Ratings and Reviews by circe08

This is an amazing and expansive game, and there are more than the 18 endings listed on the walkthrough

This game well deserves its evergreen spot as #1 on the list of best IF of all time.

This is not a game it is a work of art. It was panned critically when it came out because it did not fit the mold of crude plunder, puzzles, knights and barbarians etc. that was the meta in IF at the time. Those games are easily outmatched by modern video games with their graphics but Emily Short really understands how to harness the medium of interactive TEXT to the fullest extent.

This is very fun, I solved the murder but I cannot figure out how to get all the endings.

I really wanted to like this game. As a Lovecraft reader and a resident Massachusettsan I relished reading a story about the man-made horror beyond comprehension that is Massachussetts small towns. But there really is nothing going for this game that would justify its position as #2 on the IFDB Top 100.

The writing comes off as juvenile to the extreme. It violates the holy rule of "show not tell" which is especially essential in a horror game, and it just leads to a complete lack of atmosphere. It felt like the "horror" was being forced upon me like "are you scared yet?? how bout now??". The dialogue is awkward and stilted, and none of the characters seem human (even the ones who are actually human).

The gameplay is tedious. The map is just large for the sake of being large. I also spent more time inputting tiresome commands (like needing to unlock the door every time you want to open it, getting out of bed first before grabbing an item etc). This should have been implemented automatically.

All in all, a very disappointing experience. Its an ok game, it just doesn't deserve to be so highly rated when there are so many newer IF games that do a better job.

Super creative and funny concept, the writing is very good.

Bought this on Steam a couple years ago and its my fault for not coming give it a 5 star stamp of appreciation sooner. One of my all time favorite games, it really has a je ne sais quoi where it boggles your mind to think how the author thought it all up.



The writing is poetic heaven. My favorite line from the game was

(Spoiler - click to show) ...a bird nests in embers. Xiuhtecuhtli smiles at me.