The Runner

This was a very interesting story with some cool things to ponder over! I'm a lover of science-fiction and cyberpunk fiction, and this story seem to tackle transhumanism in particular. The elephant in the room of course is that this VN is very sparse with its visuals - it's more apt to call it a short story with some music in it as well. (By the way, the music is pretty good for being what I assume to be stock music! I liked the track during "The Competitor") However I didn't really mind this at all, although it could be a dealbreaker for some. The only thing I find to be a shame is that the concept art shown after the ending is super promising and great looking, and I wish the creator had incorporated them into the VN somehow, even if they were just a single sprite for each character.

As for the story, I feel like it was about how we dehumanise disabled people and how even disabled folks themselves internalise their ableism. My take on it is that while Vanessa is an open bigot who freely steals from the weak, Sam is equally toxic in that they feel extremely posessive over Millie and doesn't really seem to view her as a person. But I do have some criticisms - first, the dialogue is very stilted, and it could have been more smooth. Second, the story proper is too short to fully explore some of these themes, and the "bonus scenes" could have easily been incorporated into the main story. Anyway I thought this was a cool entry that definitely could've been improved upon even more!