AdventureJam entry Being Her Darkest Friend is an excellently-orchestrated installment following A Fragment of Her, developer Chronerion’s entry in Point & Click Jam in 2014.
The game makes light of a theme so painfully relevant to many people, artists in particular. Following a dark situation that has befallen point character Selena, the story begins in what seems to be a nightmare, or another realm. Happening upon her friend Tomoko, she is tasked with finding something comforting to the hollow shell that is supposedly her friend. The lifeless grey husk gives Selena a camera and materializes her into a dream world replica of their art school. In a series of point and click puzzles, the player must find a way to appease the ghost and move onto the next objective.
Making peace with the ghosts in this nightmare are only the entry mat in the threshold of the real issue at hand. Soon after running these spiritual errands, Selena finds that the reason she finds herself wandering this purgatory lies within a deep-seated anxiety she’s carried with her for a long time. Feelings of inadequacy manifest themselves and a final course is projected into the dark unknown. With little guidance conveyed in dark metaphors, Selena is cast once again into this nightmare only to attempt to solve a riddle that’s written itself into the very history of her existence.
As melancholy and uncertainty reign supreme over this game’s atmosphere, a moody soundtrack perfectly accompanies the gameplay. Each sound cue is on accurately on track and timed perfectly to invoke the proper reaction from the player. A narrative from Selena guides the player through the entire game, and each situation is something fresh out of a nightmare, disturbing and unsettling one’s composure.
Being Her Darkest Friend provokes a bit of deep thinking, and for the few who may not relate to Selena directly, there is plenty of symbolism throughout the game for anyone to apply their own life experiences to. The game serves well as a delightfully macabre trip through a dark dream, and could even double as a therapy tool if necessary.
Download or Play Previous Instalment, A Fragment of Her HERE (Win & Mac)
Download or Play Being Her Darkest Friend HERE (Win, Mac & Linux)