I Woke Up Next to You Again Hi

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I'm getting back into the swing of things by going back and working through all of the game review requests I received while I was on hiatus. Outset up is a rather surreal and surprisingly deep brusque psychological thriller visual novel from Angela He (Zephyo). This is a game different anything I accept ever played before, with it'due south dream-like visuals and stream of consciousness like storytelling, Angela He paints a rather startling picture of the psychological toll addiction and low tin have on one's life, through the lens of a toxic more-than-one-night stand relationship.

"You'd told me,
Hey, this is a one-time thing, and I said yeah, of class –
Yet here we are."

..who, exactly, am I waking up next to?

A romance well-nigh a more-than-one-night stand up;
A psychological thriller near toxic addiction.

–Synopsis (Game Site)

I Woke Up Next to You Againis a pay what you want PC game bachelor for Windows, Mac, and Linux over on itch.io. It'south a rather short game, with playthroughs lasting anywhere betwixt xv – 30 minutes, depending on your reading speed.

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I will admit that at the start I was more than than a footling confused, after choosing the gender of the individual you wake upward next to, the game just kind of hits the ground running, dropping you into an surprisingly casual morning later encounter with an unnamed bed mate. The brief opening narration merely states that you recently moved to a new town and "found someone". Who this person is and how you lot came to exist in bed with with them doesn't matter, but the dark hazy black and white visuals and eerie repetitive background music propose that this is not a normal interaction between mutual acquaintances. Even the dialogue between the histrion and the unnamed bed mate isn't all that normal, at that place'south a poetic kind of cadency to it that kind of flows a little too naturally to be normal, as if this is something that has been practiced and reiterated over and over once more, just with a quickness to it that suggests the two characters are merely going through the motions of a prearranged vocal and dance in order to get to a much more than anticipated outcome.

But, there is an overarching sense of foreboding, that builds upon itself as the player navigates their style through a series of seemingly innocent choices. Your choices determine non just the form of the story, but the psychological state of the nameless protagonist as they navigate what at first glance appears to be niggling more than than a coincidental sexual relationship with a stranger. There are little hints scattered throughout the story that tease the game's ultimate purpose, but, unless you achieve all of the endings, the big picture will remain just out of reach. Will you choose to pursue a relationship with your tantalizingly seductive bed mate? Is this relationship really for the all-time? Or should yous terminate things before things go too far?

In that location are 2 story paths (male "lover" or female "lover") and a total of four endings, each path is indistinguishable from the other salve the gender pronouns used to describe your bed mate. And so choosing a gender at the beginning is wholly a matter of preference and has no existent effect on the outcomes of the game and with the game'southward rather brusk runtime, that's not all that unexpected. At first, it seems simple enough, placate the bed mate, pursue them and strike upwardly a relationship with them. But, in doing and so the player's own well being seemingly deteriorates, and the player is left with a startling and rather disturbing realizations about your character and the nature of their "relationship". While the relationship is at the forefront of the game,I Woke Upward Side by side To Y'all Again, makes it abundantly clear that romance is not the goal of the game, with each of the relationship positive choices leading to a negative mental outcome for the player. This is a game about the toxicity of codependency and the addictive nature of empty relationships. It's a biting pill to consume, and deeply unsettling at times as yous lookout the player give themselves over to their need for their bed mate, as their desires give fashion to addiction and eventually depression as the futility of the relationship is revealed.

Visually,I Woke Up Side by side To Yous Once againis a very artistic and atmospheric game, that felt more like a visual art exhibition piece than a game, with it's dark, layered backgrounds and haunting instrumental soundtrack. Only, what actually stood out aboutIWUNTYAis that it is always moving, be it the dialogue text, the movements of clouds in the background, the modest animation of the onscreen characters (blinking mostly) or the pulsing geometric shaped dialogue boxes, each scene has some chemical element that is constantly in motion. There are likewise some rather unique visual cues that help the player guess the mental state of their character, while also conveying the overall ethereal dream-similar facade of the game and its narrative.

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I Woke Upwards Next To You Once againtakes its rather brusk runtime and offers a uniquely contemplative visual novel experience, that volition cause players to seriously consider the nature of our relationships with one another. Players volition lose themselves in the dream-similar temper and visuals, falling deeper into the addictively toxic liaison betwixt the histrion'south grapheme and the unknown individual they notice themselves waking up next to again and once again and again…

But, don't just have my word for it! Check out the game over oncrawling.ioor take a gander at the game'due south trailer below! If you like what you see, play the game, hitting the like push button, share, or comment! As ever, Thanks for Reading!!

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Source: https://blerdyotome.com/2018/08/13/a-hauntingly-addictive-visual-novel-i-woke-up-next-to-you-again-review/

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