An interactive fantasy fiction novel in which you are a sealed-away deity who has become unsealed. Will you take revenge? Or are you going to retire? Can you truly trust anybody around here? Who knows?
Legends upon legends have been told through times and generations of children and people alike of a deity like no other who once blessed these very lands. They were beloved, and many prayed to them until they no longer could have a story fated for good. Yet the story doesn't even have an ending, as the deity simply vanished decades ago.
You're a deity—well, you used to be one.
You’ve been with humanity since the very beginning of existence. You’ve seen kingdoms rise and fall, torn by war, bloodshed, and greed, it was all-consuming. Many prayed to you for guidance in these times of madness and decay.
The rules of a deity were simple do not interfere with mortal affairs, do not change the tides of fate, and do not step down into the mortal realm.
But alas, you would break these rules. You stepped down into the forbidden realm of the mortals to bring forth a new era of peace. Yet, these are crimes even as an elder deity, such as yourself, could not escape punishment.
The other deities would watch your deeds with disgust. As they saw not peace but imbalance. The mortals had grown too dependent on you, thus disrupting the natural order they seemed necessary. By intervening, you robbed the mortals of their struggles, their conflicts, and the growth that came from their hardships. In the eyes of your fellow deities, this was not kindness, but sin.
Convinced you are a threat to the balance of the world, they decided you would no longer exist amongst them. You were trialed like an outsider, and your punishment was just as severe as your actions: sealed away for eternity, your name erased from history itself, your actions forgotten. Only a few mortals would whisper of your name, telling stories of the deity who dared to bring peace into the world.
But now, another decade has passed. You have awakened.
Customize your Deity—gender, pronouns, sexuality, appearance, personality.
Reclaim your rightful position as a deity again or just retire (hopefully you can peacefully).
Get revenge on those who sealed you away, or don't
Romance, befriend, or make enemies
Get the mortal experience.
Reclaim your lost power.
And more.
Alec, God of Weather (He/Him | Old)(Warrior)
"It's been a while, and somehow you stay the same as always, but if there's ever a chance you'll look at me the same again, I'll take it again, friend."
Alec is a strong and powerful God, that would be the case if he actually used his powers, which he doesn't. Once known as your closest ally, now a distant stranger. Alec stands at 6'4" with short wavy blonde hair, a powerful build, bronze skin, amber eyes, and is a lazy charmer. A player, if you saw one, Alec is a lover of all things alcoholic, a bit carefree at times, and all too lazy. With strange coping mechanisms, he flirts with almost anything that breathes. He can always never take anything seriously and always seems to run away from his godly duties or too much responsibility.
Martha, Adventurer Elf (she/her | 150) (Rogue)
"Yer a strong one, aren’t ya? I like ya! Let’s be mates, eh? There’s a bit o’ mystery ‘bout ya, and I’ve a feelin’ you’re no ordinary adventurer."
An adventurer you can't seem to get rid of after you had a chance encounter with her during a life-and-death situation in an underground abandoned labyrinth. Martha is 5'6" with olive skin and a strong build, long curly red hair, and sparking blue eyes. Martha is a lover of all adventure and danger it's her calling. She's a wild animal, jokester, and outgoing. She'll be the first one to run into danger without thinking, though she tends to be very unlucky.
Ash, Noble Human (They/them | 24) (Mage)
"A deity are you now? Why don't you bring the very sky down with such words since you believe yourself so cable of such foolishness."
A ruthless, self-centered noble with clean as their middle name. Anyone who isn't as intelligent as them is simply inferior. Ash is 5'5" with pale skin, a lean build, and shoulder-length straight black hair with some dark green eyes. Ash is very closed off and prefers to keep to themselves, finding others around them annoying pests clearly unworthy of their time.
Cory, Baker Angel (M/F/NB | 31)(Cleric)
"Ah, I've seem to have forgotten my staff again.. but no worries, haha. I brought a spare somewhere if I can find it."
Cory is a gentle and loving person—one of the kindest you've met so far. Maybe a bit too kind? Cory male is 5'7". Female Cory is 5'5". None binary Cory is 5'6". Cory has a soft build with flowing purple hair and gold eyes. Cory is too kind and trusting, leading them to be easily taken advantage of. They tend to forgetful and somehow accident-prone but are always willing to befriend anyone, even their enemies.
Brook, Merchant Human (M/F/NB | 27)(Barbarian)
"I talk money. Ever heard of that? If not, get out of my face and stop trying to negotiate. I got prices for a reason you decaying festering flesh-lump."
Oh brook Rude and short-tempered and way too straightforward, some wonder how they're still in business. Brook male is 6'1. Female Brook is 5'9". None binary Brook is 5'8". Brook has long, coily brown hair and brown skin with gray eyes and a buff build. They talk business being one to not back down from a fight regardless of size. Brook doesn't fear anybody they like to take their own side of the argument, and if you don't agree with them, well they couldn't care less, really.
Demo: Here
Author Notes
This project was left a couple years ago and is now back in full swing. Expect updates and hopefully a new planned-out schedule so I can organize everything. This might have more RPG themes and fantasy.
This is my first time writing an IF so any and all tips are welcome and appreciated.
This game is rated 16+ because of: violence, blood and death, corpses, body horror, rude language, and explicit depictions of gore.
Hello everyone, great news! I might be able to release a new and updated demo maybe today or next week. It'll be about 5,000 or 10,000 more words added, and there will be so much more features and things to do, that is, if I can wrap up everything into one big bow. I'm very excited to be releasing it soon.
I have revamped the IF intro a bit more to fit the direction I'm heading with the story check it out. And I've worked on the stat menu a bit more, as it'll be a big part of the story with how I'm mapping it out.
If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people sees it! And sharing is caring! <3
~ EDITORIAL ~
Still looking for members!
To ensure the zine has a bright future, we are still looking for free hands with a couple of hours to kill, and minds, looking to make a little difference in the community! Our team might have grown, but there is space for more kind souls!
If you too would like to help us out in a more official capacity, we have some key positions available in our roster. So shoot us a message!
~
This week, we had a very special guest on Small Talk... XYZZY winner, surrealist author, multimedia creator and Tumblr sensation...
Kit Riemer (@adz)!
We dove into their strange worlds, talked about their impactful games, and learned some pretty interesting stuff about making games!
Check out our interview with Kit Riemer on Small Talk...
We hope you enjoy
this new issue!
MARJORIE, AXELLE, NOI, BRIJ, DION, BEX
~ BE PART OF THE ZINE ~
WHAT'S NEW IN IF? HAS EXPANDED!
Since the release of issue #14, we've enacted some changes with the zine. It is now expanded with interviews of creators from all around the IF world, as well as direct contributions from you, our readers!
THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!
Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?
WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!
Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Excited as we are about next week's interview and have questions for our guest? Or want to see a certain author answer questions next? Message us!
SMALL TALK... IS WAITING!
Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!
Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!
~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : IFCOMP ~
The Superbowl of Interactive Fiction
The Interactive Fiction Competition (or IFComp) is one of the major yearly IF events, since 1995. It may be even the longest still-recurring yearly game making event!
Started by Kevin Wilson in the IF Usenet Forum rec.arts.int-fiction, submitted games were limited to 2h playtime before being judged and ranked by players.
Throughout the years, the IFComp evolved, seeing a couple dozens of parser entries to a wide and diverse range of IF forms. Still, after ballooning during Covid, with recurring 70+ entries, the event continues to be a key avenue for IF creation
As the submission period ended just this week, the IFComp is now moving to its Voting Period, which will last for 1-1/2 month (until October 15). Starting this Sunday, judges will be able to play and rate entries (minimum of 5 to count).
At the end of the event, if participants rank high enough, they are eligible for prizes and part of the Colossal Fund pie! @ifcomp They are still looking for donations!
Looking for great games to play? Want your voice make a difference? Go create an account and vote!
~ ENDED ~
IntroComp officially ended this week. Though there was only one courageous entry this year, congratulations to the winner! Maybe we'll see Good Bones completed within the year!
The campfire ashes of the Tales to Thrill jam have expired. But there are still 10 thrilling entries to check out!
While you can't eat them, you will find three Confiture de Parser entries to play! New and veteran parser creators spent the summer making some fun games (in French)!
As for the SuNoFes Jam, they broke all their records in submissions! Go check out some really cool entries!
The Review-a-thon also ended last week, helping add over a hundred reviews to willing games, and raising money in the process!
~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~
Voting has now started for IFComp! Until Oct 15, you can play and rate at least 5 of the 67 entries! Yup, only just 5 games to be an official judge!
~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~
Only this weekend left to submit for the Bitsy Jam 83! This edition's theme is “temporary”!
The Bring Out Your Ghost jam of remembering old WIPs is coming to an end this weekend. This will be your last chance to show off your ghosts (or attempt to finish them)! @neointeractives
If you are looking to create something but can't do a whole game, the Game Mockup Jam might be for you! Returning this year, the jam is looking for 1-4 screenshots of a game that doesn't exist! @romanhyacinths
Running until Halloween, the Phantasia Jam is a three months game jam to create a fantasy narrative game, with the theme of “Hidden Magic”. It accepts both VN and IF.
On the CoG Forum, Halloween is already there! Until Oct 31st, submit to the Halloween Jam - it has funky themes!
Do you understand or write Ukrainian? Until the end of the year, the Ukrainian IF Festival is happening on itch.io!
~ OTHER ~
The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running! If you have completed an IF piece this year, consider submitting it! It is happening only on itch!
~ SMALL TALK… ~
WITH KIT RIEMER (@adz)
~ Joining us this week is surrealist author, multimedia creator and Tumblr sensation: Kit Riemer ~ Author of “Computerfriend”, “Verses, and more! ~
Due to Tumblr's link limit, this transcription does not include any links. Download the zine on itch for the complete list.
⟶ Hello Kit! Welcome to Small Talk…
Thanks for having me!
⟶ Please, tell us a bit more about yourself and how you landed in the Interactive Fiction community.
When I was young, I was a big fan of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. The Goosebumps ones were okay, but I found a few pulp scifi ones from the '80s/'90s that were gorier and weirder, and I loved them... at my dad's recommendation, I fooled around with a few parser games like Zork in high school, but didn't realize there was an extant community for that kind of game until much later, when I published consciousness hologram. I originally wrote it as a series of HTML webpages for a hybrid poetics class I took in college, and my friend Brett convinced me to drop it into Twine and build in more interactivity. Then I found my way onto the Intfiction forum and never looked back.
⟶ Let's start with consciousness hologram, which you published in 2018, which was clearly inspired visually by early Twine games. What drove this specific formatting of the game?
It's funny you say that, cuz I wasn't really aware of other Twine games when I made it... I think it looks that way because I was just learning how to use Twine (and write basic HTML), and the styling/coding I did was extremely rudimentary and mostly based on the o.g. HTML webpage version of the story. I like the plainness of old Geocities sites and was trying to recreate that vibe, and I actually think the webpage version of the story was more visually appealing, but I quickly got addicted to the branching choice format. consciousness hologram is my most deliberately interactive game, with customizable name/pronouns and a bunch of little optional choices and branches. For future games, I had to learn to pare down...
⟶ Yet, this styling has not completely disappeared in your subsequent projects, especially in the Computerfriend series. Were those a deliberate choice?
The styling did become more deliberate in Computerfriend. That game was very carefully styled; especially the Hyperpages section, which was a reskinned version of ripped code from a Geocities forum. I spent a long time experimenting with different graphics and recreating old operating system layouts (it was originally supposed to look like Windows 95).
⟶ Is there a particular section/scene of consciousness hologram that you like the most? or one you regret?
I haven't played it in such a long time, but I have fond memories of James's integration section. His voice was a blast to write; a kind of friendly/malevolent ghost hanging around in the background of everything that happens. I'm sure if I played it now I'd cringe at most of it, but so much time has passed that it doesn't particularly feel like my game. When I (very occasionally) get comments about it, it comes as a surprise to me
⟶ Universal Hologram was your entry into IF competitions, resulting in the 23rd rank at the famed IFComp. What was your experience with the biggest IF competition? Were you stressed at all as a first time entrant?
I didn't really understand the prestige of IFComp when I joined, so I wasn't that stressed. The private author's channel was also great for relieving some of that nervousness by commiserating with everyone else. I did get a bit more self-aware as I learned about the community and received real, good, critical reviews. Not all the feedback I got was positive, but it was thoughtful and useful, and I liked that the reviewers stuck to their guns and expressed themselves clearly. During the competition, I finally started playing more IF and began to understand what was expected of a serious piece of IF.
⟶ There were a couple of years between consciousness hologram and Universal Hologram. Was there something about this game that took a while to do?
After finishing consciousness hologram, I still wasn't really involved with the IF scene, and I spent the next couple years writing a weird little novel called North Alter. While working on it, I got sick, and was spending a lot of time seeing different doctors and dealing with symptoms that made it difficult to be productive (this lasted from around 2019-2022). At one point, I listed consciousness hologram on IFDB and thought it would be funny if my friends review-bombed it so it was the lowest-rated thing on the site. I didn't realize there was a serious community there, and on my sorry-for-being-an-idiot tour I met a bunch of folks who were super smart, funny, and kind. I also got some legitimate feedback on my work, and it made me want to take another crack at Twine, so I started work on a sequel to consciousness hologram.
⟶ What is your favorite moment in Universal Hologram? What about your least favorite?
Universal Hologram is a fundamentally silly game, and most of the things I dislike about it now are related to tone. Its philosophical themes (like negative utilitarianism) have an inherent humor, at least to me, but the super casual character dialogue I wrote for it was criticized, rightfully I think, for not seeming to take itself seriously and leaning too hard on slang & swearing. The tonal shift at the end threw some players, too, but I think that's my favorite moment — whichever branch you take, I tried to make the final act of the game feel high stakes. I love the novel The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and the paradigm shifting sequence at its end, where each earlier part is put into perspective and the reader (or at least this reader) thinks "oh damn, this is bold, he's actually doing X," so I wanted to try to pull off something similar.
⟶ Universal Hologram (and in a small section Computerfriend) includes AI-generated images. AI is currently a hot-topic in the IF-scene. What was the reaction of players regarding these images? Has your view on AI changed since?
When I was working on Universal Hologram, AI image generation tools were in a fairly early state. They were being written, trained, and published mostly by researchers and students, and it felt exciting to take advantage of them and experiment, especially in the context of a game like Universal Hologram, which deals with issues like the moral weight of an artificial intelligence. It was before the training data was poisoned by recursive AI garbage, so the result of my prompts was often inhuman, grotesque, and unique in a way I found appealing. You had to make choices like selecting the training database and setting how many iterations of an image the program would create, starting from a purplish blob and solidifying (hopefully) into something vaguely resembling the prompt. I especially enjoyed creating GIFs of the images resolving over the course of 300 or so iterations, forcing the program to gradually improve on an alien task it would never understand.
Like most people, I soured on generative AI pretty quickly. Businesses with access to massive (dubiously acquired) user data archives used them to train programs that became more and more predictable. I educated myself about the ethics and the growing environmental impact of tools like ChatGPT, but I also began seeing them used to create petabytes of SEO-optimized spam webpages and Facebook ragebait and samey & terrible stories, games, and images that began to overwhelm the small creative communities I frequented. So even though nobody ever criticized my use of AI (that I know of), I abandoned it, because today's generative AI tools seem antithetical to the things I love about art: individuality, creativity, making something out of nothing.
⟶ You didn't just participate in the IFComp, following up 6 months later with the release of Computerfriend at the SpringThing. Did you notice differences in the vibes between the two events?
Computerfriend was not meant to be a widely accessible or likable game, and I happened to finish it around the time that Spring Thing was occurring, so it seemed like a good match - I think of Spring Thing as a bit friendlier, less qualitative, & more open to odd stuff. (My favorite games that year, Manifest No and Phenomena, were both entered in the Back Garden section.) I do think Spring Thing reviews are a little less critical. Festival vs. competition.
⟶ Can you tell us a bit more about Computerfriend? And how came you up with it?
I plotted out Computerfriend while still quite sick, depressed, and isolated, and I wanted the game to reflect that isolation. I was in therapy at the time, and something that came up often was my feeling that my emotional state was actually completely normal given the circumstances — like, I had been a physically healthy & productive adult, and then I became unable to leave my house or work or see friends, and my reaction to that was, if anything, indicative of a healthy mind. And I began to imagine this character undergoing a similar existence, with personal and environmental factors that made their life hellish, and how frustrating it would be to be told that the way they felt (rather than their miserable material circumstances) was the problem. Then I researched a bunch of different therapeutic techniques to determine how they'd be used to treat someone like this.
⟶ Computerfriend won an IFDB and XYZZY Award, as well as being placed in the Top 50 IF Games of All Time. Did you expect the game to get such a following?
The response to Computerfriend was overwhelmingly positive in comparison to anything else I’ve released. I received some very kind and passionate reviews (which I go back and read occasionally when I need motivation) from intfic writers for whom I have a great deal of respect. It was a big surprise to me that folks enjoyed the game; I had written it from a very bleak & depressed perspective, but there's also some humor, and I heard from a number of players that it was a more pleasant experience than I'd expected, or really intended. Even being nominated for those awards (among brilliant authors like Autumn Chen and Jim Nelson) was hugely flattering.
⟶ Do you have a review that struck you the most?
I think a lot about Kaemi's review of Computerfriend. Kaemi writes such beautiful, intricate, strange prose, and the review is freewheeling but very specific and insightful. Sometimes I'll read a review of something I've written and it'll describe a theme or rationalize the presence of some metaphor/concept in my work, and I'll think "oh, that's why I did that." The people who closely read my stories often have better insight than I do.
⟶ Is there a scene or passage in Computerfriend that you hold dearly?
My favorite scenes in Computerfriend were when I was able to go full Gibsonian sci-fi and invent neologisms, cults, gory window dressing, stuff like that. The parts drawn from my life were not so much fun to write, but it was enjoyable mixing them with way over-the-top genre fiction details. And probably kind of therapeutic, too.
⟶ While Computerfriend was a complete entry, you did write a short sequel for it. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
After publishing Computerfriend I received some (mostly facetious) comments saying I should make a dating sim with the title character, and I thought it was a funny idea, but didn't seriously consider it until my friends in the Neointeractives group threw Smoochie Jam. I'd been plugging away at Verses for a couple years and I needed a break, so I dumped the Computerfriend stylesheet into a new file and wrote Familiar over the course of a few days. Although it was initially kind of a joke, I ended up writing it in a more serious voice. It's a very short, inessential game, a little postface for players who didn't get the closure they needed from Computerfriend.
⟶ What did you enjoy the most while writing Familiar?
I like Godfield, and returning for a little while was nice. When I work on a single project for too long, I enter its world completely, and it’s isolating to throw days, weeks, months, even years of energy into this void that no one else can see. Then, when I publish, the fugue ends so abruptly that by the time the work receives attention and comments, I’m somewhere else entirely. Familiar was less a creative exercise and more a check-in with an older version of myself - how bleak is this place, really? Can anything of value be found there? It didn’t get a lot of attention, but I enjoyed working on it.
⟶ From a more dystopian sci-fi setting, you moved towards bi-lingual works, starting with piele. What was the reason behind this form of translating interactivity?
piele is a prototype for the translation mechanic in Verses (which I just published as part of IFComp). I wanted to build a natural-feeling system to understand both literal and metaphorical/contextual meaning in poetic translation, and piele was my first attempt. I normally wouldn't have published it, but the Neo-Twiny Jam (also from the Neointeractives) was running at the time, and I wanted to show people this little toy I'd made.
⟶ Was there a particular reason for using Romanian as the translated language?
I have Romanian ancestors, and the poetry translation was an exercise to build better cultural knowledge of their place of origin. I don’t speak Romanian, nor do any of my living family members, so it required a lot of consultation with various resources and, ultimately, a lot of assumptions and guesswork. The result is probably not close to the original meaning, but can a translation ever be completely accurate?
⟶ Is there a specific Romanian sentence/saying you discovered through this research that stuck with you?
Romanian is a fascinating language, especially for someone like me who has a rudimentary understanding of some Latin roots - it's a Romance language, of course, so it shares quite a bit with languages like Spanish and Italian, but many of its words also come from other Indo-European sources like Slavic or Dacian. I don't speak it, but I still recognize quite a bit - for example, "blood" in Romanian is "sânge," which I recognized because of the Spanish word “sangre.” The translation process was often frustrating but also filled with moments like this where something suddenly and intuitively made sense. And funny moments, too: lots of old Dacian words described swamps, which makes sense if you look at the geography of the area where the language originated.
A phrase I liked from a book of Romanian folktales: instead of "and they lived happier ever after," the final sentence reads " If they haven't died, they are living still."
⟶ From the short piele concept, you followed up with your IFComp entry Verses. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Verses has been my project for the last three or so years (I was plotting it out long before publishing Computerfriend, in fact). It's hard to describe, but in short, you play as someone who analyzes objects and phrases to try to determine truth. It's set in Romania in the village where my grandmother grew up, and I've included sections where you translate actual poetry from Romanian, although these sections of the game are mostly optional.
⟶ Were these projects, piele and Verses created as a way to (re)connect to that ancestry?
piele was just a proof of concept, but Verses is in part an attempt to better understand my family's history. My Romanian grandparents died when I was young, and my life is full of their anecdotes and phrases, but I know there's so much I missed, too. Most of what I read about Romanian history while working on Verses was totally new to me. The country's history is politically fraught, and getting a straight story about (e.g.) the Soviet occupation and Romanian holocaust during World War II is very difficult.
⟶ Verses is your second time entering the IFComp. How do you feel about it? Have there been lessons you took from entering Universal Hologram that you applied to Verses?
I like the seriousness of IFComp. Most of the participants (authors, players, reviewers) have higher standards than they would for something like a game jam. That said, no matter how technically proficient you are, not everyone will like what you do. Don't try to please everyone. Your game should work, it should be bug-free, it should be polished, you should be proud of it. But you shouldn't aim for universal acclaim. "Likable" is not a compelling trait for a work of art. Something that appeals strongly to a smaller group, something that upends expectations, even being described as "polarizing" is good.
⟶ What kind of feeling/message do you hope players will take after player Verses?
There's a lot going on in the game, and since its release a few days ago I've seen some discussion around different themes players noticed. I agree with Nabokov when he talks about his distaste for "moral stories;" I want my work to be open ended and provoke questions rather than having a single clear point or argument (if that were the case, I'd write an essay). That said, Verses is a story that's hugely concerned with morality and complicity. I want players to consider their distance from acts committed by their ancestors in the name of the future, and from extant atrocities like the current genocide in Palestine. A gun fires and a living person dies. Then, a thousand miles away, a story is told, a history is written, and not only the death but the life is erased.
⟶ Just before the release of Computerfriend you released Let Me Tell You Who You Are, as an homage to uquiz. How did you manage balancing making this game and your entry to the Spring Thing?
Let Me Tell You Who You Are was a super quick project; I thought it up and wrote the whole thing within a day or two. Uquiz is endlessly funny to me. The limited cultural reach of the quizzes is kind of a joke to people on Tumblr, where the entirety of human experience sits on a spectrum somewhere between Taylor Swift and Hozier, and I thought it would be a good bit to have one of these cheerfully myopic questionnaires that occasionally dips into horror and antiquated verse.
⟶ I am the Mom Friend (too fitting for me...). How did you define each result of the quiz?
The reason I was able to get the quiz done so quickly is that there's actually very little variety... in fact, if I remember correctly, everyone is the Mom Friend :)
⟶ Is there a genre or theme you'd like to explore in future projects?
After Verses, I don’t know what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll record an album. I do have a couple ideas for stories in a more surreal, less sci-fi mode, but I don’t know if they’ll end up as games or something else.
⟶ Your work is universally based on Twine, particularly the Harlowe format. What about it attracted you?
Twine is extremely simple, based stylistically on CSS and HTML (I had some familiarity with these already), and most importantly free. Free to use and free to publish under whatever license you choose. I've tried to learn programs with more use cases (and honestly saleability) like Godot, but I have no background in actual programmatic coding, so I found it too difficult. I might try again at some point, but right now I want to create and publish (not learn new tools) with what little money and time I have. What I love about Twine is that a single person can learn enough in a few days or weeks and make something remarkable without having a wide set of skills (besides writing). And if you do have other skills, like audio engineering or digital art, you can apply them very easily.
⟶ Is there a thing you wished you had known about Twine or IF in general before starting making games?
Learning the conventions of your genre (so you can adhere to or subvert them) by playing can be useful, but there’s nothing you need to know before making a game. Just make something, evaluate, and then make something better.
⟶ You don't just create games, you are a multimedia creator (writing fiction and doing photography). What about those mediums interest you?
Every medium is more or less the same to me in terms of the scope of potential accomplishment (does that sentence make any sense?). I collect ideas and metaphors and themes, and they gradually cohere into a project that fits better into some mediums than others. The more things you know how to do, the more options you have to explore and combine these interests. Film photography does have a special place in my heart, though. There’s something very mystical about it.
I used my (heavily edited) photos in North Alter, and I'd like to do something similar again. I've been focused on text for a while now, and I'm starting to miss the more collage-y stuff I used to do...
⟶ Your photography and stories have also been published. Is there a publication you are particularly proud of?
I'm not especially proud of anything I've made being published/shared widely. I think about Ocean Vuong's interview with The Creative Independent where he talks about awards and competitions: "If you must use that construct, you use it the way one uses public transport. Get on, then get off at your stop and find your people." The attention is a means to an end for me.
⟶ Your work is often centered around the surreal, weirdness, and mysticism. What influences contributed to this?
Life is full of moments of surrealty or unreality. I mistake my dreams for reality all the time, and vice versa. I try to be careful and methodical and thorough when I work, but I don't know anything, and I don't like guessing. I'm comfortable not knowing. And then at the same time, I'm fascinated by people who do have answers. That's something that feels truly surreal to me: positioning yourself as someone with a serious understanding of life's complexity. I like to try to get into these peoples' heads.
I was raised in a conservative religious home. As a child, beginning to pick holes in what's supposed to be the absolute nature of the universe is frightening. It feels like the ground's falling out from under you. I've had to make peace with this, too. I love my parents very much, and I think I understand them pretty well, but there will always be things they believe that I find mystical and strange. It's a life-long process for me to learn as much as I can and, simultaneously, to accept that most things will remain a mystery.
⟶ Are there works that inspire you to create?
Right now, I'm inspired by Kate Zambreno's and Han Kang's books, Marc Horowitz' painting Old traps disappear and new ones emerge, Ville Kallio's game Cruelty Squad, and the album "Grieftopia" by Ministry of Interior Spaces.
⟶ Do you have any IF recommendations for our readers?
Here are some IF games that are worth playing:
The Archivist and The Revolution by Autumn Chen
Repeat the Ending by Drew Cook
the shape you make when you want your bones to be closest to the surface by Porpentine Charity Heartscape
Victim Doll by communistsister (mind the CWs)
Photopia by Adam Cadre
Manifest No by Kaemi Velatet
⟶ You hold multiple usernames over the internet. What's the story behind adz and slugzuki?
I’ve had my Tumblr account for over a decade & was there many years ago when the site deleted a ton of unused blogs - I was obsessed with the album “The Age of Adz” by Sufjan Stevens at the time, so I snatched up the URL :)
“Slugzuki” doesn’t really mean anything, it’s just a username I came up with that’s typically available on every website.
⟶ How do you cope with seeing your posts blow up on Tumblr? And then appear on Twitter/Reddit?
Haha, it's never the posts I expect (or want) that blow up. My friends like sending me screenshots from Instagram or wherever someone's reposted me. It's just the nature of the internet; I'm at peace with it.
⟶ Since you just released something, we won't ask you to divulge what next secret project is in the works. But where can we follow your progress and/or releases?
If you want to keep track of what I release, you can follow me on Tumblr (@adz) or sign up for my email list here: https://buttondown.com/slugzuki.
Now, go play some IFComp (@ifcomp) games and write reviews or comments if the spirit moves you! The authors will be grateful :)
Huge thanks to Kit Riemer for Letting us send so many questions this week and telling us so much… and more!
~ NEW RELEASE ~
No notable new independent release.
As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!
~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~
Love and Leases (Twine) is a slice-of-life project where you play as a newly single person, trying to get their life back together. @loveandleases
The Ancient Tombs of Time (CScript) is a fantasy project, in which you play as god, sealed away for decades until recently freed. @theancienttombsoftime
The FANTASTIC Clash (CScript) is a modern drama project, where you play as a contestant on a reality TV show.
Immortal (Twine) is a supernatural project, following you as a private investigator, plagued by mysterious dreams. @immortal-if
~ UPDATES ~
After Dark (CScript) updated the Patreon demo with extra content.
Dragon Kin (CScript) added Chapter 5 to the demo.
Drink your Villian Juice! (CScript) Chapter 7 Part 1 is now available to all. @drinkyourvillainjuice
Football Glory (CScript) completed Prologue and Chapter 1 rewrite.
Era of the Archdemons (CScript) added half of Chapter 3.
Grey Swan - Birds of a Rose (CScript) started rewriting the demo, now new and updated. @reinekes-fox
Legend of the Dragoon (CScript) added part of Chapter 1 to the demo.
Sense and Sorcery (CScript) updated the demo with extra content.
The One Chosen (CScript) added new chapter to the Patreon demo. @parrotwatcher
The People's House (CScript)'s complete demo in now live for public beta.
Jolly Good: Tea and Scones (CScript) added a new path to Chapter 7.
Crown of Ashes and Flames (Twine) made Chapter 4 available for all. @coeluvr
Crown of Exile (Twine) updated the Patreon demo with a new chapter. @ramonag-if
Of Crowns and Echoes (Twine) added Chapter 2 to the demo. @of-crowns-and-echoes
Valiant (Twine) completed a major re-write of the demo and routes. @valiant-if
Path of Martial Arts (CScript) updated Patreon demo with extra content. @nicky-if
Specters of the Deep (CScript) added Chapter 7 to demo.
Weeping Gods (CScript) added new content and for the noble origin path. @jcollinswrites
Virtue’s End (CScript) updated the Patreon demo. @virtues-end
Club Oblivion (Twine) completed Malygos’s route. @ramonag-if
The Good People (Na Doine Maithe) (Ren’Py) updated the demo with new sprites. @moiraimyths
Scarlet Sorceress (CScript) released a side chapter called “The Mystery of Castle Alaire’.
Surge, Spire, and Sea (CScript) is the new title of Gigantea: Age of Rot, and added two new chapters.
Bridging the gap (CScript) added extra content to the demo. @astralfortune
Our Life: Now & Forever (Ren’Py) updated the Patreon Beta build. @gb-patch
Fields of Asphodel (CScript) has been officially released under Hosted Game and is available for purchase on Steam and other platforms. @chrysanthemumgames
Dragon of Steelthorne (CScript) has added two chapters to the released game, giving a 40% discount for new players.
~ OTHER ~
Fate Unwritten (Twine) is looking for beta-testers for the upcoming update. @fateunwritten-if
When Twilight Strikes (Twine) is looking for beta-testers for the upcoming chapter. @evertidings
Magehunter: Phoenix Flame (CScript) is looking for official beat-testers for their final version of the game.
The new issue of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin is out! Check it out here! @amaregames
Also released this week was the new issue of the Indiepocalypse, which includes a couple of IF games! Get it here! @pizzapranks
Polygon interviewed Julia Minamata, author of The Crimson Diamond, a retro parser recently released on Steam.
Brian Rushton (@mathbrush) released his book about a slice of IF History. You can download it for free here.
~
As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.
If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!
~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~
We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...
Shoot us an email!
~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~
A couple of games that we thought were cool.
Your favourite game here?
Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?
An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?
Tell us about it! And it might appear here!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...
That was an amazing interview, with Jacqueline. I knew the IF community had been here for a while, but I didn't understand until now how long it was... And those answers! Is it weird I wished you has asked more questions?
- anon
Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!
As we end this issue, we would like to thank:
the very cool and very helpful anonymous users!
For sending news, interview questions, helpful tips, cool links, filled form, written Sheet line, even emails... all these help us so much to make this Zine possible!
And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us! Thank you for cheering us on this journey!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
While we usually announce our next interviewee in this section, this won't be the case this week. We'll actually be taking a short breaks from our interview series.
Don't worry! It will come back in a few issues!
In the meantime, go cheer your favorite author for us!
I've written an extra 1k words and managed to get an almost fully working stat screen that will hopefully make the next update a bit more interactive and interesting. 👌
Alec: Nope, he won't use any violence unless it's life or death he mostly avoids situations like those since he doesn't want to put in the effort of fighting.
Martha: She's not much of a person of virtue unless she needs to be, so no, she won't be that quick to violence she'll try to lighten up the mood instead.
Ash: They aren't because they aren't built for fighting, so they always avoid there being absolutely scared of violence or anything related to danger they'd rather be very far from it.
Cory: Never they always try to be peaceful about everything, no matter it being death or life they want to try to talk it out without violence.
Brook: Yes, yes, and yes, they love a good fight, and they'll be up in arms if they think you've crossed the line and got whatever's coming to you.
💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?
Alec: Drinking not much of a surprise there, the random complaining, always trying to get out of things that take too much effort or time.
Martha: Running into danger without care, making dumb jokes, always trying to lift people up.
Ash: The lack of empathy from them, always being difficult, thinks there somehow right about everything.
Cory: Putting others before themselves, always trying to help even if they make things worse, quick to trust anyone, always somehow forgiving everyone for anything and everything.
Brook: Always defensive, being stubborn, outright rude, cares too about money.
👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?
Alec: Well, he didn't actually have a family since deities are actually born from people's potential, so he's basically a reflection of the people who lived thousands of years. You could consider those people his family because when he was well brought into existence, he was pretty blank canvas and mimicked the humans a long time ago, but those who he considers his family are definitely the other deities: his relationship with them isn't good, and he has no siblings.
Martha: Martha has a big crazy family who is a very loving one at that they love her very much, and she sends them letters almost every day about her travels and what not. She has 8 siblings, and she is actually the third one born in the family, and she's proud to be a leading example for her younger siblings.
Ash: Ash They don't have a good relationship with their family. Their parents think Ash is a disappointment. Ash is the second child out of three children, and their family are pretty strict. They wanted ash to be a perfect example like their last child, but Ash wasn't, so they were pretty much abandoned.
Cory: They don't know their real parents, but they were adopted, and their adopted family is very loving and taught them to be kind they don't have any siblings and were an only children, but that didn't stop them from being friends and being kind to anyone they met.
Brook: Their family is just as angry as them; they argue a lot, and they all like money, which is why Brook is the way they are. Their relationship is very rocky, but Brook loves their family and still lets them know that even if they are rude about it, they are the last of 5 siblings whom they also like to argue with.
Very interesting start. Absolutely so fucking lost 😭🤣
I look forward to seeing where you go with this truly. I'm keeping an eye on this for realzzzz.
I wanted to reblog your demo if that's okay but i also couldn't find the demo link anywhere.
Yeah, that start is definitely going somewhere no worries more context will be added in the next update, which will hopefully be soon! The link should be somewhere in the blog, in the recent posts from yesterday👍
👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?
Alec: Yes, after living for so long, the guy has seen his fair share of questionable things while drunk and sober. Once, while leaving the pub after a long day of avoiding all the other deities like the plague, he happened to see a strange bright floating light. Confused, he went to get a closer look. It turns out the local townspeople had a whole cult thing going on underground where they would take lost souls of the dead and use them to make zombies for free labor. It freaked him out so much that he thinks he's very sure about ghosts.
Martha: She doesn't, but she sure does like to scare other people with it. If she's in a situation where it's dark and the mood is unease and scary, she'll try crack a scary joke to get everyone else freaked out in her own unique way; she thinks them being annoyed at her is better than them being scared.
Ash: They don't believe in it because they think it's childish and actually just outright ridiculous, though they do get freaked out if something they consider abnormal happens. Once they were reading a book in their family's old manor, it was dark out, and the candles in their room went out suddenly, thinking it was the open window. They went to close it but saw something looking back at them outside. Freaking out, they closed the window and called their attendant to keep them company for the rest of the night.
Cory: They don't believe in them because they've actually never had that kind of experience, not that they could think of, though one strange night they woke up knocking on their window but went back to sleeping thinking it was the village children playing out late despite their bedroom being on the second floor of their house.
Brook: They think ghosts are stupid, and if they ever found out about any being real without meeting them, they would try to figure out a way to somehow gain a profit over it later. It's all about business; if they ever met one, though, they would freak out on the inside and outright question if they were seeing things out loud.
💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?
Alec: He has trouble dealing with anxiety, as despite being a drinker and a somehow chamar all at once, the man is always worrying about something, whether that is trying to figure out how to avoid putting too much energy into something or dealing with things.
Martha: She has problems dealing with her excitement; she gets overly happy about too much, which can be a little overwhelming to anyone who doesn't know her personally. She'll get excited over being in a life-or-death situation because it's the kind of adventure she craves.
Ash: It's hard for them really to not have trouble disdaining others because most of the time they think they are smarter than everyone else, which is why they get annoyed so easily when they hear someone speak something that they don't consider smart.
Cory: They have trouble with being kind, which leads them into a great deal of trouble once their bakery was being robbed by the local bandits. One of them got hurt in the process, and Cory offered to help them, which made the bandits surprised, and in the end they actually accepted the help, then took everything and avoided Cory.
Brook: This might even come as a surprise. Anger is something they have trouble dealing with on a daily basis, but they don't consider it trouble because it's normal to get angry at people all the time.
😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?
Alec: Alec is the one that cries the most when drunk, at least because he drinks so much. He tends to be pretty emotional; he'll cry over anything if pushed enough, but he cries over things like seeing anything sad and being like that really hurts me emotionally on another level. Overall, yes, he cries very easily.
Martha: She cries over seeing people bond and work together; it really brings a tear to her eye because she tries to encourage people in a positive way, and seeing it happen makes her emotionally happy. But overall, she isn't much of someone who cries easily over things unless it's serious.
Ash: They have too much pride to cry and don't want to look stupid, but things that really make them cry are a good sad book; they'll cry in silence and never speak about it; if you bring it up, they'll berate you about it. Overall, they don't cry too easily unless their life is on the line; you'll see them crack to some degree but still curse your family's next generation.
Cory: They cry over losing their friends or losing something important; some people may find it a little dumb, but Cory is very big on friendships and the things they care about; it'll hurt them a lot if they see it destroyed or lost. So overall, they are a big crier who cries easily.
Brook: They'd rather die than be seen crying; it's actually crazy; they'll be angry even when crying; they cry on the inside while glaring at you; they'll outright say your making them cry a river sarcastically while their say is frowning with no tears in sight. I would say they don't cry very easily or at all.
Since i can't find it, i wanted to ask if we could know what God we were? Of course only if it is not spoilery but i was curious if it is already set in stone or if we get to choose etc.?
It'll most likely be optional what kind of god you want to be, as I don't want to limit anything. I might add a power system for certain gods, but I'll figure out how to do that first. But I think the idea would be really cool.
🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?
Alec: He usually avoids conflict and tends to complain instead, as he's only lost his temper a couple times; it's slow to boil; usually, but once they're fully mad, they'll simply refuse to talk or interact anymore.
Martha: She doesn't lose her temper that fast; it's pretty slow. She tries to be nice about it and tells you you're pissing her off to some degree, and you should just try to cooperate before she loses it.
Ash: They are quick to lose it if your testing them or if they find you annoying, and if you won't leave them alone, they will get very pissed off and resort to belittling you purposefully; being difficult, they'll be annoying and following you instead.
Cory: They never lose their temper; it boils up very slowly, but once they actually piss them off, they'll likely be subtle with their rage, be rude in small ways, or say be mean by sounding it out like they didn't mean it in a rude way.
Brook: They always lose their temper; they've lost count of how many times it's happened already. But it has, and it's really not changing anytime soon.
🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?
Alec: Alec is a good lair since he tends to be lazy. He'll make up things to get you off of him so he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't think it's personal though since it didn't physically hurt you.
Martha: She can lie, but she's that good of a liar; she'll try, but you can see her failing visibly; she tends to be truthful; for the most part, lying isn't her strong suit.
Ash: They'll happily lie to your face; actually, they lie a lot about themselves; not anyone will find out the truth unless they tell them, so it's a win-win; they don't see anything wrong with it since, of course, it's logical to lie sometimes.
Cory: Cory is the worst liar; they are not very good when it comes to lying and tend to be very truthful when asked anything, and they want people to trust them, so lying would be something they would never do even in the face of death.
Brook: They are a very good liar, which comes in very handy when they are working; they don't care if it's wrong; what matters is that money is in their pocket, even if they have to lie about it. If you confront them about lying, they won't deny it and blame you for falling for it.
