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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 08/01/2025

A countdown appears when I google my game Things Too Ugly. How exciting, and I'm so nervous! 8 days!!!! 😱 Coming to you: store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/... #puzzlegame #shortgame #nightshift #corporatelabor #psychologicalhorror #pointandclick #mystery #indiedevs

A screenshot of a Google search for the computer game Things Too Ugly. A countdown says 8 days 6 hours. There's a link to the Steam store, then quick facts. It's a game for all consoles, made by Professor Space Games, releases on January 16th, and was made in Unity. At the bottom, it's tagged with genre labels including adventure, indie, and simulation.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 05/01/2025

Things Too Ugly is on Steam and consoles January 16th, 2025. You're stuck working the night shift for a natural resources company. Your job is to examine records from past decades- you read, test new software, and move on. Right? #mystery #puzzle #psychologicalhorror #storyrich #indiedevs

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 04/01/2025

I started making this on a holiday in late 2022. I didn't know if I would finish, or if anyone would play it, or if it was just an exercise. For #indiedevs, it's special to recognize when a project sparks and gains momentum. I hope players experience the care and spirit in which this was crafted.

A black and white polaroid of delicate, thin, white crystals on a flat silvery surface. Across the front of the photo, handwritten in Sharpie, are the words "January 16th, 2025, Things Too Ugly."

A screenshot from the game, Things Too Ugly. It's an old, vintage, retro office space with wood paneling, and it's poorly lit. A chunky computer monitor with a bulky keyboard and intercom are centered in the frame. The monitor is black with white text that reads, "Terebro Laboratories." On the right, a UI element hovers in space next to the monitor so players can "log in" to the computer. It says, Veri-Fi Risk Assessment and Management Software. Please await your supervisors instructions. User Id, Passcode, and Shift Code are empty and waiting for the player to enter correct answers.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 01/01/2025

Wishlist Things Too Ugly for January 16th launch! It's a short game with a timely narrative. It's wild to see it fully come to life after all this time, and I hope people enjoy it. 🤗 #newyearnewgames #pointandclick #gamedev #indiegame Check it out on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/...

A dim screen with a retro computer monitor in the center. Text is blurred. A plant, handheld radio, coffee mug, and toy circle the monitor. Part of a calendar is visible at the bottom says 1986.

Text reads: Thing Too Ugly. As a Terebro Inc. risk assessment and management data processor, you protect the company's legacy. Set against the Mississippi River in 1986, Things Too Ugly twists experimental narratives within a challenging puzzle game. Wielding retro technologies, nostalgic aesthetics, and environmental horror, Things Too Ugly deliveries a tense, interactive story. In your antiquated workspace, you navigate instruments and sift through documents illuminated by the incandescent bulb of a desk lamp and the moonlight. Static crackles through the tunes playing on a portable radio as you parse data. Unusual diagrams and photos draw you in as you cull eerie details and archived files.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 01/01/2025

Things Too Ugly, set in 1986, features this chunky wood veneer keyboard with a hefty monitor and high-tech intercom. Unfortunately, corporate has set the intercom to work only one way- and your boss is calling. #beepbeepbeep #interfacehorror #corportatelabor #puzzlegame #gamedev #steamgame

A screenshot from Things Too Ugly shows a close up of a dated giant computer monitor that reads Terebro Laboratories. The computer has dated keyboard. A UI element hovers to the left to show how you log in to the computer with user id, passcode, and shift code. Veri-Fi risk assessment and management software, please wait for your supervisor's instructions.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 27/12/2024

Wishlist Things Too Ugly to experience the story day 1!!!! It's a short, #storyrich #puzzlegame exploring #corporatelabor, rurality, analog ephemera, and psychological horror. Image: @gamespew.com list of games coming 2025! store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/... www.gamespew.com/2024/12/most...

Screenshot of Gamespew.com's list of games coming in 2025. January releases, Things Too Ugly. A photo from the gameplay of a dated office desk and computer. Article text reads: ps4, ps5, Xbox one, Xbox series x/s, and PC. January 16th, narrative puzzle. Set in the 80s, Things Too Ugly puts you in the role of a data processor at Terebro Inc. By sorting through archives of documents, photos, and recordings, you'll uncover the mysterious history of the company. Expect challenging puzzles, an intriguing narrative, and some scares.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 16/12/2024

Company policy prohibits disclosure of confidential information- internal documents, proprietary technology, and personal identification details. #ThingsTooUgly #encrypted #decode #corporatelabor #tablethis #wishlistonsteam #puzzlegame store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/...

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 15/12/2024

Things Too Ugly is in a 1986 corporate office. You're stuck at your desk for the night shift- digging through files, listening to your boss, and passing the time. You must stay put, but the environment is loaded with history, stories, and meaning. #puzzlegame #indiedev #corporations #labor #rurality

A screenshot of a vintage office space. Wood panel with various maps, posters, cards pinned to the wall. A stack of files on the left, a coffee mug, and radio, lit by a small desk lamp. On the right, a heavy computer monitor screen reads, "Terebro Laboratories."

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 29/11/2024

Things Too Ugly is coming out on January 16th, 2025, but my work isn't done! I'm still busy in this universe- more to come soon! 😉 🤐

Grainy, black and white image of a distorted and manipulated eyeball that looks like a galaxy in a vintage photograph. Handwritten white text reads, Professor Space Games.

White pixel font on black background says Things Too Ugly.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 28/11/2024

It's real!!! 😭🤗 7 weeks from now, Things Too Ugly is all yours. January 16th, 2025. Please wishlist if this is your kind of game! store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/... #indiegames #steamgame #gamedev #consolegame #storyrich #puzzlegame

Screenshot from the Things Too Ugly Steam page. A glitchy computer screen from the gameplay. Text reads, "Planned release date, January 16th, 2025. This game unlocks in 7 weeks."

Screenshot from the Things Too Ugly Steam page. Text reads, Things Too Ugly, Professor Space Games and Baltoror Game, January 16th, 2025. Clock in at Terebro Inc. for the night shift in 1986. Protect the company's legacy as Risk Assessment Data Processor. Equipped with era specific tech, navigate obscured narratives to shape the company's future.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 28/11/2024

💾 Things Too Ugly ⏰ PC & Consoles: January 16th, 2025 *Hey, are you awake in there?* Clock in for the night shift and solve puzzles as you dredge the company archives. Corporate power. Labor. Time. Environment. Rurality. Science fiction. Wishlist link below. #shortgames #indiegame #gamedev

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 25/11/2024

Everyone, please stop what you're doing and go follow @pantspants.bsky.social if you value happiness even a little bit. If Gary Larson and I Think You Should Leave had a baby, I'd give it Pants World as its first book. #cartoon #humor #artbook #comic #illustration

A photo of a small post card pinned to a corkboard with other paper notes. The post card features an ink drawing of a mustached man in glasses showing a drawn portrait to its subject. The subject is a duck. The man is saying, "It's you." The duck seems to be inspecting the drawing discerningly. There are previous crumpled drawings laying on the floor. This is a black and white drawing with what appears to be a subtle ink wash.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 24/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly is a #corporatehorror indie puzzle game. You examine data for a natural resources company and verify information. 📈 🌙The night shift is demanding, but you work at your own pace, sifting through files and listening into your supervisor... #workywork #indiegames #gamedev #pixelart

A brown to beige gradient has 3 simple pixel art icons arranged in a grid. Top left is an eye. Top right is a microscope. Bottom left is a cloud. Each icon is represented as a chromatic manipulation with red, green, and blue appearing as a glitchy/blurry line instead of white.

A bone colored background with the text "Things Too Ugly" at the top in hollow, black line style pixel font stretched out vertically. The text is doubled into a second row, but manipulated and wiggly until it becomes nearly illegible. It's glitchy and haunted, and has abnormalities.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 23/11/2024

This is the feather of a Least Bittern in #ThingsTooUgly. It's found on your desk inside the office. The Least Bittern bird is typically found along river banks and in marshes. #3dmodel #leastbittern #birdwatching #indiegames #gamedev #art #environmentdesign

A photo of a Least Bittern bird. It's short, stocky, and has a long sharp beam. It's beige in color with rust and black accents along the wings and back.

A 3D model of a bird feather, zoomed and cropped to show some of the texture. The feature is gray and worn at the edges and rusty and neat on the other side.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 23/11/2024

These bad boys. Cap'n Crunch Delights.

A photo of Taco Bell's Cap'n Crunch Delights desserts placed in front of a Taco Bell bag. The delights are spherical, red,and have a colorful, crumbly coating.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 22/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly takes place during the night shift in 1986. You're being "retrained"...and it's time to test the new software! 😱 #workywork #corporatehorror #indiegamedev #comingsoon

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 22/11/2024

One of these #books I got as a kid in 1999. One was delivered yesterday because I wrote a paper! ✨Both good!!!!!!✨ Are you in the mood for the socio-spatial economies of #DarkSouls #DeathStranding #SuperMarioWonder or #illustrations of a #manticore? #research #academia #art #gamestudies

Two books on a wood surface. Book on the left: Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen. Cover has several monsters. Right: Money, Games, Economies, University of Krems Press.

A table of contents page from a book. Topics include: The Presence of Money in Games, Economic Experiences in Games, Dark Patterns in and Beyond Games. Kevin Mercer has an article titled, The socio-spatial economies of Dark Souls and Death Stranding and Super Mario. Bros wonder.

This is a powerful manticore. It's orange and rusty fur is wild and frizzy. It's tail ends in a ball of spikes. It's jumping or leaping, and the snarled expression shows many sharp teeth.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 22/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly is a few hours long but #storyrich. There's a lot to read! Though the game world is small, it's loaded with things to observe, investigate, and question. 🤔 How many hours of play is ideal for you for a shorter game in a single sitting?🕰️ #indiegamer #videogames #pcgames

Dark black water with the text "Unravel the mystery" in beige.

A view looking straight down on a desk calendar with very dim lighting. It's dated April 1986 at the top but hard to make out. A second document hovers above the calendar. It's a much smaller vertical pamphlet. It's too hard to make out the text. It's black and white, and there's a grainy photo of a tree at the top.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 22/11/2024

Incredible find on my silly little walk. Hornets, I think, or paper wasp? #nature #environment #midwest #hornetsnest

Bright blue sky against thin branches and A large hornets nest revealing the inner chambers.

Bright blue sky against thin branches and A large hornets nest up high in the tree.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 21/11/2024

My indie game #ThingsTooUgly is a few hours long. It explores narrative themes like labor, corporate power, communication, time, archiving, rurality, etc. It's wrapped in vintage aesthetics since it takes place in 1986, but these things are always relevant. #gamestudies #digitalmedia #indiegame

A busy screenshot of the game world from Things Too Ugly. It's an interior office space featuring a single desk, and we're observing that desk as if we're sitting right in front of it. The wall is wood paneled. There's a heavy -looking old computer terminal with a wood veneer keyboard and a big intercom on the right. Theres a desk lamp for low-light ambience. The bulletin board in the back is filled with papers and notes. Files are stacked up and laid on on the desk. Trinkets are scattered, a coffee cup, a radio, a gps, and a plant make it feel lived in.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 21/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly This GPS accepts numerical codes. I was imagining cutting-edge tech/science-fiction/proprietary tools of a natural resources company circa 1986. I designed this model/PBR materials and it sits on your desk! #indiedev #3model #mystery #indiegame store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/...

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 21/11/2024

Here is real water at the Mississippi-Ohio river confluence in the daylight. The water moves quickly and is so powerful and massive. Also, a darker water shader I made (lit for night, from an angle/height) from #ThingsTooUgly set in the Midwest. #indiegame #rivers #gamedev #shader #gameart #solodev

A photograph of water from the Mississippi River. Brown, deep, moving water that starts to glow blue on the top reflection.

A shader of water at night designed for a video game, deep brown and navy, with glowing reflections speckling the top in gold and cerulean.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 20/11/2024

I hope they hurry up with volume 3! I absolutely love these books. Such wonderful concept art throughout. #eldenring #videogame #conceptart #artbook

A photo of the cover of the official Elden Ring Art Book Volume 1. The cover features a character from the game, Godfrey, First Elden Lord looking off into the distance. His lion companion is perched on his shoulder. The cover uses primarily hues of blue, grey, and gold. The book is sitting squarely on an oak dining table.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 20/11/2024

Here's some concept art showing the evolution of the GPS unit in my puzzle game, Things Too Ugly. It'll come in handy! #indiegame #conceptart #illustration #puzzlegame

A 3d model of an imagined, retrofuturistic GPS device. It is handheld, features a green screen depicting a map of a river, a small speaker, buttons, a blue led light, an antenna, and a carabiner-style clasp.

An illustration of an imagined, retrofuturistic GPS device. It is handheld, features a green screen, a small speaker, buttons, an antenna, and a gold carabiner-style clasp. The illustration was made with graphite and alcohol markers.

An illustration of an imagined, retrofuturistic GPS device. It is handheld, features a green screen depicting a map of a river, a small speaker, buttons, an antenna, and a carabiner-style clasp with a red latch. The illustration was made with traditional and digital approaches.

Two illustrations of imagined retrofuturistic GPS devices. They are handheld, feature blank screens, tactile buttons, and antennae. One GPS is more horizontal on composition whereas the second is more vertical in composition. The drawings are sketchy, black and white, and made with graphite pencil.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 20/11/2024

Tips/guide on the mechanics of Things Too Ugly. The narrative unfolds through the computer terminal and archived files that have landed on your desk! *Always listen to your supervisor.* #thingstoougly #narrativegame #pcgame #shortgame #unity #pointandclick #gamemechanics #corporatehorror #steamgame

Text over a dark graphic of a calendar. Reads: "Puzzler/Parser Mechanics. 1. Read, evaluate software's request. 2. Inspect, rotate, zoom as you shift through incident files. 3. Run task and input data. 4. Listen, communicate with the supervisor. 5. Unearth, reconcile, try not to lose your job! Tips: work one file at a time and pore over the contents to glean clues. Rotate and zoom in on documents, photos, and other artifacts. Got the answer, run it as a task in your computer terminal to piece together a tense, thrilling story.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 19/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly *short* demo on Steam. 🚨 It's a puzzle mystery with a strong narrative so the demo WON'T give away too much! 🧩 You'll clock in, get a feel for the *isolated* tone of corporate onboarding, launch the story, and explore the tools. Wishlist it! #indiegame #steamgame #pcgame #steamdemo

Screen shot from the Steam Store page for Things Too Ugly. On the left, it shows a mysterious black and white picture, unrecognizable and zoomed in, creepy and stringy congested lines. On the right, the Things Too Ugly title card. Text reads, Clock in at Terebro Inc. for the night shift in 1986. Protect the companies legacy as Risk Assessment Data Processor. Equipped with era specific tech, navigate through archived narratives to shape the company's future. Date TBA.

Screenshot from the Steam Store page for Things Too Ugly. On the left, it shows game screenshot of a dated looking office desk. Wood paneling, a vintage computer monitor, papers pinned on a bulletin board, files stacked up, and one file open on the desk. On the right, the Things Too Ugly title card. Text reads, Clock in at Terebro Inc. for the night shift in 1986. Protect the companies legacy as Risk Assessment Data Processor. Equipped with era specific tech, navigate through archived narratives to shape the company's future. Date TBA.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 19/11/2024

As a Terebro Inc. Risk Assessment & Management Data Processor, you protect the company's legacy. 😱 Wishlist Things Too Ugly on Steam and check out the full trailer! 💾 store.steampowered.com/app/2848750/... #puzzlegame #retroaesthetics #corporatehorror #indiegame #gamedev #thingstoougly #shortgames

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 19/11/2024

My digital painting of a vintage postcard from Things Too Ugly is based on a real location on the river where industrial structures loom over the water. 🏭🌃 #indiegame #solodev #art #gameart #ThingsTooUgly #digitalpainting #psychologicalhorror #mississippiriver

A dark and moody digital painting of a bend in the muddy Mississippi River. The night sky has a shining moon reflecting on the water. The trees line the edge of the water to the horizon, and a factory with glowing red lights is visible in the middle.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 19/11/2024

"The political function of science fiction is not merely to forecast the day after tomorrow, but to make us aware about the problems we have imagining it." #sciencefiction #politics

A page of a book that says, "The political function of science fiction is not merely to forecast the day after tomorrow, but to make us aware about the problems we have imagining it." -Peio Aguirre, "Semiotic Ghosts, Scientist Fiction and Historicism" 2011.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 19/11/2024

I saw "Rise of the Intern" and it caught my eye! Finding all kinds of work-related game concepts in Bluesky! I look forward to hearing more about it. Things Too Ugly is an office puzzle game solving mysteries on the nightshift. :)

Dark water fills the image. A computer and office supplies are scattered around the left side. Files, photos, coffee mug, radio, pencils float around the image. Text reads, "Things Too Ugly" with logos for Professor Space Games and Baltoror Games.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 18/11/2024

At Southern Fried Gaming Expo in Atlanta this summer, I gave away 100 special tiny notebooks for people to take analog notes while playing the demo of #ThingsTooUgly! (Terebro is the company you work for in the game.😉) Do you enjoy analog methods for figuring out a puzzle in a #pcgame? #indiegame

A white person's hand resting up on a tiny sketchbook with ambiguous red writing in it. A postcard with illegible text and red pens clutter the left side of the image.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 18/11/2024

In #ThingsTooUgly, the theme of corporate horror manifests, in part, with the concept that you cannot leave your tiny office/desk, but you can look out a window. Here's a little sketch of the bridge, the waterway you're investigating, and a peek at the 3d scene I made in #Unity. #indiegame #gamedev

Pencil sketch of a suspension bridge. It's cropped and zoomed in on the structure in a textured hatching style. The moon looms over the bridge and water.

3d scene depicting a steel bridge over muddy water at night. The moon looms over the structure and reflects into the brown water. Silhouettes of trees are in the foreground.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 18/11/2024

Set in a 1986 office, the #ThingsTooUgly game world is super lived in and filled with doodles and handwritten notes. What did you call that "s" shape??? At expos and conferences, I've been sharing these stickers! #gamedev #indiegame #puzzlegame #doodles #stickers #art #solodev #pcgame #nostalgia

Pencil doodles of various small items scattered around a page of paper. Paper clips, floppy disk, stapler, fish hooks, a cylinder, the famous 90s shaped "s", and the phrase, "file hoggin!"

Holographic glitter die cut sticker that says Things Too Ugly in wiggly black letters.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 17/11/2024

Hi, I made a puzzle game about a fun, fast-paced work environment where the culture really matters because you're part of the family. (If you're into that kind of psychological, corporate horror...or, is it too real?😱) #thingstoougly #indiegame #pcgame #gamedev #mysterygame #steamgame #corporatelife

Blurry, grainy, black and white photo of a landscape. A pond with scraggly trees reflecting in the still water. Text overlay says, "Things Too Ugly" and becomes distorted and crooked. Logos at the bottom for Professor Space Games, Baltoror Games, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, and Southern Fried Gaming Expo.

Cropped image of a vintage computer monitor render in a dated office. The screen says, Terebro Laboratories, a division of Terebro Incorporated, 1959-86.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 17/11/2024

#ThingsTooUgly kept growing as I was working on it. I started out thinking this would be a much smaller game 😂 and kept developing it as I had time up until the last minute. There's a lot of love here, like all indies, in crafting this world. ❤️ #indiegames #solodev #pointandclick #textadventure

A window looks over the river, bridge, and moon at night. Text reads, "Mississippi River, 1986, Things Too Ugly twists and experimental narrative within a challenging puzzle game. Wielding retro tech, vintage aesthetics, nostalgia, and environmental horror, this game delivers a tense, interactive story.

A vintage keyboard with the text, "hey, are you awake in there?"

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 17/11/2024

I live in a super rural location. If I'm not holed up with my computer making games, I might be looking at bugs and critters. Who is with me?! 😍🤗 #bugs #turtle #frog #rurality #gamedev

Small turtle on the road. (I helped it cross safely!)

Frog on white person's fingertips over the grass.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 17/11/2024

Small stack of recent books! The little piles everywhere come and go from the big shelves. 😂 Your Vibrant Matter caught my eye.

Horizontal stack of books top to bottom: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, The King in Yellow, Ten Planets, Science Fiction, Starry Messenger, Vibrant Matter, Queer Games Avant Garde, The Skin of the Film, Swink, Principles of Game Audio and Sound Design, Birds. Partial drawing of a tree on paper on the right.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 17/11/2024

"Working hard, working safely, working always!" You're a third shift data processor for Terebro Inc., a natural resources company, on the Mississippi River in 1986. What could go wrong? #indiegame #thingstoougly #puzzlegame #pcgame #psychologicalhorror #gamedev #solodev #steamgame #capitalism

Dark green background with a putrid moon on the right. Text reads, "clock in for the night shift at Terebro Laboratories, a division of Terebro Incorporated, 1959-1986.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 16/11/2024

Hi, everyone! #Solodev here with a new #puzzlegame #ThingsTooUgly. I've been working on this a while, but it's almost time to release it! This dark adventure mystery is made to play in a single sitting. Vintage aesthetics, experimental sound, and a disturbing narrative- it's a slow burn! #indiegame

Dark muddy water. A yellow handheld radio float on the right glowing through the water. On the left, the words Things Too Ugly hover, and then Baltoro Games and Professor Space Games logos are underneath.

Grainy, black and white photo of a tree and reflective pond in the fog. It's from a training manual. Welcome! is written at the top, and the bottom says, Terebro Laboratories, Data Processor, Tools of the Trade.

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Things Too Ugly 💾 @professorspacegames.com · 16/11/2024

⏰ Clock-in for the night shift! 🎮 *WISHLIST* on Steam 🧩 #ThingsTooUgly PC/Consoles (Soon!) 😱 Puzzle game. Rural town in '86. 📻 Slow-burn mystery, analog horror, retro tech, corporate workplace sim, story-rich! Single-sitting. tinyurl.com/thingstoougly #solodev #horrorgame #indiegame #puzzlegame

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