Mousetrap
Welcome to Whimsey World!
May all your dreams nightmares come true...
WARNING: Mousetrap is rated 18+. It contains graphic violence, gore, surrealist horror, potential body horror, waking nightmares, and death.
Mousetrap is a surrealist survival horror story. It was written by Albie for the @interact-if 2022 ranked game jam where it tied for second overall.
The Story
You're one of the many overworked interns working at Whimsey World. When it was announced that Imogen, a category three hurricane, would soon hit Orlando, Florida, your employers asked for volunteers to remain in the parks during the storm, promising triple pay for at least 24 hours. You and your friend seized the opportunity. After all, Whimsey wouldn't ask its cast members to stay behind if it was potentially dangerous.
That's what you assumed before you were knocked unconscious. Before you woke up in a costume chained to your friend and three strangers. Before Dickey the Rat informed you and your "team" that you get $250,000 for each person you kill. Before the neurotoxins pumping through the park's air system began to loosen your grip on reality. Before nightmares and the real world bled into a horrifying, broken fantasy you can't wake up from.
If you survive the storm (and the things lurking within it), you'll win riches beyond your wildest dreams. But how far are you willing to go? How committed are you to pleasing your guests and satisfying your spectators? The Show will go on. It will always go on. But what role will you play in it?
The Cast
Alaric/Aria Wagner - your optimistic and level-headed friend from Germany working in merchandise as part of a work exchange program
Emerson Liu - a fellow intern who works as a custodian, an aspiring novelist with an insatiable thirst for truth and unending curiosity
Jovy Rivera - a full-time stagehand and gaffer for the park's stage shows, an extremely sarcastic individual who hates having to take things seriously
Max Keller - a part-time face character, part-time med student with a personality opposite those of the viallainous or chaotic characters they portray
- A Wagner can be male or female, Emerson is female, Jovy is nonbinary, and Max can be male, female, or nonbinary
Timeline
This game is in development but there aren't currently any firm dates on when updates will be released or when the game will be completed. If you want more info on the project and how it's developing, check out the Mousetrap Tumblr blog (here).
This game was created as part of the 2022 Interact-IF ranked game jam. Developers had the month of January to make a game that fit the theme "cliffhanger." Mousetrap tied for second overall, came in first for UI design, tied for first for gameplay, and came in third for story and plot. If you enjoy interactive fiction, I highly encourage you to check out the other games that were completed for these game jams (check them out here).
Development log
- Small PatchFeb 03, 2022
Comments
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I love this so much. I've been stumbling around games of this genre and this one has me in it's clutches. Theatre boy meets theatre girl, Max have all of my money please lol xD
This was super fun (and spooky but I had fun!)
aahh i hope this isn't dead :( there's lots i love about this if but i just wanna highlight one;
tiny SPOILER(ish)
okay i just love how the intern can already be in a relationship right off the bat.,like, what's better than being in a life and death situation with your beloved lol ALSO i don't know if it's just me and my lonely heart but I LOVE how sickeningly sweet Alaric is plsss i mean just look;
"Okay, but seriously, hasi (little rabbit), I am here for you to lean on. Both literally and metaphorically." He takes your hand in his and kisses it. "As long as there's any sense in my head, I'm yours. Got it?"
You feel Alaric grab your free hand. "Hey, it'll be okay. Even if it's not, I promise I'll always be there for you."
what do you mean he calls the intern lil rabbit and being cute doing it huh gaahh i'm sobbing ueueue
Okay, but this comment honestly re-inspired me to work on this... may have to spend some time waltzing through amusement park hell today... (devious smile)
omg?? i feel honored?? aahh pls stay healthy and hydrated! me and my intern will be here patiently waiting for more of our boy Al aahh
Thank you. And Alaric wanted me to say he's honored himself, hasi. :)
ahvdsljjlkfdlh HASI pleaseeee i'll have you know that just made my night and left me here smiling like gaaaahh
i loved this a lot! im excited for the next update ^^
When will the game get updated? ;(
I see you everywhere π
Under the timeline it says "This game is in development but there aren't currently any firm dates on when updates will be released or when the game will be completed." :)
oh, you see me everywhere π... So ..is that supposed to be a good thing or nah :0, coz that emoji kinda gives me the feel that you're terrified of my presence everywhere π
And guess what...I see you kinda like everywhere too..I feel like our taste in IF and Vn are quite similar ;)
And ty β¨ for the reply!
it's a good thing dw π it's just funny scrolling down the comments and going "oh my god it's user Suzumiya Haruno again what a surprise"
Also yeah out tastes are definitely similar :))
Np np
Well, that's a relief π€£π
Hope to see ya around mate :)
Thanksss hope to see you around too :)
seems like the music cut out halfway through but besides that very good! (ik its still being made i just felt like i should add that just in case)
cant wait till full version!
man that was really good.
i was really invested with the story, it was honestly great like really fucking good
i was so invested with this story that i actually forgot that it was a demo (which has never happened to me before). I'll definitely be playing this when it gets completed, but as of now i really enjoyed this.
Great work.
i created this account just to say its a good game i just wish the web version had a little more
this was so cool!!
This reminds me of a game my niece was playing.
Except its just complete horror which I personally love since horror is my favorite genre.
The thing that really shocked me was the rat said they will receive $250,000 for every murder.
Overall the game so far is amazing though I did run into a few problems.
When my mouse went too far past the dialog screen It would freeze but that's only an IOS problem, and I don't see a problem with just switching it to the chrome browser.
Another problem is in the middle of the game it sent me back to the menu before getting to the current end of the game. I've watched friends play this before and have seen where the game was intended to end.
The last problem I ran into happens after I get sent back to the menu. Every time I try to reload the current saved game(s) and click 'Load' and press the file I wish to open it just sends me back to the menu again.
I do feel as if the problems correlate to the type of device the user has launched it on though.
Specifically IOS devices of all platforms.
Disregarding the few bugs/glitches I ran into. I really do love the game, you made it easy to read and follow along making this Definitely one of my top ten favorite interactive horror games.
I can't wait for the continued version of this and as my mom likes to say ''γγγ°γηΆγγ!'' (Keep it up!)
The story is rich in neatly written paragraphs, and even well-timed funny sarcastic/cynical jokes from time to time. Replayability and lore are both beyond normal interactive fiction levels. The music truly adds to the experience. Sadly the game is still in development, so hopefully, it will one day be finished.
Full review on my website!
Oooo this was amazing!! So far, this is a really nice game even if it's just a demo. I really am looking foward to this!
(Sorry for grammar mistakes..English isn't my language :*)
This was so great! I love the setting and the overall atmosphere throughout my playthrough. Can't wait for more!
I'm having some issues in the Safari browser. It seems if I interact with the bottom menu it disappears and the whole game freezes until I reload the page. I can't use the menu so far at all. I'll try it in Chrome.
Huh, interesting. Unfortunately, I don't have any devices with Safari so I can't try to replicate this myself. A few questions to try to figure this out: Did you run into the same issue with Chrome? Was this on a mobile device or a computer? And, just to make sure I have a clear image of what you're describing, when you say it disappeared, does that mean that the menu links would appear in the footer but when you tried to click on them the entire bottom menu would go away (and freeze the game) or was it even just hovering over it or clicking on it in general that would cause it to disappear?
This was on the Safari browser on MacOS on a desktop computer. When I switched to Firefox on Mac the problem stopped...so you might just want to note that Safari may not be supported.
Once into the game with the lower menu (I think it had options like "Me - Them - Facts" ?) attempting to click on one of the lower menu options made the words seem to 'race off the side' like it was an animation that played wrong and the words disappear. This caused nothing onscreen to be clickable further until the browser page was refreshed. The game would load again, links in the story were clickable but if the menu is clicked the glitch repeats.
Wow, this is great so far. I love the general plot idea and the 'staying in character' twist! Totally reminds me of an otome game I once played on my PSVita, sadly I can't remember the name right now :/ Definitely getting some Saw and Danganronpa vibes, too :D
It's to soon to tell, if I'll like the characters or not, but I'm very interested in getting to know them further. The Artwork for them in their profiles is great though. And A. seems to be a sweethart :3 I'm here to befriend and save them all (and maybe romance them too ;))
I'm looking forward to see where this is going. Keep up the good work! :) And please have fun in the process :3
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it and can't wait to show you what comes next :)
This is a work of art.
Literally, the best history. And i felt so happy when i saw that i can make my character non binary ;v;. ItΒ΄s really so cool, i love this game
Thank you so much!! I'm really glad you enjoyed that :)
WELCOME TO WHIMSEY WORLD! WHO WANTS BLOOD?!
I'm still currently playing this game.. And by no means am I an exceptional reader.. BUT LET ME TELL YAH!
The Saw Franchise has been and will always be my number 1 movie series.
And this game gives me that "gameshow" type of vibe. The writing is incredible, and it drives me to want to continue to play the game. The ambiance, the sound design, the choices, it's exquisite.
There were a few words and sentences that were tangled in the reading. BUT THE LORE.. THE LORE! XD
Thank you for this wonderfully designed game, and as I continue to play this game.. I will share thine Journey!
I am so honored and flattered that you enjoyed this enough to make a Let's Play of it. Like I don't have the words to convey how much that means to me. It completely blows my mind. So, wow! Thank you!!
I'm glad you're enjoying it and that you're feeling the game show/Saw vibes. And yeah, so sorry about all the typos. I didn't get a chance to edit this before I had to submit it so it is rough in some places. But, I think I patched most of the typos and bugs yesterday so hopefully it's much smoother reading now :)
I'm truly enjoying this Interactive Fiction Game! And the people who are watching, are enjoying it too!
And I'm glad to be of help, whether it's something as simple as playing this amazing game XD
It's actually crazy people haven't taken the time to enjoy what this game novella has to offer. THEY MISSIN OUT! XD
Hopefully those who watch will go out and play it themselves too!
Appreciate the bug fix! They were simple things here and there, so all good, can't wait to hop back into it!ππΌ
That was amazing, can't wait to see what else you do with this!
Aw, thank you!! Can't wait to show you everything else to come :)
I love this game. You have done so well in creating a story I totally lost myself in. Well done.
Oh, wow, thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it :)