So, I've decided to review the other two submissions for this game jam :)

The Caretaker Review

This is a short, sweet interactive "text adventure". The gameplay is basically a Choose Your Own Adventure type of visual novel... well, as visual as a text based game can be. You are a caretaker of some shelter for supernatural monsters. You have 11 hours to check on the lodgers and solve their problems. This basically means chosing the right order to visit the various characters, as each one wants something some other character has, although the time limit is generous enough to allow you to visit every unique room once to see what they want and still finish on time.

Scaryness: It wasn't scary at all and I don't think it was ever meant to be. It's just a feel-good, slice-of-life kind of interactive short story, with classic horror monsters as the characters.

Rating: 1 Star

Christmasness: One line at the start of the game says that it takes place on the 24th of December, but aside from that, it feels like it could have been any other day. There's no special celebration, it seems like business as usual. There was also one moment where it seemed kinda contradicted, the scene where you are going to the shed to visit the alien. I think the text also mentioned something about the nature being green and no mention of there being any snow (despite the fact that I chose the Cold option early on). This is certainly more than possible depending on location this story takes place in, but it did make me think that the Christmas setting was a bit of an afterthought. On the other hand, the game has a theme of taking care of others, which is suitably Christmassy.

Rating: 2 Stars

Storytellingness: This is the thing the game focuses on and it does it really well. The characters are certainly colorful and the descriptions are flavorful without being overly wordy. At certain times, you can choose certain options that lead to small changes in the story, not merely related to what your character does, but also to establish your relationship with the characters and minor details, which adds some flavor. It's short, sweet and does everything it set out to do.

Rating: 5 Stars

Audio/visual/controls/other-technical-stuff-ness: Well, it's a text game, so there's not much to rate here. The text is perfectly serviceable and readable. I think some audio would add a lot to the game and maybe even pictures. It's pretty basic, but considering what type of game this is, I don't think this category matters much.

Rating: 2 stars

Final thoughts: It was very nice little game with great writing. I certainly enjoyed my playthrough. The draw of the game is to read through the various interations between your character and the lodgers. It really makes you feel like they have a history together.