What We Pretend to Be

About

What We Pretend to Be wraps farming chores in a quiet meditation on absence. You manage crops and resources to support a war-torn community while uncovering fragments of life left behind by those who’ve vanished. Gameplay focuses on routine tasks like planting, harvesting, and repairing tools, but each action feels weighted by the knowledge that people are missing, some due to war, others to more mysterious fates. The game’s emotional core comes from scattered audio logs and notes that hint at personal stories without giving full answers. It’s a minimalist approach that leans into ambiguity, letting players piece together meaning from incomplete information. While the simulation elements are straightforward, the narrative layer adds a subtle melancholy that lingers. Released in late 2020, it’s a brief but thoughtful experience that lingers longer than its runtime suggests.

Storyline

It's about farming for the war effort, and the long space people leave behind when they're gone.