The Testimony of Trixie Glimmer Smith

Genre changes between games in a series aren’t uncommon, but are still notable when they do happen. Case in point, whereas Parsnip is a point-and-click game, its sequel, The Testimony of Trixie Glimmer Smith (TToTGS) makes the jump to a visual novel format. Acquired through the same bundle where I obtained Parsnip, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it aside from its nature as a sequel. While it still has some hiccups along the way, I found myself surprised by what it was able to accomplish with the shift in gameplay style.

Trixie Glimmer Smith is a slacker student at Bluebell University, to the point where her friend Nikita has to bail her out of assignments more often than not. One day, Nikita approaches Trixie with knowledge that she may have found the cursed play The King in Yellow, but makes Trixie retrieve it as payback for all the times she’s had to bail her out. With no other options, Trixie reluctantly heads towards Daffodil Lane, where the book is suspected to be.

Though focusing on new characters, the game goes a long way in providing some world-building on the setting of Parsnip. Aside from Squirrel Girl, characters from the original game return or are mentioned and are fleshed out more. Some new characters and locations are also introduced to make the world feel more alive, plus The King in Yellow is more in the forefront of the narrative. One thing worth mentioning is that the story leans more into exploration of LGBTQ+ subject matter, even making fun of itself at one point for how many of its characters fall under the spectrum, though it generally handles things more tactfully.

Trixie Glimmer Smith when confronted with danger.

Trixie herself is an interesting character in a number of ways. For instance, the idea of her main interest being an obscure fictional cartoon series (Cyber Drak-Cool-Ya’s from Mars) to the point of hunting down whatever merch exists for it is relatable on its own as someone who tends to enjoy more obscure media (and is all too relatable as a fan of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit). While I don’t fall into the LGBTQ+ demographic, I found it interesting the way the game handles the subject of Trixie being a trans girl, as it goes into detail about her transitioning (as of TToTGS) and the effect that it has on her both mentally and physically while not focusing too much on it in favor of the story. In other words, she’s depicted as a three-dimensional character who happens to be trans, rather than making being trans her whole identity.

As per the nature of the visual novel genre, much of the gameplay involves reading text, however there is some player agency in that the player has to make certain choices at different points in the story. Many of these choices don’t matter in the short term, however some have an impact on the narrative in the long term. Many of the important choices involve whether you pick up certain objects, some of which come back towards the end of the game.

Towards the middle of the game, you are presented with three potential routes of who you want to spend time with, between new characters Heidi and Gregg and returning character Bell. For this review, I only played the Gregg route, however I got the impression that choosing Heidi and Bell would play certain events out differently, and so I had the foresight to make extra saves in case I wanted to see the other routes. On that note, the game presents a seemingly endless number of save files, which can allow one to explore the game’s minutiae as deeply as they please, if they so desire.

With the increase in focus on The King in Yellow, the game doesn’t bother putting up a front like in Parsnip and instead puts the horror elements in the forefront. Adding to the intense atmosphere at times are the more detailed art assets and the constant first-person perspective outside of when Trixie is speaking, increasing the immersion. Though not reliant on this, there was arguably one actual jumpscare in the game, that being when you meet Parsnip for the first time, and maybe another moment later when you are suddenly face-to-face with a sheep. Though I only played the Gregg route, some moments in it were genuinely unnerving, even if they didn't really add that much to the narrative, plus while you don’t need to have played Parsnip prior to this game (as advertised on the itch.io page), foreknowledge of that game can add an additional layer of unease whenever you interact with the character.

You will learn to hate this rabbit more.

That said, while the writing quality is certainly improved over Parnsip and does a good job immersing the player in the story, some noticeable spelling and grammar errors can take you out of the moment, even diffusing some of the tension in the more horrific scenes. While not as bad as in the previous game, and even taking into account that it’s an independent developer, it seems that the text may have needed some additional proofreading to iron out this sort of thing before release. One thing that has been expanded upon, however, is the audio, with a constant tune that doesn’t get tiring to listen to and whose tone can change depending on the individual (ex. talking to Heidi makes it sound more like metal, which fits her design and personality). Much like in Parsnip, there is also a haunting drone whenever anything involving The King in Yellow is discussed, creating a further sense of unease when needed.

The Testimony of Trixie Glimmer Smith takes what worked about Parsnip and manages to translate it well to another medium while expanding upon the potential of the setting. Unlike Parsnip, TToTGS isn’t free (it cost $5 for the game itself, $6 if you also want the art book), but for those who didn’t get it through a bundle, the experience is worth the asking price.