10mg: Cover Me In Leaves

I purchased the full 10 Minute Game Collection and am going to play them in the order they appear in my library. That means this is #3 of 10. Know in advance what you are getting. As the collection title suggests, a ten minute game is not a triple A title. It is a short game-jam-esque proof of concept / working prototype / execution of an idea. At least that's what I'm going to infer from first impressions. This was quite a departure from the previous two titles I played in the collection, but rather refreshingly so. I would argue that all videogames are interactive fiction, and really this is more of a reading of a short form story. Visual novel is not quite the right term as this is such a quick read, but perhaps a "Visual Tale" would be more appropriate? Instead of controlling a character, here we are passive participants in a fictional account. Controls are as basic as clicking some text to progress the story. We turn the pages to see what happens next, without being able to influence the outcome. Naturally, a title like this lives or dies by the strength of the writing. While the character is quite unlike me, the setting is very recognisable and the archetypal people described are familiar to me. This is something of a coming of age tale, but also a story of love, loneliness, fragility, self expression and just a little hint of mysticism. The prose is rather beautiful and from the line "It was a small town, even before I was born there..." I knew I would enjoy the writing style. Honest, witty, sad, painful and heartfelt, I very much enjoyed a read and re-read of this tale. What use would a visual tale be without some visuals? Bold, largely monochromatic paintings, meet pixel art in a strange collage form. Each scene fits nicely with the text on screen, and is often stark, but with a kind of beautiful melancholy. The style is very interesting and evokes a sense that this is an interactive zine, self published by a small but very artistic collective. The scenes have a kind of scrolling effect so that moving the mouse over gives a sense of depth, and at times this can be almost unsettling. There is a single background music track. It's rather quiet and unobtrusive, soothing at first but with just a little discordance added over time. This adds a strange calm to the whole tale, and yet there is a definite sense of unseen danger just lurking outside perception. The prose, the visuals and the music all combine to make a very strong overall experience. Very unlike any genre I would generally gravitate towards, I would nonetheless recommend this to anyone who is looking for a different gaming experience. Much quicker to read than a visual novel, but still provides enough of an impact to be worth your time. I can imagine this translating into a comic book very easily.

[h1]10mg: Ten Ten-Minute Games![/h1] Cover Me in Leaves is a text-based interactive fiction that explored mature and potentially upsetting themes in a way that feels like poetry, metaphorical and philosophical and definitely thought-provoking. The visuals are highly stylised with high contrast, saturated and heavily manipulated photography combined with unique and original artwork that fit the abstract nature of the text perfectly and compliment the short but poignant experience. [b]WANT TO KNOW MORE?[/b] My full review, covering all ten 10mg games is available at [url=https://indie-hive.com/10mg/]Indie Hive[/url].

Great atmosphere overall, excellent art and solid sound design, but the standout is the writing. Confident and direct, sometimes crude, but elegant and intimate. If the game were any longer the writing style would wear out its welcome, but since it's (intentionally) short it doesn't overstay its welcome and invites you to read it more than once to enjoy piecing it together (and also, you know, enjoy the writing). In short: I've paid many times the price of this game for books that weren't a fifth of its quality. Recommended.

Fantastic game! the music, atmosphere, writing, and art were all beautiful. It was a lovely wistful experience. I read out loud while playing. It felt good. Really captured me. I recommend it.

I think part of the power of well written fiction is the ability it has to put you in another persons shoes and perhaps leave you coming out with a new perspective on the world and this piece of narrative fiction does exactly that

Okay this game is beautifully written. It hit me in all the right places ,,, The music is super fitting and the art is freaking gorgeous!! I took alot of time staring at every detail of each piece! It's a really really lovely and great game!! ( also made me want to get more tattoos... )

Great story and visuals, absolutely worth it in my opinion. Only 3 games into the bundle and I'm really pleased.

It is a short visual novel that is endearing. Perhaps it just resonates with me but I think it is worth a read. The music adds to the game and helps you understand the viewpoint character. If you are a homophobic garbage man you won't like it. Pay attention to the warning at the start. Nothing super explicit but maybe don't have your 6 year old play this. I hope games like this die out over the next decade or to. That the experience described becomes alien to the youth. I hope.

it good

I absolutely loved this!! Every word, every background, every sound <3