20something

Unless I'm mistaken, this short interactive novel would appear to have been made with Twine (the free and easy-to-use software program, not a sturdy piece of string). As Twine projects go, it's a little spiffier and more ambitious than most, though not exactly by a landslide. It has no sound, only the occasional lovingly hand-drawn illustration, and opts for the bog-standard blue links to indicate where you can click next to progress/make choices (though in all fairness this may have been a well-thought-out aesthetic decision, rather than just default laziness). The story it tells is relatable if unexceptional, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the author's command of the written word (always a nice thing in text adventures, I'm sure you'll agree). The font is perhaps a tad on the small side - especially if you have a small monitor - and almost entirely devoid of frills, but it gets the job done. There's a couple of minor spelling errors, but nothing you'd fail an essay over. And it has self-deprecating Morrissey and Joy Division references, which is certainly never a bad thing in my book. One definite negative is that it doesn't appear to have a save function. I mean, yes, it's short - under thirty minutes kind of short - but a save would still be preferable. And there isn't a HUGE amount of agency, but perhaps enough to make it replayable, should your first run-through of the storyline prove sufficiently intriguing. I personally gave it a quick second spam-through, and it does have some decidedly divergent paths, should you find the possibilities compelling enough (I didn't, but then again, I'm no longer in my twenties, and largely lost interest in the perils of the "dating world" some time ago). The biggest issue for many, I suspect, will be the price. Is it worth three dollars? Honestly, I think the dev was pretty brave to ask ANY price for what is on offer here, much less more than 99c. My advice were they a friend would have been to chuck this one up for free, solidify your "audience", and make the next one longer and as cheap as you can possibly make it on Steam (i.e. 99c)! There's certainly nothing overtly incompetent or hate-worthy here...on the whole, a rather "nice first effort" indeed. "Underwhelming" is perhaps the nastiest insult you could throw its way. I certainly wouldn't recommend it at full price to anyone bar the most ferociously Twine-curious, and would advise even sale-hunters to keep their expectations low. (Unless you're recently single and feel like a touch of the straw which broke the camel's back: an optimistic view of relationships this sure-as-♥♥♥♥ ain't, so if you're looking for that extra little push over the brink, this may well be the product to do it.) Verdict: 6.5/10.

Would've liked it if it would have been at least an Audio Book with a nice narrator-voice. Its not so much interactive and story is not very deep. As a lil personal project it's okay, but would not recommend it to anyone.

20something is an interactive novel about a young man's relational and menta problems. The story is short. There are a few choices during the gameplay but not so much. There are also a few perfect drawings. Personally I really like them. The most negative part of my experience is the save button. There is no save button. You must play the whole game in one session. I've purchased it in a bundle but would I buy it for a full price? Don't think so. My opinion is negative-just-below-the-threshold but if there'd be a neutral button I'd select it.

20something is a touching interative fiction game that cuts to heart of the world of dating and intimacy for a young man in his early twenties. Scenes are told through a highly relatable stream of consciousness, humorously interwoven with 'bad but good' action movies, 'bad but good' parties and 'bad but good' dates. Amongst the soul searching and eerily familiar romantic encounters, the story also touches on mental health issues and alcohol abuse, two topics young men often feel unable to talk about in healthy and productive ways, and are helpful to see represented in media. If you're are a fan of interactive fiction or indeed anyone who has navigated the perils of online dating, fumbling encounters or long awkward moments, then I highly recommend this game.

Another in the line of pretentious art projects on Steam. What elements of realism the game exudes are hampered under a cover of fancy verbal diarrhea. Between randomly throwing in aspergers and stealing the core plot and outline of High Fidelity, the creator ultimately fails at his attempt to be deep and provocative. I feel like I'm being too harsh on it, but I spent 40 minutes in the game and have no desire to return. I will say, I kinda liked the ending though. The interface is also annoying. There is no save feature, for instance, so you have to finish it in one go. The game is short, but it feels so long and there is so much reading, that I needed to take breaks. I don't mind reading in my games, I got introduced in Infocom back in the 90s and fell in love, but the writing in this game is just too art school. The best I can say is that the game isn't broken. No crashes or bugs. Bottom line: I almost kind of enjoyed my time with the game, but despite almost liking the ending, the rest of the game just doesn't make it worth it. Go read Nick Hornby instead.

"Something is bothering you, but you blame it on the aspergers"

https://youtu.be/tZphAZExH_U The major hurdle in this visual novel is the lack of knowledge about the protagonist. Important personal info is revealed multiple times without warning adding dissonance to the narrative.

An interesting game if a bit shallow. Not so much roleplaying as you are pegged into the role of what passes for a 20 somthing year old in today's world. The "game" is well put together if a bit bland and it's blandness might speak to some going through a similar situation. Overall 6 out of 10.

Usually, I appreciate the open narration that allows you to choose the evolution of the story, but in this case, the story is extremely boring, I tried to resist to get to the end, the playing time must have been very short, but I didn't reach the end, because I had the feeling that I was wasting time. Sorry to write a negative review, but depression constantly appears as a poorly represented shadow in the game, relationships appear immature, there is an unnecessary abundance of alcoholic details, and there are too many descriptions of uninteresting or funny TV shows and movies ( you can save a joke about Steven Seagal movies being one worse than the other).

I played this not long after a breakup, so it happened to be a bit more impactful than it might have been otherwise. 20something is a short choose your own adventure game about dating and depression. And it hits close to home. A bit too close, really. At least parts of it. Something is wrong. Something is always wrong. Can't ever pinpoint it. You know how you think you should feel. But there's nothing there. Broken, and there's no explanation to it.