I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

10/10 please more games like this

I loved every moment with this game, and often times find myself thinking about it years after having played it

I have never written a review before, but for this game, I need to. This is one of the greatest games I've ever played. Everything about it from the art style to the writing was so charming. The soundtracks were also very impactful; I was a huge fan of "The Child You Were." Furthermore, the replayability of this game is astounding. There's so many different endings and routes you can take in this game. Even if you are not a fan of visual novel-esque games, I highly recommend this one.

My first playthrough was absolutely heartbreaking... But with time loop gameplay you can go back through and change things! I haven't completed my second year yet, but so far only one person has died and it's someone that I've heard can't be saved no matter what. I did spend more time with them in this life though which made the loss harder than the first life. I have no idea what's coming for me at the end of this life, but that's part of the fun. I sure it will probably be something equally horrific as my first run, but we'll see... The special ending that I got surrounding Tangent was quite rough, but hopefully I can easily stop that in this life.

If I stopped on the first run, this would be mixed/not recommending review. But if there's one thing this game does right, it's the addictiveness of loops. And so, I spend 2 loops with a few meddlings with the final year to see more endings. Ultimately, I think this is an interesting game with genius writing at times, but underwhelming in certain aspects of its narrative and, even worse, at its mechanics. Let's start with the negatives. I'll try to cover it up with no spoilers, if something appears its just a vague mention of a general thing. Negatives 1. Weird pacing for optimal first run. On my first loop, all possible tragedies happened to me - as they probably should've - but the ending was weirdly peaceful and hopeful. Like, I was barely scraping by and knew each year would get worse. And then the ending is like "yeah, you lived 50+ years and got old, some battles were tough but you managed". Like... what? Why give such a weird closure to the run that was so survival-focused? Where my loved ones died? It's so tone-deaf. 2. Mechanics are very engimatic. To a certain degree I think it's the merit of this game. It makes the first run feel real, like going blindfolded into things. But after my second run it's clear that some stats and events are hidden way to cryptically. First time around, I didn't discover very important aspect in the game (concerning something to do with gardens and arrays), and that's just counting the most essential one. There are a lot of things hidden behind countless triggers in jobs and exploring. You may miss almost all of it if you want to explore different aspects of the game simultanuously. Which isn't bad on its own - I just think the game would be better for giving you more subtle guidance. "Here you may want to come back to see this sort of final event/outcome". 3. Too much agency for a kid. In the story, there's this tragedy that concerns all of the colony and may lead to a death of a very close person to your MC. You get the sense everyone works on helping it. Yet it comes down to only your actions - 10-14 yo kid I might add! After 2 runs I can definietely say it's a bit ridiculous from a narrative and mechanical standpoint. Especially considering how much agency is pushed on the player with no hinting it only falls on THEM. 4. Flat romances Someone mentioned it already but romances are just... there. The characters are amazing and I don't necessarily mind they get to be a bit cliche in their ways. But dating is just... weird. The moment I think it may get hot/interesting, something very cringey happens in the dialog. People don't act like that when in love or feeling lust lol!! It's like there's always a chaperon watching over the shoulder, making sure this game is more or less 13+ friendly. But it could still be better written, even for PG 13. The only romance that felt good was the shortest one, that you can briefly experience outside of the colony. But., like I say, it's short and with not enough development. 5. Card game Listen. I like this card part of the game. In theory. And for the first dozends of times. But at some point, its just exhausting. Especially if you need to go back a couple of months, repeating same things - and you'll be doing that A LOT. Why make so many challenges 3-part? At some point you may aquire auto-play but it cuts points and make it difficult to get with harder challenges. I loved it, but more challenges should be 1-part, and wopuld be great if some master perk made the option for all of them be auto, not just 1 part. Positives Let's get to the nicer part ^^ - Writing really is great. Sure, I'd make it more compact at times, and would divide text more to be more digestible (something like in Disco Elysium). But overall, the imagination of the author is just... over-the-world *hehe*. I can't wrap my head around how much research and clever science went in that fiction! As a scifi writer myself, I was aboslutely compelled and enchanted by this world. I can only hope I will get more of it! Gosh, I hope the author writes something more, I'll be checking it up right now. - Addictive loops. As said, and doesn't need much explaining. Leveling up gives a lot of satisfaction, card game is chill (until it isn't).... And I really feel like I want to better myself all the time. There are fun goals to have in this game, especially when you know it better after a couple of runs. - Emotional impact Sure, there are some cryptic events on the first run, and awkward moments where the writing gets a bit cringey... But overall, this game coveys beautifully the idea of buidling a community and relationships with each other. If you're like me, after some time you'll be crying the moment you hear the menu music. This is how this game grows on you. - It's replayable. You can get a lot of hours out of it, and since you can get it for 12 bucks for sale, I'd say it really is a good way to spend you money and time.

I rarely finish games, but I've finished this twice in less than a week. Definitely going to play more too.

I am so glad I got this on a whim - a game that is both gentle and thoughtful, at times fun and at times getting me to think. I loved the writing, the characters, and the overall gameplay loop. I only wish, as another review mentioned, that the walking around was a bit less of a chore. An overall fantastic experience that moved me more than I could ever have imagined.