Save My Scrap

[H1]Fixing the android parts was the easy part[/H1] Thank you Unio Anou for the curator copy. This is nonetheless an impartial review. You play as a repairman called in for what should be a routine job: fixing a 20-year-old android. Simple enough, right? Wrong. Harima is way more aware and independent than she should be, and she’s very determined to make one thing clear: she is against being repaired. She reads, she argues and discuss deep topics with quite strong opinions. What starts as replacing parts quickly spirals into something much heavier. While helping Miomaru, Harima's owner, repair her from head to toe, the story digs into consciousness, consent, boundaries, cruelty toward robots, and what actually makes someone human. It’s not subtle, but it works. I got obsessed with the writing and the world-building also helped tons (especially the six radio stations you can choose in the car each morning, each giving a different slice of how androids fit into society). It’s a small touch, but it adds a lot. The puzzles are there too, short and simple enough not to hijack the story, which is exactly the right call since this is a visual novel first. You’ve got lots of settings,…

I really, really enjoyed this story. It's the kind of story that can really only be told with androids. The tale is quite straightforward but I found myself thinking about companionship, emotion, what it means to be an android, what it means to be a human, how much someone's self and personality is tied to their body, and things like that. I will be thinking about this for some time. I do love sci-fi where it's so grounded in sci-fi that it would be hard to do any other way, and the core is philosophical. The puzzles in this game are all fairly simple, but are varied and a welcome break from reading. I only played through one route so far - ending 3-2 - taking me 4.5 hours, but that's because my brain is not letting me focus like it used to - I think in normal circumstances, I would have read it faster. So the reading length is quite short. But, as I think the story will stick to me for a while, that time carries a lot of value.

god I love sci-fi

Extremely charming VN! Very light in time commitment though not as much so in subject matter. Very strong impact for time spent, with an enjoyable art style and very good writing for its size.

Save My Scrap was a fun and interesting game with detailed puzzles and a story that made me think about memory in a different way.

Surprisingly good indie VN with charming artstyle, a compact plot where the minimalist characters shine and great character design, both human and robot. I would follow this devs for any future projects.