2/5 ★ – SoftLockJake's review of Cibele.

Cibele is a genuinely unique game that tells the age old tale of first love from a modern, geek culture perspective, something that is criminally untouched in film and virtually non-existent in the games space. It is one of a kind, and should absolutely be a video game instead of a short film. That said, as emotional and empathetic as the game can make the player feel, the entire package is too clunky for this to be anything more than a great first step. Gameplay consists of clicking around a desktop for some subtext and fun nostalgia and then playing a spoof MMO that is nothing more than clicking on enemies and then standing still for 15 minutes. Gameplay adds to the experience by creating an MMO vibe for the character conversations, but is so surface level and duct taped together that it ends up being distracting. If this whole game were reworked into a visual novel, I might bump this to a 7 or even 8. Luckily the game is short, so it is worth sitting through the 'MMO' to get to the story which is overall satisfying, even if the performances aren't Oscar winning. An autobiographical game about young love in an MMO is a fantastic, personal story that the game's lead Nina Freeman does expertly, and I'd love to see other deep cut, personal stories (FMV or not) told through gaming in the future. 4/10 — 1 hour playtime + Great, relatable, and realistic story with a unique spin + Does not overstay its welcome + Pulls the nostalgia card for the 2010s - Bad gameplay through and through - Buggy and clunky - Game crashed without autosaving