Press Y to Neva

There’s a certain sector of our listenership that loves it when we talk about games that don’t work for us. If that’s you, then please enjoy our discussion of Neva, the latest game from the developers of Gris. Raise your teleporting wolf-deer-puppy, nurturing her through many double-jumps, until finally she can become a gun.

What a story. 1000xRESIST is one of the best works of science fiction we’ve seen in a game, and it opens new territory at the intersection of visual novels, adventure games, and interactive fiction while drawing on other media like film and theater.

1000 years in the future, humanity is all but extinguished and a disease spread by an alien occupation keeps the survivors underground. You are Watcher. You dutifully fulfil your purpose in service of the ALLMOTHER, until the day you learn a shocking secret that changes everything.

This game is a LITTLE long for us at about 12 hours, but it’s divided into ten tightly plotted chapters and respects your time in every conceivable way.

We cover a few more games before the close of the comp. Get those votes in!

  • 00:00 IFComp 2024 Part III
  • 01:50 An Account of Your Visit to the Enchanted House & What You Found There by Mandy Benanav
  • 08:29 The Apothecary’s Assistant by Allyson Gray
  • 15:37 Imprimatura by Elizabeth Ballou
  • 22:45 Welcome to the Universe by Colton Olds
  • 30:16 Turn Right by Dee Cooke
  • 39:21 Doctor Who and the Dalek Super-Brain by jkj yuio
  • 44:58 A Death in Hyperspace by Etc…
  • 54:33 Outro

Laura and Raygan talk about another handful of games from this year’s interactive fiction competition.

  • [00:00:52] LATEX, LEATHER, LIPSTICK, LOVE, LUST by THE BODY & THE BLOOD
  • [00:21:46] A Very Strong Gland by Arthur DiBianca
  • [00:27:22] Bad Beer by Vivian Dunstan
  • [00:30:32] Birding in Pope Lick Park by Eric Lathrop
  • [00:37:56] The Den by Ben Jackson

Thanks to the authors, and to all our patrons who are sharing their IFComp experiences on the Discord!

A quick episode about a very fast game. I Am Your Beast is the latest game from Strange Scaffold and Xalavier Nelson Jr. Even more “boomer shooter”-y than previous Short Game favorite El Paso, Elsewhere, I Am Your Beast tells a John Wick-meets-Rambo story across a series of compact score-attack shooter levels. It’s very cool, but also very hard. Each level is very short, but you’ll need to play each several times to optimize your approach. We haven’t finished this one, but think it’ll likely take most players between 5 and 8 hours to complete (assuming they can get good.)

Surprise! The comp started early! Well we were surprised anyway. We’re kicking off our coverage of this year’s IFComp with impressions of the following games:

  • The Bat by Chandler Groover
  • ROD MCSCHLONG GETS PUNCHED IN THE DONG by Hubert Janus
  • You Can’t Save Her by Sarah Mak
  • Forsaken Denizen by C.E.J. Pacian
  • KING OF XANADU by MACHINES UNDERNEATH
  • Quest for the Teacup of Minor Sentimental Value by Damon L. Wakes
  • The Apothecaries Assistant by Allyson Gray

As with all our IFComp coverage, we need your help to decide which games to check out in the limited time we have. Let us know what you’re playing or interested in, and join us on Discord to discuss. The comp closes on October 15th!