missed messages.

About missed messages.

missed messages. was made by Angela He for the Ludum Dare 44 game jam and released free on itch.io and Steam in May 2019, for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its store page calls it a romance and horror story about life, death and memes, and warns that it contains mentions of suicide and self-harm.

You are at home on an ordinary day when a phone called goth gf's iPhone airdrops you a photo. Accept or decline? From there you get to know May through messages and visits, in warm, painted scenes of a cluttered room, a laptop screen and long afternoons, with jokes and memes along the way.

The horror is quiet and real. The story is about a friend struggling with depression, and small details, an idle distraction here, a missed hint there, change what happens. The store promises that a shift in perspective can change everything, and there are four endings, each play-through taking 15 to 30 minutes. Critics noted that it grows more intense as it goes and that it is drawn from the maker's own experiences.

It is not a game of scares. It suits players who want a short, affecting story about mental illness, and who are ready for its subject; read the warning first.

How to play missed messages.

1. Download it free from Steam, or from itch.io where you can pay what you want.
2. Choose whether to accept the airdropped photo, and read the story that follows.
3. Click on the choices offered to decide what to do and say.
4. Play again and pay attention to different things to reach the other three endings.

Tips

• Read the content warning first; the story deals with suicide and self-harm.
• Look closely at messages and small details; they matter more than they seem.
• Each play-through is short, so try different choices to see all four endings.

Questions