A curated list of small games and projects that I love!
tiny tarot by Chelsea Stearns is a twine that acts as fortune teller, drawing three pixelated tarot cards and giving you a vague, but oddly fitting story and advice at the end. It was featured as part of Offworld's collection of twines under 300 words. Read More at Quick Bites.
Wolfgirls in Love by Kitty Horrorshow is an interactive poem made in Twine and set to music. It tells the story of, as the title suggests, two wolfgirls in love. Read more on Quick Bites.
The Tiniest Room by Erik108 is another fantastic micro-twine, this time it's an entire escape-room experience inside of a Twine. It won't take you long, but you'll feel pretty smart when you're done, and then it's got a lovely twist. A fantastic example of how to build mechanics into hypertext (it can be done!). Read More on Quick Bites.
little mermaids by prynette is a micro-twine that drastically reinterprets the mythology of mermaids in a beautiful, darker, more thoughtful way. It also only takes about 2-3 minutes to play, and every sentence is expertly, carefuly written. A beautiful twine made with under 300 words. Read More on Quick Bites.
I wasn't sure about making this the Quick Bite of the week, but… shooting Donald Drumpf in the face with dildos is hilarious. On a more serious note it's also rare that games ever handle politics or poltical satire, and while this is pretty crass, it is still more measured than you'd expect. Read More on Quick Bites.
Queers in Love at the End of the World by anna anthropy is a ten-second Twine about your last moments with your lover at the end of the world. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and has a surprisingly amount of branching, much of which you simply won't have time to read. A great example of making a mechanic truly integral to the narrative, it makes every playthrough meaningful and tragic in equal measure. Read More on Quick Bites.
I love everything cyberpunk, and from the first analog synth stab I was onboard, butMAINFRAME also is a phenomenal example of how to package a small game well, despite it maybe being the maker's first project. There's polish from beginning to end of the it, but the ideas are simple and readily made; working with derivatives of famous arcade games is a phenomenal way to start out making games, but making them your own shows craftsmanship. Read More on Quick Bites.
Botany? by mimimicee is a spell-flinging plant-growing typing game with a charming aesthetic and great comedic timing, and an entry for the My First Game Jam. Read More on Quick Bites.
Longest Night is a short story about four friends sitting around a campfire, finding constellations in the night sky and discussing the legends associated with them. These aren't our constellations nor our legends, however, and the friends give both snarky commentary and insightful looks into a totally different cultural mythology than our own. Read More on Quick Bites.
Cuckoo Castle by Rilem "is a mini-metroidvania made for the 4th edition of the #gbjam. In Cuckoo Castle you take control of a lonely knight seeking to defeat the evil force that resides in the Cuckoo Castle, an enormous castle that appeared out of nowhere." Read More on Quick Bites.
Right Click to Necromance by Juicybeast is a short rogue-like game where the player is "a necromancer general who can resurrect fallen enemy soldiers to control them in its forever growing army." The biggest compliment I can give this game is that me and my friends have played it once a day since it came out. Read More on Quick Bites.
The Sacrifice by foxboard is "a management game where you, along with the five noble families of the Village, decide on what needs to be done in order to survive the island's harsh seasons." Read More on Quick Bites.
I saw someone call the game "Blade Runner with Cats" and they're not wrong! There's action scenes, detective puzzles, and growly self-narration by the main character, who is a contract killer and also a cat. Read More on Quick Bites.
Coming Out Simulator 2014 by Nicky Case is a smartly written, heartfelt interactive story about the author coming out to his "hyper-conservative Asian parents", in a "half-true story about half-truths". Read More at Quick Bites.
Maquisard is a 2D puzzle game by students at New York University's Game Center, very much so invoking the aesthetic of Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Much sneaking and eavesdropping awaits as the player takes on the role of the newest concierge in the hotel while also being sent on a mission by a strange man in the basement. Read More on Quick Bites.
Hot Date by George Batchelor is a speed-dating game about a romantic evening with a pug. Read More on Quick Bites.
The Writer Will Do Something by Tom Bissell and Matthew S. Burns was a huge deal when it came out, and for good reason. This stark, darkly humorous Twine by two industry veterans is about what it's like to be the writer on a AAA action franchise, the earlier entries of which you have not played, surrounded by co-workers who don't understand/appreciate/care about what you do. Read More on Quick Bites.
