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Name: Distortion Nation
Status: Complete
Site: https://tangledvirus.itch.io/distortion-nation
Pairing: f/f/f
Description: Lots of trauma bonding

This is a short game in which the MC has been literally beaten bloody by her mother, and then has to deal with it. It's very short, and has two options per run, resulting in about 6 endings. While the description of the game makes it sound like there are pathways of failure, there are none. The very few choices all lead to the same general place tonally. 

title page
 

The game description also suggests that there is supernatural stuff going on, but while the characters consist of two necromancers and a vampire, this is almost completely beside the point. The story wouldn't change if everyone was just a normal human being, just some flavor text would go away. Reverie, the MC, tries to get treatment after being beaten up at a hospital, but is frustrated with the transphobic asshole treating her and calls her partner, and later on meets up with her other partner, in different ways depending on the path. All three of the thruple have their own little issues, but the story largely centers around Reverie struggling with her terrible situation, and the need to be helped and loved while fearing and hating that need. She does have two people who care for her though, so in the end even though things are not exactly all right, the day ends on an optimistic note.

The three main characters
 

Because the game is so short there's nothing really in the way of mechanics and it's easy to 100%. The art is not great, but this is a one-person project that is clearly more focused on emotional expression, so it does its general job. The writing is ok. There's a prelude that doesn't know how to deal with past tense, but once that's over the game is much more readable. The story itself feels like a catharsis project. You've got poverty, abuse, transphobia, mental illness, etc. all bundled up in here as Reverie starts out at the very bottom but eventually finds a place where she feels safe and maybe even optimistic and loved. For what it is it was sweet, but especially mechanically there isn't too much to it.

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Playing games with an emphasis on story.

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