A quick 15 minute IF inspired by the tale of Mary Toft. The interpretation it takes reminds me greatly of the first episode of Petshop of Horror, and I can't help but wonder now if that episode was also in part inspired by Mary Toft. Also, Justin's art is beautiful. What more needs be said?
Excellently morbid. Eerily compelling. But also very broken, but that's okay! Since this was a gamejam game that is ultimately a proof of concept. I'm insanely excited for Inscryption so that some of the oddness of the design--such as the fact that you can stalemate the opponent eternally--is addressed while also expanding upon this grim combination of Hand of Fate with dueling card games.
Will need a replay to see all the other paths. But an excellent dark visual novel about abuse from a queer voice. It played particularly well after reading Machado's In the Dreamhouse. I especially liked the section of the game that shows the abuser's perspective and how it juxtaposed him with the abused. It is easy to sympathize with both, and that is because both are humans: flawed and limited in their perspective. But though both are sympathizable, there is ultimately a good and a bad. Abuse--even if it can somehow be rationalized or justified, even if it isn't done consciously with malicious intent, even if it is done out of what is believed to be the best intentions--is wrong. But it is a facet of reality for those who suffer or suffered from it. All the more power them, so that they may rise above the suffering, like a star in the night.
