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It took me several attempts to get past the initial date segment (I think I might have been accidentally re-selecting the same combinations lmao) but once I escaped that section of the narrative, it really unfolds in an engaging way. Tom's voice is interesting to me in the way it functions as a kind of ideological hydra, shifting between manosphere podcast bro vibes, identity policing and preemptive rejection based on what a "true" trans experience might be, and trying to isolate the protagonist away from other people they might learn from. There is a chilling horror in the feeling that Tom is so thoroughly entrenched that he has foreclosed the possibility of nonmasculine gender exploration for now. But I also feel like there is a kernel of hope. The fact that he has to come up with such a wide array of rationalizations instead of succeeding with simpler ones makes me feel like the containment is failing in the long run.

This was a really engaging piece. I found myself quickly immersed in the cyberpunk world with the grounding of the forum posts, and then felt like I was being pulled through a labyrinth of consciousness with spiky walls. The Decker styling + pixel art + palimpsest of text, buttons,  boxes, and so on created a collage effect that still felt cohesive. I tried interacting with the list of limiting factors by deleting them to see if that affected the narrative in some way. I'm not sure if it did, but I appreciated the invitation to attempt to irresponsibly rewrite the code as an immersive element.

This was really cool! I enjoyed the tension between greed and self-preservation. An especially clever thing to me is how the game mechanics align with what the player is feeling. Like, essentially, the player's "greed" to access more of the story and know more about what happened here aligns with the in-universe character's desire to walk among the carnage and collect the pearls.

Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad you enjoyed your time with it. ❤️

Thank you for your kind comment, I'm glad you found this and feel inspired to write more!

If you haven't seen it already, you might like the Queer Vampire Jam? They ran in February 2024 and 2025. Radiance Inviolate was originally supposed to be for this year's,  I just didn't get it done in time. But, there are a lot of cool interactive fiction and VN vampire projects there!

For the guide I currently have: 

[edited out to reduce spoilers for future players]

 I wonder if I broke progression by doing something out of order? Or is there a specific room I need to use this command?

(After this I played Bright Brave Knight Knave and managed to finish that one!)

I made it pretty far I think (the feast shows that I have everything except the spoon) but haven't been able to figure out where to use "spoon spied." (The game says: "You can get a SPOON SPIED once you have managed to consult the goon guide with a clear mind.") Is there any advice you can give me as to where to use this command?

Thank you for another kind comment, I'm really glad that you enjoyed this one too! ❤️

(That's funny, I guess I do like L names! Lmao)

Ah I'm sorry! I didn't keep a transcript since I'm not doing super formal reviews or anything (and Adventuron kind of confuses me with how everything disappears, I'm not super comfortable with its interface). If I end up replaying it I'll try to recreate/transcribe the bug and send it to you.

Take care,

DemonApologist

Playtime: 15 minutes (Deluxe Toast)

This was fun! It's a great game especially for the New Years time of year when many people are thinking about making changes in their lives to make things better. Something I found interesting about the game was how the parser mechanics enhanced the feeling of being hungover—having to figure out where to find things and what order to do them, and remember the recipe slowed me with the mechanics, but I found that charming because it made it feel appropriate to the situation. (I genuinely think I could've made this toast in real life in less than 15 minutes, which is kind of funny to think about) 

I did encounter a bug (?) where the game kept asking me something like "Is that a spice in your hands? Are you sure?" at multiple points during the game and especially while I was plating the ingredients on the toast, which was a bit surreal (I did try to use salt at many different steps, and was told things like "two eggs is not a container", so ultimately my toast went unseasoned lol) 

Thank you so much!! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! ❤️

Read time: 6 minutes (3 times through to try some different options)

I hadn’t played this one of yours before! My favorite aspect of this piece is how powerful the small amount of text is in generating a lot of implications. It’s so much like realistic, very human conversation where people talk about things indirectly and not in an expository way as you often see in fiction. The writing trusts that the reader will pick up on the hints and cues to get a pretty clear image of the situation. Is my personal interpretation of the events described precisely, exactly correct? Maybe not, but I feel like I am pretty close to the mark after thinking about what I read. The Dialogue Jam restraint is interesting here in how it strips away other types of indicators of tone (for instance, description of body language or facial expressions) and yet, it’s clear based on the silences/pauses/obfuscation how Theomer and Heron are feeling throughout the scene.

Take care,

DemonApologist

Time to read: 15 minutes

Maybe it’s a bit clichéed at this point to describe something as “atmospheric,” but this certainly is. I really liked the abstracted-but-still-relevant visuals and how that contributes to a sense that the emotions here are familiar but difficult to describe/express, underscoring what is happening in the narrative. The narrowness of the text column as the story unfolds gives the piece a feeling of intimacy and pulls focus inward. I enjoy the single choice jam premise and seeing what people did with it. The two options are described in a unique way but still hint at what they each mean, and I felt like the choice was consequential but not final; if you choose to “tread lightly,” it feels like Maven will get another chance to try again in the future if they want to open up more.

Take care,

DemonApologist

I played/read the Mac version of this game in about 25 minutes.

I enjoyed this! Amy’s voice was consistent and that drew me into the first-person narration. Something I thought was effective here was the tonal shift over the course of the piece. At first, with the bright/bloomed out pastel backgrounds and ambient sound, the atmosphere feels embracing and optimistic. Then, as the story/night progresses, it becomes increasingly cold and alienating as the “dream job” sours/gets corrupted, a vibe shift that I wasn’t really expecting but felt natural and inevitable by the time I got to the end.  The throughline that brings it together is the friendship between Amy and Julie that is really recontextualized by the end of the piece—it felt like as a reader, I was questioning Julie’s intentions alongside Amy. 

Take care,

DemonApologist

I know it's over a month later, but I was feeling a little too shy/self-conscious to respond to this review at the time. I just want to say how much I appreciate the time you spent with this game and your kind words about it. This is the first interactive fiction game (or game jam game in general) that I ever made, so I am really thankful that you had a positive/memorable enough experience with it to write a thoughtful response like this. It means a lot to me.

Take care,

DemonApologist

PS: Thanks for the music you shared as well! I mainly listen to classical music on a loop when working. This is what I listened to mostly when I wrote this game: Bach - Ricercar a 6