As the Fire Dies by Alex Carey and Deborah Chantson
Playtime: 20 minutes
This made me want to talk about:
- This game is sort of two games merged together—one in the waking world where you try not to freeze to death, and one inside a dream where you solve some light puzzles—and you’re required to switch back and forth between the two. I found it interesting how, although both games are pretty straightforward, combining them and creating some basic connections between the two was effective at generating more interest and feeling of novelty in me.
- I enjoyed that there is some logic in solving the dream puzzles (i.e., it’s not completely “dream logic”). The nature setting was soothing (somehow despite the continual threat of death, it was a very hygge threat of death)
Notable line:
My one fervent wish:
I kept expecting there to me more of a thematic connection between the waking world and dream sequences, where the dream puzzles would relate back to the player character’s life / problems in the waking world / etc. more, but I didn’t notice much of that.
Overall, a mostly-soothing, puzzle-light take on dreaming in the woods.