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Not sure what the rules say about posting in old threads, but I half-expected someone else to have bumped this one by now. Cart Life has been nominated for three IGF awards (Excellence In Narrative, the Nuovo Award and Seumas McNally Grand Prize). And very deservedly so, though they're coming a year too late. I still can't get over how great the game is. Congrats Richard!

Right. Usually I just browse through this board in search of new games, but I have to write something this time. I mean, fifteen comments in two months? That's just wrong. This is a unique, amazing game. I love how the story is about real people struggling to get by with their everyday life in a consumer driven world. I've wanted games to deal with these kind of topics for ages. I don't think I've ever played anything quite like Cart Life before though.

Perhaps its biggest achievement is how it manages to communicate abstract feelings like angst and low self-esteem with such great precision. The game really made me feel guilty when I forgot to pick up Laura at school and then realised that she hadn't made her way home on her own. I felt even worse when I had the custody hearing the day after and still hadn't been able to assemble my coffee stand. I love how the game picks up on these things. Not just how they affect your character but how other characters react to your mistakes and struggles. In this case my mistakes meant that Laura's father got custody over her until a new meeting could be held a week later.

And don't get me started on the style! Some of the animations in there are simply breathtaking. The level of detail is surreal too. The minimalistic expression really fits the tone of the game. You've found a perfect balance between metaphor and visual representation. Its limited in a strictly graphical sense but limitless in scope.

I love you for making this game.