Reviews by Rachel Helps
IF Comp 2022
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Texture engine drives a roadtrip apocalypse story, November 6, 2022A woman is driving away from her wedding and the end of the world. I played through twice and got two very different endings. They were so different, in fact, that I am not sure what the author was trying to get me to think about with this game.
The main thing that stood out to me was the Texture game engine, which I had never seen before. It requires the player to click and drag a command to highlighted text, executing the command when the player releases the text. When the command is hovering over the highlighted text, it shows another small text box that explains what will happen (for example, asking about a certain topic will give you a small text of what the player character will actually say). I played on my tablet, and sometimes it was difficult to see that little extra text box, but it still worked pretty well. At first, I didn't realize that "examine" would bring me back to the game without passing time, and I missed examining the objects in my car in my first playthrough. I liked the Texture format. It gave the game more of an adventure game feel.
Back to the game's narrative. You're driving a car and will run out of gas unless you find more. (Spoiler - click to show)I made friends with a cute redhead and ran from the end of the world a little longer with her. I also did a playthrough where I stayed in my car and let the end of the world come to me! I didn't get very emotionally involved in the game, but it was very short.
Surreal narrative about a woman reflecting on three major figures in her life, November 6, 2022You play as a woman running not only from her wedding, but also her own identity and upbringing. I played through it three times, and I had the experience of seeing a symbol in my second playthrough that I understood because of the ending I saw in my first playthrough (as someone interested in literary studies, that kind of typology fascinates me). I enjoyed the writing, which focused on the little details that give us a good mental image of a scene and gradually introduce the character's personality.
There is a frequent theme of the player character's surroundings reminding her of her past and triggering flashbacks, which help you to create a fuller picture of her mental state. The game is fairly short, but worth replaying. I think I got (all?) three endings. Each ending focused on a different key person from her past: (Spoiler - click to show)her lover, her fiancé, and her mother. I highly recommend playing all three endings!
Emerging tech; not enough game to show us its full capabilities, November 6, 2022Determining if a word is positive or negative from a blank input is a much more difficult task, computing-wise, than having the player select one of two options. However, as a player, I didn't feel that blank input was any more fun than choosing between two options (especially since the result, to my knowledge, is positive or negative). I think the technology behind the game is interesting, but it needs a better-designed game to show its possibilities. Maybe the engine's mastermind could collaborate with a writer... ?
Giving self to a selfless woman, November 5, 2022I love the concept of this game--that a woman has lost her own identity in selfless service. The idea that we should erase our personalities and be a "window to God's love" is one that I strongly disagree with. I'm a Mormon woman and I identified with Miriam's struggle to maintain an identity (although, for me, this is a struggle I feel in the opposite direction, maybe being too much of an individual because I fear losing my identity). This is exactly the kind of concept that I wish more videogames would address! So thank you.
The mood/aesthetic in this game is amazing. The illustrative location art was derived from photos put through filters--and they look great. The music gives a great spooky mood too. I was amazed that this was all done in Twine. I've written some Twine games and clearly still have a lot to learn about the possibilities of this engine.
To get through the first part, I ended up spamming all the options in every room until I found the right things. I could figure out what to give Miriam pretty well, but I wish I had saved my game before trying some things out. I didn't remember anyone's name. I rarely do, even when I'm reading a novel. Sorry Miriam! HOWEVER I really liked the idea of bringing her back to life by caring about the details of her life and noticing what she really liked and how she related to other people in her life. A+ concept, but execution fell a little short for me, an impatient player.
In this short game, you play as a mouse, with another mouse friend, who tries to communicate their brunch order to a human. There are a few minor choices that make a difference to the narrative, but eventually they all end in a similar way. I didn't rate the game because I think that I am not the intended audience. I liked the quality of the images, and that they conveyed information that was helpful to understanding the narrative. I didn't like that my choices didn't matter that much. However, I can imagine my daughter really enjoying this game.
Survive as an archivist in a hostile future world, October 1, 2022I loved the concept of this game, where you decode archival information from bacteria and decide whether or not to keep the information. It has a simulation element where you need to find food, medicine, and rent money. I wanted the game to focus more on ethical archiving practices, but it seemed more practical from a simulation standpoint to ask my friends for help. The game did address (Spoiler - click to show)the negative mental health effects of persecution on trans people very effectively. There were some similarities to pandemic stresses as well.
I liked that the game gave me many choices in interacting with my friends--I could ignore them, I could interact with them, and I could choose to have romantic interactions with them. At the same time, I felt a disconnect between the player character's (PC's) interactions and my own feelings. My interactions with were reduced to this bare-bones of asking them for money or helping them out, without me really growing to like the characters like the PC had at some point. In a short game like this, there isn't a lot of time for relationship-building, so maybe the caregiving tasks the PC can do can stand in for that.
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