Friday Fun! Expand Your Gaming Horizons With ‘The Day’

This week’s edition of Friday Fun is a bit of a departure from the usual games we feature. While it’s still technically a Flash game, The Day is more interactive fiction than it is an addictive time waster like most Flash games. Gameplay is incredibly simple, and much greater emphasis is placed on atmosphere and storytelling.

You play the role of Tia, a young girl celebrating her birthday. As a present, your dad gives you a card from a trading card game the local kids play. Shortly after, your friend stops by to explain the rules. Don’t worry, there’s no Magic: The Gathering level of depth to be found here, the rules aren’t much more complicated than War. Your goal is to battle each child walking around the town, acquiring their cards when you beat them.

You start to notice right away that things aren’t quite as they seem. Why did your father warn you about going near the trees? Why are their security cameras watching your every move? Why does a child’s card game feature such violent imagery? With such simple gameplay, you can devote most of your brain to pondering these questions.

The Day features standard pixel art, but it’s the music that really stands out. The jovial tune looping in the background provides contrast to the strange imagery presented. At one point in the game, spooky background noise makes the atmosphere that much creepier.

There are two ways to ‘win’ the game, and they’re mutually exclusive (you can’t do them both in the same playthrough). Don’t worry, though, you won’t spend hours on this one. You should be able see both endings in about fifteen minutes of total playtime. After finding both endings, commentary from the creator unlocks in the main menu. The commentary gives some insight into what you see during the game, and leaves you with more things to think about.

If you enjoyed The Day, check out the rest of our Friday Fun articles!