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Krypteia

by Kateri

2014

(based on 23 ratings)
2 reviews

About the Story

Since ancient times, the wise men explained to you, young warriors have learned to subjugate the Other in order to become men. To face what they should despise, in order to become what they must be. That's great, and all, you think, but... where does that leave YOU?

A fantasy exploration game, in more ways than one. Go out alone at night, face monsters and wear stuff you find in the trash!

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Game Details


Awards

Nominee, Best Use of Multimedia - 2014 XYZZY Awards

9th Place overall; 2nd Place, Miss Congeniality Award - 20th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2014)

Editorial Reviews

The Guardian
It’s about escape from oppression, but it’s charming and funny about it.
See the full review

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Member Reviews

5 star:
(1)
4 star:
(7)
3 star:
(13)
2 star:
(1)
1 star:
(1)
Average Rating:
Number of Reviews: 2
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A neon-tinged allegory , September 13, 2017
by verityvirtue (London)
Related reviews: melancholic, choleric

[Time to completion: 15 minutes. This game mentions violence and harassment.]

You leave the village, defying the wills of the "wise men", in search for the heart of the forest. You have nothing, and danger presses in all around.

Krypteia sounds like an allegory, using both the language of adventures and quests, and the familiar language of the "monsters" and the "wise men" will likely be familiar to femme-presenting folk, who are, for instance, so often told not to dress a certain way, lest they invite trouble ("You can't go out dressed like that, the wise men told you. The monsters will tear you apart.").

The theme of metamorphosis suffuses Krypteia. This game diverts based on a single dichotomy: stealth or fierceness. Do you blend in, or do you confront? I found it striking that despite the approach you choose, the PC still loses her identity.

The language used here blends imagery of the wilderness with that of the night-time city, filled with leering men and streetlights. This is also interpreted literally in the ever-moving graphics. Building on that, symbols usually associated with femininity were, here, weapons.

With its purposeful text styling, graphics and sound effects, it is no surprise that Krypteia was nominated for a XYZZY in Best Multimedia, but it is also allegory, social commentary, kinda-fairy tale and a story of personal growth.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A multimedia Twine game about body identity, February 3, 2016

Krypteia is a richly textured hyperlink game, making extensive use of graphics, text styling, and music.

It's something of an rpg, with two stats (wolf and stealth) and a variety of items and battles that affect the stats. However, the system is very simple, so you don't have to grind and battles are finished in one click.

The two stats represent two ways of dealing with your feelings, most likely about transgenderism. Wolf stats make you fierce, and you wear stilettos. Shadow let's you hide from the world.

Overall, a well done game, if a bit heavy-handed at times. It has a very annoying habit of putting stealth related text as black on black text.

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Krypteia on IFDB

Polls

The following polls include votes for Krypteia:

For Your Consideration: Games from 2014 that should be nominated for the XYZZY Awards by Molly
There were a lot of great games released in the past year, and now that the XYZZYs are coming up, it seems like a very good idea to take a poll of all the games from last year people would like to see nominated. The management has asked...




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