Whether well see something deeper than this is not something the game is really concerned with. There are consequences for choosing poorly, for example, I chose an aggressive and smug dialogue choice which completely turned off the guy I was interested in, closing off a potential development in our relationship. However, there is no indication of whether this will become a fully fledged Mass Effect style Paragon/Renegade morality system or just something that telegraphs how a player is doing.ĭespite the lack of assurance in how this will affect the final version of the game, there is a certain amount of cause and effect that play into your choices. There is a point system in the demo, which gives you an idea of how well your response carries with a character. In terms of gameplay, you influence the story through dialogue choices which have either a positive or negative effect on the character you’re interacting with, it’s not very complicated or sophisticated, nor is that a terrible thing.

Currently the game is sparse in its presentation, with backgrounds that will eventually be replaced by illustrated settings (similar to the character art) in the final version of the game.

The demo (and the finished product) run on the open source Ren’Py visual novel engine which has some limitations in what this game can do. As Alex says to Mark after he shares his coming out story to him, “To an authentic life then”. You want their moment of truth to be reciprocated by the warmth and love of family and friends. With the sharp writing and careful observation, you witness first hand how you hope it is for all young gay people on the verge of coming out. COMING OUT ON TOP gives gamers a way to engage with the different thoughts and emotions that Mark has about coming out to his friends. We’ve seen gay characters come out in sensitive and sweet ways, like Justin in UGLY BETTY, but these examples sit next to real world stories of homophobia and physical assault. The “coming out experience” is one of the most misunderstood rites of adolescence in our culture. In this game, you play as Mark Matthews a final year college student who comes out to his friends at the beginning of the game. Ian, Mark and Alex all feature in the demoĬOMING OUT ON TOP is part of an emerging genre of independently created ‘gaymes’ video games that deal with gay characters and themes as central to the game itself. The strength of that experience depends on the material, especially the writing, to help draw you into the world of a character. In video games, this vicarious experience can be richer still, with our play time resembling something akin to role playing. One of the pleasures of art is the ability to experience the life of a character very different from your own.

Coming out on top uncensored gameplay