Off the AppStore: If you trust anything, Trust the System… Maybe?

• Well done! You're now working for the system, so get to stamping those documents
• Stamp, earn, improve, and maybe you'll see some kind of progress... or not
• There's more to the System than is right in front of you, so earn to investigate

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or  APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game, though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

The dream is to earn income passively without ever having to work a day in your life, so you can use your time and resources to do whatever you want. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, too bad that you're stuck in reality with the rest of us, and the best we can do is find various coping mechanisms to escape or tolerate whatever unfavourable scenarios we find ourselves in. Of course, some people cope by diving headfirst into the horrors and creating an experience based on them so that we can gain a whole new perspective. At least, that's what it seems like Tabouret is doing with Trust to System, but not everything is as it seems.

Congrats (whoa, deja vu), you've just transformed into a Mr Milgram, and it's the best day of your life since you've been offered LIFETIME employment in the Transfer Department. Said department has you working for the ambiguous entity known as the System, and all you have to do is do as you're told. Receive your paperwork, flex your arm muscles, and get to stamping those documents. The more documents you stamp, the better your performance and payment, which can even afford you enough steps to walk around your office.

Everything seems pretty cut and dry, but that can't be all there is to this life (and this work), can it? No, there are other people in the office, and it's clear that some people don't want to be here, and they're hoping you're one of them. Sure, you can spend your hard-earned coins to improve how much you can stamp and all that jazz, or you can try to figure out what's going on around here. You only have a limited number of steps before you have to get back to your desk, so use them wisely and buy more if need be, because the System will not tolerate inefficiency.

Trust the System is a 2D nightmare simulator about being stuck in a small, confined space doing meaningless repetitive work until you die or leave. Leaving is enticing, but it's a dream that will stay within reach only as long as you're willing to put in the time and effort to earn your way toward it. The System can provide what you need to discover and escape, but only if you trust it.

Trust the System is available to download and play from its itch.io page!