You’re Elf by Rat Bastard Games is a submission for the recent 36-Word Game Jam. It is a single page long and consists of simple writing prompt questions.
You might recognize JD Clement of Rat Bastard Games as the creator of HyperMall: Unlimited Violence. Rat Bastard Games successfully funded a physical release of this corpo murder TTRPG on Kickstarter in 2024.
However, that is not You’re Elf.
“What wonders did you witness there?”
“I watched the stars migrate, journeying across the skies. I saw eggs hatch in nests and held my cave as a refuge for mothers birthing new young. I watched trees grow from small fragile saplings to towering giants. And as I watched it all be born, I too watched them fall and give back to the Earth which created them.”
I caught wind of this game through a mutual repost of Clement’s unceremonious toss out into the Bluesky crowd. 20 minutes later, he would post again saying:
A lot of Game Jams have happened this past month, and while I couldn’t participate, I wondered: How could you make a game in 36 words?
I turned to Rat Bastard Games for an answer to this question.
Design & Art Direction in You’re Elf
One of the most stand-out parts of You’re Elf is its visual direction. It is reminiscent of design movements like Deconstruction and Grunge. But also vibes of what I like to call “Digital Nightmare”.
Digital Nightmare is high chroma, high saturation, high image artifacting and trying to look corrupted. It blends digital aesthetics from the 90s and 2000s, trying to capture that old internet vibe of an absolute eyesore. With it comes a lenience towards crass, as most cases tend to rebel against the corporate, ad-filled internet of the modern day.
You’re Elf is a single page, and pulls on similar energies as Plastiboo’s Vermis, and Night Signal Entertainment’s Home Safety Hotline. Both of these fall into dark, whimsical fantasy, with a sense of dread. Vermis especially plays into themes of a dead world still turning.
The background artwork used in You’re Elf is an edited version of a 1914 piece by Danish Illustrator Kay Nielsen.
It is named “At Rest In The Dark Wood” and its original state is haunting and ethereal:
The version used in You’re Elf inverts lights to darks; preferences of lime greens and a sickly yellow help establish a diseased, dying vibe lacking in this original. Unlike a pure figure with a tendril of black rising from her, the figure is dark, with a light almost invisible aura rising from it. It appears like a soul leaving a decaying corpse.
With the art direction of Rat Bastard Games, it is hard to criticize their design work without missing the point. The point being that it is in a way supposed to break every design rule. Hypermall is an extreme example of this, and that is attributed to its charm.
That said, if I had one request, it would be for the font used for the body type in You’re Elf to be used for the tagline on the pdf page. Blackletter is notoriously difficult to read at small scale, and while it isn’t completely unreadable here, I still would have preferred the simple serif for consistency.
Gameplay & Mechanics in You’re Elf
With 36 words, you do not have a lot of room to work with. Every word needs to have importance. Rat Bastard Games uses 36 words to ask 10 open-ended questions. They are phrased like someone asking about a life gone by, and how you spent it. This is enforced by the quote on the game page:
The tagline as well, describes it as 36 words about loss. With the mention of centuries passing in the questions and the fact you are Elf, there are plenty of context clues to work with. At the end of the day, it is open to player interpretation.
However, during my playthrough, I kept to the idea of a dying/dead elf reminiscing on a long life passed, what they did, what they lost, and where they think their spirit may go.
A common criticism of solo TTRPGs claims they are just creative writing with extra steps. You’re Elf is that criticism boiled down to a point. There are no dice, no win or lose. It is just you and these questions. I can see how that may turn people away.
(If you’re looking for a solo game with more mechanical crunch, take a look at something like Queenless by Croaker RPGs.)
But for those who enjoy writing, this is a good way to stretch those muscles and warm up before working on a large project. I did just that, working on a short story after my playthrough, and felt the words came a lot easier than days I tried to go straight in.
Is it a game? I hesitate on that. I would better describe it as a creative writing exercise. Could it become a game? I definitely see room for it.
Conclusion
“My tribute to the Earth remains in that little cave, lifeless and frozen. The snow was too dense, I couldn’t get past it. I lived without the sun for days and my skin withered. My heart hurt and my memories grew fuzzy around the edges. I had to let it go.”
There are many kinds of stories and tales this game can tell, from an elf trapped in isolation watching the cycles of Nature to one who became a warlord, undying and god-like in the eyes of his armies. I enjoyed my time with You’re Elf, it is short, sweet, and a good warm-up tool in the creative belt.
If this game has gotten you curious, I highly recommend checking the other entries in the 36-Word Jam. There are over 300 entries dripping with creativity, and they aren’t all about dead elves.
- Playtime: 30 Minutes to 1 Hour
- This Game is: Simple, Melancholic & Retrospective
- Final Rating: One Dead Elf
More from Rat Bastard Games
- Pick up a copy of You’re Elf. The game is PWYW.
- Preorder a physical copy of Hypermall Ultraviolence.
- Follow Rat Bastard Games on Bluesky.
About the Author
(It/They/Him)
Independent Game and Graphic Designer based in Australia.
I make physical tabletop games, primarily roleplaying, but I haven’t shied away from card games in the past.
My main focus now is solo games, both playing, creating, and reviewing.