I wasn't sure what to expect at first because usually with serious narratives related to depression, I have a faint of heart. When I clicked 'begin,' I was intrigued by the polaroid image at the top of the page. The image seems to set the scene and the text below it contains the narrative for that chapter. I liked the links that lead to the description of the other characters/things and their relationship to the main character. The links are not too distracting from the story and add a fun element to click on and interact with. The diaristic style of this game took a bit for me to get into because it felt languid in the beginning, but I guess that was the point. The story grew on me as I continued through it because I really rooted for the main character and their well-being. Once I realized it was a decision-based game, I was sucked in. At the start, I felt like an outsider viewing the story from a distance, but the ability to control what the character does makes the game more immersive. The game keeps it realistic though with the inability to choose certain options as they are in red text and crossed out. Even if I thought I had full control over this character, it seems like the crossed out options were symbolic of how depression affects the everyday life. I put myself in the character's shoes and chose options based on what I would do in these particular situations. I like the three gray, static text boxes on the bottom of the page that indicate the current status of the character and how they are feeling at a certain point of the story. It is amazing that this is only a website, but with storytelling text and interactive links, it really is a game. I like that because it is text-only game, I left to imagine what everything and everyone looks like. I feel that this is a lot more fun than some games that have all visuals. I have only played through it once, but the other options to choose from makes me believe that there are multiple ways to go through this story. I am interested in going back and replaying to see where the other options take me.
I love the interactive elements of these websites. There are lots to read and the way I have to navigate through the texts makes me more intrigued to read more. Each website has a different style of navigation, but each fit their respective narratives. The use of 'hidden text' in keeping up appearances that appears when I hover over it and click on it to reveal another page is something I never really considered before and I thought it was clever. In Paths of Memory and Painting, the use of text and poetry is confined to these colored boxes that sit together in this conglomerate mass of boxes. It is interesting to see the colors and text change as I click through them. The use of the drawings throughout my body indicate the narrative on the page and the convoluted navigation through the links lead me forwards, backwards, and all around the different pages. I also liked the drawing in the beginning that was an index to the different body parts that I can click on and read the text associated with it.