Grade: B
Romance Visual Novel set in the apocalypse
This was a game I started a while ago, and I finally got a chance to finish the playthrough. “As We Know It” is a visual novel/choose your own adventure game. It’s set in the distant future, where the earth has heated to the point that the surface is near unlivable. Ashlynn, the main character you play as, and their mom, win a lottery spot in an underground haven named Camden.
Each family has small quarters, running water, power, an aquaponics lab, and a community center. Ashlynn makes many choices in the game, including what she wants her job to be, where she spends her free time, and who she chooses to romance. Building up the romance is the central part of the game.
My first romance novel
I can’t say I’ve read many romance novels, so this was a pretty darn new experience for me. I chose to hang out with Eva, a punk-ish hard-nosed security officer. I decided to be a medic and learn the medical trade. It was fascinating how they chose to have the weeks go by in the game.
As you played through each day, many days didn’t have a single exciting thing happen. I went to work, I came home, I went to the library/gym/bar, and then I went to bed. The game’s purposeful vibe made you feel a bit cooped up in this bunker, so this was a feature, not a bug. But, post-covid, I felt like I was replaying 2020 a little too much for my own taste.
The central tension was around Camden’s relationship with the surface world. Some folks want to be in Camden, but there’s no room for everyone. So when there are storms and trouble on the surface, you pick your side, and then the drama unfolds from there.
Overall, this was a novel experience, and I enjoyed my playthrough. After the story, though, the game left me with a bit of an unambitious taste, and I just was left wishing there was “more.”
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