“Ouroboros Trap” is a short choice-based game with some surreal elements.

Gameplay: In the game, the protagonist navigates a dungeon or similar environment via a choice-based system. The setup is a like that of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel; as part of the genre, bad endings are common and generally unpredictable. The game is short enough to prevent those paths from being frustrating, but there’s no strong motivation or direction for the player. 5/10.

Mechanics: The game is fundamentally one of idle exploration, and it doesn’t feature a lot of state or puzzle elements. The opening scene, for example, invokes the hoary riddle about escaping from a room with just a mirror and a wooden table. The rest of the game is similarly surreal (featuring, for example, a talking turtle), and the goal for the player is simply to explore the various branching paths. 4/10.

Presentation: There are a few sections of delayed text, which are unnecessary and out of place in a game like this one. Aside from that issue, the game is largely smooth to play, with the tone of mild surrealism consistent throughout. 4/10.

You might be interested in this game if: You want a short, choice-based game with a number of branching paths.

Score: 4