Remarkable piece. I’ve been a fan of Tender Claws since VVR on Google Daydream and loved every virtual reality experience they’ve made since then; I find their work playful and delightfully weird, though never so abstract that it lacks a human core. It was fascinating to dive into PRY and see certain themes and mechanics found in their later work peeking out in the context of my iPhone. For example, what in VVR becomes worlds within worlds through removing a chain of VR headsets here becomes pinching in and out through time, space, text, and memories. PRY tackles more serious subject matter than their later work, but just as successful within its own established rubric: is this a story that could only be properly told and understood in this format? Absolutely yes-- I’m particularly struck by the empathy generated through various media forms as different states of first-personness. If I had to give PRY critique, it would be that I love the sense of the relentless passage of time even when there are multiple simultaneous narratives, and it feels like cheating when videos loop at the end. I’d prefer them to always blur out, as some moments do. Also just an element of confusion: I can’t figure out why the Appendix lists the total number of red diamonds I’ve collected-- I thought maybe new content gets added to the appendix as I collect more red diamonds, but that doesn’t seem to be the case unless I’m misunderstanding how to access the full appendix (I’m scrolling and pinching). To conclude, no one explores interactive narratives quite like Tender Claws, and PRY is a wonderful exploration of internalness through the various affordances of a touchscreen interface. Highly recommend.
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