(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)
We loved this game so much!! It’s such an incredible take on the theme - the premise is fresh and unique and exciting, and the narrative absolutely lives up to its promises. The writing is so, so deliciously good - it’s evocative, and authentic, and painful - the world and characters feel real and lived-in. It’s incredible how quickly the game gets you attached to them - we’ve only just met these people (and not-quite-people) and we were already invested in all of their stories - Arnold’s and Lidia’s in particular absolutely destroyed us. The sense of inevitable doom was palpable, and made us feel so powerless and frustrated in the best way possible - all of the choices having their advantages and downsides made for compelling moral dilemmas. We loved Jesse, and we loved the Crossroad Keeper, and we loved their relationship - they had such heartwarming, genuine chemistry, and their conversations were so fun to eavesdrop on. They were just so lovable and charismatic. The pacing was also impeccable, with plenty of room for the story to “breathe” while also keeping the readers at the edge of our seats. Watching all the little pieces of foreshadowing fall together in the end has been extremely satisfying, especially given the flowers used in the UI - it was such a clever little detail.
Speaking of UI, we loved it to bits - we kept going back-and-forth between the save menu and the game just to watch the little animation - in general the game’s visual identity is very stylish and cohesive, and oozing with this, rustic melancholy feel. We also appreciated the variety in choice mechanics - figuring out how the promise-making and the riddles worked together was a super exciting “aha!” moment. The hint/answer system was a welcome addition - in our experience, almost all the riddles were very solvable, but for the one we’ve struggled with, using an in-game function instead of having to reference an itch page/text doc felt like getting a high five from the game.
We’ve had an amazing time - congratulations on your well-deserved first place!!