Jesus where to begin. This is by far the most complex game I've reviewed for the jam so far. The narrative is deeply personal and presumably autobiographical. The trigger warnings are not a joke; this is a serious and up-close exploration of domestic abuse.
I'm having trouble even defining this as a "game," in that the term usually implies delivering "fun" and "gameplay." This is a piece of narrative, interactive software but it is not "fun."
That is not to say this is poorly made or not worthwhile - meticulous care has been paid to the pacing and emotional beats of the narrative, creating an experience that is definitely engaging and, for some, possibly fascinating. Others may find it too intense, I imagine. For me, it was rewarding but exhausting. This is to video games what a documentary on abuse would be to the film medium.
The actual narrative devices used do an extraordinarily good job at subverting typical video game experience. In most video games, character movement gives the player a sense of agency. In MM&M, repeated use is made of narrow halls or stairs where you are confronted over and over with uncomfortable scenes you cannot control, avoid, or prevent. Movement, instead of creating a sense of freedom, creates a feeling of inevitability, even dread. This is an extremely effective technique, and I applaud the developer for these vignettes
There is some very light gameplay - one block puzzle, one contextual escape room. The latter works somewhat, the former doesn't, but neither take much time away from the ongoing drama. Beyond that, all I can say is that this feels like it was important to the developer to make, and it feels well done from that perspective. I'm glad I played it and never want to play it again.
If the Trauma Memory Simulation genre doesn't exist, MM&M has invented it
