Synopsis
Leya looked furtively around her... Clarence Street, 14, was just ahead.
About...
Clarence Street, 14 is a short kinetic piece, create for the Neo-Twiny Jam and the Fuck Capitalism Jam, written and coded in just 3h. The piece follows Leya, on her way to Clarence Street, 14, as she comes to term with the little choices available to her.
This lack of choices is mirrored in the interactivity of the piece, as there are none, really. Instead, players can choose to interact with annotated popups, which provides complementary information about the story, without breaking its flow. Rather than an actual game, you could read this piece as a raw character study - about a person stuck in a tough situation.
With Clarence Street, 14, I was able to explore a more kinetic approach to the Interactive Fiction medium (which seem to work best with tiny stories), as well as play with a different form of interactivity.
Two years after its release, the game was translated into Dutch.
Reviews
I liked how the tension built, and I liked how things seemed legitimately different after the reveal, which felt more than fair and logical. I saw the character in a different light, definitely.
- Andrew Schultz
This is beautiful! The twist at the ending was genuinely unexpected, but very heartfelt, and it was a feeling I could relate to a lot. The theme of capitalism making people feel bad for asking for help and being seen is an excellent choice for this.
- ofbleedingink