Ratings and Reviews by Max Fog
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Time-limited and tight puzzles, April 7, 2024This game was a light little puzzle about escaping a building. The puzzles were short and time-limited, and it felt a few times like I had done everything right, before realising that I hadn't - but when I realised what i had to do, it felt good (a nice puzzle, the elevator one).
Unfortunately, i got stuck at certain points, and the hints were no help. They also took up time in the game, which was very annoying because then I couldn't get the next hint (undoing removes it). And I found it extra annoying was when I tried to CUT THE WIRE WITH THE CLIPPERS, and it didn't work. I was stumped there for quite some time.
Overall, a mixed feelings game with some nice puzzles and timing but badly implemented parts. I would recommend playing it, either way.
From the Author
For context on why this game is what it is: (Spoiler - click to show)first effort by a 13 year old in time span of one year using ZIL (undocumented and unused since Infocom times), with multiple changes to the parser on a level that had truly never been documented or properly tinkered with before, also having to learn C++ in the process to rewrite the compiler. There's countless more things. Oh, yes it was larger than the original H2G2 game, and also trying to follow in the footsteps of 1) Infocom, the greatest IF company of all time, no doubt, and 2) in the footsteps of Douglas Adams, possibly one of the clever and funny writers of all time.
A bit much for a first, no?
(Some more ranting below...)
(Spoiler - click to show)Of course it wasn't going to be perfect. It was a cruel game (though purposefully), and many puzzles were obscure. The writing wasn't great. And worst of all: the bugs. Oh, the bugs scuttled across the floor in huge quantities, but that was during the competition, where it place 48th out of 75. Now the bugs are swept away, the writing has been fixed, and the reviews have not been updated. I, for one, would certainly give it five stars because that is likely the most ambitious game in the history of IF. But I don't want to be annoying or boastful or whiny, which this probably seems. So 4 is good!
HA HA HA!! Another great game to test on!, April 2, 2024Everything was watertight. Even more so than the Devil’s contract. There were very little mistakes (other than a missing full stop for the appropriate “That was not in my sight!”). Other than that, everything felt perfectly designed and created, and nothing was missing. Puzzles clever, descriptions funny and consistent. If only it were longer!
Song: Certainly My Iron Lung. The former has that gothic ‘creepiness’ that it’s basing everything off, also with the lyrics quite “I’ll show them all!” (read the meaning behind the song to kind of understand). (Definitely a top song & top game.)
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