Reviews by Max Fog
IFComp 2023
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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.)
I hope I noticed everything, because I wish there was more, April 1, 2024A game about a break up. With interesting animals reflecting your thoughts. A beautiful piece, with nice writing. This game has brought me to the final conclusion that Twine games can also be awesome!
Song: Faust Arp. Short but beautifully written.
Not just tricky - also mesmerising , April 1, 2024This game I really enjoyed. Long, interesting messages in a gruescript parser, it was interesting and peaceful. I liked the story and background, as well as the setting. It was very clever.
... And that's literally all I have to say.
Song: There, There. Plus some I Might Be Wrong.
Fight & Lun, February 18, 2024I enjoyed the idea of this game, but I didn’t feel it fully lived up to its expectations. Although the puzzles were definitely good and worked, I think it soon exhausted me. But very fun, maybe try and mix things up a little more, also maybe a little bit longer, but I thoroughly enjoyed what was there very much!
Song: I couldn’t find something that fully fits (also since not many of Radiohead’s songs are very goofy and lighthearted in the way this one is), but I found Permanent Daylight. Not my favourite song by far, unfortunately, and this game is very good, but the line “With your head on backwards” gave me the flipping-letters vibe.
I know everyone's at: IKEA!, January 1, 2024This game is very, very fun. I liked the creating of different objects in certain places to get past obstacles, and the weird cultists! When writing this, I admit I haven’t finished, but I did have to use hints. It was a very fun idea, and I plan to finish it.
Song: A mix of 2+2=5 and Fake Plastic Trees’ music video. The cluttered idea of “two plus two always makes up five” has the weird contraption jumble of the game, and I have to admit I wasn’t “paying attention” for much of the game. The music video for Fake Plastic Trees has that shop vibe, and it starts quite happy, so that’s why.
Woah., November 6, 2023A crazy story with some extremely vivid moments (the bridge of bodies, falling, and the immediate aftermath with LIVE. I loved that.) and a strong sense of madness to it. Unfortunately I didn’t understand the whole bit from the eating of the headphones to the bridge (who was that other person? What was actually happening?) but overall pretty good.
An extra bonus point for the US Government speech. That was really, really good and I think people need to read it. It gives off a strong vibe with lots of meaning: people who have been born with no voice in the world (no say in what they can do), and are not even treated like people because others know they have the power to fight back.
Song: Paranoid Android. Personally my favourite song. Some of the lyrics relate really well.
Maybe better than I considered, but still..., October 6, 2023This game has a nice premise, with you being sent off the camp by your grandmother. Classic. However, this one takes it differently, in a more Camp Half-Blood way.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't *awful* or anything at all, but I got tired of it quickly, because the writing goes on, and on. It repeats itself, or the conversations become too distracting, which means I skip ahead and miss stuff. A little bit of cutting would help a lot.
Song: Lotus Flower. The game has a more pop-y relation to what the song would be, but not an absolutely great song, although still peaceful and melodic.
Prince Quisborne really shook the "feckless"!, October 6, 2023I beta tested this game, but that doesn't change how I feel about this game!
Now, this game is a massive, puzzly exploration through a highly detailed, fun fantasy world. I love this game. The puzzles are neat, the hints work fully, and so on. Plus, the coming-of-age story and the endless description add to a feeling of a world without stop, much like our world - but countless times more beautiful.
Song: There, There (The Boney King of Nowhere).
And what a mouth this lion has, October 6, 2023Personally, this was not one of my favourite games, but it was still interesting. The way you kept going forward and backward between states left me confused, which if it was purposeful, it was very clever. However, if it was NOT… then it was not my favourite at all. Very exclamation marks-heavy and nervous as well (which isn’t bad, just a note).
Song: Trans-Atlantic Drawl.
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