PEGBRJE: Atomic Reconstruction and Online Simulator
Mathematical and Virtual.
Atomic Reconstruction is a scientifically inspired puzzle game made by indie dev Teekeks on itch.io who also goes by Teawork Dev on the Steam release. Within, players will be forced to utilize their brain to solve some numeric puzzles surrounding everyone’s favourite subject from high school; atomic chemistry. Just me? Alright then.
In reality Atomic Reconstruction utilizes the periodic table and its elements as a thematic centre for the divide-based mathematics puzzle. The goal of each level is to create a single element as shown on the bottom left, with the only functionality granted that players can combine or split two of the hexagonal pieces. Each hexagon represents an element’s mass rather than its number on the periodic table, and to create a new element the two masses combined must equal another. Division works in a similar way, with the element being split in to a minimum of two elements — if the divide isn’t clean, the always handy Hydrogen steps in to make up for the ‘missing’ mass. Speaking of which, Hydrogen itself is somewhat unique in the sense that it can continually be added to itself but doesn’t immediately ‘create’ an element upon doing so, instead being a compound of H#. Double clicking on this compound when a certain mass has been achieved can create a new elemental hexagon of that mass to replace the conglomerate of Hydrogens, allowing for more possibilities.
This rigid addition and division of elements requires not only a solid understanding of math and the periodic table (which is given in a handy F2 binding) but also spatial awareness as the grid given is limited in space. Since the split elements require more space, careful planning of where each split occurs is also important. Once that concept has been understood, much of the game will be spent in a trial-and-error like state of attempting to split elements up in to different ones in order to acquire specific number. More time will be spent holding down shift looking at the possible combinations that can be added to an element rather than staring at the periodic table as the elemental names are just there to help recognize them more swiftly. It’s why I said that the elements are more of a thematic core, for those that understand elemental creation would be a tad bit confused at the implications that this title might give — although they may wish that it was this simple, we might’ve solved a few elemental shortages a while ago if it were.
With 33 levels, Atomic Reconstruction is definitely not a long title, but that may depend on how much you enjoy division-based math puzzles within a spatially confined area. It can be quite frustrating at times with the lack of an undo button, but that can just be considered part of the challenge of messing with the fabric of the physical world. If you like thematically interesting puzzles with the bonus of it being completely neon-lit, then this title might just be for you.
Online Simulator is a dark narrative puzzle experience made by Rosalie Vile, an indie dev based out of the United States. Within this title players will be acting as an unknown protagonist as they awaken their computer once more to slowly unravel the absolutely uncomfortable truths that can be found within. Essentially, players find the internet.
I’ve played a lot of titles thanks to this bundle, many of them being creepy-pasta like or creating an environment of satire steeped in the worst that the subject matter can bring to the surface all at once. So when I say this, I’m not kidding; heed the warning given by the itch.io page. I’ve read similar warning tags before and have been fortunate enough to not react negatively. This time? Not so much the case — that body horror warning is not to be taken lightly. I haven’t felt this uncomfortable in a while, I can state easily.
It’s hard to describe exactly what the player’s goal is within Online Simulator, as it follows a similar vague approach to story telling as previous titles Normal Lost phone. There is no direct goal given by the game, only created by the curiosity of the player and their drive to figure out what exactly is the point. Inside of the title is a desktop reminiscent of the old Windows XP backdrop with large icons depicting standard applications parodies that one might expect. There’s the Internaut for internet and a chat application with teeth called Chatter. There’s a funny game with a busty nurse lady asking seductive questions and playing weirdly ‘erotic’- flavoured minigames, and a gallery full of photos that depict different individuals and a dog. Dig a little deeper in to the files of the in-game desktop, however, and things begin to unravel in a way that’s definitely… well. If you care for spoilers, now’s the time to just skip.
See, Online Simulator is a title that contains equal parts horror and satire in its telling of just how terrifying the online world can be through the power of anonymity and separation while delving in to the inner desires of its users. It’s a concoction of early (and later) internet tropes such as the archaic forum boards of old that seemingly have one for every individuals ‘needs’, or the more personal act of roleplaying with another through a private chatroom. I say this is personal because I was one of those kids who was engaging in these kinds of roleplay fantasies back in the mid 2000s. It was a a way of learning how to expand my writing capabilities and create worlds with likeminded individuals, those that loved a specific topic as much as I did and enjoyed pretending we were fantasy heroes beating up bad guys and creating complex character relationships. Yet even then we all knew of the possibilities that could occur; after all, we didn’t personally know anyone we were talking to, so keeping everyone at an armslength was out of safety. Granted I’m still in close contact with many of them to this day, but this was also a message and forum board for something relatively innocent. The internet, however, is full of much more than that, and sticking around it long enough will allow one to peer in to the depths.
Digging in to the world available to us reveals unsettling acts of violence and abuse that can take place over the internet, such as the fetishization and objectification of items, events or kinks that can become unhinged. Message boards full of misinformation — intentionally or otherwise — to spread lies and distrust for anyone that may be different than themselves. These same message boards that ridicule others may often be the same boards that also believe themselves to be ‘not like others’ or ‘ostracized by society’ for maximum cognitive dissonance. Take the newspaper in game, for example, blatantly controlled by a megacorporation to spread harmful information about immigrants giving drugs to the locals and it being their fault for these issues. A message board for ‘Freaks’ that glorifies certain fetishes and allowed for the chatrooms that players can read to be available to be created, ones where fantasies may not always be as ‘make believe’ as one party wishes for them to be.
It’s a lot, and then it ends as soon as it begins, for Online Simulator tells its tale of horror before an hour can pass. Even if I wanted to, I purposefully refrained from mentioning many of the actual horrors within the title; mostly because I cannot remember how to spell the one word and I’m too scared to go back in. It’s a lot to take in while also telling an uncomfortably possible scenario — after all, if you’ve been on the internet for longer than five minutes, you know this could’ve been a true story for all we know. And that’s the scariest part.
If you are a fan of horror that infringes on your rights to ignore reality, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. The puzzles aren’t that difficult, and there’s optional chat logs to read if you can find out the optional password to a zipped file grouping. Otherwise, don’t think about your teeth too much.
