Hydra: An Absurdist Horror Inspired By Centrelink

Hydra: An Absurdist Horror Inspired by Centrelink (2022) is a single-player puzzle-platformer for Windows and Mac. "You are cast in this space-drama as Mr. Goo-b. He is a cyborg who lives aboard The Maggot, a star-ship which orbits Hydra the smallest and most deformed moon of Pluto." Tasked with uncovering Mr Goo-B's ordered daily routine by interacting with eight items in his environment, the plot of this dark-comedy is revealed through Journal articles which are unlocked by completing a 'perfect run' of the game-cycle. A call-back to the aesthetics of 1990s hacker culture and science-fiction, gameplay parodies the 'speed-run' to gesture allegorically to how disability in Australia is codified within the Social Security Act 1991 via skill assessments of physical prowess and intelligence.

Controls:
Left right: directional
Up: jump while Goo

Down: jump while Goo-b

Weapons: accessible after transitioning to cyborg by leaving your bedroom.

Don't be surprised if you get frustrated or confused that's how the system is designed..

The goal:
Enter Zoom mode.

To enter zoom mode you must fuel the engine to maximum capacity by feeding Mighty Muncher.

A hidden message and the grade of Special+ is awaded to players who can complete a perfect run in under 3:00.

To perform a perfect run:

Eight conditions must be met by interacting with The Maggot's workforce.

There is an order they can be performed, as interactions have positive and negative relationships.

There are clues found on Mr Goo-b's PC under Videogame.

Here is one final clue:
Slop is the main course, and Hero is for dessert (but not best saved till last).