As someone who's struggled with addiction this is... so intensely accurate to the feeling. And I'm sure that's applicable to other things, mental illness, specifically eating disorders have similar feelings attached. It's such a concise, painful, beautiful, achingly direct representation of how it feels. This toxic relationship with numbness, with escapism, with a pain that you made into a part of you... It's hard to shake. The "good ending," with the friend, that's really important to me. Having support systems is how you get away. Addictions, mental illness, even literal abusive relationships, all convince you they're your only friend, your only support. They work by isolating. Please, if you're suffering, don't let yourself be isolated. People care. If not people you have now, seek some out. Find support. Whether in support groups, online, in a hobby group, school, whatever.
same! i think people who have suffered from eating disorders definitely resonated with this piece. i have BED and i definitely agree with what you were saying about isolation.
I'm looking at this game + this comment again a year on and wanted to leave a note for anyone reading it now. When I wrote this, I was struggling to get sober, less than a month in, and this game hit me hard. Now, I'm 2 months past a year sober, building a life for myself with someone I love. It's worth it, it's more than worth it. There's ways to exist and a world without the abusive relationship that addiction traps you in. It's still hard, and you never stop being an addict. But you stop giving to addiction, you make a decision every day to choose something else, and that something else is yourself, your life, your present, your future. It's worth it.
For me, after getting all the endings I thought for sure this game has to be about depression. How you try to get rid of it but it's always in the back of your head. You try so hard to push away but it tells you that you need it to survive. But the harder you push away the better it gets. Although you may just want to surrender and give in to the fight if you keep going it's bound to get better. No one else can see the fight, just as her friend couldn't see the man/woman in the picture, but our brain convinced us that it's been there for years.
I think this game overall is just amazing. In fact, all your games are eye opening and make me reflect with every ending.
This was a really surreal game for me because I feel like I saw myself in this game in a way that wasn't really meant to be seen by playing. At the end of the game I talk about what I think the relationship between our character and the other person is, because I went through a terrible breakup where I was cheated on... multiple times by the same person... and how I still felt like I need her. Like I was addicted. I don't think that was the intention or overall meaning/ purpose of the game, but that's how I interpreted it for myself. A reason I thought of it like this is because in one part of the game where we choose to stop seeing her after the second time you're back at your place, she seems like she really doesn't want to lose contact with you and it felt like they both knew each other from the past. But then the ending where your new room mate doesn't see her in the picture just confused me lol
Well, personally, I would have no problem with sharing, I just don't know if Zephyo will think the same, so it's a way to ensure her rights about her job, and the non-existence of a version modified for someone else free there.
(But until now, i Couldn't get a response, so this "hard labor" may not exist :/
Ever wanted to know what it would be like to be addicted to one night stands? It's all in this playthrough! It was a super fun game and seeking other endings and stuff was uber fun!
Always a great story with beautiful artwork when it comes to Angela's games! Angela, I can't wait for more to come out, I'll be one of many to enjoy them!
Spoiler free review: I Woke Up is a powerful statement, and it is short enough to fully digest in 30 minutes or less. I would recommend it to anyone. 8/10, beautiful art piece.
Critique:
Please do not read this unless you have played the game, or do not care to. This is intended to be used as help for those who might be confused by the story, and just general discussion of this interesting game.
Story: Here's my interpretation, backed up by some points in the story that I will bring up accordingly. I hope it isn't too obvious. I Woke Up presents itself as a story about a man or woman that the player wakes up next to. It becomes quickly apparent, however, that the man or woman in this story isn't a person. It's a drug that the player keeps using. Every ending points to this conclusion, and several dialogue choices in between. You can flat out refuse the drug after your "Second Time" by choosing the harshest options and put it out of your mind. Refusing to "see your lover" again leads to the quickest game over. This was the second ending that I got.
You can also refuse the drug after several encounters. The first time is when you meet in the street and decide not to get a drink or skip the pleasantries and go to your house. After this encounter, you start feeling sluggish. It doesn't feel good anymore. This confused me on my first play-through because I wasn't in the right mindset. It took me getting every ending to fully contextualize all of it. These are all symptoms of addiction, and more specifically substance abuse. I can see how some people might disagree here, however.
The easiest ending is the break up. You start to feel withdrawal symptoms and fight them off, keeping the "lover" out of your mind. If you show a photo to your best friend, they'll tell you that there isn't a girl in the photo.
The junkie ending shut the case for me on this. If you spend time with the lover over and over, but then decide that it's not right for you, they'll fight you. They'll tell you that it's instinct that you're going against. That you need them. You have to keep resisting, and it perfectly mirrors drug abuse.
Gameplay: Like the lover, I found myself unable to put down the game until I worked it out in my head, and it still grips me. Story-driven games with choices always hook me in. However, there aren't many choices in the game that matter overall. This might be part of the design. What I mean by this is that there are many dialogue options, but the responses are the same. This makes sense for a game of this size, but on repeat it started to feel like I had to trudge through the story. Again, given the themes that I believe are present this could be what the author intended.
Art Style: The art style of this game is JAW-DROPPING. Especially for an indie game like this. I want to keep an eye on this developer because I feel that they have a great future ahead of them. The story, art style, and sound design all came together to form a hair-raising, eerie experience.
I definitely felt the same way, I interpreted it as drug and alcohol addiction myself, having struggled with alcoholism and drug addictions throughout the last 10 years.
Though, as a work of art, I can see how this could be interpreted in other ways. For example, it could be about social media addiction. It could be about any number of addictions. It could even be interpreted more abstractly than some mere addiction. But yes it is a beautiful piece of art.
I also agree with you about how the choices don't always lead to different results and you can find yourself "trudging" through the story upon replaying it, and that it's possible that this was intended, but the first time hit me the most, was the most resonant and powerful emotionally and induced the most thought, followed by the second time. By the third time that effect was starting to wear off. Even this effect itself is analogous to drug and alcohol experiences (The first time or two you use a new substance vs after you've used it many times...).
Short but somewhat profound and bitter-sweet, melancholic game true to life and the nature of human addiction, desire, attachment, et al.
Another amazing game! I love the visuals as well as the storyline because it is relatable to a lot of people like me. Also, I like that you can choose who you wake up next to like a guy or a girl, which is different from the other games I’ve played because the main character is usually a male. I would to see more games like this in the future! Thank you!
Really wasnt expecting this kind of depth for such a short game. I was kinda confused by the first ending i got but I think getting the other ones helped me figure stuff out.
Not a big fan. It's too quick, like not just story but the dialogue feels rushed and that my decisions don't really matter. Not enough time to get used to each character and understand them. Music didn't really fit and the story was average. I felt this was more an attempt at being deep but inevitably felt lack luster.
lol I'm late but in case someone else turns to the coments looking for this: There are two endings with the friend - one where you tell her how you're not feeling well (answer "I don't know") and one where you lie (answer "I'm fine") and then feel alone with your problems in the end
I played this game a long while on my main channel. Saw that it's back rising on the popular list and, had to play it again on this secondary channel! This time knowing what the context was left for a much much shorter game.
I'm glad your game has a lot of popularity as, you made it well and, has a deep message to it.
Haunting and lovely. The art is gorgeous (as it is in all your games) and the music really contributed to the sense of atmosphere. It's short and cryptic, but I really loved it nonetheless.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I love all of your games, they look stunning, sound amazing and feel like a drug trip, I really hope you keep up the great work and thanks for making these games.
I loved this game. It's short, but absolutely wonderful. The tone is so amazingly creepy, the artwork gorgeous, and the music perfect. Thanks for making it!
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As someone who's struggled with addiction this is... so intensely accurate to the feeling. And I'm sure that's applicable to other things, mental illness, specifically eating disorders have similar feelings attached. It's such a concise, painful, beautiful, achingly direct representation of how it feels. This toxic relationship with numbness, with escapism, with a pain that you made into a part of you... It's hard to shake. The "good ending," with the friend, that's really important to me. Having support systems is how you get away. Addictions, mental illness, even literal abusive relationships, all convince you they're your only friend, your only support. They work by isolating. Please, if you're suffering, don't let yourself be isolated. People care. If not people you have now, seek some out. Find support. Whether in support groups, online, in a hobby group, school, whatever.
same! i think people who have suffered from eating disorders definitely resonated with this piece. i have BED and i definitely agree with what you were saying about isolation.
I'm looking at this game + this comment again a year on and wanted to leave a note for anyone reading it now. When I wrote this, I was struggling to get sober, less than a month in, and this game hit me hard. Now, I'm 2 months past a year sober, building a life for myself with someone I love. It's worth it, it's more than worth it. There's ways to exist and a world without the abusive relationship that addiction traps you in. It's still hard, and you never stop being an addict. But you stop giving to addiction, you make a decision every day to choose something else, and that something else is yourself, your life, your present, your future. It's worth it.
i really need someone to write all the endings and how to get them \(;-;)/ edit: you don't need to but it would be helpful ;w;
linux version crashes upon start
[SPOILERS]
For me, after getting all the endings I thought for sure this game has to be about depression. How you try to get rid of it but it's always in the back of your head. You try so hard to push away but it tells you that you need it to survive. But the harder you push away the better it gets. Although you may just want to surrender and give in to the fight if you keep going it's bound to get better. No one else can see the fight, just as her friend couldn't see the man/woman in the picture, but our brain convinced us that it's been there for years.
I think this game overall is just amazing. In fact, all your games are eye opening and make me reflect with every ending.
Haven't played myself but seen other people play and it really has a deep story for such a short game ^-^
This was a really surreal game for me because I feel like I saw myself in this game in a way that wasn't really meant to be seen by playing. At the end of the game I talk about what I think the relationship between our character and the other person is, because I went through a terrible breakup where I was cheated on... multiple times by the same person... and how I still felt like I need her. Like I was addicted. I don't think that was the intention or overall meaning/ purpose of the game, but that's how I interpreted it for myself. A reason I thought of it like this is because in one part of the game where we choose to stop seeing her after the second time you're back at your place, she seems like she really doesn't want to lose contact with you and it felt like they both knew each other from the past. But then the ending where your new room mate doesn't see her in the picture just confused me lol
Honestly, I'm curious. Was the person the protagonist woke up next to a succubus or is that a secret?
wow.
It's a curious peek into an utterly alien landscape.
It is possible to get this game code for study (obviously, the results of the study [it's about acessibility] would not be shared with public)?
Why not share the results publicly? That way the whole world can benefit from your hard labor! 💕🌎✌
Well, personally, I would have no problem with sharing, I just don't know if Zephyo will think the same, so it's a way to ensure her rights about her job, and the non-existence of a version modified for someone else free there.
(But until now, i Couldn't get a response, so this "hard labor" may not exist :/
Makes me feel uncomfortable and sad. I'm not made for these kinds of games. I mean, it's great, I just guess I don't work well with emotions.
Yeah, same~ I feel ya.
Ever wanted to know what it would be like to be addicted to one night stands? It's all in this playthrough! It was a super fun game and seeking other endings and stuff was uber fun!
this is a fantastic game and was able to have loads of fun with it well worth a download
I Woke Up Next To You Again (All Endings)
Always a great story with beautiful artwork when it comes to Angela's games! Angela, I can't wait for more to come out, I'll be one of many to enjoy them!
Spoiler free review: I Woke Up is a powerful statement, and it is short enough to fully digest in 30 minutes or less. I would recommend it to anyone. 8/10, beautiful art piece.
Critique:
Please do not read this unless you have played the game, or do not care to. This is intended to be used as help for those who might be confused by the story, and just general discussion of this interesting game.
Story: Here's my interpretation, backed up by some points in the story that I will bring up accordingly. I hope it isn't too obvious. I Woke Up presents itself as a story about a man or woman that the player wakes up next to. It becomes quickly apparent, however, that the man or woman in this story isn't a person. It's a drug that the player keeps using. Every ending points to this conclusion, and several dialogue choices in between. You can flat out refuse the drug after your "Second Time" by choosing the harshest options and put it out of your mind. Refusing to "see your lover" again leads to the quickest game over. This was the second ending that I got.
You can also refuse the drug after several encounters. The first time is when you meet in the street and decide not to get a drink or skip the pleasantries and go to your house. After this encounter, you start feeling sluggish. It doesn't feel good anymore. This confused me on my first play-through because I wasn't in the right mindset. It took me getting every ending to fully contextualize all of it. These are all symptoms of addiction, and more specifically substance abuse. I can see how some people might disagree here, however.
The easiest ending is the break up. You start to feel withdrawal symptoms and fight them off, keeping the "lover" out of your mind. If you show a photo to your best friend, they'll tell you that there isn't a girl in the photo.
The junkie ending shut the case for me on this. If you spend time with the lover over and over, but then decide that it's not right for you, they'll fight you. They'll tell you that it's instinct that you're going against. That you need them. You have to keep resisting, and it perfectly mirrors drug abuse.
Gameplay: Like the lover, I found myself unable to put down the game until I worked it out in my head, and it still grips me. Story-driven games with choices always hook me in. However, there aren't many choices in the game that matter overall. This might be part of the design. What I mean by this is that there are many dialogue options, but the responses are the same. This makes sense for a game of this size, but on repeat it started to feel like I had to trudge through the story. Again, given the themes that I believe are present this could be what the author intended.
Art Style: The art style of this game is JAW-DROPPING. Especially for an indie game like this. I want to keep an eye on this developer because I feel that they have a great future ahead of them. The story, art style, and sound design all came together to form a hair-raising, eerie experience.
8/10 , Beautiful art piece.
Wow, so that's what the game was about. I feel so sad inside:c the tragedies of addictions are too real and common~
Thanks for your summary/review, helped me finally understand the game~
I definitely felt the same way, I interpreted it as drug and alcohol addiction myself, having struggled with alcoholism and drug addictions throughout the last 10 years.
Though, as a work of art, I can see how this could be interpreted in other ways. For example, it could be about social media addiction. It could be about any number of addictions. It could even be interpreted more abstractly than some mere addiction. But yes it is a beautiful piece of art.
I also agree with you about how the choices don't always lead to different results and you can find yourself "trudging" through the story upon replaying it, and that it's possible that this was intended, but the first time hit me the most, was the most resonant and powerful emotionally and induced the most thought, followed by the second time. By the third time that effect was starting to wear off. Even this effect itself is analogous to drug and alcohol experiences (The first time or two you use a new substance vs after you've used it many times...).
Short but somewhat profound and bitter-sweet, melancholic game true to life and the nature of human addiction, desire, attachment, et al.
Another amazing game! I love the visuals as well as the storyline because it is relatable to a lot of people like me. Also, I like that you can choose who you wake up next to like a guy or a girl, which is different from the other games I’ve played because the main character is usually a male. I would to see more games like this in the future! Thank you!
Beautiful, maybe one more time...
Loved it!
Lovely game, quite sad! All of your games are beautiful and always hit home for me. Thank you for creating them. <3
:}<3
The other endings made this game so much more amazing. So much explained and so many more details . Loved it!
Reminds me of Air Pressure. Both are pointed on a type of lonely caused addiction. Good Job!
it was me DizzY the Whole time- love this chilling story like hit me in a personal spot
Really wasnt expecting this kind of depth for such a short game. I was kinda confused by the first ending i got but I think getting the other ones helped me figure stuff out.
Not a big fan. It's too quick, like not just story but the dialogue feels rushed and that my decisions don't really matter. Not enough time to get used to each character and understand them. Music didn't really fit and the story was average. I felt this was more an attempt at being deep but inevitably felt lack luster.
1. bad
2. good
3. friend
I can't find the fourth ending... a hint please?
lol I'm late but in case someone else turns to the coments looking for this: There are two endings with the friend - one where you tell her how you're not feeling well (answer "I don't know") and one where you lie (answer "I'm fine") and then feel alone with your problems in the end
This game was really interesting! I loved the music, art, and plot! Good job!
I'm glad your game has a lot of popularity as, you made it well and, has a deep message to it.
Well if markiplier played it then i gotta play it
A really beautiful game looking forward to playing others
A really beautiful game looking forward to playing others
Hey!
Really gorgeous game as usual, but I think i completely missed the context on this one. Probably cuz of the choices that I picked!
Anyway, kudos!
Haunting and lovely. The art is gorgeous (as it is in all your games) and the music really contributed to the sense of atmosphere. It's short and cryptic, but I really loved it nonetheless.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I love all of your games, they look stunning, sound amazing and feel like a drug trip, I really hope you keep up the great work and thanks for making these games.
I really love this!
I loved this game. It's short, but absolutely wonderful. The tone is so amazingly creepy, the artwork gorgeous, and the music perfect. Thanks for making it!
This game is so visually stunning. It's absolutely breathtaking.