Haven't done a playthrough (yet). Gut reactions, for now:
- Downloaded the text-only version first, then decided the content was worth the price,
- That said, slightly disappointed by the visual design of the full version. Not a flaw on your part: I guess I just had very particular expectations of the layout, based on the themes. (I was hoping for a look that's akin to the Xenofeminism Manifesto or Reza Negarastani's Cyclonopedia.)
- This is by far the most hopeful and reassuring interpretation of the Cthulhucene premise that I've encountered; I generally associate it with Nick Land style r/acc cynicism.
- One of the most difficult elements of writing/reading/playing a post-apocalyptic scenario is the idea of population-scale death as a starting point. For what it's worth, this game either seems to sidestep that aspect, or leaves it at the periphery to haunt the small moments/interactions/encounters represented by each of the cards.
- In concept, I'm admittedly put off by utopian narratives that draw on a mix of Wall-E scrapyard romanticism and/or neo-luddite back-to-the-land tropes, if only because it's often presented in ways that lack imagination. It ends up feeling like Walden on a folk punk commune. But this game avoids that conceptual trap by emphasizing moments over movements; individual experience over community. And while that might limit its value as a tool for imagining new worlds, it does make the gameplay experience seem more potentially appealing.
- ... particularly in comparison to similarly themed games that are more influenced by The Quiet Year. Both systems have basic mechanical similarities: prompts tied to randomized card draws; a built-in countdown mechanic. But the narrowing of scope here—from community to individual, from weeks into hours—makes all the difference.