A Dodecapedic Box is a tiny parser where you are being chased by a dodecapedic box and must find a way for it to make it stop (or at least calm down). It involves fairly simple puzzles (AND YOU HAVING TO DO CRIMES!!), even if they are not always very sensible (I SAID CRIME) or logical at first glance. Still, with the absurd situation of it all (maybe it’s just all a dream), it was a pretty fun parser to complete! Quick and easy!
Also I don’t know why but I still couldnt get the transcript!!!
the vile want is a short piece in Twine set in an undescribed fantasy world, where you are a (elven?) fighter having a final showdown with their nemesis (I think? you are not told how/why). After such a long time since you last saw him, with your hatred fuelling you forward, you get to confront that person, and end him. Yet, you still hesitate to finally fulfil this want of yours. A very absorbing prose.
It’s been a few days and… 35 entries later. I’m assuming more entries will be submitted, so it will take me probably over a week to get through them all
Census is a short ink conversation between a retired widowed teacher and a strange census caller. The census starts pretty simple, asking (insistently) your run-of-the-mill questions. Though… something seems off about the questions asked and their responses. The hint of uneasiness from the conversation veer the short piece into horror territory… unless you hung up.
Obsessive Tendencies is a short branching piece about the hold obsessive tendencies can have on people, and how it can disrupts someone’s state. Told from a very personal perspective, the piece shows some harsh realities of seeing themselves becoming obsessive specifically over fictional characters, knowing something is not quite right about it, but being unable to find a suitable solution to overcome it. A courageous effort.
This entry is a two-parter, but I will be reviewing it as one.
Temporal Thief is a moody ChoiceScript piece where you play as a time-traveller (or well, a time-thief), trying to change fate (their fate). With a dark modern fantasy setting, the prose really embodies the atmosphere of those gloomy back street, where nothing good ever happens. As to whether you do change things, only rewinds will tell…
EldritchMon is a short humorous adventure in Twine, in which you incarnate a 10 year-old going on an adventure. On the way, you even get a companion, that you can name, and become closer! The short adventure, that ends a bit abruptly, reminded me of Pokemon where… a 10 year old gets a companion and goes on an adventure! Though it is supposed to be “super wholesome”, there are some little bits that implies some darker elements in the adventure to come (like in the intro… or the title).
I was honestly surprised the game was really just 500 words (I went and double-checked), because it felt much longer with the different actions, and by the end I wished my adventure wouldn’t end… just yet. I would have loved to get maybe into more combats and such!
Letters to strangers is a wonderful collection of letters, which you can receive from or send to strangers. Comforting words, positive stories, tiny slices of life, the mundane and the precious moments. Kindness to its pure form. Gentleness overflowing through each words, each bits sent. It is so freaking lovely and comforting. And we need more of this. The only negative thing of this game is that it is WAY TOO SHORT!
inertia is a short kinetic entry about two men and their failed relationship. One still clings on his feelings for the other, while the latter has clearly moved on for better or for worse… With awkward dialogues, and descriptions of awkwarder behaviour, the prose creates an uncomfortable situation, which will not get any better, as neither participants seems willing to change their stances (for good reasons). One will not understand the other’s point of view, the other won’t return to a hurtful space.
Pretty well done, I could visualise so clearly the scene (and cringe).
Ok so the title card picture is so dope, but the tagline had me wheezing
Weather Room: A Wind-up Toy is an atmospheric weather experience. Inside the WEATHER ROOM, you experience a change in the climate, from creeping fog to warming sun rays, from enigmatic peekaboos with the moon to gentle rainfalls. The simple writing coupled with the timed change give you just a hint of the power of weather, whether it would calm you down or send you in a freenzy. A fresh and strange experience. One that I will rewind again.
Dragonslaying is a short branching visual novel, where you are a dragon-slayer, facing a dragon in a cave, with the intent of fulfilling your destiny… or maybe you will choose against it? For beast may be misunderstood or you wish to see the story end unexpectedly. With 2 choices, the game branches into 4 distinct endings, mixing acceptance and anger, questionable actions and trickery. Through your perception of the situation, and your reaction, blood may be shed. Will it be yours?
I thought it was an interesting take on fate and following orders.
Primordial is a strange, very weird/surreal piece. After playing it, I am still not sure what to make of it. You start with birthing yourself, coming out into a strange world where you must fend for yourself (I honestly thought this was the birth of an actual child and didn’t get why crying out had someone literally EAT ME). Through encounters and exploration, you find enough sustenance to help your body grow and expand, with visual to match. It’s weird, like really weird, but in a good way.
Though, I ended up being a bit bored of the fighting sequence, being pretty repetitive and same-y, so I ended up clicking the same action over and over until I could pick my reward.
So… uuuhmmm… I suck at Spanish (and learned Castilian, not Catalan) and I used the translate plug-in of my browser.
Also a three-parter, and super NSFW.
Because I didn’t read the original text (and experienced it with its truest form), I don’t think I can review it properly. But in my broken automatic translation, it was both weird and hot? disturbing and enticing? It would have so fit in the Orifice Jam from last year.
Whether is a philosophical branching piece, asking you on each screen to choose between two options: light or darkness, sweet or salty, forward or backward, love or hate… Forever ending, forever starting, round and round you go through the poetic prose, building choice by choice your personal poem. Not only the writing is fantastic, but the dithered vibe of Decker with the text boxes and the chosen illustration, really does make it a great piece of IF.
Conformity is a micro dystopian (fantasy?) visual novel where you are forced to work under monstrous spider-like overlords, who seem to control your movements like puppets. Yet, you are given a choice to escape, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, where any slip up would mean death. Or worse… going back.
The theme of the piece might feel a bit one-note (and shallow), but the added illustration and interface add a lot to the atmosphere.
The Invisible Smoke Factory is a surreal exploration of very weird dreams, made in Twine. In a more point-n-click form, you explore different space trying to collect 11 different pieces of paper scattered around the 100+ rooms. There are multiple endings, but I’ve only gone through one.
Between the dithered backgrounds, uncomfortable background music, and the unsettling animated elements, the game really pushes the boundaries of what IF can look like, through removing as many words as possible.
I am not sure how to explain this experience, actually. It’s weirdly cool, and often discomforting with the ambiance it creates. The almost lack of words is unsettling, leaving the visual to essentially tell the story (whatever it may be, I’m still struggling to interpret it). I just know I could feel my heart beating as if I was watching some psychological thriller and had chills crawling down my back.
A wonderful life is a tiny piece about revenge and new beginning in Twine. Trying to emulate a noir setting, with limited explanation and a focus on details, the prose does a good job at making the story intriguing - even if I found it a taaaad confusing, as we (players) always seem to be put in an arms way of what is happening. I would be very interested to see the story with a bit more writing to it.
four days is a kinetic interactive piece about healing when on a deadline. You have four days before being released from some in-patient hold following an implied suicide attempt, a tight period of time where you are supposed to “feel better”. As a rumination on trauma, the prose gives some snippets of those experiences, of being transferred between medial professional for being too much or being infantilised, or going through the same cycles without ever feeling any progress. Though disheartening, the final realisation is lovely.
A Bear Dreams of Clouds is a kinetic poetic entry about a bear obsessing over the sky, and the bewilderment of the man observing it. In a few short snippets, reminiscent of a season, the prose depicts the whims of the mammal, peering at the heavens, throwing tantrums when not finding what it hopes, or being distracted with its beauty, all the while the weather rummages through its fur. It was a pretty nice and dreamy entry.
Summer rain is a micro interactive poems, a gentle break were you looking for one, experiencing a summer rain shower in the comfort of a cozy home. Through a window, while nice and snug, you peer into the distant landscape, finding peace and relaxation. Like the other two entries of this author for the jam, this atmospheric micro piece is so soothing and comforting.
