When I saw the content warnings—body horror, descriptions of chronic pain resulting from forced genetic mutations, and grief—the first thing that came to mind was I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, both Harlan Ellison's original short story and the game based on it. It's a work I absolutely love, so I was immediately excited!
The overall UI also reminded me of the I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream game. How should I put this... would "classic sci-fi game aesthetic" be the right term? (I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm not very knowledgeable about this particular style.) Anyway, I felt like you did a wonderful job of reinterpreting that aesthetic in a modern way.
Seriously! You managed to preserve that distinct atmosphere while making everything look clean and polished. I could really tell how much thought and effort went into the UI, and I genuinely want to applaud you for that.
As for the story, I also felt that its themes were closely connected to those of classic science fiction.
And just to be clear, I absolutely don't mean that in a negative or old-fashioned sense! It's just... how should I explain this? I think questions about humanity and what it means to be human are among the most traditional themes in science fiction.
And tradition is always difficult to work with, isn't it? The longer a tradition has existed, the more examples there are to draw comparisons with, and that can make it easy for a story to feel repetitive or predictable.
But I think your game managed to avoid that trap really well, and I find that genuinely impressive.
If I had to point out one small thing that could be improved, it would probably be how the UI blends with the background illustrations. Because the UI has such a strong visual identity, both in its design and colors, it sometimes feels a little disconnected from the background art.
For example, near the beginning, the text is displayed through a CRT monitor, and then the background illustrations and character sprites appear afterward. I felt that the transition between these visual elements was a little jarring.
Of course, finding the right balance between different visual elements is always incredibly difficult...
Maybe using a more consistent color palette across the UI and background art could help bring everything together.
But honestly, that's a very minor issue, so please don't worry too much about it!