Creatures Such as We

This is such a quiet, beautifully written game with interesting characters.

- Mediocre writing. - Pretentious tone and themes. - Insipid characters. - Extremely boring. - Full of meaningless uninteresting "choices". - Slightly less fun than a dentist appointment. Here's an actual choice in the book/game (context: you're undergoing some exotic medical procedure that should make no sense to a reader (I mean me, you), and those two people insist on having you choose what procedural step you want to start with): "1. The technician…he's cuter. 2. The phlebotomist…she's cuter." Right before this, you had those "choices": "1. Why not both at the same time? 2. The technician…he's cuter. 3. The phlebotomist…she's cuter." I first chose 1., because I couldn't have cared less about that "choice" (plus it's implied that I would make it on the basis of their "cuteness" which is both stupid and incorrect), so this was my way of communicating "I don't care". Only to be asked the exact same thing again, and this time without any "I don't care" option. I then made an [i]actual choice[/i] (don't those feel good, eh? Also, meaningful, fulfilling, interesting), and [b]closed the book/application[/b]. For ever. That's only one example but it is representative of a whole.…

I chose to keep the ending I had, since I didn't in the game within the game. It wasn't a bad ending, though I would've liked more, I'm okay with what I got. It's a game that makes you think about things. And I think that's enough to recommend it on its own. But I also just like the story and the characters within it.

I found this game interesting, it captures a feeling of normalcy so well that pondering its message felt very natural. Is reaching a "good ending" worth it, even if it betrays the original art? My 'ending' felt lukewarm, but it felt *real*, and I was content to accept it- but still, the option existed to change it, to go back. What choice will you make?

Creatures Such as We is a 2014 interactive novel that is in conversation with public discourse surrounding how meaning is given to text in an age where public demands themselves are shaping the meaning of the text. And dear lord it's such a child of its' time I am catapulted back a decade in time reading this. This novel certainly has many points where I feel like the responses I can give are inadequate to convey what I am thinking at that point when asking for my opinions. Similarly the text drives conflict in a way that due to its very linear structure makes the Main Character feel frustratingly autonomous. But if you're looking for a more explicitly meta text that takes you back a decade in time, this one has been a really quite nice flashback.

This nearly 10 year old game was a gem of a find! The story and characters were all too relateable, and the experience was only heightened by the meta storytelling aspects. It was short and sweet, didn't overstay it's welcome. Settled in just long enough to get you thoroughly engaged and invested, and then like a farewell from a dear friend it left you with an oddly comforting wistfulness.