You, the mustachioed Wild West villain, have just tied your nemesis to the train tracks. Can you recite your entire evil monologue before the locomotive comes barreling down? You really need them to hear this.
Monologue, by Phil Dougherty, Nick Heindl and Tyler Summers, is a sweet little game that's sure to please typing enthusiasts — keep up with the villain's spiel by typing his words as he speaks. The anxiety as the train approaches is uniquely profound, given that a victory monologue is supposedly an optional thing. All that's supposed to matter is the defeat of your rival, right?
The more I played with Monologue, the more I began to experience it as commentary on ego — as the villain in this game, what matters to you is no longer what you've accomplished, but in your performance of accomplishment. As I frantically hammer the keyboard with my fingers, I feel a nagging conflict. I don't even get to watch the train flatten my little geometric enemy, can't even meditate on this triumph. It's my own desire for flourish and perfection that's stealing my moment of victory from me, taking me out of the present and into myself. Ain't that always the way.
Monologue was made during a game jam set on a cross-country train, where over a hundred developers traveled together to the recent Game Developers Conference in March, making small games along the way. Train Jam itself is the brainchild of Adriel Wallick, who's made a name for herself in indie development with a can-do attitude — she spent time making a game every week as a way to conquer self-doubt.
We seem to be big on trains and their associated transit hubs here at Offworld. We loved the melancholy station-wandering in both Off-Peak and Bus Station: Unbound, and we've lately been enjoying the existential angst of dreamlike Endless Express, which is also free for you to play in your browser right now.
