A downloadable game for Windows and macOS.
In it's current state (I realize this is very early development) this would be 2.5 if I could give it that - right in the middle of the stars options. I don't want to be harsh with it - it's a very cute game aesthetically and I like what it's going for in terms of gameplay - but it needs some additional polish in its current state to really shine.
I want to start out talking about what I think the game did well:
- It's a very cute novel concept that could really go some places and be used to tell a broader story. It's very clever and I think the beginnings of something great are definitely there.
- The gameplay is quite novel - it reminded me most of cooking simulators I've played. Maybe there is a whole subgenre out there of email sorting games I'm unaware of... but this was new to me! Kudos for doing something new.
- The art in the game is amazing. I love the little picture of Remiel. I love the geocities-esque animations (super cute and really nostalgic for me).
- In terms of cost 'free' can't be beat lol!
- It ran really smoothly for me - no crashes or obvious bugs.
- I found this game because it was included in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. Even though it's currently a free game I deeply respect everyone who donated their projects to beef up that bundle.
- The game feels like it has had a lot of love and care put into it - it's quirkly, a little on the nose, and funny... but it also has hints of being touching or moving that could be expanded out in some really poignant ways I think.
And then I want to talk about the things I think need some polish:
In terms of accessibility/playability:
- The sound desperately needs options. I often play games while I have another source of sound on and there was no way to mute the game within it. Moving from different 'pages' often makes the music jump to the start of its loop. The experience ranged from 'frustrating' to 'actively grating and headache inducing'. (The options page said 'coming soon' which may at some point update).
In terms of gameplay:
- The learning curve for the game is pretty brutal. It starts out a little slow and there is some delay with introducing novel mechanics. However, the game ramps up FAST with no break points. I think the game would benefit massively from a 'leveling' or 'breakpoint' system and introducing one novel mechanic at a time. Even just having a tutorial level would be hugely helpful.
- There's some minimal explanation for what you're expected to be doing - but otherwise you have to figure it out entirely through trial and error. It didn't feel consistent or intuitive - I'd reply to some messages that seemed legit and the game would tell me I did the wrong thing. I'd delete what looked like obvious spam and be given the little 'womp womp' sound effect. It was frustrating trying to figure out what the game wanted. In particular at one point I deleted a chain letter - obvious spam - and got dinged for it. What was supposed to indicate that you actually ought to forward chain letters? Who am I supposed to forward them to?
- There is no way to undo certain 'punishments'. To some extent I agree with this - if you write a nasty letter to your boss you ought to be penalized permanently for that play session. However! If you accidentally misclick or misread and open a spam email that puts and ad on your screen there ought to be a way to periodically scrub ads. The seemingly permanent nature of the ads (or the lack of a clear way to get rid of them) feels disproportionately punishing for the level of mistake.
- Some gentle hints on what you're supposed to do with certain email categories would be very helpful. Sometimes I'd get an email on fashion advice... before I got emails from co-workers requesting some fashion advice (where I'd presumably need to forward them the email on fashion advice). The problem with the timing on that is the email on fashion advice feels like spam that you'd need to delete - there's no clue that you need to save it to forward to coworkers. Additionally, petitions from humans are super confusing - it'd be great if I could see a job title on the coworkers emails that get added to my contact list so i could see who is the person I'm supposed to forward certain things to.
New things I think might add to the game:
- I wish there were some emails that required longer responses! Most of them that you need to type a response to you're mostly just signing your name. A metric where certain co-workers get peevish with your responses if they aren't over a certain wordcount.
- I wish sometimes emails came with replies! Even having one person you're in a 'chain' with in terms of discussion would be.
- Some sort of 'save' or high score recording. As far as i can tell each time I restart the game its fresh.
- It'd be really cute to - especially if the game adds some sort of 'leveling' or 'breakpoint' system - introduce more angels... especially with pictures! It'd be nice to get to know some of these co-workers. Maybe do something like frame the 'breakpoints' in the game around 'office meetings' where your performance gets evaluated? As you progress through the game you could have static events to encounter... or you could even add in a few branching paths based on decisions made while sorting emails!
Overall I think with a few updates, expansions, and changes this could be a really cute indie darling. The folks making it obviously love it and I look forward to seeing where they take it!
