THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME ABOUT RODEM
Rodem's a game about survival that's really about survival. It's not a survival game in the modern survival game sense, but it's genuinely a game about being suddenly abandoned in a park with no idea what's happening to you and what to do.
Let me describe the first couple sessions playing Rodem as an example. You find yourself smack dab in the middle of the park where you've been abandoned. Oh well, you might think. I'll go to the right, see what's there. An aggressive dog is there, sets on you, and kills you. Game over, zero days survived. Well then. Next game: let's go to the left. There's a river. Take a leisurely swim there, see what happens. You drown, and die. Game over, zero days survived.
You might think, well, this game has a manual. Let's take a look.
I love this manual. See, the thing about Rodem's manual - and all the Itachoco Systems manuals - is that it gestures at game mechanics without actually tutorializing you. The manual, itself, is a puzzle. The whole game is a puzzle, and the mechanics are at the centre. You're meant to slowly experiment with the game itself, the riddle of a manual at your side, and uncover the layers of the game itself until you finally understand it well enough.
And that fits the game's themes perfectly too. You're a domestic dog who's been abandoned in a park to survive on your own. Of course you have no idea what's going on - Rodem the character is confused, disoriented. He doesn't have a great chance of survival. You, the player, should be confused and disoriented too. All of the Itachoco games have this sort of vibe, and they're all worth exploring.
