The Temple of No is a new freebie from Crows Crows Crows

Earlier today, Crows Crows Crows boss William Pugh said on Twitter that everyone on the studio's mailing list would be given a free game in just 30 minutes. Naturally, I couldn't remember if I was already subscribed or not, so I signed up (again, as it turned out) just to be sure. 30 minutes later, nothing happened. But after some kinks were worked out the wheels started turning, I eventually received an email linking me to something called The Temple of No.

The Temple of No is a Twine game, made with the “open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories,” meaning it's basically interactive fiction with some sound effects and art. As you might expect, it's quite funny in places, and very strange throughout: You can play as a man, a woman, or a frog who lost an eye in a huge fight with a baboon (he won, though), and only one of them will give you the full and proper experience of the real game. (A claim I suspect may not actually be true.)

I have a feeling that The Temple of No is the sort of thing that will need to be played multiple times to really be appreciated, so it's good that it's a very quick little diversion: Not counting the time I spent listening to some rambling that I won't spoil for you, I blew through the whole thing in about ten minutes.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.