Tiny-Sized Reviews (all 145+ entries)! Another Neo-Twiny Jam Edition

Playing IF Reviews and Essays
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121

strokes, by kumori

strokes is a short kinetic Twine about appreciation for art and artists, especially the ones at the start of their journey. Going through the steps, from the sketches, to the lineart, to the colouring, the prose wants to be calming and reassuring. Coupled with illustrations, the game shows that art can be enjoyable, at whatever level of skills, and that like any other skills, it can be learned with practice and learning. Even if it’s not great art, it is still your art. And that’s awesome.

1 Like
122

The Frightened, by Fragmented Mirror Workshop

The Frightened is a short snippet of a larger mystery project. After an important item has been found stolen, you, as the knight commander of a magical institute, must investigate and interrogate the witnesses. This entry focusses on one of them, which seems frightened of you (understandable with your at-best combative behaviour), but was also first at the scene. There are some little hints about the surrounding setting, with the relationship between the mages and knights, and the maybe questionable treatment of the former. Though there are a few rough edges with consistency, the piece does set an intriguing scene and mystery, one I would love to solve.

1 Like
123

Star Bearer, by Maliface

Star Bearer is an evocative poetic kinetic entry, based on the author’s dream, where you incarnate a person bringing the body of a beloved to their final resting place. Each line is displayed one after the other, as your step move forward to your destination - one after the other. A wish of holding on to the soon departing clashing with the one to relieve others of their burden - the journey ending as expected, as requested, as wanted. Under the sun and the moon, one passing after the other, the prose takes us on this final voyage, with a promise of one day returning.
It is beautiful, both in the writing and interface. And incredibly smooth. Bringing upon a cocktail of conflicting emotions.

1 Like
124

Amber & Myrrh, by Cressida Tseng

Amber & Myrrh is an interactive piece set in Ancient Greece, inspired by the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Weaved like a tapestry, the myth is both a passing sentence and a background against the contrasted tableau of very real women dealing with the objective perception of men, of loving women devoting themselves to each other passionately and wholly against the sculptor obsessive behaviour, the admiration of the person and of the body. It is enchanting and daunting.
A beautiful and lovely piece of sapphic writing.

(last one for the day)

1 Like
125

Sorry, I meant to finish the thread earlier but time eluded me… ONTO THE LAST DOZENS OF GAMES!!

Mud Bourbon, by bobalei08

Mud Bourbon is a short Twine piece about saying goodbyes to a loved one. In this mainly one-sided conversation, you reminisce over the life of your companion, Mud Bourbon, who is living its last moment with you. It is pretty emotional… and “horse-girl”-phase me would not have handled this game in the healthiest of fashion.
It was lovely how the prose builds up the heartbreaking tension, leading to that one final magical and tragic bit.

2 Likes
126

Another Night With The Party, by BanesBloom

Another Night With The Party is a short text-adventure set in a tavern, reminiscent of D&D games. Seeing your other members involved in different shenanigans, you can pick which of them you’d want to interact, going along or foiling their plans. Though it’s short, it’s pretty fun, and reminded me of the pickles my party got into during a campaign and how we always chose the most chaotic options to push the story forward.

2 Likes
127

Heaven Alive, by Grim Baccaris

Heaven Alive is a short sci-fi horror-like conversation-sim made in Twine, where you play as an advisor to a warlord. Depending on your choices, the way you address your ruler, you can gain approval points, sending you to one of the three different endings. Along with the highly stylised interface and the stringent background music, the small game can make you feel uncomfortable pretty quick. I think I had the most fun trying to be rude to my boss…

2 Likes
128

Happy Life Home, by PetricakeGames-IF

Happy Life Home is a cozy little sci-fi binksi visual novel, where you embody a helper bot designed to prepare a home for an incoming family. By looking through logs, you can learn about their wishes and preferences. And going through the house, you can transform it into an inviting home where they will be able to make tons of memories (which will include you, if you do well enough).
Coupled with a cute beat and very cool graphics, it is a very wholesome experience!

2 Likes
129

Get Out of Match Lake, by Grim Baccaris

heyyy another tarot entry!

Get Out of Match Lake is a short almost kinetic creepy entry, where doppelgängers attempts to communicate through tarot cards (I think? I was a bit confused, maybe you are summoning them). The prose creates a very weird atmosphere, threatening yet too far from harm. The effect of the cards were neat.

2 Likes
130

Please Don’t Understand Me, by Knickknack PJ

Please Don’t Understand Me is a looping kinetic visual novel, where someone is trying to talk to you, but you can’t understand the words (as an illegible font with icons is used instead of latin letters). As you repeat the same thing over and over again, mentioning how you do not understand what they are saying, the other’s bubbles expand and double, covering the screen. Yet… the exchange does not lead anywhere.

However, the “problem” is resolved after finishing the first loop, with a typeface setting allowing you to change that font with a more legible one. Thanks to this, you can read what the other person is saying (though it does not matter for the story), and understand their struggle and frustration with communicating with you (as the player, not the character). The despair and loneliness coming from not being understood as they are, realising and trying to change for others, in vain.

A very interesting way of using the restriction.

2 Likes
131

And from the same author:

Translucent Trails, by Knickknack PJ

Translucent Trails is a short kinetic visual novel about mourning someone, and the aftermath of living without them, and the muddled feelings that come with it. Though the mentioned past is dark and pretty tragic, the prose seems hopeful and yearning for a happier future, as if trying to move on from the hurt and the pain, but chained down still by the guilt. It is a sad one-sided conversation, that seems confusing at first, due to the intended ill-placed text on the screen (somewhat forcing you to fill in the blanks).

2 Likes
132

ALL PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE, by JIMOTHIE

ALL PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE is a short kinetic visual novel, where you complete a seemingly normal to-do list. Kinda… sorta… well, it’s normal for you. In this thriller mini game, part of a larger multi-entries universe, you incarnate a serial-killer having just dealt with their latest victim, and going through all the steps to wrap up the day. Being (somewhat) methodical, you neatly clear up your mistakes, take care of your beloved pets, and definitely lying to your boss for a well-earned day-off. It’s weirdly sweet in the slice-of-life way, and a bit psychotic too. I dig the vibe of the interface quite a bit.

(ok that’s all for today I think)

2 Likes
133

Actually I can squeeze one more:

Never Have I Ever, by katiecanning

Never Have I Ever is a short ink game where a group of space marines take a break, share a drink, and partake in the most dangerous game of all: Never Have I Ever. You get to choose your poison, drink (or not) with each take, and talk about… the elephant in the room. It has great tension, from the start and still continues building, until it explodes and the scene turns to black.

But the kicker is to get to the end, and see the spicy answers BEING LOCKED FOR CLICKING! and having to restart the game and find the correct combination to get to select that option, while knowing something is bad. Like BAD bad.
And even if you don’t get the truth, all the truth, and nothing but the truth, it’s a fun borderline thriller like bite.

2 Likes
134

Nameless Dream, by Spacetime Soirée

oooh it’s inspired by one of my fav authors!

Nameless Dream is a short surreal Twine piece, about dreams, how vivid they can become and still how little we end up remembering them. With a slight sci-fi element to it, as the human race was upgraded with cooler, more vivid dreams, you get to choose between three different activities, experiencing the high of those awesome new ways of dreaming and the lows of realising you can never really have this in real life… But nothing further than that happens, nothing really affect your real life. All stays as always in your dreams. It’s weirdly both comforting and familiar, and concerning…

2 Likes
135

Ok last one today for real

All I Am Is This, by letifoxcat

All I Am Is This is a short ChoiceScript game about being human and the will to live. Going through a short questionnaire, you define yourself through emotions and how you look at the future. However you answer, the game will attempt to make you realise how being human is full of flaws and confusion, but that life is worth it no matter what. It’s a lovely short uplifting piece of IF.

2 Likes
136

OK! I only have 13 entries left! I CAN DO THIS!!

Good Luck and Godspeed, by B3LPH13G0R

Good Luck and Godspeed is a short Twine game, where you wake up in a spaceship with a headache, unable to remember a thing. You get to explore around and examine a few items, though you have a hard time putting things together. You seem to be some sort of astronaut on a mission with other people (none of which you meet). The prose is weirdly alienating, as the state of the craft seems dire, but you don’t seem particularly bothered by it – you almost welcome your fate by the end, whichever way you choose to go.

2 Likes
137

Chronostasis, by Natasha Luna

Chronostasis is a short almost linear Twine piece about time… or lack of. Your evening ticking away, tempo’d by the metronome-like rhythm of your clock, it is without surprise that you notice when your surrounding suddenly turn completely silent. The eeriness of the situation, where nothing you do seems to help, brings a lot of tension in the way it is simply conveyed. The culmination of the piece, when time starts again, is really clever.

Though, I think I would relish such freely given time. Just working on stuff for hours… but only a minute passes

2 Likes
138

Little Kitty Cat, by MikahMouse

Little Kitty Cat is a kinetic Twine piece where you are… a little kitty cat doing little kitty cat things. The prose is very simplistic, trying to emulate the mind of a small cat (or what we think a cat’s mind is, for all we know they are super philosophical xD), with the sudden changes in emotions and wishes (like purring because of pets until jumping away because it’s not as good). But it’s SO fun. It’s really cute and just happy. A delight for a short break!

2 Likes
139

sappho fragment generator, by deathmeetauthor

sappho fragment generator is exactly what the title says: randomly printing on the screen fragments of writings of the poet Sappho. Each verse on the screen will vary in length and content, though it will often not make much sense (or at least it was my experience generating them), as it displays them from a small bank of words. Because little has survived, the generator sometimes even includes unexpected characters - though the general nonsensical of the generated elements is already confusing enough as is.
Maybe… we could still try to analyse the unanalysable.

2 Likes
140

Garden Party, by DrOctothorpe

Garden Party is an interactive unfolding poem, where you attend a garden party. Clicking on the different elements on the screen, the party unfolds before you, with cheers and drinks, dancing and playing games… but you can also escape the commotions and enjoy a little bit of a break, in the calming surroundings of Nature.

This piece reminded me a bit of NESTED by Orteil in the way it unfolds and displays new elements on the screen - though Garden Party does is finite, with its 100 or so elements to click on. It’s a pretty comforting experience.

2 Likes