itch.io

I made the mistake of beginning this game with my audio muted, which is a shame because when I put on headphones a third of the way through I realized how great an impact the multimedia component has on this game. This isn't because there's anything weak in the writing that's being compensated for, but that the author has done a great job creating a disquieting space with all the tools at their disposal.

The basic premise is that the protagonist's mother has invoked a deal with the devil to remove their child's fat. The protagonist then enjoys a life of thin privilege, being first pick to be a news anchor at their television station among other benefits. Then, the devil announces that all pacts with devils are off, and soon their fat self will reassert itself. Instead of being consumed by suicidal thoughts, the protagonist makes it into therapy where they begin to unlearn self-hatred as they realize it's not serving them.

As I mentioned earlier, the disquieting moments are really amplified by the audio and the visuals. A lot of attention has been paid to these elements and it's really impressive. Regarding form, it's not a choice game, which is fine. I don't think it would benefit from being one. If you'd like to call it a "multimedia narrative experience" rather than a game, it might set your expectations better. 

My only real critique is that it felt like it was missing a conflict in the final act. Once the protagonist enters therapy, it's essentially a linear climb to something nearer to self-acceptance. I might have preferred a challenge, perhaps the devil returning and saying the deal was back on the table, and seeing how the protagonist dealt with that as a chance to show growth or change. Otherwise, impressive output for something created in under four hours.

Haha thanks :P Rumor has it the last two parts are better than the first.

Let me know what you think at the end!

This one was polished and well executed. I can't say I quite figured out the pattern for followers. I just ended up trying to upvote anything funny or divisive.

It was difficult, and I almost put it down at the beginning, but once I got into the swing of it I really enjoyed it. The moment where I almost yelled "oh my god why am I spending so much effort just trying to convince this ONE FUCKING GUY to do ONE FUCKING THING" was the one I realized, despite the abstraction of an appeal into a rhythm game, this was actually a really true to life depiction.

Hey everyone,

I've been trying to experiment with a longer-form Twine game where the choices aren't just "what do you say" or "where do you go" but what you think, how you think, and what catches your eye. I wanted to focus more on flow and feelings than "how many endings are there," and this game is the result.

https://brwarner.itch.io/grofast-industries

If you want to play in the browser, you can go here instead: http://download.brwarner.net/grofast

Here's the game's hook:

After her partner's death in a gruesome metal mill accident, Jennifer Holdings, former sex worker turned steel worker, finds herself trapped between an encroaching union, an elected but stale board, her past, her future, the police, and the company president who she just so happens to be sleeping with. Surrounded by supposed heroes and polarizing rhetoric, can she find her own way? Can you?

A choose-your-own-adventure game about guilt, doubt, and heroism that focuses more on navigating feelings than deciding what comes next.