I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, developed by Northway Games, offers a unique take on the time-loop genre, blending it with deckbuilding mechanics and a science-fiction setting. Players control Sol, one of the first children born on a colony ship traveling to the alien planet Vertumna. The game spans Sol's life from age 10 to 20, with significant life events transforming into playable cards. These memory cards are then used in a poker-like system to overcome challenges, from academic tasks to encounters with alien wildlife.
This core mechanic is a direct representation of the game's argument that a person is defined by their experiences. As Sol ages, players can choose to remove weaker, earlier memories to make space for new ones, a process that mirrors the act of forgetting. Designer Sarah Northway explained that the deck serves as a tangible reinforcement of the player's identity, akin to a stat sheet or skill tree, but with a more personal and fragile feel due to the player's direct involvement in its construction.
The gameplay loop involves selecting seasonal activities, such as taking a part-time job, socializing, exploring, or attending school. Each choice locks out other options for that period, encouraging specialization. Success in card challenges and story events grants points that can be allocated to stats like Rebellion or Empathy, which in turn unlock new dialogue, activities, and potential romantic partners. Neglecting certain stats can lead to missing out on entire character storylines.
Despite its often being recommended in cozy game communities, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist tackles mature themes like trauma, loss, and grief. The game balances this with a comforting aesthetic, featuring soft art and gentle music, creating a rhythm of unhurried daily colony life. This duality allows the game to be both cozy and challenging, comforting and devastating, with its difficult choices carrying significant emotional weight.
Upon completing a playthrough, which typically takes 12-15 hours, players can engage in New Game+ modes. These subsequent runs begin with Sol retaining knowledge from previous lives, allowing for foresight and strategic advantages, similar to the time-loop mechanic in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask but over a decade rather than three days. This design encourages repeated play, with many players investing 80 to 100 hours into exploring different life paths and outcomes.
The game boasts 29 possible endings, reflecting the hundreds of minor decisions made across a single decade. These endings range from scenarios where Sol leads the colony's government to a quiet life tending a vegetable garden. Among the diverse romance options is Rex, a well-written dog-boy character with his own insecurities, who is a fan favorite and one of the many potential partners for Sol. Each playthrough aims to make the journey to these varied conclusions feel earned.
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.