Food Fort

If you were to just look at the title screen of this world, I wouldn't blame you for just assuming it was just one of thousands of low quality worlds from the mid-90s made by a child, and then promptly ignore it.

except this is from 2020

and in this day and age, graphics and quality have a very loose correlation

The premise here is that you're trying to make ends meet in this odd, post-cataclysmic world. The writing is astonishingly good for what it is, and what it is is dark. "Metal" might not be quite the right word for something so depression-core, but regardless of that it hits hard.

Recommended if you're in the mood for a potential downer (depending on how well you perform).

(Thanks to BobPragt and Agent Orange for putting this on my radar.)

Your partner is hungry. You are hungry. You promised each other you would build a food fort together. A place to lock the doors and just eat the food until you die.

But it's been years, and the food is running out. The world grows cold and dark. No one can say how much time is left for us. And your partner is sick, as well. They need medicine.

Find food. Find medicine. Come home safe.

Inspired by Dr. Dos' Joy of ZZT video series, Food Fort came out just before the world realised COVID-19 was playing for keeps (when said world wasn't hiding its head, or having its head shoved, in the sand, that is). Every line of that introduction text strikes a different note in 2023.

I mean, how can not you look at a game that forces you to re-evaluate how you treat essential workers left to the tender mercies of capitalism and a breakdown of the social contract, asks you to draw on your inner strength and the bond with your loved ones in the face of an impending apocalypse in a different light since then?

Okay, I might be overthinking it.

In a dying world, you, the player, need to venture into the unknown to get food and medicine for your beloved partner. What obstacles await you? Is the greatest threat to your safe return not what it seems?

The graphics are serviceable and some of the choices in gameplay may seem obtuse, but it's a rewarding and perhaps even affirming experience if you try and stay in touch with your better self. As hard as stumbling through the pandemic was for many of us, this 'accidental pandemic game' can serve as a spot of comfort and remind us of what really matters.

You can also try for a bad ending with a side of bizarre insults of you're so inclined. Go for it if you're so inclined xD