Well I wasn't expecting a game jam game I picked up at near random just because the art ruled to actually be a genuinely excellent work of fiction by any metric but wow okay here we are!
Damn, all of these screwed up mentally ill characters feel so painfully real and lovable and it hurts so much to see them ruin their lives but it makes those rare moments of warmth so delightful. The bleak, sometimes cozily bleak atmosphere is phenomenal and the writing is routinely beautiful, haunting, and hilarious. This is just a damn solid piece of work.
Anyways I will now vaguely spoil things.
I love Maya and Haley's relationship, where you think the "owner" is the independent one and if you squint there are these hints that Haley is genuinely worried about Maya being abused by Roaches... but all of that light is utterly snuffed out by her manic insecurity. Maya's later sentiment, that she loves Haley dearly but can't be what she needs, is so heartbreakingly true to life.
I feel like I have an Argo paragraph in me, but like nah, it's just a vibe? Love Argo, it's so cool and kind but so empty and anxious and it's so so easy to feel for it and get inside its head. I love that little conversation with its armchair therapist about how its relationship problems stem from it having no inner core and struggling to understand how more complete people feel. And I've gotta feel a kinship with a vegan (I think) character who has existentially terrifying genetics.
And yet still, I think I identified with Audrey the most. That scene at the canyon, where everyone trusts the cool, responsible* friend to lend them an ear... Oof, I touched on it with Maya but this game absolutely nails the pain of really caring about people who have terrible mental health, unable to do anything for them without destroying yours. That scene was absolutely harrowing AND ALSO VERY FUNNY but god it was such a vivid nightmare- Absolutely delightful use of the chat window UI to make this one scene into such compelling chaos.
Finally, the ending is just beautiful. Like, y'know... Sometimes the things we can do for people aren't enough, but sometimes they are, and there's nothing to do but carry our grief and be kind where we can. Damn.
Damn...
An excellent showing by everyone involved. Thank you for making art!