itch.io

Aaaaah this game is so UNIQUE! I almost passed it up, thinking it was, like, a furry romance novel (which is fine, but not my thing), but I'm so glad i gave it a try! It IS a visual novel, but one that isn't about romance, finding the "one true ending", or gaming the system to get the best outcome. It's Lovecraftian horror w/o all the racism! The main mechanic, Trixie's insight score (which determines how reliable/unreliable her narration will be, but also your ending), is hidden the entire time, which keeps the whole thing mysterious. I love that the subtle differences across playthroughs means that the story is pieced together over multiple tries. Thankfully, the skip button also means that subsequent playthoughs are easy/quick too, since it automatically stops when you reach new content.  Also, seeing a cast of LGBT chars, including a trans woman (who...is a rat, yes) as the lead is so fucking great (even if we're watching them all slowly unravel from c o s m i c  h o r r o r) 4.5/5

This one's really more of a story than a game, but there are some puzzles spread throughout! They're typically fairly easy, in contrast with a very dark plot dealing with homophobia and abuse, and the whole game took about three hours for me. The overarching plot itself is sometimes hard to follow,  unfortunately (we get a very convoluted world, but almost no world-building), but the characters are where this shines! Not just our main hero (although I will admit to getting emotional over his journey, especially the almost universal gay act of being in love with your straight friend), but all the side characters too. Peggy's story, in particular, was wonderful and heartbreaking. The music is great too, often creating a sense of urgency that a pixel game with easy puzzles wouldn't necessarily have otherwise. 3.5/5 (but if you're gay and you've been in love with your straight bff before, you should probably play this game)

I absolutely ADORED this game, even though I'm pretty sure I ended up with a "bad" ending. The main conversation mechanic (i.e., the game is about how well or how poorly you can connect with people - but as they say  repeatedly, not everyone will like you, and that's okay too) is so interesting, even for someone who doesn't usually go for deck building games. I loved all the characters, but the game does force you to "specialize" a bit in order to reach the end with any of them. That's alright! I'm a major homebody, so I chose to stick close w my childhood BFF and my home town. Less risk meant less reward, and I think next time I'll branch out! I say next time, because this game encourages replay in order to unlock the full world. Well worth it.  5/5

First off - the art for this is wonderful, the characters are interesting, and the worldbuilding itself drew me in. Unfortunately, the bulk of the story is determined by two choices you make early on. Perhaps more importantly, you make those choices without all the information, and once you've chosen, you're locked in - even once you learn more. By the end of the story, it left me feeling like I had very little control over my own character.

Also, given that I got this through the racial justice bundle, I was a little disheartened to see that this game seems to paint protesters as "just as bad" (if not worse?) than the authority figures they protest against 2/5

If I'm honest, this game is soothing. It's peaceful. It brings up some very real issues and thoughts surrounding our practices on death and there were times I was genuinely moved or distraught. At the same time, it taught me a lot too (I'd never heard of a water cremation, for example). This is a quick playthrough (~one hour) but I'll be thinking about it for much longer. Perhaps strangely enough, I would recommend it to people who have lost a loved one recently. I fall into that category myself, but that just made this game hit harder, in the best of ways. 5/5

GOD I loved this game! I never thought I could feel so emotionally invested in the symbols @ and x. At face value it's a game about typing quickly and solving puzzles,  but the story snuck up on me! My hands were literally shaking on some of the levels and I frequently found myself wanting to yell GO GO GO when those little pixels weren't moving as fast as I needed. The storyline unfolded with the perfect amount of information and mystery, even until the end. And on that note: when it ended, as much as I wanted to spend more time in this world,  I was completely satisfied. 5/5

It's interesting, but it feels deeply incomplete! I didn't walk out of there feeling like I knew any of the characters outside of Ordell. I learned a small amount about Evan, since I chose to "romance" him, but everyone else was a complete stranger to me. That's too bad, because games like these tend to live or die on their characterization. Also, I felt like the MC's skin color changed in some of the different art scenes? Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I swear he was significantly paler in some shots. Overall, 2.5/5. 

Short and sweet (and spooky) point and click! The highlight of the game is definitely the dialogue, which is mostly hilarious and sometimes genuinely freaky. The 16 different endings are a blast, although they can get repetitive if you do them all in one sitting. I was left wanting more, but that isn't a terrible problem to have! 3/5

I don't want to talk too much about the plot and spoil it, but I LOVED this game. Depending on who you are or where you are in your life, you may be surprised by some of the turns. As someone who wasn't, I can still absolutely say this was well worth a playthrough. Some of the puzzles were difficult for me, but I'm also not great at puzzles/mysteries. The game tries to  build a real connection between you and the main character and it succeeds. Wherever our MC is now, I wish Sam only the best. 5/5

This is one that will hit differently, depending on where you are in your life. I wish I'd played it in undergrad tbh! The music and art are both WONDERFUL though, as are some of the conversations you have. As visual novels go, it's extremely unique. It's existential in a good way and, as someone who always seeks solace in nature, it definitely connected with me. Unfortunately, the ending fell short for me personally, but because I enjoyed the journey so much, it's still a 4/5.

A relaxing and calming game, despite it's sad premise (a woman retreating into her dreams of happier times). The music and the art combined make for an almost meditative experience. The puzzles are interesting/unique enough to keep your focus, but never too hard! Also, it reminds me of the bubble popping game I was obsessed with on Neopets as a child. A great choice for when you just need to chill.  The story didn't impact me much until the end, but then it was so lovely, it boosted my score another star. 5/5