Reviews by Fabio Bittar

I was born in '81 and grew up playing point-and-click adventures from the early '90s, such as The Secret of Monkey Island and Sam & Max Hit the Road. It wasn’t until the late '90s that I discovered text adventure games—also known as interactive fiction—and I played some of the more recent entries of that era, such as Anchorhead, Vespers, and many others. However, when it came to the original Infocom games, I knew very little beyond the titles of their most famous works and a warning not to expect the same level of quality as seen in modern interactive fiction.

Interestingly, as of 2025, it seems parser-based games are in decline, with new authors opting for hypertext "choose your own adventure" games or similarly clickable fiction with fewer options and less opportunity for unexpected user input. Personally, I still prefer parsers for the freedom and mechanical challenges they offer.

Anyway, I digress. Having now played Planetfall, I can say with absolute certainty that it served as inspiration for many of the point-and-click games I loved in the '90s. The descriptions may not be as flowery as those in newer games, the parser itself is somewhat crude, and examining items often results in unremarkable output. Yet what is there is absolutely brilliant and perfectly crafted.

Yes, there are many empty rooms that serve no practical purpose except to immerse the player in the narrative, portraying these installations as vast, abandoned, and believable. Yes, there are empty dormitories, bathrooms, and countless other rooms you’re not required to visit. And yet, wandering through them is essential for conveying a sense of awe and wonderment as you explore the facilities, uncover their history, and learn the fate of their former inhabitants.

The puzzles are fair and, in many ways, remind me of those I experienced in the '90s while playing The Secret of Monkey Island. I could almost picture Planetfall as a graphical adventure in my mind’s eye, and if it were, it would be just as memorable.

Planetfall is deceptively simple and remains approachable even today. I wish more gamers had the chance to play it. It may take a bit of getting used to, but once you’re hooked, you won’t want to stop until you’ve finished it with a perfect score.