Decade

Warning for a lengthy comment below… 1. I was initially attracted by the intro video - precisely speaking, the minimalistic and resonant music of the video. Then, when I watched the FMV of my first ending - that’s the default ‘rain’ ending- I knew that I just paid for the right game :) And when I (almost) explored the whole story, I considered this game a kind of bible for an amateur indie game developer like me. 2. “Decade” is not only a game for a quick emotional surge but also a medium that inspires people to think and feel. It’s basically a game of management, but the ‘units’ are kids and the ‘resource’ is their entire life - the setting is unusual and has a strongly emotional impact. It’s also an adventure game in that the players are exploring a great diversity of thoughts. The part of the game is more ‘rational’ and the players need to read… What is so successful here is that the developer did not make it into “Greek Philosophy 101”. Instead, the reading itself is also emotional because most of these ‘thoughts’ eventually led to doom. 3. I can see that many players praised the game for its art. The art is unique, of course. The best part is that (in my opinion) the developer tried to dissociate them from the real world. Interestingly, the detachment between the game and the real world makes things more believable. It would be ridiculous if the kids brought me a picture that ‘Hollywood is destroyed’ (as seen in those blockbuster films…). The visual materials are detached from our real world — strangely, it makes the whole story more believable (yes, there are Bergamists or Vetiverists within us in this world, perhaps with stranger names) 4. Some players criticized the game for the weaker link between the things/materials they did and the effect caused. I partly agree with them, and it’s actually how I started to play this game: I analyzed all the things people brought in and configured all the combinations of Who X What X How… and I felt exhausted to ‘solve’ it. As a lover of point-and-click adventure game, I would say that ‘Decade’ is not a puzzle-solving game. The point is not to find the best strategy to beat something. It’s a game about how people interact with each other, rather than how to solve a puzzle efficiently. 5. Each run of this game, good or bad, makes me satisfied! "The sky shall open and I shall drink my fill.” Lady Deirdre Skye

Yeah, sure

what the ♥♥♥♥, dude.

One of the best visual novels of all time obscured under slightly arcane gameplay mechanics and replay clunkiness. Instant buy on sale. The soundtrack is peak.

One of the most unique gaming experiences I've ever played. It has a few rough edges, but they don't take away from a one-of-a-kind game that does so much with so little.

I Like It!!!!

one of the most unique concepts i've witnessed. if you're into detectives, or reading, OR BOTH - highly recommend. the game is super short but is worth of every minute. it's so absurd how it managed to make me feel attached to the characters with just a couple of simplistic portraits and high-quality writing. something to play during a lone night when there's that crave for indulging yourself for a glass of wine while exploring something highly artistic & sophisticated (i live for that ♥♥♥♥). amazing!

If you like interactive fiction give it a play. I did have to use a guide towards the end to figure some things out for my noodle but I still enjoyed the discovery and the lore. Edit: I forgot to mention this, but it's very important for this game and I love it so much: the art style. The overall stylization is incredible, especially the animated character portraits. They convey SO much emotion while being so.. liminal (for lack of a better word - I don't want to call it "low resolution" as that's not quite right) and it adds a lot to the experience checking how their portraits change as the characters age. Really genius stuff.