as an addict i'm always compelled / hungry for more representations of addiction, and i thought that the monster being MC's grandfather's monster and their father's monster after him really struck bone. that wasn't precisely the case with my family, but intergenerational trauma is the name of the game.
it's also cloaked in symbolism and metaphor. but the mention of the white powder...you will know it, i think.
i share not to self-promo lol but just...to offer solidarity, in the case that the addiction comes from home, because as an addict the worst thing i think is to be alone and to feel alone. and this game made me feel a little less alone, because things like addiction can be so horrifying and monstrous the only thing you Can do is write about them in metaphor.
I know very little about addiction besides fiction and several medical details, so my thoughts will always be half-baked. Nevertheless, I found this portrayal empathetic and the allegory of knight-monster-king drives the message home for me.
I’m also fond of how the text flickers like a burning lightbulb. Almost like, addiction is a boogeyman regardless of where you stand: for the narrator, it’s the monster that tempts them; for the king and anyone else, it’s the monster that scares people away. It feels like the only way to actually defeat the monster is to understand it, to shine an actual permanent light on it and give support to the knight besides the king (who would have other obligations to do).
I thought this title was really good and I hope more people play it.
Really enjoyed this! I interpreted the monster to be alcoholism specifically, although I see you clarified in another comment that it could be any addiction. The game does a great job overall of offering enough details to allow a specific interpretation, while still remaining general enough for different people to read different meanings into it. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.
hey! want to say that i loved your review: i really appreciate people who take the time to comment on my work no matter their opinion on it, because it takes care, and it's always motivating to get better :)
onto your question: my intention with the king was for him to be someone whose opinion matters a lot to MC: a childhood friend, someone MC wants to love but can't because the king is an outspoken critic of MC's addiction, to the point of ditching. at least, that's what MC thinks, and can't blame the king for it either. By reaching out to him MC would be encouraging the king to put his money where his mouth is; if you're going to speak out against MC's struggles, then help them when they ask, if that makes sense.
of course, the monster is still MC's keeper at the end of the night. so they fail. but, in theory, one day they would be strong enough to craft a support system and escape the beast's keep.
again, thanks for your comment. greatly appreciated it and hope you enjoyed :)
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as an addict i'm always compelled / hungry for more representations of addiction, and i thought that the monster being MC's grandfather's monster and their father's monster after him really struck bone. that wasn't precisely the case with my family, but intergenerational trauma is the name of the game.
i don't know if you're also equally hungry for more representations of addiction, but i talk about mine in this game: https://swanchime.itch.io/moon-pool-wish-maker
it's also cloaked in symbolism and metaphor. but the mention of the white powder...you will know it, i think.
i share not to self-promo lol but just...to offer solidarity, in the case that the addiction comes from home, because as an addict the worst thing i think is to be alone and to feel alone. and this game made me feel a little less alone, because things like addiction can be so horrifying and monstrous the only thing you Can do is write about them in metaphor.
thank you for making this game.
I know very little about addiction besides fiction and several medical details, so my thoughts will always be half-baked. Nevertheless, I found this portrayal empathetic and the allegory of knight-monster-king drives the message home for me.
I’m also fond of how the text flickers like a burning lightbulb. Almost like, addiction is a boogeyman regardless of where you stand: for the narrator, it’s the monster that tempts them; for the king and anyone else, it’s the monster that scares people away. It feels like the only way to actually defeat the monster is to understand it, to shine an actual permanent light on it and give support to the knight besides the king (who would have other obligations to do).
I thought this title was really good and I hope more people play it.
Really enjoyed this! I interpreted the monster to be alcoholism specifically, although I see you clarified in another comment that it could be any addiction. The game does a great job overall of offering enough details to allow a specific interpretation, while still remaining general enough for different people to read different meanings into it. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for writing this. I imagined the beast as a lot of things!
Did you have any particular person or concept in mind as the king? That was something I couldn't nail down, though it didn't detract from the impact.
I wrote a short review here--I hope other people get to see this too.
https://intfiction.org/t/another-neo-twiny-jam-review-topic/62874/11
hey! want to say that i loved your review: i really appreciate people who take the time to comment on my work no matter their opinion on it, because it takes care, and it's always motivating to get better :)
onto your question: my intention with the king was for him to be someone whose opinion matters a lot to MC: a childhood friend, someone MC wants to love but can't because the king is an outspoken critic of MC's addiction, to the point of ditching. at least, that's what MC thinks, and can't blame the king for it either. By reaching out to him MC would be encouraging the king to put his money where his mouth is; if you're going to speak out against MC's struggles, then help them when they ask, if that makes sense.
of course, the monster is still MC's keeper at the end of the night. so they fail. but, in theory, one day they would be strong enough to craft a support system and escape the beast's keep.
again, thanks for your comment. greatly appreciated it and hope you enjoyed :)
cool game
thank you :)