck Chocolates, made in the 1890s. I want to travel across Europe in a hotel like that.

Someday I want to go really retro with it and write a game based on how the ancient Romans conceived of travel through outer space (e.g. the Somnium Scipionis and Verae Historiae).

[jkj_yuio]

Retrofuturism is a good example. However, sometimes they used Sci-Fi tech that was already obsolete at the time they made the programme.

They liked to use tape memory banks from the 60s in programmes made in the 80s. Here’s some Daleks from the future standing in front of one in their sci-fi control room;

[bakerstewart (Stewart C Baker)]

With the shape of that robot, I feel like this is the MST3K version of the game.

Thanks for your creative spirit!

[Rob (Roberto Marcarini)]

Thanks for your precious Time.
Interesting analysis.
There is no contrast really.
CRONOboy (from the Greek Chronos) has to do with the passing of time.
The game commemorates some past events.
Cronoboy’s forced smile is a mask that hides a certain sadness for lost things.
It alternates funny moments with nostalgic quotes.
That’s why I put the question mark.
Ps: Yes.
These are really hard times for executables…

[Hidnook]

The Dragon of Silverton Mine by Vukasin Davic

“fantasy” “adventure” • One hour • Choice-based • Twine

The combination of fantasy dragons and mines reminds me of steampunk fantasy. There is, obviously, a dragon in this plot, who likely serves as the antagonist. The mine itself seems to be a silver mine, based on the fact that it is called “Silverton”. It likely also has a ton of silver in it. So somebody is profiting off of this ludicrous business called deceptive marketing, because “processed in the same facility as dragons” likely is not part of the packaging, nor the job description. But the dragon part made itself clear, so now the player has to go in and do something about it.

The tags are in quotes, but I suspect this is more because English is not the author’s first language than any real symbolism or meaning. “Fantasy” and “adventure” are pretty basic genre tags and align straightforwardly with the title.

TLDR: keep mining—dragons are rare, but quotas aren’t—eyes on the prize, not the beast—just because the dragon sleeps doesn’t mean you can too

[Hidnook]

A Dream Of Silence: Act 3 by Abigail Corfman

@AbigailCorfman
Content warning: Torture, Slavery, Violence, Abuse, Toxic Relationships, Unhealthy Coping Strategies, Implied Alcoholism, Victim Blaming, Hunting Animals
Fantasy Fan Fiction • One hour • Choice-based • Twine

“A dream of silence” naturally implies a lack of silence. So there’s too much noise, whether literal or metaphorical, that the player wants to dispel. It is the third act, meaning there are two more acts before it. Maybe the “silence” is death, the absolute and final silence of leaving the material world, and the player is left as a ghost, longing for the relief of death and closure but failing to get it.

There is a whole slew of content warnings here, relating to mostly to violence, abusive relationships, and poor coping mechanisms (likely as a result of the aforementioned violence and relationships). Yet the title is very reflective and contemplative, describing a completely different game than the one I get based on the tags.

The game is described as “fantasy fan fiction”, specifically fanfiction of Baldur’s Gate 3, a fantasy RPG which is itself based on the TTRPG Dungeons & Dragons. As a “party goes on quests and fights stuff”-type game, some of the warnings do make more sense, though the plot is likely much darker than BG3 is (I haven’t played BG3, but I have watched others play briefly at different stages).

TLDR: based on BD3 that is based on D&D, starring lots of warnings and a ghost that won’t die

[Hidnook]

Dust by IkeC

@IkeC
Western • Two hours • Parser-based • Glulx • Download includes additional content

“Dust” suggests the sandy deserts typical of a Western. With very little to go off of, even including the blurb and cover art, I’m going to assume this is your typical gun-slingin’ horse-ridin’ that-side-o’-th’-law cowboy western.

The additional content can be found in the Play Online section as well, and is quite possibly the most additional content I’ve seen in a game, although I admittedly haven’t looked at every game to see what they had. Along with the game itself, you get:

• hints (Invisiclues-style)
• walkthrough (list of actions)
• map
• flowchart of puzzles and dialogue
• read-only transcript
• a previous version of the game(?)

Most games usually only have a walkthrough, maybe hints if you’re lucky, maybe a map if you’re luckier, so either this is very helpful or overkill depending on your perspective (I think it’s a little overkill, but it could be useful to somebody).

TLDR: the rough-and-tumble frontier an’ a heap more extras than I can wrangle

[Hidnook]

Eikas: a community kitchen by Lauren O’Donoghue

@laurenodonoghue
Community Kitchen Simulator/RPG • Two hours • Choice-based • Twine

Both the subtitle and the tags say that this is a game set in a community kitchen. The title is named after the monthly social gathering of Epicureanism, a system of philosophy based on the teachings of the Greek materialist Epicurus. Epicureans believe:

• Pleasure is the highest good, but this means minimizing pain and achieving tranquility (ataraxia), not hedonistic indulgence
• The soul is mortal and there is no afterlife, so one should not fear death
• The gods exist but do not interfere in human affairs, so one should not fear the gods
• Desires should be limited to only what is natural and necessary for happiness and health
• Friendship and a simple life within a community of like-minded individuals is the path to the greatest happiness

It seems to be a cute little simulator, but two hours is a bit long for just a cozy sim. Maybe it’s something similar to Stardew Valley in that there’s the main activity of the kitchen (farm) but then there’s other stuff to do as well (villagers, quests). Stardew Valley has a surprising amount of content for being primarily a farming and (PG) relationship simulator, including spirits, festivals, combat, and plotlines. Maybe Eikas is similarly multi-faceted, which would explain its length.

TLDR: learned about a new system of philosophy

[Hidnook]

A few hours later in the day of The Egocentric by Ola Hansson

@Ola
Comedic satire with puzzles • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based • Twine

I like the title. It sets up a pretty consistent structure, in that there’ll be an “a few hours later” transition happening every now and then. The “Egocentric” (capitalized) is likely the main character, although based on the blurb, he is not the player character, in a Sherlock Holmes-and-Watson relationship with the audience. However, unlike Sherlock Holmes, the Watson in this game is not the Egocentric’s accomplice, but instead his adversary.

I’m not entirely sure what the game is satirizing. Possibly comics, or the police system. It’s unclear. I’m not a huge fan of puzzles in choice-based games, but I can see it working pretty well as a detective-cop thing.

TLDR: Wats(going)on

[Hidnook]

Final Call by doq and Emily S

Content warning: Loud sounds/music, strong language, body horror, blood, graphic imagery, drinking, mentions of alcoholism, gambling, and violence
Thriller, experimental, horror • Choice-based • Web-based

“Final call” could mean many things. Based on the cover art it seems to be a literal telephone call. Like an actual telephone, not a cell phone. I’ve only used one of those twice to my recollection, and it looked exactly like that. It could also mean “last call”, as in “this is your final chance to get/do this”. In the case of our crafty con man, it could quite possibly be both.

Since sound isn’t usually triggering when written (unlike imagery), the first part of the content warnings suggest there will be sounds and music in this game. “Loud” is obviously subjective, and can be adjusted by the player using their device’s volume controls. But its inclusion suggests something like a party setting, which is inevitably overwhelmingly loud, both in music level and in noise level.

Body horror, blood, graphic imagery, and violence come next. The latter three are fairly common for gritty games, but body horror is less often seen. I wonder whether it’ll be from violence, or medical procedures, or something Lovecraftian, or zombies, or if it’ll just be surreal yet natural for the world. The possibilities are, quite frankly, endless.

Drinking and mentions of alcoholism do align with my previous theory of a party. Must be a very raucous party they’ve got going on.

TLDR: parties and zombies oh my

[Hidnook]

First Contact by dott. Piergiorgio

@Piergiorgio_d_errico
Content warning: depiction of war and its horrors, depiction of breastfeeding
Romance • One hour • Choice-based • Twine

“First contact” suggests that some sort of relationship is established afterwards, and based on the plot it seems like it’s a romantic one. It could also be something alien-like, but based on the blurb it seems that’s not the case and the game instead leans towards high fantasy.

The part about war is a very common trope in romantasy, with two lovers from opposing factions in a Romeo and Juliet-esque plot. Whenever I read a plot like this I always get a mental image of two people kissing in the eye of a raging hurricane as war is waged around them, while the two people stand in perfect silence and peace. Of course, I have no idea if the author’s game is anything like that, but it’s not an unfounded guess.

The breastfeeding is interesting. If it’s of the lovers, that would mean that the relationship was very quickly developed. More likely it’s a side character, who recently gave birth and is supported by the main characters. It could be a birth in the middle of a war, where the parent has to scavenge for resources to support both them and their child, trying to give life while life is lost around them.

TLDR: kissing and births in the midst of a war

[Hidnook]

Focal Shift by Fred Snyder

Cyberpunk • One hour • Parser-based • Web-based

Ooh, cyberpunk. I have to admit I enjoy this genre quite a bit. They tend to focus on low-life, high-tech environments, juxtaposing fancy technology with dystopian settings, and characters are often on the opposite side of the law, or at least straddling the line. And in this case, too, a hacker is doing some good old breaking-and-entering before getting involved in a murder case.

The focal shift in the game could be the shift from avoiding the law to working with them, as implied in the blurb. It could also be a more general “bad guy to good guy” transition. I also think the term is camera-related, when you change focus? But I don’t know if that’s relevant here.

It could be. Maybe the hacker is also an amateur photographer whose camera skills help the police capture evidence. And the hacker also plants bugs for even more camera goodness. Physical bugs, that is. Though planting programming bugs would be well within a hacker’s skillset too.

TLDR: hacker-photographer-spy-detective

[Hidnook]

Forbidden Lore by Alex Crossley

@AlexMeow
Parser-based • TADS

The lore is forbidden. What is the lore? Usually it refers to mythology or knowledge. So there’s likely something that needs to remain hidden, yet for whatever reason the PC has it or needs it. It might be forbidden because it refers to something taboo, or it might be forbidden because of the work itself—maybe it’s a mimic book, carnivorous with a toothy, bloody grin, or whoever reads it becomes possessed by the dark magic residing in it. Or both!

The title feels fantasy-like, and reminds me of the book The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence, which is not about banned books (I don’t think; it’s been a while since I’ve read it) but shares a similar vibe of fantasy with an element of “this needs to be kept secret” and “but I need to figure out what’s going on”.

TLDR: dark-magically possessive mimic book of fantasy

[Hidnook]

Forsaken Denizen by C.E.J. Pacian

@Pacian
THIS GAME CONTAINS SCENES OF IMPLICIT VIOLENCE AND GORE.
(A text-only survival horror.)
Longer than two hours • Parser-based • Z-code

Forsaken denizen. A renounced inhabitant. Merriam-Webster states that a “denizen” could refer to “a person admitted residence in a foreign country, especially an alien admitted to rights of citizenship”. So maybe the PC was once a “denizen” but, according to the powers-that-be, lost the right or the privilege to be one.

Uniquely, I’m considering pretty much the entire blurb to be “notes”. “Implicit violence” is a term I haven’t heard used before, but I’m guessing, in contrast to “explicit violence”, there is violence that is implied to have happened offstage/offscreen/offtext(?) but not actually shown. The “gore” part may be implicit, or it may be explicit, but either way it is most likely directly related to whatever implicit violence occurs.

The game is a survival horror, so maybe the titular forsaken denizen is on the run in the concrete jungle, fending for themself as they try to regain footing. But something must have happened for the denizen to become forsaken in the first place. Perhaps there was something that they did, something involving that gore and implicit violence in the content warnings. So are they at fault, or is the system?

P.S. While typing this up, the descender from the y in “by” poked through the preview. I kept thinking it was a speck on my laptop screen and repeatedly tried to wipe/scrape it away, to no avail.

TLDR: someone does something bad and runs away to somewhere. Also screw that little black speck

[Hidnook]

The Garbage of the Future by AM Ruf

Horror • Half an hour • Web-based

The game might be set in the future, in which case the “garbage” would be secondary to an analysis of the “future”. Perhaps everything has gone to waste—the streets, the buildings, the transport, the people—and so there isn’t really “garbage”, just a dystopia. The game would be about the horrors of living in such a place, secondhand smoke swirling through the streets, unsavory people lurking around every corner, just waiting to get the jump on you, knife glinting in hand…

Or maybe the garbage is the only thing futuristic about it, so the game revolves around discovering what the garbage is and why it is there. It could be something mundane (imagine someone from, say, the 1800s finds a dead smartphone and spends their life’s work trying to figure out what to do with that box with buttons on it that don’t do anything). It could be something dangerous, life-threatening, world-threatening even. What it did to end up in a garbage bin, and then in a garbage truck and a landfill is anyone’s guess.

TLDR: desolate dystopia || dead phone || dangerous artifact