Reviews by Audiart

Although I did not enjoy playing Fail-Safe, I had to give it a good rating for its very effective and innovative narrative voice. Jon Ingold is really a master of this and it shines brightly in this early game. In fact I think the brevity of the game really accentuated the tantalizing and creepy atmospheric effect of the narrative.

It would be a shame to elaborate further on the nature of this narrative voice, for it would ruin the experience of playing the game, and as the puzzles and plot are fairly unmentionable, this would seriously detract from the merits of the game.

However: Fail-Safe, by so exquisitely rendering its eerie atmosphere, produces a distinctly uncomfortable feeling; there is blood, you are trapped, it is an emergency. I would not recommend this game to anyone who is not fond of such scenarios, because the game is, from its first line to its last, so instantly and totally immersive.

In this way, its greatest strength can be its own shortcoming (for some players) -- the narrative method is so effective that I sincerely disliked the feeling of being immersed in the world of Fail-Safe, as it felt so very real and urgent and disturbing.

Based on reviews I really wanted to like this game, and gave it a fair try. But it was just one text-dump after another from the beginning. I thought this would abate after the introduction, but it didn't. It was such a chore to try to plow through this rather dry writing that I felt totally unmotivated to explore or solve the puzzles. I was also instantly repelled by the different text colors, and I had no attachment to the characters.

As a fan of golden age science fiction, animal oriented games, humorous games, and metaphysics, I came into Rover's Day Out hoping for a lot. Unfortunately, all I got an uninteresting amateur novel that I had to tap my way through with canned responses.

Brace yourself for adventure, absurdity, and pumpkins.

Mentula Macanus is an absurdist epic that requires extensive mapping and saving, can be frustrating and sparsely implemented at times, but ultimately never fails to delight your inner highbrow with the ridiculous and paradoxical.

Puzzles and story are somewhat linear; the real meat is in its brilliant black humor and totally unexpected moments of profundity. The most rewarding moments leave you truly flabbergasted by obscure references that you didn't think anyone else could possibly understand. Not many games have made me laugh out loud, but this one did.

Play this for its humor, not its puzzles; take your time with it and allow it to exercise your patience; and above all don't take it seriously - you will be richly rewarded.

Like all exploration games by Ryan Veeder, I only wish it were longer.

The atmosphere of Wrenlaw immediately drew me in. It felt uncannily autobiographical; I've been there, this very place, done these very things. Wandering, seeking purpose, imbuing what I find with a meaning drawn from memory.

Wrenlaw opens more questions than it answers. There are no traditional puzzles, just wandering through your environment and your memories. But what are you searching for? Did you find it? Can that which we are seeking ever be really objectified?

Guilded Youth looks and feels great, but unfortunately lacks in its puzzles and a real sense of satisfaction upon completion. The interface is a very convincing and well-implemented reminder of my gaming youth and is the only really memorable part of the game.

At first I was drawn in by the story (which I could relate to) and the thrill of exploration. However, the repetition and somewhat jarring moments of returning to "reality" interrupted this otherwise quite pleasant nostalgic experience.

I never felt much connection with the characters so the more emotional scenes had little impact. Repetition of the main scene quickly became tedious and the puzzles, while not difficult, were frustrating to execute. Ultimately I would not have pressed on with the game were it not for the charming interface.

This game is nice to look at but not as nice to actually play. In some ways maybe the 80s were really like that, but I wanted to re-experience my memories of that time period, not to be reminded of the dissonance.

Self-indulgent purple prose with very little plot and punctuation. I suspect there is a very good reason the author did not write their name on this game. Do yourself a favor and spend an hour with Ovid instead.

Amazingly similar to Nord & Bert, this game is in some ways better than that Infocom classic. It is much funnier, but far less polished. Some of the anagrams and palindromes are genuinely brilliant and laugh-out-loud hilarious - though much of the humour is more groan- than chuckle-inducing.

Much like Nord & Bert and Ad Verbum, Manor has different areas to pass through with different types of wordplay, some of which are amazing, some of which are a real bore. Admittedly, it's hard to make a coherent game based solely on wordplay, and given that consideration, the narrative is pretty solid. Naturally, it tends towards the surreal as objects are manipulated by your punnery.

Unlike Nord & Bert, Manor is a continuous narrative and is not subdivided into sections. In some ways this works to its advantage, giving the game a goofy & surreal, yet cohesive feel. However, since you cannot skip around to different sections at will; I found myself trying to get through some parts of Manor as quickly as possible just to get that section over with.

Ultimately, the real gems in this game got lost in the overwhelming heap of mediocre puns and sophmoric humor. It would have been better to shorten this game, to pick out the real winners and help them stand out.

In short, if you liked Nord & Bert you'll like this. But if you're expecting Counterfeit Monkey, you'll be disappointed.

This fairly linear game is expansive enough to make the extensive exploration rewarding while at the same time not taking itself too seriously. Nothing novel here in the way of puzzle solutions; no character or plot development to speak of, just an old-fashioned crawl through a medieval setting.

I really enjoyed drawing the map, and solving the puzzles was simple yet satisfying. The multiple endings made me groan, however, as it requires a certain action at the very beginning of the game. Let it be said that this game really has little to no replay value. (I just read the transcript to see the different ending.)

While not particularly memorable, Castle Adventure is a solid game that won't drive you crazy and is well worth a play. I think this game would be great for a beginner.

I was disappointed that this game was so short. Most of the objects and space are not interactive or usable. In fact it could have been a one-room game and been pretty much the same. At first I was enchanted by all of the rooms and exhibits to explore. But alas, these are for naught.

The most notable thing about this game is the combat system, which was easy to use but didn't add much to the game for me. If you are familiar with Veeder's other rat games you will want to play this as a light snack, but don't expect an epic.

Obviously this game was intended to be short and simple, so in that sense it delivers. There are no bugs and everything was fully implemented. The most redeeming feature was the point of view of the rat when examining our (human) culture. The game is peppered with little bits of typical Veeder wit and humor.

I wish that this game had been drawn out into a real puzzler explore-fest like some of the longer Veeder games. The setting and characters have a lot of potential. I would love to play a longer version of this game if the author chooses to develop it.

Sparkle is very replayable and small enough that the constant walking back and forth is not too tedious. The gameplay revolves around transforming objects, which is taken to the depth expected for so short a game, but really leaves me wanting more. A list of "achievements" keeps you coming back to try new ways to approach the puzzles.

The puzzles are difficult enough to produce a satisfying "eureka" feeling upon solving them, and I believe true failure is impossible. There are not a lot of suggestions in the game to lead you towards the solutions, but fortunately the answers are very intuitive and quite down-to-earth for a puzzle with a fantasy theme at its core.

Sparkle reminded me in some ways of classic Emily Short puzzles - albeit in a much condensed form. I would very much like to see the transformation mechanic and spiritual theme turned into a larger game with more emotional depth.