IntroComp 2021: Final Girl 2.0

Final Girl 2.0 is a choice-based adventure from Hanon Ondricek that was entered into IntroComp 2021.

This entry starts by referencing the Final Girl convention from horror movies, showing that the author knows how these films work. It also suggests that the reader is equally clever. It must be simple to avoid making the dumb mistakes that you see characters making in these stories, right?

Final Girl 2.0 argues that it’s not so easy when you’re the one being stalked by a homicidal maniac. Suspenseful background music and timed events work together to provide dramatic tension while you’re fighting for your life.

This entry's clever design choices struck a balance between keeping the game accessible and maintaining a sense of urgency. I particularly liked how some links had to be selected in a specific order, which felt similar to performing a challenging sequence of actions in the real world.

The resulting experience is like a magic trick. Close inspection of the text is the only way you’ll survive, but the story’s atmosphere prevents you from loitering and inspecting things too closely.

I reached an ending on my first playthrough — there are clear signals guiding the player to safety — but when you go back to experiment with some of the other options, it’s clear that some of the illusions were meant to be dispelled.

I want to see this developed into a full game. Final Girl 2.0 already suggests a lot of possibilities in its current state.