Done With #24: s.p.l.i.t.

Fans of indie titles probably heard the name of the Estonian game developer, Mike Klubnika. This guy got an entire portfolio of cool games on itch.io, and with the release of Buckshot Roulette last year, he solidified his status as one of the indie legends in the 2020s. Well known for bite-sized games that last a couple of hours with tight narrative and the unique, dystopian art style that draws inspiration from post-Soviet countries mixed with post-apocalyptic vibes, Mike Klubnika’s games are certainly always something to look forward to.

With the announcement of his new game, s.p.l.i.t. on Twitter, I didn’t even hesitate to get it on day one, with how I’m constantly impressed by the guy. The psychological horror about a hacker and deteriorating health might be a basic premise, but honestly, the vibes and atmosphere are immaculate, as you can see in the trailer videos and the screenshots on Steam.

This game’s storytelling is incredible. We take the role of Axel, a mentally unstable hacker, who’s trying to hack into a facility of some sort along with two other collaborators. The way that the story is told through the in-universe instant messenger, heavily inspired by Emily is Away, was utilised to put so much pressure on the player, as we know for a fact that we need to lock to hell in, otherwise our friends will be in some deep shit. Every second counts, their anticipations are heavy tolls, and our character’s degrading mental state creates an incredibly stressful and believable gameplay loop.

The game taking place in one small, cramped, and dank room also adds to the horrific atmosphere. As I said, the decorations and the technology seem to be very inspired by the post-Soviet era architecture, and it paints a rather dreadful feeling. The three screens set up for our hacker, the server workstation that was stolen for this job, and the items on the cluttered table of the hacker do wonders for environmental storytelling. With Klubnika’s very unique art style and colour choices, the dreadful feelings are conveyed through the graphic by itself.

And of course, a great horror needs great sound design, and this game also has that. The ambient sounds in this game, from Axel’s typing on the keyboard to the buzzing sound of the server, really add to the isolation and the paranoia that Axel feels, which also gets passed onto the player. The techno music appropriately gets louder as the stakes get higher, and actually quietens when it has to.

That’s not all, though, as s.p.l.i.t will make you really assume the role of a hacker who actually has to use kernel commands. That’s how you play the game, enter real kernel commands into the in-game’s computer terminal to trigger a hack. You will be generating SSH key with keygen commands, accessing folders through command lines, and connecting a server to the PC.

As someone who’s very familiar with Linux systems, it feels like second nature to me, and is incredibly cool that the game actually sort of asks you to perform these. Of course, this is not how you actually hack something in real life, but I bet it must be super cool for people to try these out.

Overall, s.p.l.i.t. is a short yet effective game, with the atmosphere, the story, and the gameplay really coming together to make yet another memorable title from Klubnika. I do think that the game is a bit too short, though, and with the success of Buckshot Roulette, a part of me really does expect the guy to make something a bit longer. It is definitely a really well made game that will keep you for its duration, but it also does leave me craving for me despite it being perfect the way it is.