“Fragile Soft Machines” by Diane Mueller.
“You were born to fly, but you never will. As a butterfly with a torn wing, traverse the land in a way you were never meant to, as you journey to find your place in a world that has rejected you. Your choices will affect your journey as well as the world around you.”
When you are a person with a good mental and physical health, then you might not be aware of how lucky you are. You are full with potential, absolutely able to do and achieve anything in your life. Many other people, who are disabled in one way or another, do not have this luxury. “Fragile Soft Machines” can be interpretated as a game about exactly that.
You play as a butterfly, who is not able to fly. They thrive to do so many things, but their immobility will not let them. Because of that, they can be seen as a loner. The swarm of the other butterflies seems to be a tight-knit group and does not offer them a place to be. So the journey of the broken-winged butterfly begins. With the help of an unknown entity, the little creature is able to produce vines out of the ground. By climbing them, they can come closer to the top of the grim surroundings, even without flying.
By doing so, they will meet other creatures of the forest. Most of them are not friendly and assume openly that the torn wing is not only a handicap, but that it makes the insect a lesser lifeform. All those negative feelings, rudeness and aggression combined with the well chosen soundtrack lead to a suspenseful atmosphere in “Fragile Soft Machines”. But it is possible to achieve the bigger goal by saying the right things at the right time to the right encounter. Maybe you can make your peace and find your place in this cold world. You might need several playthroughs to find out for yourself, as there are many different endings to find in this wonderful little tale about not giving up and needed kindness. [PLAY]
