a master class in colour & sound.

2022

real short & real simple, which is real nice.

the music is good & toe-tapping, which is deeply destabilising when i start messing up.

cute little wander game/muse-um-up with just enough puzzling & secrets to compel you along, and some genuinely lovely reveals.

too genius for me. i'm sure it's fine.

[Verse 1]
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Engines pumping and thumping in time
The green light flashes, the flags go up
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup
They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns
Their prowess is potent and secretly stern
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down
The fans get up and they get out of town
The arena is empty except for one man
Still driving and striving as fast as he can
[Pre-Chorus]
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
And long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's driving and striving and hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns

[Chorus]
He's going the distance
He's going for speed
She's all alone (All alone)
All alone in her time of need
Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's going the distance

[Post-Chorus]
Yah!

[Verse 2]
No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine
He's haunted by something he cannot define
Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse
Assail him, impale him with monster-truck force
In his mind, he's still driving, still making the grade
She's hoping in time that her memories will fade
'Cause he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse

[Pre-Chorus]
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
And long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's striving and driving and hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns

[Chorus]
'Cause he's going the distance
He's going for speed
She's all alone (All alone)
All alone in her time of need
Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's going the distance
He's going for speed
He's going the distance

[Outro]
Hey
Hey
Hey
Oh, hey
Hey
Oh no
So sad, alright
Oh no
Oh no
No, no

i cannot in good conscience recommend this game.

it's beautiful and unique and uncanny and your weird momentum will drop you in lava, or a pit, or a river, or an abyss, or a rapid, or a canyon, or a sinkhole, or a whirlpool, and will insta-kill you more often than the myriad infuriating insects or skeleton swarm.

however, several levels are just, entirely zipline rides.

i've never played anything like it, it's so beautiful, i hate it, 4 out of 5 stars.

washington!

as you've never suspected of being purgatory before!

tempest 2000 by way of house of leaves and vice-versa.

finally, the reason i became an astronaut: stealth, and prolonged platforming sections. on the moon.

good job including a monorail though 👍

any game that includes a terminal with tab-completion is a big win in my books.

no i will never finish this, it is existentially troubling.

the central metaphors about overcoming grief & various related mental & spiritual difficulties are a bit thin, as are the puzzles, but it's bite-sized, visually remarkable, with great audio & music work, and a couple really great VO performances.

This review contains spoilers

they gave waterbug a butthole.