'At the 2025 IGF Awards, "Consume Me" Claims Top Honor, Nuovo Award'
Prepare to delve into the captivating world of "Consume Me", an upcoming indie game developed by a passionate team of independent developers under the name Hexecutable. This life-sim RPG, set to release on September 25, 2025, on PC via Steam, offers a unique blend of dark humour, strategy, and emotional depth as it navigates the complexities of high school life, particularly focusing on themes of dieting, body image, and mental health.
The game's protagonist, Jenny, is a teenage girl facing the pressures of her final year in high school, battling self-image struggles, family pressures, and juggling daily activities such as meals, exercise, studying, and social life. The game's innovative gameplay translates real-life anxieties into engaging minigames, such as planning meals by fitting Tetris-like food blocks into Jenny’s limited stomach space, reflecting calorie intake without explicitly using the term "calories", using "bites" instead.
Players must carefully balance eating enough to satisfy hunger while avoiding overeating, as excess consumption requires exercising away the surplus within limited time. The daily schedule involves tactical decision-making with many competing activities, emphasizing the challenge of managing time, mental health, and physical wellbeing.
Jenny's internal struggles about her weight and self-worth are central to the narrative, with narrative elements including her mother's critical remarks in both English and Mandarin Chinese, reflecting cultural specificity and personal trauma related to eating disorders and family expectations. The game offers over 13 possible endings, most of which are bad, underscoring the difficult and often unforgiving nature of these adolescent experiences.
"Consume Me" has already garnered significant recognition, having been nominated for and won several awards at various game festivals. Although specific awards are not listed, the game is described as "award-winning" in recent coverage, signalling strong critical acclaim within indie and narrative-driven game circles. The game has received positive attention for its authentic, nuanced portrayal of teenage eating disorders, family pressure, and the emotional complexity of growing up, making it highly relatable for many players.
The game is set to be a notable release in 2025, standing out as a deeply personal, thoughtfully designed indie title that explores the difficult realities of teenage life with a mix of humour, strategy, and emotional weight. Its development by a small passionate team, innovative gameplay mechanics, strong thematic focus on body image and mental health, and early award recognition place it as a game not to be missed.
Jenny's struggle with self-image and weight is portrayed through technology-driven minigames, such as the Tetris-like meal planning game, demonstrating how the game combines entertainment with a powerful message about mental health. The unique blend of technology and entertainment in "Consume Me" has earned it numerous awards and recognition in indie and narrative-driven game circles, setting it apart as a must-play title in 2025.
