itch.io

This is stupendous

any "review" of this game need to start by saying the story may seem unoriginal and uninspired at first. the premise is very simple; scientist dude finds a weird fungi, horrifying shenanigans ensue, relating to his famly. but i assure you- this is not just any simple horror story. it may be its' presentation, how it develops, its' pacing, or the length of the formality and investment you have in these accounts; but any "expected" tropes and cliches are completely and utterly dodged, destroyed, obliterated, and more importantly, subverted. by the end, you will close the last text file and be holding back tears- i assure you. it is a powerful story that grapples with many themes revolving around family- a father that draws away from his spouse over years of marriage, the disfunctionality of the house kept for the sake of keeping a child happy, the struggles of dealing with a sick child, the effects of toxicity on a couple-- it comes with it all, and juggles these themes in a way I have rarely seen done before.

I'm no reviewer or critic nor will I pretend to be, but i found this game very curious and so decided to click from a random look around RTS, browser games in the site- and I expected it to be just like the other ones I randomly found myself looking at; simple, but fun and quick, without a lot of substance, that could be mastered very quickly. For the RTS aspect, that may have been true; but was I blown away by the story, man. . . 

I do not know how you have managed to properly conduct an RTS-horror-text-based-game in this glorious mix with such grace but you really have; and the story is what really ties and glues this frankenstein together, and also what made it look so good it could pass as not just a human but a very very famous good looking model. the verbosity and lengths of description each entail such personal touches-- i almost feel like i am Anna, reading the notes left behind by my now late mad-scientist-esque husband with the way he switches up tone from personal to research-focused, always maintaining a level of formality and (seeming, I would say) level headedness that justifies the twists at the end beautifully. and, talking about the end. . .

but the focus is definitely on the story, i'd like to say; the gameplay is very simplistic, not that deep, and can get boring- principally if you suck at RTS games. I didn't struggle until level 25, where i had to restart twice, but the rest was a walk in the park, the mechanics are easy, and the game overall just needs some polish to become a fun game. the story is definetly the driving factor, and that's okay, considering it's quality.

i have to say; bravo to the creator. he's a normal-ass game-developer / ai guy apparently from what i saw by briefly scanning his twitter for 2 seconds, with a family and all; so i think this story speaks from home and his heart, the lengths he'd go to to keep his family safe (and alive)- but what really sold this idea to me was how the story was so well put-together.

This is one of the most unique games on this platform that I have seen, and, as a whole, that I have experienced. I wish you had made other games in this vain; and an expanded edition, if this gained some traction (which it sadly probably won't considering how this is) with extra features, a nicer UI (not easier to use though- love how hard it is to navigate LOL) could be a commercial hit.

bravo, detloff, bravo-- this is an absolute hell of a ride of a game and of a story; i couldn't recommend it more. it's definitely the type of stuff you'd hear about in a niche white guy youtube video with a million views that's 50 minutes long, super edited, and with a super detailed breakdown of the story LOL