I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream is free on GOG right now
Capturing the torment of a horrible family Christmas dinner
The latest free game giveaway in GOG's winter sale is an unexpected one for the festive season, but perhaps a game which captures the feeling of being trapped at a seemingly endless Christmas lunch with awful relatives: I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. Nothing says 'bad family Christmas' like being tortured for 109 years by a sentient supercomputer which nuked humanity and keeps only five people alive to torment. The 90s point 'n' click adventure game is a grim one (so grim!), but one which does have its fans.
Hit GOG's front page and scroll down to the giveaway banner to claim your free copy. The handout ends at 2pm on Christmas Day but it'll be yours for keepsies.
Based on a short story by Harlan Ellison (far shorter than the game), IHNMAIMS is as grim as you might expect from a story about a computer expressing its hatred of humanity. AM (formerly Allied Mastercomputer, now a declaration of existence) has five of you trapped to torture forever, warping the bodies and minds of the last remnants of humanity and putting them through horrible scenarios. Fun topics covered include rape and genocide. Even as a game it's unforgiving, with many ways for things to end terribly, not to mention some real 90s 'adventure game logic'.
"Everyone remembers its name, and everyone remembers how unpleasant it was, but I'm not sure anyone really, truly wants to replay it now," Alec said when running down the best games based on books. Some people do.
"It's a horrible game, made up of horrible scenarios, populated with a handful of horrible people and horribly punishing to play through," Adam said around the same time. "I rather enjoyed it when I replayed earlier this year."
GOG's bonuses for IHNMAIMS include a download of the original short story so you can see how much is new to the game. Ellison co-wrote the game script, by the way, as well as voicing AM. He does have a great voice for a murderous machine.
Looking for more freebies? Check out our list of the best free PC games to play in 2023.