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Awards
Entrant, Main Festival - Spring Thing 2015
Editorial Reviews
Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling
Through both mechanics (the replacement of one protagonist with another and another) and content (the endgame), the story suggests that the experience of individuals is relatively unimportant, that their culture and history is being shaped by supervising forces far beyond their comprehension. I found this simultaneously bleak and comforting: bleak because it was hard to enter into any one character’s life in any depth, comforting because the supervisory force seemed to at least desire positive outcomes such as a reduction in war.
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In this game by Porpentine, an author known for creating bio-mechanical worlds that are almost hallucinatory. This game is a great example of her world building power.
You play in a dust-covered world of raiders and scavengers. You can create yourself, but also destroy yourself, and both are necessary.
This game is unusual for Twine in that you have to enter city names in text when traveling. This gives more of a riddle aspect to the game. However, you have a map storing names you've met. There are less than 10 total cities.
The game ends in a sort of transformation that is best experience rather than described. Overall, it has a feeling of exploration and of 'just living'. One of the least disgusting porpentine games, and one of my favorites of hers.

Time to completion: 30-40 minutes
You are a traveller - whether you be scavenger or dustrunner - and, on your steed, you traverse the hostile lands.
Ruiness is set in what I term 'dystopian wilderness': not quite post-apocalyptic, but barren, harsh, downright caustic environments. The prose is purple and abstract; the story typically abstruse. The florid prose thrums with purpose, though: each place has a distinct climate and role, and the different races or roles you can assume remain thematically consistent.
This game has all the hallmarks of a Porpentine game, but what I found the most interesting was the map/travel system. You travel by typing in your destination in a text field. Whilst in new locations, you discover new names, and the cities you have discovered are mapped out on a chart you carry. This allows for Easter eggs, for openness, for a sense of discovery.
Ruiness is a mid-length confection of a game which affords slightly different perspectives with different characters. The travel system is definitely worth having a look at.

There's also sort of an existential theme to it, at least this is how I interpret it from the ending I've gotten. Despite all the suffering you go through, in the end, hopefully, you will reach serenity.
She also makes this ingenious text map for you to travel to other places. The game overall has a very ambient feel to it despite some bleak existential feels.
It's freaking Porpentine just play it.
Pros: A RPG journey with nice graphics and innovative use of Twine.
Cons: I think one time I played this game and ran into a bug but that was a long time ago so I don't know if it's there anymore.
If you enjoyed Ruiness...
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Polls
The following polls include votes for Ruiness:games where you can create your own character/aspects of character by Angharade
I'm curious if there are any IF games where you can create your own character. I'm more interested in parser games than point and click, but I'm open to exceptions if they merit a mention. Also games wherein your actions change...
For Your Consideration - XYZZY-eligible settings of 2015 by verityvirtue
This is for suggesting settings from games released 2015 which you think might be worth considering for Best Setting in the XYZZY awards. This is not a zeroth-round nomination. The category will still be text-entry, and games not...
Your Favorite/Best Twine Games by thecanvasrose
1. Please leave a description with your vote and tell me what the game is/why you like it/etc. 2. Free to play games preferred. 3. I'm interested to see what's new or less well known.
This is version 3 of this page, edited by Emily Short on 7 June 2015 at 1:29pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item