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Interactive Manual Of Compulsive Distress

Balance social anxiety and friendship: push too hard, and you'll crash, shut down, and you'll be alone.

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Developer
SynthexPunks
Publisher
SynthexPunks
Release
Coming Soon
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About the Game

You know that feeling, talking with a friend while you're in a bad mood, or two weeks without seeing anyone and somehow that feels even worse. INTERACTIVE MANUAL OF COMPULSIVE DISTRESS puts that tension at the centre of every decision you make.

WHAT IS IT

INTERACTIVE MANUAL OF COMPULSIVE DISTRESS  is a social roguelite, life sim, about navigating the space between connection and isolation. Every run builds a different friend group. Every choice shapes who they become. And at the end, a Tree Map shows you every version of your social world you managed to unlock.

HOW IT WORKS

Each run is a Macro Run made up of Micro Runs, short bursts of around 30 dialogue events with the NPCs currently in your life. Push social interactions too hard, and you hit Overload. Pull back too much, and Burnout catches you. Survive both, and you keep moving forward.

At the end of each Micro Run, life happens. A birthday. A summer trip. A holiday dinner. These Postcard Events only include the people you have actually kept close — the ones who reached full affinity. Show up for them, and they will show up for you.

KEY FEATURES

  • More than 10 NPCs to interact with 

  • Deep NPC relationship system with emotional and narrative branching

  • Organic social network expansion:  friends introduce friends

  • Character evolution NPCs change based on the advice you give them

  • Tree Map: a visual map of every character combination you unlocked

  • 2D comic book, hand-drawn, art style,  hand-drawn characters

WHO IS THIS FOR

For anyone who has ever felt simultaneously overwhelmed by people and terrified of losing them. For fans of Hades, Disco Elysium and Spiritfarer who want something quieter, more personal, and uncomfortably relatable. For the generation that knows what burnout actually feels like.

Add INTERACTIVE MANUAL OF COMPULSIVE DISTRESS to your wishlist.

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