"Yo, sis, I found it!"
On Twitch, in the shared stream of siblings SlickRick and Jada, the brother-sister duo was buzzing with excitement. They often streamed together, and today was no different.
SlickRick's shout prompted Jada to refresh IndieVibe's homepage. A vibrant banner for the Indie Game Expo popped up, showcasing a dizzying array of games.
"Got it!" Jada said, eyes wide. "Wow, so many games. I'm overwhelmed."
"Nearly 600 entries, they say," SlickRick noted. "No clue where to start."
"How about co-op games? We could play together," Jada suggested.
"Solid plan," SlickRick agreed, scrolling. "Hey, check this—Nebula Games has an online game."
"Nebula?" Jada raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they a big studio? Why're they in an indie expo?"
She typed "Nebula Games" into the search bar. Up popped Brothers' Quest, a Nebula title in the expo.
"It's small, downloading fast," Jada said.
"Sweet, I'll set up a room," SlickRick replied, inviting her in.
The game loaded, and Jada's stomach sank. Crude stick-figure art, two monochrome characters with blank faces, floating question-mark blocks, and ominous clouds. It screamed familiarity.
"Is this… Cat Leo's sequel?" Jada muttered, still scarred from Cat Leo's brutal traps.
"Nah," SlickRick said. "Cat Leo's from WindyPeak. This is probably just… a rip-off style."
They dove in. The screen flashed "x3" behind a white sprite—three lives. SlickRick's character stood under question-mark blocks, with two sluggish enemies ahead.
"Uh, so it's like Mario," SlickRick said, hesitant. "Three lives, we take turns?"
"Seems like it," Jada sighed, disappointed. "Your move, bro."
"What's there to show off?" SlickRick chuckled. "Bet if I hit that block, I'm toast."
He jumped, nailed the block, and—boom—it exploded, killing him instantly.
"Told ya," he laughed. "I saw it coming."
Jada smirked. "Big deal. You act like you aced Cat Leo after dying 40 times on level one."
"Hey, I'm a pro now," SlickRick shot back. "Watch this—I'll call every trap."
He charged forward, predicting: "Monsters from that pipe… don't touch that block… enemies dropping from the sky… those clouds are death."
In minutes, all three lives were gone. The Twitch chat yawned.
"Boring," one viewer typed.
"Feels flat compared to Cat Leo," another added.
"Same vibe, but… no soul."
"Not as brutal, but not fun either."
"Is SlickRick just too good now?"
"Lame knockoff."
Jada frowned. "Why's this feel so… meh? It's Cat Leo's twin, but something's off."
SlickRick, sharper on game design, broke it down. "It's a copy, but the traps suck. Cat Leo's obstacles had logic—bait you with a fakeout, then slam you with a real trap. The designer predicted your every move, made you suffer. This? Just random junk thrown together."
He pointed at Brothers' Quest. "No flow, no cleverness. I saw through every trap. When the designer's predictable, the game's dead."
Chat lit up:
"SlickRick's dropping truth bombs!"
"Cat Leo's designer is a sadist genius."
"This game's traps are lazy AF."
"Explains why it's no fun."
Jada nodded. "Guess Cat Leo's logic is rarer than I thought."
"Damn right," SlickRick grinned. "I've been gaming since I was seven. That game broke me. Takes skill to do that."
Jada laughed, then perked up. "Wait, speaking of Cat Leo—did WindyPeak enter the expo? They're new, right?"
SlickRick slapped his forehead. "How'd I forget them? Their games are wild!"
He closed Brothers' Quest and hit IndieVibe's search bar. "Think they're called WindyPeak…"
Bam. A game tagged "Indie Game Expo" appeared: Vampire Survivor.