Mud Warriors

Mud Warriors is a 2020 text adventure by Ryan Veeder that bills itself as "war stories from the after-school program." The game opens with prose that reads like a gritty war novel in the vein of All Quiet on the Western Front or Heart of Darkness—except it's actually about kids playing in the mud after school.

What starts as an amusing parody becomes something more thoughtful as the story unfolds. Veeder employs a clever narrative device where the ironic contrast between the serious prose and the innocent setting is itself used to ironic effect when the story turns out not to be entirely a joke. Players often find themselves going from laughing to genuinely reflecting on what they've experienced.

The game focuses on atmosphere and storytelling rather than puzzles—examining the scenery is enough to progress. The well-crafted conversations between the young "warriors" make it a worthwhile journey despite its brevity. As Emily Short once wrote of Veeder's work: "He really wants you to have a good time."

Here's a map for Mud Warriors.

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