Mode

The popular art mogul Vito Brevis has put together an art installation called the MODE event, in which he is to put on his final performance. The player shows up at the party uninvited, and is left to decide their own course of actions. They can attempt to learn more about Vito Brevis and the rumors surrounding him, or they can simply chat up other party-goers and try to have a good time. The story of Mode changes depending on the actions of the player, and several different endings are possible based on what information the player gathered, and who they decided to befriend, upset, or simply ignore.

Although Mode could be described as an FMV adventure game, it is unique for its structure. Rather than a traditional conversation tree, the player interacts with other characters through the "Mood Bar", a colored bar that gradients from Red to Blue to Green. These colors represent the mood of the player's response, with Red being negative, Blue being neutral, and Green being positive. When asked a question, the colors instead correspond to No, Maybe, and Yes respectively, while not necessarily conveying the same tones as above. The protagonist has no voiced dialogue, and it is left up to players to imagine for themselves what they said given the way characters respond to their choices. In addition, the game is played entirely from the first person, the protagonist is never physically described or given any backstory, and romantic relationships are possible with characters of either gender. These choices allow all players to envision themselves in the role of the protagonist, regardless of their own background or identity.

Mode was a commercial failure that quickly faded into obscurity, and it is hard to find any information on the game nowadays. In October 2012 YouTube user supergreatfriend started a Let's Play of the game, which the director of the game links to on his own website. Due to the game's rarity, obscurity and age it is one of the few sources of information on the internet, and perhaps the only way most people will experience the game.