You’re welcome! Its a genuine gem, not just from a horror standpoint but also as a creative story in general. Playing, even knowing spoilers, would still be advised because the game does some very interesting tricks with the way it presents the narrative.
Thanks for writing this up, never heard of the game and this was really interesting. I’m not sure how much of your write-up is explicitly textual, but the analysis is really cool.
Sorry, I meant that, having not played the game, I’m not sure how much observations like Curly’s inability to see the details are something the game tells you directly and how much is your interpretation. I guess I mostly meant that your framing of the story is really cool whether you’re just repeating the story beats as they’re given or mixing in a lot of your own analysis.
Ah, I see, thanks for clarifying. To be completely honest, this is more of an observation than an interpretation, almost every point I mentioned is part of the text of the game, explicitly related to the main story. Its less of a review or analysis, and just me wanting to get those thoughts off my mind. Although the game doesn’t throw plot points at your face (and I imagine that there are definitely people who didn’t get that there was sexual assault involve since the exchange about locked doors is quite brief) and also moves at a brisk pace, all the subjects I brought up are part of the main plot.
The only true “interpretation” is about the game being about what women suffer in the world, but I’d also hardly call it that; the only other major point that the game brings up is the company’s imminent bankruptcy and their lack of care for the workers, but if anything that’s just an extra factor that allowed Jimmy to act the way he is, and to Curly to justify his “bigger picture” supervisor mindset.
They’re not just reading into it, if that’s what you mean; the SA, and the rest of the crew’s behavior towards Anya is all very much what they described. Jimmy seeing Anya as a disfigured womb with a foal (as in, a horse) is literally what happens, not a figure of speech.
This game is an excellent example of conceptual horror and especially highlights how dehumanizing misogynistic and patriarchal attitudes can be. One thing that struck me as completely fucked was Jimmy begging for forgiveness from Curly even though his violence towards Anya caused him no guilt.
Not just that, but Anya is completely absent from any of Jimmy’s delusions - save from the disfigured womb creature. Curly, Daisuke, and even Swansea all appear, but Anya is not displayed even in the wall of company IDs that accompany Jimmy in one of his visions.
There is not point where he even considers her as a person.
I love this thread! I’ve been definitely shying away from AAA games towards Indies with lots of love. Here’s my contribution:
Venineth: One of the best entries in the niche “marble rolling” genre. You explore beautiful alien worlds, solving puzzles, and going very fast. Each world is incredibly unique, and has its own set of challenges to conquer. There is no dialogue and all text is in an alien language, which does an amazing job of immersing you into it’s landscapes store.steampowered.com/app/976500/Venineth/
Hypnospace Outlaw (Just above 3,000 reviews): Late 90s Internet simulator with a lot more to it than meets the eye. The game weaves a complex tale of people’s lives brought together by their community found on the Internet, and the havoc wreaked by a company in pursuit of profit above their users. The soundtrack is amazing, and I was genuinely surprised at how attached I got to the quirky Internet pages by the end. store.steampowered.com/app/…/Hypnospace_Outlaw/
Going Under: A rogue-lite adventure about unpaid intern Jackie treading through her startup’s basement to fight the monsters of former companies. The game’s tone and humor is amazing, and the “corporate marketing” art style works so well. The gameplay incorporates a lot of Breath of the Wild elements such as weapon durability, locking onto a single enemy, and throwing weapons. store.steampowered.com/app/1154810/Going_Under/
That’s usually what I do every once in a while whenever I decide to play. The amount of cool strategies you can do is fun. Especially if you aren’t like me and refuse to learn how to play toad mage or animal companion person.
Warning! First three games feature anthro animals!
• Corn Kidz 64: if you like games that play like they were made for older consoles (n64 in this case) and directly ported to modern PC (requires controller and has no mouse and keyboard support). Currently $6.99USD on Steam. Long enough to leave me satisfied but short enough to make me want more.
• Brok the InvestiGator: describes itself as the very first punch and click, having a point and click mode and a character control mode. Has multiple endings depending on how you play and what you do. Currently $19.99USD on Steam and has for $4.99 and $3.99 respectively a soundtrack and artbook DLC. Base game includes unlockable fan art and official character sheets. Also has a demo that contains all of chapter 1 of the full game, so you can see if it’s a game for you.
• Amorous: NSFW furry dating sim visual novel game. Free to play. Can’t get a real date? Have fun trying to get into the pants of virtual people instead! Warning! Contains nudity and visible genitals! Currently $0.00USD on Steam. Must be logged in to look at Steam page, but no such requirement for the itchio page.
• Ardor: free to play deck builder. Hasn’t been updated much since launch, I’m pretty sure. Play as a hexagon fighting other hexagons on a board of hexagons. Last I checked it currently has attack cards, movement cards, and cards that allow you to infect enemies. After each round you get to use the in game currency to upgrade things like how far an attack can reach, damage, how far you can move, etcetera. All numbers can go up for the right price. Currently $0.00USD on Steam. Has a $5.99USD support the developer DLC that, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t actually do anything.
I have played all these games, so I can vouch for them in various ways. I also tried not going over $25USD before tax to be a little more accessible to people who don’t have a lot of extra funds for games and tried not to go super well known and popular (even though I’m pretty sure Markiplier did a video on Amorous if I remember correctly)
Honestly just a really high quality experience that can be finished in around six or so hours. One of my favorite games of all time by many accounts: aesthetic, gameplay, atmosphere, and storytelling.
Clan Lord. An MMO that’s been running since the 90s and still gets regular updates. It’s long past the point of a monthly subscription, only costing $15 to get a character.
It is a great game but not for everyone I’d say, the game is pretty difficult at least for me and as I grew older I noticed that I enjoy an easier game with a good story to tell to a challenging game.
Fantastic Fist is a platforming game focused on simultaneous keyboard and mouse controls. While the character can be moved around with the keyboard, the mouse can be used to interact with the environment by punching with a giant fist.
A puzzle platformer with tight controls and true pixel art, much like Celeste. Makes very good use of the controls available on a PC. Low system requirements (100 MB storage). Solo dev spent years perfecting the gameplay.
I don’t play platformers but I’d like to support the dev (not affiliated). I will gift it to you on Steam if you’re the first to ask for it via DM CLAIMED. As for games I have played, I enjoy little itch.io VNs by npckc, I just wish my devices were fast enough to run Ren’Py decently…
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