Lovin’ & Bloggin’ Circa 2004
On discussing the genre, vignette games, Cibele developer, Nina Freeman, said, ‘Limiting their available options. Forcing someone into that tiny vignette space. It’s very powerful. The idea that someone might feel the same way if they experience the same things is so powerful.” If you’ve followed her body of work here, the games almost appear autobiographical at times, largely drawing upon real experiences such as Nina’s burgeoning romance with another player in a fake MMORPG in Cibele. Thus, her works feel incredibly personal. Her latest work, Lost Memories Dot Net is no different as it serves up a heavy dollop of nostalgia for internet surfing in 2004 with a focus on “teen girls, blogs, and love triangles.”
Manchester International Festival originally commissioned the game which features a 14-year old girl navigating drama-filled chats while starting up her own blog. In simulating that internet experience, players can even select images to download in one tab, and jump back into the chat room in another. The game says it’ll take about 1 – 2 hours for one playthrough which is about the length of some of Freeman’s previous works.
If you’ve liked desktop simulator games like Emily Is Away, then this one’s an easy sell too. Plus, the game is free on PC via Itch.io.