I reviewed this for my #33in28 series on Thoughty! http://briebeau.com/thoughty/33in28-week-4-reviews/

An excerpt:

While the game does not include any formal safety tools for solo play beyond recommending stopping if needed, I did appreciate the emphasis on including content warnings for future players in the journal since the cursed machine absolutely has the possibility of creating some unsettling experiences. The game itself says “This game has themes of inevitable death, obsession, mental illness, physical and emotional self-harm, isolation, depression, fixation, and futility that might be difficult for some players.” Which like, yeah. That’s hard. Some people relish in these kinds of playthroughs though! Sometimes I definitely do. But, making sure you’re safe is important.

This game is really compelling. You begin by choosing two or three unique traits from a paragraph of options, then the game instructs you to reflect on your journal and its similarity to the machine before writing your first log. As the journal calls to you in your pursuit to finish the machine, you draw cards that help determine your progress. The suits and numbers of the cards define different events and themes that guide your logs, continuing until you’ve drawn a face card or an ace three times – each time drawing a skull on the corner of the log. After this point, you detail how your character fails to finish the machine and their downfall – what happens to them. A truly haunting moment, and one that takes some deep reflection.

This game really captivated me, and I want to play it through with a partner or multiple people, passing the journal back and forth. It also really makes me want to create my own storytelling game like this that uses a shared journal! I love the simple design and the evocative language in the text. Anything that makes me feel this inspired is really awesome!