Gayme of the Week: More Than U No
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed that my love for the Gay Western Jam games hold no bounds. We’ve looked at some incredible games, and More Than U No, a submission from user Gryll, is no different.
Created by Gryll, Lusie and Malindy Hetfeld, More Than U No combines a visual novel with, you’ve guessed it, a game of UNO. As someone who doesn’t know anything about card games outside of UNO, my adoration for this game’s card game holds no bounds. But don’t worry, if you have no idea at all when it comes to cards, then the game will help you out.
As fun as the card game is, the first thing that caught my eye in this game was the feeling of longing. You play as the farmer’s daughter, Hannah, a young woman who becomes drawn to a lone ranger, Charlotte. She has her reasons for this, but the one that stands out is that Hannah believes that Charlotte will understand how she feels towards women. She describes it as a ‘feeling’ in her chest that expands when she looks at the performers and other women in town. It’s a feeling that I believe most of us can relate to, even if it’s only on a surface level. That feeling of looking at people we’re attracted to, despite the world saying its wrong, and feeling light, warm even… It’s what makes the acknowledgement of that feeling in More Than U No feel so intoxicating.
Hannah confiding in Charlotte, someone who has more worldly experience and maturity than her, transported me back to my university days and how I crushed on many of my older lecturers. They were inspirational, and it’s this same worship that Hannah sees in Charlotte, and why she asks her for her help in the first place. It helps that Charlotte treats Hannah with the same amount of respect, and doesn’t belittle her for wanting to do more with her life. Their relationship, while new and fresh, is built on mutual respect for the other.
There is also intimacy in the playing of card games that More Than U No delves into with ease. As mentioned above, if you haven’t played UNO before, the game helps you. But it’s more than that, you’re playing as Hannah, an inexperienced player that has to rely on Charlotte to help her. Charlotte’s instructions, the subtle flirtations, and the ease in which you lean into her, makes it easy to see why Hannah has the hots for her.
It’s a fantastic, eye-opening game that challenges the ‘typical’ Western genre with its queer protagonists, and subtle displays of affection and intimacy. To play More Than U No for yourself, head on over to itch.io and don’t forget to leave a comment while you’re there!
Gayme of the Week is a weekly column by Aimee Hart about indie LGBT+ games that she’s played and what she loves about them. If you’ve got any recommendations, be sure to contact her on Twitter (@AimemeRights) or email (aimee@gaymingmag.com).
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