A Lozenge

A Lozenge is a short, emotionally driven visual novel that follows Lucy, a newly separated mother, and her 9-year-old daughter Michelle on a car trip. As Lucy struggles with her anxieties and doubts, players experience her inner thoughts and make dialogue choices to comfort Michelle, who suffers from motion sickness. The game, set in a 10-minute narrative, explores themes of divorce and parental care through a unique, digitally painted art style and an original music score.

A Lozenge: A Masterclass in Emotional Storytelling Through Minimalism

Introduction: The Weight of a Ginger Candy

A Lozenge is a game that lingers in the mind long after its ten-minute runtime concludes. Released in 2020 by the indie studio Party for Introverts, this visual novel distills the emotional turmoil of divorce and parental anxiety into a single, poignant car ride. At its core, A Lozenge is a meditation on the small, fragile moments that define human relationships—where a ginger lozenge becomes a symbol of comfort, a stuffed bunny a lifeline, and a mother’s words a fragile bridge between past and future.

This review argues that A Lozenge is a triumph of minimalist storytelling, leveraging its brevity, artistry, and interactive elements to create an experience that is both universally relatable and deeply personal. While its short runtime and lack of branching narratives may limit its replayability, its emotional resonance and technical craftsmanship elevate it to a standout example of how games can explore complex human experiences with grace and subtlety.

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Development History & Context: The Art of the Short Form

The Studio: Party for Introverts

Party for Introverts is a small, Moscow-based indie studio founded by Arseniy Klishin and Laura Gray, a husband-and-wife team who specialize in “emotion-driven interactive short stories.” Their portfolio includes Thing-in-Itself (2018) and From Head to Toe (2019), both of which, like A Lozenge, prioritize intimate, character-driven narratives over traditional gameplay mechanics. The studio’s name reflects their focus on introspective, emotionally charged experiences that resonate with players on a personal level.

The Vision: A Story About Motion Sickness and Divorce

A Lozenge was conceived as a dedication to “children of divorce,” a demographic often overlooked in gaming narratives. The game’s premise—a mother and daughter navigating the emotional fallout of separation during a car ride—was inspired by Klishin and Gray’s observations of how small, mundane moments can carry immense emotional weight. The ginger lozenge of the title serves as a metaphor for the fragile, temporary solutions parents often employ to ease their children’s discomfort, whether physical or emotional.

Technological Constraints and Design Philosophy

Built in Unity, A Lozenge embraces a minimalist design philosophy. The game’s short runtime (approximately 10 minutes) was a deliberate choice, reflecting the studio’s belief that emotional impact does not require lengthy play sessions. The fixed/flip-screen perspective and point-and-select interface are reminiscent of classic adventure games, but the focus here is not on puzzles or exploration—it’s on dialogue and internal monologue.

The game’s development was constrained by its scope: a small team, a tight budget, and a commitment to delivering a polished, self-contained experience. These constraints, however, became strengths. The limited runtime forced the writers to distill the narrative to its emotional essence, while the simplicity of the interface ensured that nothing distracted from the story.

The Gaming Landscape in 2020

A Lozenge arrived during a renaissance of narrative-driven indie games. Titles like Disco Elysium (2019), Eliza (2019), and If Found… (2020) demonstrated the growing appetite for games that prioritized storytelling and emotional depth over traditional gameplay. Within the visual novel genre, A Lozenge stood out for its brevity and focus on a single, emotionally charged moment—a departure from the epic, multi-hour narratives typical of the genre.

The game’s release on Steam in August 2020 also coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when many players sought out short, emotionally resonant experiences as a form of escapism or catharsis. A Lozenge’s themes of separation, anxiety, and the search for comfort struck a chord with audiences navigating their own uncertainties.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: The Road Trip as Metaphor

Plot Summary

A Lozenge begins with Lucy, a newly separated mother, preparing for a car trip with her nine-year-old daughter, Michelle. Michelle suffers from motion sickness, and Lucy offers her a ginger lozenge to settle her stomach. As they drive, Michelle’s anxiety about the trip—and the broader implications of her parents’ divorce—surfaces through her questions and observations. The player, as Lucy, must navigate these conversations, choosing responses that either comfort or exacerbate Michelle’s fears.

The narrative unfolds in real-time, with the car ride serving as a microcosm of the larger emotional journey the characters are undertaking. Key moments include:
– The Forgotten Stuffed Bunny: Michelle realizes she may have left her beloved stuffed bunny, Charlie, behind. Lucy must decide whether to turn back or reassure her daughter.
– The Phone Call: Michelle’s father calls, forcing Lucy to confront her own unresolved feelings about the separation.
– The Pancake Promise: Michelle asks if her father will still make pancakes when he visits, a question that underscores her fear of losing the familiar routines of her old life.

The game concludes as Lucy and Michelle arrive at their destination, their relationship slightly altered by the conversations they’ve shared.

Character Analysis

• Lucy: The player-character, Lucy, is a study in quiet desperation. Her internal monologue reveals her guilt, anxiety, and love for her daughter, but her outward demeanor is one of forced calm. She is a mother trying to hold it together for her child’s sake, even as she grapples with her own emotional turmoil. Her dialogue choices reflect this duality—players can choose to be nurturing, dismissive, or somewhere in between, but Lucy’s underlying vulnerability remains constant.
• Michelle: Michelle is a nine-year-old caught in the crossfire of her parents’ divorce. Her motion sickness is a physical manifestation of her emotional distress, and her questions—about her father, her stuffed bunny, and whether they’re “still a family”—reveal her struggle to understand a world that has suddenly become unstable. Her dialogue is a mix of childlike innocence and surprising maturity, reflecting the way children often absorb more than adults realize.

Themes

1. The Illusion of Control: The ginger lozenge is a recurring symbol of the temporary, imperfect solutions parents employ to ease their children’s pain. Like the lozenge, Lucy’s words are a stopgap—a way to soothe Michelle in the moment, but not a cure for the deeper emotional wounds.
2. The Fragility of Routine: Michelle’s questions about pancakes and her father’s visits highlight how divorce disrupts the small, comforting routines that children rely on. The car ride itself is a disruption—a journey away from the familiar.
3. The Duality of Parenthood: Lucy’s internal monologue reveals the constant tension between her role as a protector and her own emotional needs. She must be strong for Michelle, even as she grapples with her own grief and uncertainty.
4. The Power of Small Moments: A Lozenge argues that life’s most significant emotional moments often occur in the mundane—the car ride, the forgotten toy, the phone call. These moments may seem insignificant, but they shape our relationships in profound ways.

Dialogue and Writing

The writing in A Lozenge is spare but evocative. Lucy’s internal monologue is particularly effective, offering players insight into her thoughts and feelings without over-explaining. The dialogue choices, while limited, are meaningful—they don’t drastically alter the narrative, but they do shape Michelle’s emotional state and the tone of the conversation.

One of the game’s strengths is its refusal to provide easy answers. Lucy doesn’t always know the right thing to say, and neither does the player. This ambiguity mirrors the reality of parenting, where there are no perfect solutions—only imperfect attempts to do the best one can.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Illusion of Choice

Core Gameplay Loop

A Lozenge is, at its heart, a linear visual novel with light interactive elements. The gameplay consists of:
1. Reading Dialogue: The majority of the experience is spent reading Lucy’s internal monologue and the conversations between Lucy and Michelle.
2. Making Dialogue Choices: At key moments, players are presented with two or three dialogue options. These choices affect Michelle’s immediate emotional response but do not alter the overall narrative trajectory.
3. Observing the Environment: The car ride is depicted through a series of static, digitally painted backgrounds. Players can click on certain objects (e.g., the rearview mirror, the glove compartment) to trigger additional dialogue or internal monologue.

Combat and Progression

There is no traditional combat or character progression in A Lozenge. Instead, the “progression” is emotional—players witness the subtle shifts in Lucy and Michelle’s relationship as the car ride unfolds. The lack of mechanical depth is a deliberate choice, reinforcing the game’s focus on narrative and atmosphere.

UI and Interaction

The UI is minimalist, with dialogue appearing in a text box at the bottom of the screen and Lucy’s internal thoughts displayed in a distinct font. The point-and-select interface is intuitive, with players clicking on dialogue options or interactive objects to advance the story. The lack of a traditional inventory or HUD keeps the focus squarely on the characters and their emotions.

Innovative Systems

While A Lozenge does not introduce groundbreaking mechanics, its use of internal monologue is noteworthy. By allowing players to hear Lucy’s unspoken thoughts, the game creates a sense of intimacy and vulnerability that is rare in visual novels. The dialogue choices, while limited, are also effective in making players feel complicit in Lucy’s emotional journey.

Flawed Systems

The game’s most significant flaw is its lack of meaningful branching narratives. While the dialogue choices affect Michelle’s immediate reactions, they do not lead to substantially different outcomes. This limits replayability—once players have experienced the story, there is little incentive to return.

Additionally, the game’s brevity, while a strength in terms of emotional impact, may leave some players wanting more. The car ride ends just as the emotional stakes are reaching their peak, and the abrupt conclusion may feel unsatisfying to those expecting a more traditional narrative arc.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: Crafting an Atmosphere of Melancholy

Setting and Atmosphere

A Lozenge takes place entirely within the confines of a car, a setting that is both claustrophobic and intimate. The car becomes a metaphor for the emotional journey Lucy and Michelle are undertaking—a confined space where they must confront their feelings without escape.

The game’s atmosphere is one of quiet melancholy. The car ride is depicted in real-time, with the passing scenery (trees, roads, other cars) reinforcing the sense of motion and transition. The lack of a traditional “world” to explore is compensated for by the richness of the emotional landscape.

Visual Direction

The art style of A Lozenge is one of its most striking features. The game employs a digitally painted, watercolor-like aesthetic that is both soft and evocative. The characters are rendered in a simple, almost sketch-like style, with muted colors that reflect the somber tone of the narrative.

The backgrounds are equally impressive, with the car’s interior and the passing scenery depicted in a way that feels both realistic and dreamlike. The use of light and shadow is particularly effective—sunlight streaming through the car windows, the glow of the dashboard lights—all contributing to the game’s atmospheric depth.

Sound Design and Music

The sound design in A Lozenge is understated but effective. The ambient sounds of the car ride—the hum of the engine, the rustle of Michelle’s movements, the occasional honk of a passing car—create a sense of immersion. The voice acting is minimal (Lucy’s internal monologue is text-only), but the few spoken lines are delivered with emotional weight.

The original score by Alex Francois is a standout. The music is sparse, consisting primarily of piano and strings, and it swells at key emotional moments without ever becoming overbearing. The soundtrack complements the narrative perfectly, reinforcing the themes of loss, comfort, and transition.

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Reception & Legacy: A Quiet Triumph

Critical Reception

A Lozenge received limited critical coverage upon release, but the reviews it did garner were overwhelmingly positive. Critics praised its emotional depth, art style, and sound design, though some noted its brevity and lack of replayability as drawbacks.

• Screen Rant gave the game a mixed review, praising its art and music but criticizing its lack of character depth and meaningful choices. The reviewer wrote, “It is clear there was a lot of passion and heart behind A Lozenge, but it didn’t quite hit the right beats to make it a standout of the genre.”
• Steam User Reviews were far more enthusiastic, with the game earning a 98/100 “Very Positive” rating based on 51 reviews. Players praised its emotional resonance, with many describing it as a “masterclass in short-form storytelling.”

Commercial Performance

A Lozenge was a commercial success relative to its scope. Priced at $1.99 (often discounted to $0.89), the game found an audience among fans of narrative-driven experiences. Its inclusion in the Stories of Home bundle (alongside Thing-in-Itself) further boosted its visibility.

Evolution of Reputation

In the years since its release, A Lozenge has developed a cult following among fans of indie visual novels. It is frequently cited as an example of how games can explore complex emotional themes in a short runtime, and it has been praised for its authenticity in depicting the experiences of children of divorce.

Influence on Subsequent Games

While A Lozenge has not directly inspired a wave of imitators, its success has contributed to the growing acceptance of short, emotionally driven narratives in gaming. Studios like Party for Introverts have demonstrated that games do not need to be epic in scale to be impactful—sometimes, a ten-minute car ride is enough.

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Conclusion: A Small Game with a Big Heart

A Lozenge is a testament to the power of minimalism in storytelling. In just ten minutes, it captures the emotional complexity of divorce, parenthood, and the search for comfort in uncertain times. Its strengths—its evocative art style, its haunting soundtrack, its authentic dialogue—far outweigh its weaknesses, and its brevity, rather than being a flaw, is a deliberate choice that enhances its emotional impact.

While it may not be a game for those seeking deep mechanical complexity or branching narratives, A Lozenge is a masterclass in how games can explore the human condition. It is a small game, but one with a big heart—a ginger lozenge for the soul.

Final Verdict: 9/10 – A short but unforgettable journey that lingers long after the car ride ends.