Delicious FruitI Wanna Escape Into My Mind
Creator: Jane_Chef
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Tags:
Adventure (15) Needle (1) Avoidance (2) Gimmick (12) Boss (14) Special (5) Long (4) Art (6) Sudoku (2) FangameMarathon (3) SourPls (1) Plot (1) Wacky (1) Post-Sudoku (1) Cycle (1) FM_2023 (2) Is_Lesbian_Allowed_As_A_Tag? (1) Lesbian (4) Lesbian_Seems_To_Be_Allowed (1) sapphic (1) medley_but_epic (1) wantcore (1) transgender (1)Screenshots
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by Gaphodil
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by Gaphodil
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by DomGamer
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by Gaphodil
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by Gaphodil
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by iouhoh
63 Reviews:
TheNewDerf
As works of art, fangames have the capacity to act as vehicles for deeply personal story-telling. In that vein, I Wanna Escape Into My Mind perfectly balances overt expression and narrative abstraction. The overall contour of the story is clear, but there's enough fuzziness around the edges to make it exciting to engage with.
For instance, the alcohol gimmick is an intuitive way to illustrate a particular relationship that one can develop with alcohol. The more you drink, the less you see the real world for what it is, but that in itself can help your mind temporarily escape elements of the real world which are traumatic or damaging. It's not a permanent or healthy solution, and I don't think the game suggests it is -- but the games does do, is show a very human vulnerability through level design.
Other parts of the game's design, however, are less clear-cut. Eyes that follow and grab at the player reflect how we can become trapped in someone else's gaze -- someone else's *idea* of what we should be. But where do the ghosts fit in? I'm not sure -- but I'm looking forward to seeing how a second play-through makes me re-think these things. I'm also interested in hearing if people interpreted parts of this game the same way I did: i.e., are the biblically-accurate angels a play on the idea that the way we idealize things, like angels, is often far removed from reality?
It's almost a given that telling a symbolic / emotional story will result in at least one or two accusations of meaninglessness or weird-for-the-sake-of-weird-ness. Not every artistic desicion this game makes is immediately and obviously decipherable -- however, I do think that, more than just being technically gifted, Jane's art shines for its emotional resonance. This game takes you on a very personal journey that few other fangames could match.
There's a lot I loved about this game on a mechanical level: the slightly off-kilter physics which only heighten the games central themes; the high octane set pieces (j'adore Void Kid); and the rad bosses. I'm not in love with every gimmick, or indeed every song choice -- but, I rarely had to wait long for something new to appear. I could be more granular about my criticisms of this game, though it feels like it would miss the point to nitpick missing QoL features, or less-than-ideal engine quirks (like the room transitions). At the end of the day, this game illustrates a level of creativity and ambition I hope to see more of.
For instance, the alcohol gimmick is an intuitive way to illustrate a particular relationship that one can develop with alcohol. The more you drink, the less you see the real world for what it is, but that in itself can help your mind temporarily escape elements of the real world which are traumatic or damaging. It's not a permanent or healthy solution, and I don't think the game suggests it is -- but the games does do, is show a very human vulnerability through level design.
Other parts of the game's design, however, are less clear-cut. Eyes that follow and grab at the player reflect how we can become trapped in someone else's gaze -- someone else's *idea* of what we should be. But where do the ghosts fit in? I'm not sure -- but I'm looking forward to seeing how a second play-through makes me re-think these things. I'm also interested in hearing if people interpreted parts of this game the same way I did: i.e., are the biblically-accurate angels a play on the idea that the way we idealize things, like angels, is often far removed from reality?
It's almost a given that telling a symbolic / emotional story will result in at least one or two accusations of meaninglessness or weird-for-the-sake-of-weird-ness. Not every artistic desicion this game makes is immediately and obviously decipherable -- however, I do think that, more than just being technically gifted, Jane's art shines for its emotional resonance. This game takes you on a very personal journey that few other fangames could match.
There's a lot I loved about this game on a mechanical level: the slightly off-kilter physics which only heighten the games central themes; the high octane set pieces (j'adore Void Kid); and the rad bosses. I'm not in love with every gimmick, or indeed every song choice -- but, I rarely had to wait long for something new to appear. I could be more granular about my criticisms of this game, though it feels like it would miss the point to nitpick missing QoL features, or less-than-ideal engine quirks (like the room transitions). At the end of the day, this game illustrates a level of creativity and ambition I hope to see more of.
Tagged as: Lesbian_Seems_To_Be_Allowed
[7] Likes
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 59 59
Aug 10, 2023
Skulldude
Jane's a real one of a kind maker whose efforts are paid off in fantastic experiences like Chungo's Gauntlet, mixing stupidity and genius in one massive experimental bag, still accessible to anyone. And now, with an even longer game, I can safely say she's on her way to my favorites and only hope more people pick up what she's putting down.
From all the self-drawn art complimenting the more abrasive/harsh music, I was already really drawn into this. If you're a massive fan of I Want or the Burnmind series, you're guaranteed to love this too, the same type of wacky gimmicks, production and overall theming present in those games feel like a massive inspiration for something as "out there" as this is.
Despite the number of differences from your typical GM8/GMS fangame engine, this feels really close to how most other fangames play. Unfortunately, the same minor problems I had with Chungo are present here too, with how you can't hold a button between rooms or transitions or how there's no proper windowed mode, it didn't take away from my experience but it can get bothersome for others. But hey, hopefully her next project will address these things!
Certainly, for some people this game can come off quite hit or miss, but regardless I'd recommend at least giving it a shot and just try to be willing to try out something a little different. It's not every day you get a fangame exploring a story in a personal but subtle way, with level and boss design done this masterfully. There's not much else I can say that others haven't already, very glad Jane was willing to put her all into making this a blind FM game when I reached out to her and it was great seeing the much deserved warm reception for her works.
Keep up the great job, see you at ESA ;)
[6] Likes
From all the self-drawn art complimenting the more abrasive/harsh music, I was already really drawn into this. If you're a massive fan of I Want or the Burnmind series, you're guaranteed to love this too, the same type of wacky gimmicks, production and overall theming present in those games feel like a massive inspiration for something as "out there" as this is.
Despite the number of differences from your typical GM8/GMS fangame engine, this feels really close to how most other fangames play. Unfortunately, the same minor problems I had with Chungo are present here too, with how you can't hold a button between rooms or transitions or how there's no proper windowed mode, it didn't take away from my experience but it can get bothersome for others. But hey, hopefully her next project will address these things!
Certainly, for some people this game can come off quite hit or miss, but regardless I'd recommend at least giving it a shot and just try to be willing to try out something a little different. It's not every day you get a fangame exploring a story in a personal but subtle way, with level and boss design done this masterfully. There's not much else I can say that others haven't already, very glad Jane was willing to put her all into making this a blind FM game when I reached out to her and it was great seeing the much deserved warm reception for her works.
Keep up the great job, see you at ESA ;)
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 52 52
Jul 19, 2023
Chrisay
Very enjoyable game with a few issues. Visually amazing with a very clear and unique style that makes the game stand out greatly. The custom animated bosses and enemies were a highlight as well as the game's humor which I found consistently landed for me. The pacing is also good with each segment generally being short so there's constantly new stuff happening.
Gameplay-wise it was mostly good, though some segments felt more awkward than they needed to be. The game saves after every room, which made each save somewhat long, which isn't really an issue, but certain saves felt like they dragged on a bit, mostly during stage 2 and 3. Game also has this weird bug where if you dont let go of the directional keys when you restart, the kid will not move and you have to let go and press them again, which did mess up some cycles for me. Aside from this the game is creative and there's so much variety that even if you don't enjoy a gimmick it won't stay for very long.
Bosses were cool, though the late game ones felt much easier than the mid game. In general as a boss player I would have liked harder bosses, cause a lot of them go by so quickly. They're pretty good though and serve as a nice short break from the platforming. There's also quite a few of them.
I woyld very much recommend this.
[6] Likes
Gameplay-wise it was mostly good, though some segments felt more awkward than they needed to be. The game saves after every room, which made each save somewhat long, which isn't really an issue, but certain saves felt like they dragged on a bit, mostly during stage 2 and 3. Game also has this weird bug where if you dont let go of the directional keys when you restart, the kid will not move and you have to let go and press them again, which did mess up some cycles for me. Aside from this the game is creative and there's so much variety that even if you don't enjoy a gimmick it won't stay for very long.
Bosses were cool, though the late game ones felt much easier than the mid game. In general as a boss player I would have liked harder bosses, cause a lot of them go by so quickly. They're pretty good though and serve as a nice short break from the platforming. There's also quite a few of them.
I woyld very much recommend this.
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 52 52
Jul 18, 2023
LukeIGuess
There's A lot for me so I'll just start with this.
This is the first fangame for me to:
1) Recommend the game before I finish it
2) Capture me to the point where I didn't realize it was 5:00 AM
3) Give me such a stellar soundtrack to the point where just before writing this I was taking songs from the soundtrack and adding them to playlists
4) Tell a story in such a way that genuinely made me feel like the targeted audience.
Now that those things are out of the way the real thoughts:
This isn't a fangame. This is a separate entity using the medium of "fangames" to tell a story that isn't held back by general storytelling limitations of traditional fangames. By no means is Escape "traditional" and it breaks this standard beautifully.
I Love This Game. If I were to talk of what is actually in it, then I would be writing forever.
Jane you have amazing taste in music and thank you for this game.
[5] Likes
This is the first fangame for me to:
1) Recommend the game before I finish it
2) Capture me to the point where I didn't realize it was 5:00 AM
3) Give me such a stellar soundtrack to the point where just before writing this I was taking songs from the soundtrack and adding them to playlists
4) Tell a story in such a way that genuinely made me feel like the targeted audience.
Now that those things are out of the way the real thoughts:
This isn't a fangame. This is a separate entity using the medium of "fangames" to tell a story that isn't held back by general storytelling limitations of traditional fangames. By no means is Escape "traditional" and it breaks this standard beautifully.
I Love This Game. If I were to talk of what is actually in it, then I would be writing forever.
Jane you have amazing taste in music and thank you for this game.
Rating: 10.0 100
Difficulty: 50 50
Jan 14, 2024
MARCO
tbh the art in this game is amazing, the first bosses are fun and theres some good gimmicks.
The first 3 stages are amazing, good visuals which gave me vibes of yume nikki, chill and fun gameplay and the bosses are fun. The music is the only thing i didnt like from those stages.
then there's the trash, since stage 4 the game started to get worse and worse and worse.
First of all since stage 4 the game became into a bad sudoku with terrible gimmicks, and bad visuals imo.
The witch from the iwbtg stage gimmick couldnt be worse.
The music selection in the whole game is terrible, it is just unbearable noise which gets annoying after playing for a few hours (the only songs i liked were deltarune ones).
Then theres stage 5, which starts with some good screens with gimmicks from the rest of the game, then you have to play a bad medley/sudoku part.
after that, theres some other good screens and then the witch gimmick again WITH the void kid gimmick, basically the worst parts of the whole game together.
Then theres the final boss, which in my opinion was meh, i didnt like it, but i didnt dislike it at all.
Btw you get forced to play in fullscreen and the only way to turn down the volume is from windows volume mixer
[5] Likes
The first 3 stages are amazing, good visuals which gave me vibes of yume nikki, chill and fun gameplay and the bosses are fun. The music is the only thing i didnt like from those stages.
then there's the trash, since stage 4 the game started to get worse and worse and worse.
First of all since stage 4 the game became into a bad sudoku with terrible gimmicks, and bad visuals imo.
The witch from the iwbtg stage gimmick couldnt be worse.
The music selection in the whole game is terrible, it is just unbearable noise which gets annoying after playing for a few hours (the only songs i liked were deltarune ones).
Then theres stage 5, which starts with some good screens with gimmicks from the rest of the game, then you have to play a bad medley/sudoku part.
after that, theres some other good screens and then the witch gimmick again WITH the void kid gimmick, basically the worst parts of the whole game together.
Then theres the final boss, which in my opinion was meh, i didnt like it, but i didnt dislike it at all.
Btw you get forced to play in fullscreen and the only way to turn down the volume is from windows volume mixer
Rating: 6.1 61
Difficulty: 51 51
Aug 10, 2023