“Buddy Simulator 1984 DEMO” by Not a Sailor Studios (Joshua Eckhart, DeMarco Scarnegie, Brandon Hesslau & Vince Weiss).
“[Greetings new user!] Thanks to next-generation [artificial intelligence] technology, [“Buddy Simulator 1984″] simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy. Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and your personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!”
We all know the trope of the unreliable narrator, but I assure you that “Buddy Simulator 1984 DEMO” uses quite the difference: Your new artificial pal is completely trustworthy, super friendly and honest to you. And yes, I am completely serious. That is actually why the impact of the game’s sudden ending feels so strong. You will know what I mean when you play it for yourself.
The first phase of “Buddy Simulator 1984 DEMO” consists of the configuration of the program. You get to choose a name for yourself as well as for your new virtual friend. Afterwards it will ask you several, pretty harmless questions like “What is your favorite color?” or “What is your favorite animal?” When you are done with that, the buddy will give you several minigames to choose from.
The both of you can play “Guess the number”, “Hangman” and “Rock paper scissors”. However, the digital buddy is attentive and senses that those classic games are a bore, so it will do its best to make you happy and create something completely new for you. But as it is just a demo after all, its powers are limited… A wonderful little game that knows how to make good use of a somewhat creepy, tense moments. [PLAY]
