The art, the story, the characters... I bought it and was immediately hooked on it. I have work in a few hours and only just managed to yank myself away to power nap before i have to go in.
It has aspects of management simulators, deck building, and even roguelite story mechanics where going through things in past runs can be used to alter your current play through. The story is heart felt and intense at times. These writers do not pull any punches. It was all very motivating to do better and gratifying when I could change things in different runs. The music and art is gorgeous too, love all of it.
A truly unique and interesting gem of a game, I love it!
I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (IWATE from here on for brevity) is a deeply troubling game; for all the happy and heart-warming moments, there are nearly all underpinned by a lot of suffering, sacrifice, fanaticism, and an understanding that without special powers, things can go apocalyptically wrong, even for those with the best chances at a future... But that's alright, because most things are resolved with a card game which might top Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic's Pazaak.
In IWATE you play as Sol, a child exocolonist, from the age of 10 through 20. Each year is divided into seasons in which you can choose what activities to do to improve your social, intellectual, and physical skills. As mentioned, activities are successfully completed by playing a card game which provides you cards from our experiences in the world, e.g., you might remember a time you were scared and this can be used in social challenges.
You're not alone on this new colony, you will have plenty of fellow colonists, of differing ages, ideologies, and jobs, to interact and form relationships with. I can't speak highly enough about how well written the characters are as they grow-up, I even reached out to the game's writer, Sarah Northway, and they were nice enough to send me a response.
A typical playthrough is intentionally brief and multiple playthroughs are encouraged -- without wanting to say too much, in subsequent playthroughs you will have opportunities to identify events before they unfold and influence how they occur, if they occur at all.
The most important aspect of the game though is that which stuck with me after playing. There's a short list of games that I feel have genuinely challenged the way that I look at the world: (NieR:Automata and Suzerain, if you're interested), but IWATE has made me rethink looking at opportunities, relationships, and authority -- even after getting my 'perfect ending' it's sad to think how it faired compared to my first.
Highly recommended.
TLDR: What looks like a cozy time-waster is actually a surprisingly compelling RPG story with moments of emotional wallop.
Up top, lets just say that the content warning isn't kidding. Despite the pastel colors, cute art, and emphasis on the cast, this game goes surprisingly hard. And that makes it all the better. Don't play this if you just want some light romp, it tries to deal with stuff. It's not an emotional slog, but I was genuinely surprised by some moments in this game.
The loop is a lot like Persona. You have ten years of growth, with several months to a year. Each month you can engage in an activity which will boost your various stats and friendships. You also can chat to people and sometimes get bonuses and advance relationships. Some activities are around your little colony base, and others take place farther out (mechanically similar to P5's dungeons). And each year comes with certain events that take place at given calendar moments. This would be plenty, but you also need to work to help your colony and maybe solve the mystery of the planet.
It's pretty likely that your first run will be a struggle. Don't expect to get a golden ending the first time. IWATE has a mechanic that allows you to essentially "remember" prior runs and at various moments you can use this knowledge to change what came before.
Challenges are done via a set of collectible cards based on events that happen to you. If that sounds boring you can turn it off and let the RNG + your skills handle challenges. Some events/choices are gated by your skills.
I liked the game's story and it's characters. I also like how you gradually get something more like the full story of the colony...and the planet. I assume there is even more since like I said I've only fully done two plays so far. I look forward to finding out more. One playthru takes about 14-15 hours.
To be honest I didn't expect that I'd like but I really did! The story immediately grabbed me and I found myself playing for hours on end, struggling to leave to even eat dinner.
