this is an hour or two long narrative game about two college students who tried to take a stab at game dev in their adult life. the game's writing is very plain and the graphics aren't flashy at all, but that's intentional:
it's depicting the ebb and flow of indie game dev life without any attempts to go beyond the premise.
the narrative is framed around storylets of the two characters meeting up and trying to work together. however, their story is not a fairytale story of success. the characters struggle to get their game published because the programmer wants to make games that's to their taste -- and you know what, good for them since everyone's making the same kind of popular game out there.
but that's hell you're walking into. making an indie game that follows the trends isn't easy to begin with; making a retro game that doesn't have anything modern won't cut it. throughout the game, you get some interactivity in the form of a retro platformer called BLOCKS on a gameboy. you don't have to beat the game, but it's quite a challenging puzzle platformer if you do and it makes you wonder who would play this game outside of the narrative game context.
and well, aren't we part of the problem then? the reason these people are having a difficult time making the game? etc.
GOODBYE WORLD is a melancholic game that doesn't present any salvation for indie game developers who choose the hobbyist side of things. and i think that's great. i've seen people discuss this as an "important" game in reviews, but i don't like that adjective since it makes the game sound like a cultural vegetable you have to eat someday. nah, i just think it's awesome that a game can be this bitter without compensating at all and it's something i like to see more.
in a way, this is a glorified itch personal game marketed at audiences that primarily use steam and consoles, but i quite like the framing and the characters resonate with me. it's not going to appear on my top games list, but i'm glad to have played this short game and it left me with an impression that makes me think about how i approach game dev not as a commercial venture but as an interpersonal relations space. i made friends in game dev, but i also feel concerned that said friends will judge me based on the games i made.
it's difficult and i think that's why the game works for me. i hope more people play it.
p.s. if you know japanese, the IGN Japan review is worth reading as it is a sympathetic read on the game and it makes me wish more japanese people could play personal games from itchio: