Oh, it’s in the magic route when the character works in the magic shop. It only appeared after you’ve played the route once already. I kinda doubt you didn’t see it since it’s kinda impossible to complete the game without the magic route, but I can totally understand forgetting about it after a few games
BirdPlaysGames
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SPIES with Very Little Intelligence comments · Posted in SPIES with Very Little Intelligence comments
1. Did believing you could play this only once impact how you made decisions?
Not really, the hardest decision for me in the whole game was probably deciding whether to bring up the tough conversation now or later. Everything else was either a no-brainer for me or just felt like the best option.
2. What do SAL and Ash look like in your mind? Did you mentally assign a gender to either or both characters?
The image of Ash in my mind was constantly changing and shifting. It honestly shocked me that, despite them being described as aesthetically attractive, I found myself picturing them in ways that I wouldn't find subjectively attractive (not my type, basically). Other than that, the strongest image in my mind when thinking about Ash was the image of bright, white light reflecting from their glasses while the rest of their face was nearly a shadow. Their dimples are only visible as shadows cast by the light of SAL's monitor.
For SAL, I pictured an old computer from the 90s. The white boxy ones that are older than me. I sorta forgot about the wires, but considering the whole game played out in a very dark room in my mind, I don't think you'd really be able to see much of the wires anyway. And with the description of SAL's sight and eyes, I kind of pictured SAL's monitor as displaying one eye that takes up the whole screen and communicates where they're looking as their only form of nonverbal communication. Like, they have no mouth to smile, but you can tell they're listening from the way their eye stares. It walks the line between an innocent, wide-eyed wonder and a cold, emotionless gaze. The only time the eye isn't on screen is when they're considering/computing something. Then it was a loading screen; sometimes a rotating circle, sometimes a spinning hourglass.
Like I said before, Ash was constantly changing in my mind's eye and that included their gender, but they mostly remained neutral or non-binary. SAL was static and sort of agender, as I thought of them either as a machine that wouldn't identify with a gender or more like a child who wasn't raised with strict gender roles in mind, and therefore it's not a part of their identity yet. If at all, maybe a slight tilt towards masculinity, but I suspect that's just because I was playing the game through their point of view and therefore projected a bit of my own identity onto the character.
3. What choices did you make? How did your game end?
I chose not to beat around the bush and begin talking about SAL's suspicion that they aren't capable of loving Ash. In the end, we decided to see where things go after discussing how relationships are forged through many small breaks and connections, ultimately leading to either the great break-up or the great connection.
4. What did you like and dislike about this game?
I didn't particularly feel super emotional throughout the playthrough, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering the subject matter, tone, and length.
There were a few moments where I felt some real chemistry between Ash and SAL, but I feel that the game could carry a little more emotional weight if there were a few more moments like that. But again, I think that's more a result of the length and tone rather than a real flaw.
I really enjoyed the examination of love and relationships. Not sure if that conversation happens on other paths, but as someone who's always struggled to grasp relationships and being involved with another person, I thought it was really helpful and profound in its understanding of what a healthy relationship looks like.
Like I said, I've always struggled to grasp how relationships are possibly supposed to work out. Juggling between the unrealistic fantasy of a perfect romance and the cold, hard facts of romance and love that border on nihilistic anxiety is hard. Especially when you don't have a lot of experience with relationships in general *cough cough*.
All that to say that I really connected with SAL. Sure, I'm not a totally logical machine, but I am the type to be attracted to someone and immediately think stuff like "all relationships are statistically likely to fail" and "the chances that your first through third or fourth relationships work out are astronomically low." I have absolutely no faith in myself or others so taking risks like trusting people and myself- specifically trusting them and me enough to date them- is a really big deal for me. I really liked being able to play the game from the point of view of a character that feels it is incapable of love because, even if it's for a different reason than my own, I empathize with that feeling of being uncertain of yourself and wanting what's best for the person you care about. Especially when you're scared that doing what's best for them will still hurt them in the end.
5. How did this game make you feel?
Like I said, not too heavy for me emotionally. I empathized with SAL and Ash's perspectives on love and relationships resonated with me. Overall I was entertained but I'm not sure if I could play a game like this if it was much longer.
I was still pretty positive at the end. Happy or content aren't quite the words for it. Maybe hopeful, because of the message I walked away with. Maybe satisfied, because I felt like I'd learned something.
Edit after answering question 7: I felt calm and comfortable. The way the characters communicated clearly and without malice or abundant anxiety at the end made me feel that it didn't matter where they ended up because they'd be okay.
6. Do you want to see these characters again? What would you want to see in a follow-up?
Honestly, I'm not super invested in the characters themselves outside of the scenario they're in. Heck, I'm not sure that I even want to replay the game. I personally like the conversation I saw and the ending I got. Anything outside of that may be better, or it may ruin the image I have of both of them in my head. I'm content keeping the way I see both of these characters the way I last saw them.
7. What predictions do you have for SAL and Ash's relationship? Where do you see it going?
I like the open ending and have no predictions. In my mind, this is one of those games that is better without a concrete "yes" or "no" answer to the questions its ending leaves. Like I said, hopeful might be a way to describe how I felt about the ending. But I wasn't necessarily hopeful that they'd stay together, nor was I hopeful that they would break up. I was hopeful that either way, they would both be okay. Be it alone or together, they'll be okay.
8. Any other things you want to mention?
Neet game. Comfy, profound, and educational in a way.Okay, I seriously think the summary for this game needs a bit of a re-work.
I found this game randomly while desperately looking for something new to play and I honestly didn't think much of it after reading the description. I was going to exit back out to the Itch.io home page but decided to check the comments to see if any of them mentioned game length or if the game was even complete. Then I saw a comment talking about endings and I figured "If it's finished then I might as well give it a try."
Now, I've just spent the last three hours fully immersed in the story and completely determined to get a happy ending. I haven't even finished reaching an ending yet, and I am convinced that this is one of the best games - and if not, definitely one of the best FREE games - on Itch.io. Maybe even one of the most well-written interactive fiction games of all time. And I was about to pass up on it because I of the description!!
I'm not saying that the summary needs spoilers or anything, but maybe something to give it a bit more substance? This game is crazy good so far and I can only imagine how many people like me looked over the summary and said "meh, can't be that good" purely because the summary didn't give them a good enough idea of the game
Spoilers!!!
I'm only in my third loop where I'm about to help retake the city with Gemma and the like "If we get out of here. When we do..." being switched to "When we get out of here. If we do..." has already basically destroyed me. I did not expect to grow so attached to a character so fast and I already know that even if we both manage to survive retaking the city, I still don't have enough information to stop the comet!
Scout: An Apocalypse Story comments · Replied to Unknown00001 in Scout: An Apocalypse Story comments
Scout: An Apocalypse Story comments · Replied to Unknown00001 in Scout: An Apocalypse Story comments
Yeah they’re upset. So what? It’s an incomplete project that someone put blood sweat and tears into and they got to enjoy for free. I’m not saying they have to be encouraging, I’m saying that they’ve got a shitty way of appreciating the author of a story they enjoy. Being disappointed isn’t an excuse to be disrespectful. Children throw tantrums when they’re disappointed
Okay, I have to ask.
Kinda spoilers ahead...
Was the story about the old horse and the unicorn a myth that already existed that you borrowed or did you write it yourself? That was genuinely one of the sweetest fables I've heard in a while. It's so simple and short, but it's so careful to pull at your heartstrings in the rawest way. All to have a happy ending about living for eternity that doesn't even bring up the thought that immortality could become torture.
I think it's the most wholesome story I've ever heard that involves a wish-granting genie-type character. It definitely elicited the strongest reaction I've had to a fable. And again, all that in such a short little story!
You know those mobile game ads? The ones that show you a brief, dramatic, somewhat interesting situation and then you have to make a "difficult" (usually ridiculous) decision?
This game is like those but ACTUALLY compelling with ACTUALLY difficult decisions that genuinely feel like they carry consequences down the line. With the added bonus of not having the weird-looking, distorted visual "aids." If you've seen them you know what I'm talking about.
Dig at mobile game ads aside, I'm at the beginning of Ch 11 of the X route and I'm so blow away by pretty much everything about this game.
From the technical angles like the grammar, story telling techniques, vocab, etc. to how enjoyable and engaging the story is. Even the moments that are intentionally written to be "dull" or taxing on the MC emotionally are not taxing to read while still allowing sympathy. I don't think a lot of people realize how hard it is to make "unenjoyable" scenes compelling.
Basically what I'm getting at is, this is a great freakin' game. 10/10.
Spoilers
TW: Ironic use of the word rizz
So in the behind the scenes/development stuff you get after completing all the routes it's revealed that the secret love interest ,who I will not name because I know people who don't know will probably read this despite the spoiler warning, was actually supposed to have a crush on Jaylene no matter what route you're on but never gets to have her in any ending. But, since everyone loved her so damn much, the developer gave her her own route.
So basically, she rizzed up the audience so hard "god" had to rewrite her life so she'd end up with her crush lol
Okay so this is probably just a crack pot theory but I’m just gonna put it out there. Spoiler warning!
Okay so I vaguely remember Lien saying that her like extra monstrous out of control form isn’t her actual genes but a scientist’s attempts to “fix” her.
I don’t know if she ever mentions where she was sent to who the scientist was specifically but the way I remember her talking about it, she phrased it as if the place she was sent to be “fixed” was not the same lab that Mrs Jackson is working for or at least not the lab we end up in at the end of her route.
Now baring that in mind, doesn’t her extra monstrous mouth thing form kinda remind you of the creatures Victoria’s dad made? I don’t know if it was intentional but to me they kinda look the same or at least similar, and both were mistakes made by a scientist while trying to achieve something else.
On top of all of that, I’m pretty sure Victoria mentions that it was her dad who introduced her to the monster world after she was put back together, which means that he at least knew of the monster world before then.
Even if I’m wrong about Lien being sent somewhere other than the evil underground lab, Victoria’s dad is a scientist living in Blackwood. It’s almost certain that he does/did work for the lab and/or worked with the doctor that Lien was sent to. That would explain why their works are so similar to have basically made the same mistakes.
Or maybe I’m looking too far into this lol
also while typing this I realized that Lien’s name is just alien without the a lol. I’m just imagining a line from Jaylene that goes something like, “so you’re an alien… named Lien,” had the creator kept the original alien idea
I'm still kinda processing and I'm kinda at a loss for words but the only thing I can decide to say is a shallow sounding awesome. Good job. I would say more if I could but my head is still going over the last few minuets if you know what I mean. I'm also having a hard time trying to imagine anything but the skateboard scene right now. Thank you for the game.
This game has an odd charm to it. I don't usually play or read things that don't have eye pleasing art styles because I just can't stand looking at something that makes me feel off while trying to convey a story, but this game kept me playing the entire way through until the end. It was also really relaxing to play and I quite enjoyed the sound design. Honestly comparing this to my favorite game of all time, that being a 8/10, I'd say this is around a 4 or five enjoyment wise. I look forward to seeing more of your work.