The Column
Perform the ritual or suffer the curse.
This game was written in four hours for ECTOCOMP 2024's La Petite Mort category.
- writing: 2 hours 56 minutes
- coding: 45 minutes
- editing: 17 minutes
Content warning: death of an acquaintance; ancient curses.
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Really interesting. Reminiscent of Annihilation like Zachary said (seconding his recommendation, it goes hard) but what it really reminded me of was a game we played in middle school biology when the teacher wanted to demonstrate disease transmission. We had to group up in pairs and try to avoid being infected.
If expanded, more character work would help with the guessing game stuff and make the ending more emotionally fraught. Awesome concept.
That does sound a lot like this game! I think you're exactly right about it needing more attention to the characters—I'll be transmuting this into something else eventually, so I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
The pacing of the days is super effective.
The first time I played I didn’t expect the interactive part that presents itself later. So here I am for a second time playing through from the beginning with the knowledge that I must pay closer attention.
It’s a fantastic premise, reminiscent of Annihilation and J.G. Ballard’s Crystal World.
spoilers
The faces taking shape is so creepy. The downtime among the team is detailed enough for us to get a quick portrait of each member without losing itself in details. (Similar to how *Annihilation* succeeds at giving character without defining what we usually take for granted about characters.)“His limbs are twisted inward like a spider’s, and the ground is singed as if struck by lightning.” <— chef’s kiss
I survived on my first play, then tried some of the other routes. It’s strange, I feel like I relied on my gut more than anything else, despite having succeeded.
And given the beautiful but understated first death of the story, I did want a bit more from my own death in the “bad ending.”
(I say this while fully acknowledging that my own Petite Mort submission could use a more developed ending. This is how it is.)
I’ll also say the moment when the runes are read and outline the rules of the curse/ritual it takes a bit away from the mystery. In a possible subsequent draft, you might try to find a way to make the translation of the runes feel more approximate and/or less complete, so as to maintain the obtuseness of the horror around the column and cave.
But these are nitpicks about a piece that is impressively complete given the time in which it was written, and which is otherwise satisfying and knotty in its experience.
A well thought-out little puzzle box that feels equal parts Strange Tales and New Weird. Fantastic!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I'm not sure yet whether there will be a second draft, but either way, this is really useful feedback. And you're not the first one to mention Annihilation—I haven't read it, but maybe I should!
Oh, given the premise and vibe of your game, I think you’ll love Annihilation! The movie is great too, but definitely read the book first.
love this story，short and serious，but funny,like this style.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!