I ran a brief game jam at the end of 2019 going into 2020 with the following theme:
I woke up this morning and I swore I had seen a text adventure game jam that had the theme “rococo” and “pink” but clearly I had dreamed it, so sometimes you got to make your own dreams happen, so behold: we have the #RosecocoJam
Some really great games came out of it, so I’d like to take a moment to feature all of the entries 🌸
1. the moon, the crow
blake stone / fenced forest submitted this physical game as a part of the #RosecocoJam and the #MoonJam (another very cool jam I wish I entered. The game, involving the moon and crows is very dreamy and beautiful. Even if you have not played a lot of physical games, I recommend you download it with a journal in hand and take down everything you discover.
play it here:
The creator also has a patreon, that you can take a look at here. They also have other games on their itchio page, many of which are paid with ample community copies. Be sure to check it out 🌸
I love art museums and this is a beautiful and sweet bitsy about walking through and seeing all of them. I loved talking to the npc’s and the ending is rather sweet.
Play it here:
The creator has a kofi and be sure to check out some of their other games 🌸
3. The Blush of Dawn on Roses
Jennifer Kathleen submitted this physical game and it is described as:
The Blush of Dawn on Roses is a two-player game about writing letters – love letters, to be specific. Illicit love letters, to be even more specific.
In this game, you will actually write love letters to each other, and in the process, you will be defining each other’s characters and the nature of your relationship.
This game is set during the height of the French Rococo period, when the world was awash with frivolous beauty – embrace that in your writing. “Flowery” prose is not to be frowned on here.
It is $2 and is also part of the Jen-uary bundle, though there are community copies as well.
I love the style of this game and all the characterizations that can be made. It definitely has a fun flair and I would definitely like to see Sofia Coppola direct a movie on this.
Play it here:
The creator has a patreon and you can also check out all of their great games, many of which are paid 🌸
4. Rose-Tinted Glasses
PureGem submitted this WIP game that looks lovely. It’s described as:
Follow Elise, a member of the royalty of France in her adventure to an impoverished village, as she sees the world through her rose-tinted glasses (WIP Game)
It’s still a work in progress but it has a great style and I love the color scheme of the game.
Play it here:
The creator has other games on their itchio that you can check out 🌸
Those were all the entries of the jam and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for entering!
Fall is here! Though, living in the South, it doesn’t always feel that way. It’s still hot and humid out most of the time and the leaves are trying their best to change, but it isn’t really happening. When your Pumpkin Spice Latte makes you feel sweaty and weird, it can be hard to get into the Autumn spirit. That’s why it can be a great reason to turn to video games to get that crunchy leaves, orange everything feeling you need. With that in mind, here are some free and paid games to help get you in the mood.
Paid Games
The best things in life aren’t always free. Sometimes, you can support developers and studios that made some really great games with Fall experiences. Here are some of my favorites:
1. All the Farming/Resource Management Games
I love playing farming/foraging/resource management games because they all have beautiful fall seasons. Since there are so many similar ones, for the same reasons, I’ve lumped them all together here:
Stardew Valley– By far, I think Fall is the most beautiful season in Stardew Valley. The color palette, the foraging, all of the fall festivals— it’s a beautiful way to wander around and just relax. You’ll just need to make sure to have a save file in the Fall season.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf– Because it takes place in real time, if you open up your Animal Crossing game right now, it’s gonna be fall. The trees are cute, you can talk to your friends about sweaters, and even run errands for the Pumpkin-headed Jack. It’s sweet and relaxing and just cute.
Harvest Moon: More Friends in Mineral Town– This is a nostalgic one because it is one of my first favorite games but Harvest Moon in the fall is delightful. Of course, ideally you would still have a GBA, but it can be played on emulators or Play Retro Games online (if you want- it’s a little less than ethical but I’ll keep your secret if you’ll keep mine). Because of the emulation thing, it’s kind of free but kind of not, so I’m gonna keep it in this category.
This one is a little bit in the Farming/Resource Management column but also, it’s so much a different experience than the above games. The seasons never change, you’re stuck in some sort of purgatory, and you’re managing the most unrealistic/unethical graveyard business ever. For that reason, it just feels kind of Halloween-y. There is so much to do in this game, it’s the perfect way to feel a little spooky and really grind to craft as many things as possible. There’s also the fun of selling burgers made of human flesh at Witch burnings. The season never changes, but it’s definitely a seasonal mood.
It’s hard to not keep coming back to this game. The whole game takes place in fall and it really captures the “I’m completely lost, don’t know what to do, and back in my hometown in Fall” feeling. There are leaves everywhere, the sky is always beautiful, and even in creepy moments it’s great to run around and f*ck sh*t up as Mae.
Free Games
Sometimes the best way to have a fall escape is to play a small, sweet game about fall. Some of these great games on Itchio and Mobile devices are perfect for doing just that.
This is a great pick from the Harvest Jam, which has a ton of fall-themed games. It’s just a perfect way to spend a cool fall night, as a dog talking to worms and running around.
NOTE: Make sure to head to the Harvest Jam page for more great picks! One of the reasons I had a harder time with this section is because there were so many great fall games in the Harvest Jam that I didn’t wanna overwhelm this section with!
For a spookier pick, play as a cat witch trying to catch all of the ghosts in a garden. It’s definitely a quick and easy way to have some Halloween fun.
Definitely more of a Halloween Vibe, but The Arcana is an interesting visual novel mobile game, where you as a Fortune Teller to get to know people and make choices in a magical world. It has a beautiful design and definitely a great way to kill some time and learn more about Tarot.
I don’t know about you, but I do get some serious fall vibes from Harry Potter. I always imagine Hogwarts as a sweater-y place, where the leaves are always orange, though I know that wasn’t the case. It’s a great way to escape and live out your Hogwarts fantasy.
Animal Crossing has already been mentioned once before, but there’s nothing like Autumn in that world. With Pocket Camp, it’s available whenever you want. I fell out of the game, but I have been into it once again, with the Fall season update. It’s a great time and a fun way to experience fall.
Those are just a couple fall gaming choices! Of course, the possibilities are endless. Let us know what your favorite games are in fall!
It’s been a while. Us, the people running this site, got really swept up in:
Losing our jobs
Facilitating the most recent run of Women’s Theatre Festival
Getting new jobs
But we’re settled and we’re back and we’re ready to play cute games, watch a lot of TV, and cope with existential dread with all of you. With that in mind, I like to cope with existential dread with cartoons and cute tiny video games. To get started, here are 3 soft games to help.
1. Five Great Places to Get a Nice Cup of Tea When You Are Asleep
Cephalopodunk has to be one of my favorite bitsy creators and is maybe one of the most prolific. From games about being a cool archaeologist to those about a witch telling bedtime stories to her cats, to even coming up with dope fish names— they all slap. This game in particular plays to my favorite thing, ever since I ever saw Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender: fictional tea shops. There are 5 teashops you can explore, each one more interesting than the last. It’s great and it’s a perfect, relaxing escape.
2. Short Trip
I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve been really craving games about train-esque modes of transport. People enter them, people leave and you just keep going. In this one, you’re a cat in the country running a train for other cats. It’s just relaxing and beautiful. If you want to pair two train games, Rusty’s Rail is also a great train management sim, but without the fun of actually running the train.
3. Dreamer of Electric Sheep
When I think about MUD-style, text-input RPG’s, I usually think about a certain color palette. I think of a black backdrop with sharp reds and oranges.
Dreamer of Electric sheep uses generative text and a beautiful calm, purple-y color palette that is soothing even when dream entities start to attack you and shout at you to wake up. It’s definitely an interesting dream to partake in when you need an escape.
Bonus Round: Make a Game!
Of course, one thing I love to do when I’m in a particular existential dread-y mood is to make something! There are a lot of cool jams out there that you can do right now. Here are a couple that look like a great experience:
Harvest (Bitsy Jam)– The pumpkin spice lattes are here and we at Plucky Media HQ can’t wait for Summer to please go away (please). This is the perfect way to get your feet wet with bitsy by making a small game about “harvest” and whatever that encompasses.
itsy-bitsy jam- rain– It’s another bitsy jam but it also looks really cute! It’s about rain and with the remnants of Florence still floating around, it seems like a great idea to get your rain ideas flowing
Greek MytholoJam 2018– If there is a topic with lots of cool game ideas in it, it’s Greek Mythology. You can get your myth on and this is a nice long jam that you can really explore an engine with.
That’s it! We’re back and noodling around, so hopefully, you’ll see some more content from us soon. Let us know what games you like and whatever game jams you participate in!
2017 has been a great year for games: from Breath of the Wild to Dream Daddy, Cuphead to Night in the Woods, Doki Doki Literature Club to Super Mario Odyssey— we’ve seen so many innovations and cool worlds. For me, 2017 has been the year I got into Itch.io and into so many indie and alt-games, particularly seeking out ones with queer characters and cute graphics. So, with the year coming to a close, I decided to look back at the creators and games I loved this year. So, with that in mind, here are 5 short and free games that you can ring in the end of 2017 with.
Where can I begin with Butterfly Soup? I agree with PC Gamer on this one, who said that,
“What makes it great is the character writing. You play multiple protagonists, and each time you switch you gain insights into the others. When I was athletic but shy Diya her internal monologue enriched every situation with jokes and memories, like recalling that the cool rebel Min ran away from home when she was younger, but only because she didn’t want to eat a tomato.”
It’s just a great, well-written game. Not only does it provide a voice to the queer, Asian, and teenage demographic, that I haven’t seen represented much before, but it’s just good writing. I love, in particular, the use of group messaging. As someone of mixed Asian heritage, it was great to see Asian characters not so much as a statement, but just varied teenagers living their lives. I love that they were funny and awkward and nervous, most of all real. I know there’s been some controversy over PC Gamer choosing this as their Visual Novel of the Year, especially with Doki Doki Literature Club, a great game in its own right, making such a mark. DDLC showed how you can really manipulate the Visual Novel form and was disturbing in a way I haven’t seen other visual novels done. But, Butterfly Soup, I believe had much better writing. While the programming was great for DDLC, it doesn’t take you 2 hours to get to the heart of Butterfly Soup. From the get-go, it’s a heartwarming and wonderful experience, with full characters. While the choices you don’t make don’t really matter, I loved just being in Brianna Lei’s world and living in each of these characters. Of course, you can read all about this when I covered it earlier this year, but it really is a story you should not miss.
This is another game I’ve already covered this year, but it’s just so cute. Playing as a mermaid trying to improve in a particular skill and getting closer to a variety of friends, it’s a short and sweet game with tons of endings. In addition, it features a POC protagonist, features romancing other female sea creatures, and as a semi-spoiler, there’s even a trans narrative.
I also just love the overall look of this game and Sofdelux games in general. If you love this game and want more, they also released Disaster Log C for this year’s Yuri Game Jam. If you want to check out individual creators, it’s composed of Nami and DarkChibiShadow, who also make very great games solo as well.
Loved Dream Daddy but wished there was a Dream Mommy? Ever wanted to do a story about a lesbian Private Investigator a la Sherlock Holmes? This game provides both of those things, in about an hour. Using beautiful environments and well written characters, you solve mysteries and romance 3 different inhabitants of the Peacock Express train. It’s fun, short, cute, and the artwork is amazing. In addition, as you beat each ending, the journal in the main menu provides tons of adorable achievements. It’s a short one and the team assembled only for the Game Jam it was created for, so we probably won’t see a sequel, but it’s a solid, fun game to try before someone inevitably makes a more full-length Dream Mommy.
If you’ve explored twine games at all, it’s hard not to run into Porpentine Charity Heartscape and her strange and beautiful games. Mask Magazine perhaps describes her work best, saying:
“Porpentine’s work is in conversation with troubling feelings and subjects players may not normally talk about. Her pieces regularly deal with trauma, harassment, abuse, and precarity – all of which Porpentine has described personally experiencing as a “trash” woman – but for all the real-life heaviness of their themes, they operate in something like an extra-linguistic realm. Instead of offering direct, accessible commentary on the state of the world, as much science fiction does, her work elaborates hyper-specific slivers of speculative ecosystems with singular rules and behaviors.”
Working with Rook, sound designer and creator of exploratory games like Fallow and Wire Wood Daughters, they have created the first episode of a captivating new adventure. Following various characters, including what seems to be one trans wolf, you go to work at a facility where you gather definitely radioactive trash. Exploring one character’s home, watching her masturbate, and pick through trash that contains her estrogen doses and “girl chunk”, which seems to be a mix between a drug and a lube. The game also has a sitcom like feel with beautiful pixel environments. Fusing Porpentines more text-based stories with Rook’s pixel-oriented character design and immersive sound design, the game is a beautiful and captivating experience. Including a trans character and the anxieties that exist coming with that along with being able to explore an interesting, almost cyber-punk world makes it worthwhile. There’s only one episode so far, but it’s sure to be quite a journey.
If you’ve played Mermaid Splash: Passion Festival (which the creator of this game helped create) or any other visual novel that involves scheduling your days with specific people, Tomai will feel very similar. Essentially, you play Tomai, who has 13 days before he starts working with his father in local government. You get the choice to spend that time romancing one of your friends or spending time with your father or “The Lady”, to get a head start on what your job entails. That being said, this game is more complicated than meets the eye. As a pro tip and slight spoiler: spending all your time with one person won’t *necessarily* get you a good ending. I haven’t played the game in its entirety, but I’ve gotten two pretty bad endings just trying to play visual novels the way I usually play them. What I love is that it includes the option to choose a PG-13 or an R-18 version of the game, as well as non-romanceable characters for non-romance related endings. The writing, art, and representation are great, and it’s just an overall good time. So in terms of inclusion, it checks a lot of my boxes: it has gay and poly representation, a POC main character, inclusion for ace people that don’t want to see sex in a game necessarily, and overall great gameplay.
Everything is Going to Be Okay! may not be a necessarily a game or queer and a lot of people will find it more disturbing than cute, but I find it one of the most important gaming experiences to come out this year. It deals with mental health, attempting to recover from trauma, and what it means to be an artist. Presented in a glitchy, Microsoft OS environment, you go through all of Nathalie Lawhead’s poems and beautiful moments and I find it was one of the most powerful things I’ve experienced this year.
And those are the picks!
I hope you have a Happy New Year and whether you spend New Year’s Eve playing alt and indie games or not, here’s to 2018! If you want to find more LGBTQIA+ inclusive games, don’t forget to check out Queerly Represent Me, which has the most maintained, ongoing catalog of inclusive games on all platforms. Cheers!
It can be hard to find good, queer visual novels. This March, I found out about this game jam on Itch.io called #ResistJam. Partnered with IndieCade, the goal of the jam was to resist authoritarianism in all forms. What made it different though, was that it featured workshops and talks on youtube about making inclusive and innovative games. Because of that, I found out about Queerly Represent Me, which is a site that catalogs every game that has queer representation. While I made a simple twine about self-care and drinking tea, a lot of people involved in the jam made a lot of cool and innovative games that involved strong queer representation. Because of that, when I’m looking for a cool and interesting story motivated game, I try to find games with the best representation possible. I like to start my search on Itch.io. There are a lot of creators on there and I love that there’s a lot of experimentation and bolder use of game mechanics that I see in other places.
That’s how I ended up on Itch.io last night. I’m in love with VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action because of the relaxing quality of the game, the strength of the narrative, and the amazing art. In the same vein, I was looking for some cute, female-protagonist-driven, and queer-if-possible games— Itch.io delivered. Maybe it’s because of the ongoing Yuri Game Jam, but when I logged in again, I’ve noticed a lot more games in that niche. Last night, I managed to play two games: Butterfly Soup and Mermaid Splash: Passion Festival and I loved them. That’s why they’re my two must-play game picks this week. Short, sweet, and queer— here’s a mini-review for each of them.
NOTE: Both of these games are FREE, but if you do pay a recommended donation you can get a PDF of art from the games and support the artists!
If you’ve been following my writing or my twitter for any amount of time, you probably know that one of my most rant-able subjects is Asian Representation in the media. From Tilda Swinton playing “The Ancient One” to how important Fresh Off the Boat is in terms of representation, ranting about yellow-face is what I’m passionate about. One of the best things about this game was that every single member of the characters was Asian and at least 3 out of the 4 main characters are queer. On top of that, there was the innovative use of group chats and text messaging, amazing art, and sharp writing to make this a great experience. Overall it is sweet, though there are some dark themes dealing with verbal and un-seen physical abuse from parents. There were so many references to memes, and this was just a very well written and interesting story.
Plus, you can expect screencaps like this:
That being said, if you’re looking for multiple endings or the ability to romance multiple characters, this isn’t that kind of game. It is narrative, but the choices you make moreso changes up the dialogue and jokes that are made, rather than the outcome. It’s more novel than choose-your-own-adventure and frankly, that’s fine with me. In fact, I think the story is great fodder for a film adaptation in its future. Overall, it’s sharp, with great storytelling, and a fun and meme-y way back to high school.
Mermaid Splash: Passion Festival is just sweet— plain and simple. You play as Cici, a mermaid that just needs to figure out what skill she needs to hone and find her passion in life, but can still make time to woo other mermaids on the weekends. The game starts with an all too familiar crisis: Cici has a lot of hobbies but she’s not GREAT at any of them. She’s at a point in her life where she needs to decide what to be an expert in. As someone that loves writing, acting, directing, art, and that picks up new hobbies all the time—I know that feeling. I was also lucky enough to go to a college where I could be surrounded by women that in an environment where we could support each other. That being said, the subject of the game really resonated with me. Choosing between farming, art, dancing, and fighting, Cici works not only on her own skills but supporting other women with their passions.
It also provides something near and dear to my heart, scheduling your time wisely:
The art style is gorgeous and it’s about women empowering other women, so it’s an instant favorite for me. Honing Cici’s skills and getting her ready for the passion festival, while hanging out with each of the other women is definitely way faster that butterfly soup. While it takes probably 15 minutes to get through the whole game, there are 23 endings you could possibly have! I had a great time choosing different skills and different characters to woo, spanning ages from 24-43 and even different mermaid types like a shark, angler fish, cuttlefish, and sea slug.
If you want to explore lots of different endings and look at adorable art, with a POC queer protagonist, this game is perfect. Plus: as you play, she unlocks themed outfits!
💖Those are my picks! Keep an eye on us for more Game Reviews and Suggestions! 💖
