Synopsis
Do you remember what happened? No... Well... That's fine.
Warnings: mention of blood and illnesses, depiction of body injuries (missing parts - allusion self-inflicted) and murder/suicide, grief.
About...
machina caerulea is a short sci-fi horror interactive piece inspired by the Bluebeard folktale. It was originally written for the Bluebeard Jam, and was also submitted to the Love/Violence Jam the Anti-Romance Jam and Neo-Twiny Jam.
I started this project by (re-)checking out as many versions and adaptations of the folktale: Anatole France's take and Ex-Machina were the two that most inspired this game. Rather than following the original folktale, depicting Bluebeard's demise with wife seven, I picked one of his earlier victim - the fair Blanche. Since there is little mentioned about her, I thought it interesting to bring her (back) to life, in a more modern setting.
Reviews
Each short sentence of this game is delivered with the intensity of a knife jab--the act of clicking to advance the story analogous to the thrusting of the blade. The prose is stark and almost violent in its bleakness. Plus it's visually quite engaging--it's a Twine game that puts on a tux to take you out for dinner.
- Laurie N.
Knowing this was a Bluebeard Jam entry, I saw the twist coming the moment he mentioned the door haha, but the reveal was still creepy in the best of ways.
- Kanderwund
I loved the atmosphere of the entire piece — so cold, so clinical, practically bursting with icy shadows that lurked underneath. We all knew something was coming, but when we reached that room, wow. The descriptions!! They were incredible! I got chills.
- snowthornes
The way this is so damn good! I was so fascinated by the use of Sumerian (I adore Near Eastern history) that I looked up 𒍨, and it can also mean lower body/abdomen... another amazing layer of depth. I loved how jerky and disorienting the narration felt.
- vermis