-tbh found the way this game understands when to be quiet and sullen and reflexive rlly compelling. like epi2 has a lot of these just silent moments and it rlly builds off of how loud and aggressive that first ep is
-love the way this game handles language if that makes sense. like it’s def it’s own world w it’s own vocab which makes it feel all the more abstract and diff from our own world. like I rlly liked that although the game is about religious fanatics and church organizations there’s a very pointed spelling of christmas as xmas and w that comes its own implications for the characters and the world. there’s also a ton of typos here which could mean anything from the fact that most dialogue is said by children or the idea that most religious fanatics and zealots are commonly seen as less educated but tbh I don’t think that’s the case and rlly hope it isn’t as that’s kind of rooted in classism. or idk maybe it’s a deliberate choice to make the world feel more alien and less like our own or that the writer just accidentally put it through w some typos
-think the wordplay w nb nonbeliever enby is genuinely rlly smart cheeky commentary. all of the writing is rlly clever in regards to how it handles both gender and sexuality and it’s mostly esp subtle which is rlly nice bc I feel like the worst thing about queer art is how much it feels like it’s beating u over the head. this never does except in one moment where the camera focuses in on the word GAY in a paper written about twigs, even that I find ridiculously charming and almost funny. rlly nails down the way that adults speculate on childrens’ orientations and gender expression in a rlly gross way and how that can make ppl feel, enough of the game is about how from the moment ppl see u they’re drawing their own conclusions and perceptions about/around u.
-love the animation here, middle ground between mid 90s early cgi shorts from animation studios that would become established in the coming decades and the video art horror boom of the early 2010s. equal parts cutesy and comfy and creepy. rlly amazed w the cutscenes in epi 2 and how well they’re directed and overall in terms of staging and shooting the scenes and what a step up that is. there’s like a zoom in on the main characters faces in the opening segment of that episode that’s actually so cool and pretty. got the style of like rando mtv oddities frl. the live action moments r so beautiful…
-think it’s cool what and who they do and don’t show. like it’s very much so a point to never show the parents or grandmother, same w the fathers friend during the poker game segment. reminds me a lot of how adults are shown in peanuts, almost like non entities, npc’s if u will. the fact that the only adults we see are the lovecorp employees who look and behave alien and otherworldly but also mostly completely ageless and ethereal.
-one of the only pieces of media to rlly get down the feeling of disassociation. idk spent basically the entirety of my teenage years disassociated and disconnected from my conversations and interactions w other ppl. like Ik I had friends and I talked w them and occasionally talked to my family but I can’t rlly remember what we talked about or what we did bc I was so checked out back then. not even bc I was necessarily uncomfortable w myself but more so bc I was uncomfortable around others and w how my life was panning out. love the scenes of twigs driving w her mother and how checked out she is in those conversations. I one day won’t be able to remember conversations at all or even how ppl that were once kinda close to me looked but I’ll always remember how the roads looked.
-the bonnie coded marcie coded girls r doing yuri/yaoi again

EP1:
dled this a while back because i recognized the dev from their music under /f and only got around to playing it when i found out how stacked the rest of the soundtrack was (shoutout jalen #fuknina #tunaclan)
first impressions: this is insanely well directed for what seems like their first game, the overall visual direction is impeccable and it takes advantage of the vn format in rly inventive ways that add a lot to the offbeat denpa atmosphere
the story is rly compelling so far too, this setup has so much potential and i cant wait to see where it ends up (if the remake ever gets finished i hope)

It doesn't make sense but in a way that makes sense, if that makes sense? The overly cutesy, childish stream of consciousness of Twig and the unusual art style take a second to get used to but if you can accept them on their terms then they really suck you into the world. Beneath the act there's a shrewd intelligence and some almost painful honesty; the writing is super sharp and a lot of the visuals are quite haunting.

The creator has talked about how they have mixed feelings on the first two installments but I love them so much and I'm incredibly hyped for the next episode.