Dinosaur Polo Club has released a new co-op game titled Read the Fcking Manual (RTFM), available for free on PC and Mac via Itch.io. The game, developed by a small internal team, emerged from a game jam and marks a departure from the studio's earlier titles like Mini Metro and Mini Motorways. In RTFM*, one player acts as the Troubleshooter with access to a manual, while the other, the Terminal Operator, must describe what appears on their screen—something the Troubleshooter cannot see. The gameplay hinges on communication and trust, with outcomes shaped by how honestly each player relays information. The game's setting mimics a tech support environment, creating a tense, atmospheric experience that flirts with horror elements through multiple endings based on player choices. According to the studio, it is "a game of trust and communication" that can feel either engaging or grueling depending on the relationship between players.
When Dinosaur Polo Club calls RTFM a game about trust, it's really exposing how fragile teamwork can be under pressure—especially in tech, where miscommunication can cascade into failure. The game mirrors real-world dynamics Nigerian developers at outfits like Andela or Kobo360 face daily: solving problems remotely with incomplete information. By making truth a mechanic rather than a given, RTFM turns workplace friction into gameplay—and that's not just clever design, it's uncomfortably accurate.
