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Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination capsule

Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination

A literary machination about corporations, conspiracies, and the unspeakable horrors you’ll commit for minimum wage.

$14.99Very Positive(57)
Text-BasedInteractive FictionChoose Your Own Adventure
Finnegan MotorsApr 16, 2025

Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination scores 68/100 — better than 33% of Text-Based capsules (n=727).

Very Positive (57 reviews) · $14.99 · Released Apr 16, 2025 · By Finnegan Motors

Explore:Text-Based capsulesInteractive Fiction capsulesChoose Your Own Adventure capsulesSteam page optimisationCapsule design best practices

Quick text summary

Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination scored 68/100 on Steam Analyzer — Solid for a Text-Based capsule. Top priority fix: [title_readability] Remove or significantly enlarge the 'A LITERARY MACHINATION' tagline to ensure primary title 'INHUMAN RESOURCES' dominates at all sizes without competing text

Capsule scores by dimension

  • Genre Clarity: 7/10 — Indie narrative game established. The stylized character art and corporate attire on the three figures clearly signals a character-driven narrative adventure rather than action-focused gameplay. At tiny size, the suited characters remain recognizable as the focal point, though the specific 'literary machination' and conspiracy theme requires reading the title text to fully understand. Genre reads as indie adventure/RPG with strong character focus.
  • Title Readability: 6/10 — Title legible at medium sizes. The title 'INHUMAN RESOURCES' uses a clean sans-serif typeface in orange-gold with reasonable letter spacing against the dark gradient background. At full size it reads clearly, but at tiny size (120x45) the letterforms compress and lose definition; the tagline 'A LITERARY MACHINATION' becomes nearly unreadable. The title placement in the right-center region is strategic but the small tagline below it adds unnecessary visual complexity at reduced scales.
  • Contrast & Color: 7/10 — Strong warm-to-cool separation. The warm orange-gold title pops effectively against the cool dark brown-maroon gradient background, creating solid value separation in grayscale. The three characters are well-lit with warm skin tones and clean silhouettes that remain distinguishable from the background at small sizes. The ornate border frames provide additional contrast definition, though some mid-tone areas in the characters' suits blend slightly with the background gradient.
  • Uniqueness & Polish: 7/10 — Distinctive art direction evident. The illustrated character style is clean and intentional with a clear art deco influence visible in the border design and character proportions. The three-character composition tells a visual story about corporate hierarchy and intrigue that aligns with the game's theme of corporate horror. Execution feels polished and deliberate rather than generic, though the character poses are relatively static and don't actively convey the game's darker mechanical themes at a glance.
  • Brand Consistency: 7/10 — Cohesive visual identity present. The warm sepia-toned palette, art deco border design, and character illustration style create a recognizable and internally consistent aesthetic that signals a premium indie title. The corporate aesthetic with three distinct characters establishes a memorable identity around workplace conspiracy themes. Without reference to other materials, the capsule successfully communicates a distinctive brand voice through color, typography, and character styling.
  • Composition: 7/10 — Clear focal hierarchy achieved. The three characters form a strong central focal point with the leftmost figure and middle figure creating natural eye movement toward the title on the right. The ornate border frames the entire composition effectively and provides depth separation. At small sizes the character group reads as a cohesive unit, but the title placement to the right means at tiny size the composition becomes left-heavy with the title elements compressed and harder to parse.

What works

  • Warm color contrast. Orange-gold title and warm character tones pop strongly against the cool dark background, maintaining readability even at reduced sizes.
  • Character-driven storytelling. Three distinct illustrated figures with corporate styling immediately communicate the game's core theme of workplace conspiracy and hierarchy.
  • Polished art direction. Art deco border frames, consistent illustration style, and intentional palette create a premium and cohesive visual identity.

What hurts the capsule

  • Unreadable tagline at tiny size. The 'A LITERARY MACHINATION' subtitle becomes illegible when compressed below 100 pixels wide, adding visual clutter without benefit.
  • Right-aligned title creates imbalance. Title placement on the right edge means the composition feels left-heavy with character focus, splitting attention at small scales.
  • Static character poses. The three figures stand in relatively passive stances that don't actively convey the horror, conspiracy, or dark comedy themes mentioned in the description.

Priority fixes

  1. [title_readability] Remove or significantly enlarge the 'A LITERARY MACHINATION' tagline to ensure primary title 'INHUMAN RESOURCES' dominates at all sizes without competing text
  2. [composition] Center or left-align the title to create visual balance with the three-character focal point and improve overall hierarchy at small scales
  3. [genre_clarity] Consider adding a subtle visual element (props, expressions, or framing) that hints at the game's darker horror-comedy themes beyond corporate setting alone

Store copy priority fixes

  1. [feature_communication] Add 1-2 sentences describing the puzzle types and how they integrate with story progression (e.g., 'Riddles block narrative paths and must be solved to uncover company secrets')
  2. [uniqueness] Replace or supplement 'hundreds of routes' with a specific claim that differentiates (e.g., 'every moral choice reshapes your employee record and alters how NPCs perceive you' or highlight the authored short stories more prominently as a story-enrichment feature)
  3. [feature_communication] Clarify the RPG mechanics: specify whether skills directly unlock narrative branches, combat, or alternate dialogue, rather than leaving it vague as an 'element'

Related guides

Steam app ID: 3379360 · Tags: Text-Based, Interactive Fiction, Choose Your Own Adventure, Story Rich, Atmospheric