Oh, I kind of feel bad for this game. It’s come up on my personal shuffle directly after Cannery Vale – a game which immediately leapt into my top 5 choice games and has one of the most mature choice interfaces I’ve seen in the comp. Careless Talk on the other had uses the standard Twine interface and is a very short linear narrative.
Careless Talk is a nicely written, albeit short story. It wears its heart on its sleeve. Set in an alternate universe, the protagonist is a ‘magikker’ aboard an Albion warship. In this world “Prejudice and hatred against magical folk and homosexuals have been linked for over a century.” and the game directly explores this.
Unfortunately, the game just isn’t long enough. It’s not long enough for us to really get a feel for this World, or really appreciate what’s going on with this protagonist. It feels like a micro-fiction set in a previously realized world. It needs to expand. There’s an interesting universe here – an alternate magical Albion – there’s an interesting premise – the fight against intolerance and bigotry in this world – that deserves more. 3/10
