Ratings and Reviews by Christina Nordlander

Hallowmoor stretches the capabilities of Twine to their limits, containing a complex world model, an inventory, a compass rose showing possible exits (though these can also be accessed by clicking keywords), an automap, and puzzles that are not necessarily easier just because you don't have to type in the solution.

The puzzles are the high point of the game: there were several times when I let out an impressed "really?" upon trying some combination and finding that it was indeed implemented. The central conceit for many of the puzzles may not be completely unique, but is rare in IF, and particularly unexpected in a choice-based game. (Spoiler - click to show)You need to switch between two host bodies with different abilities and weaknesses. However, their paths may not cross, or the unpossessed one will kill the possessed one on sight. There are of course also other puzzles, involving the use of inventory items. In some ways, it reminded me of the old graphical adventure Shadowgate.

So in terms of implementation and puzzle inventiveness: full marks. Unfortunately, the story and writing don't quite live up to the technical fireworks on display. While the plot is reasonably original (you are a ghost searching for the potion that will restore you to bodily life), the setting is extremely generic fantasy standard: armies of skeletons, witches with gnarled hands, dungeon cells. I admit to a soft spot for old-school fantasy settings in games, but I never warmed to this setting: some rooms did give a satisfyingly edgy feeling of infiltrating a dark castle full of enemies, but for the most part, the world felt gross and filthy rather than frightening.

As for the writing, it's perfectly fine and does a good job laying out the rooms without making them too overwhelming for puzzle-solving; however, no passages really stand out. It's serviceable, rather than exquisite. (Also, I caught an annoying misspelling: "ode de" should be "eau de".)

The Twine format is good, and the colour scheme fits well with the theme.

Deserves to become a classic.

Elsewhere is a Twiny Jam entry, i.e. 300 words or less, but the small scope means that it gets across a large amount of detail without feeling too thin. It treats its problem without sentimentality, by letting the player focus on the practical solutions; much like you'd do in the PC's situation, in fact. (I've never been in this situation, but I've been close enough that I can imagine it.)

I was particularly impressed with its use of real-time changing texts and states. That feature made it feel more like a visual medium (despite there being no images) than any other IF game I've played.

Other reviewers have already gone into detail about the novel controls, so I will pass on that part. However, even without the mechanical inventiveness, this would still be worth playing.

The world of Amaranth has a unique, dreamy ambience. Despite its small size, there is enough detail (for example, the books) that it doesn't feel sparse. The responses to entering the (unnecessary) compass directions are an excellent touch.

The writing is very good - it falls into slight cliché once or twice, but it's clear and often very vivid. While I agree with other reviewers that the Red Prince does come off as a bit too passive, he is a memorable antagonist.

While the horror element is unlikely to keep you awake at night, the game does a good job at being eerie while staying away from cheap tricks: there is very little violence, little squickiness (apart from the undead guards), no unfair deaths. I enjoyed some of the dreamlike and unnerving images, such as (Spoiler - click to show)the horned skeleton at the shrine in the forest.

However, as the above paragraph shows, one could argue that the protagonist is a bit too safe in what should be a game about battling a powerful nemesis. The downside to the unique control system is a sense of alienation: we view this world top-down, like an intensely detailed model village. The PC can go pretty much anywhere: movement is carried out by the verb EXAMINE. At first, after the intro text's mention of dreams, I assumed that the game was meant to take place inside the PC's dreams, explaining the alien ambience that stems from the controls, but since you can go to sleep and dream in Amaranth (activating a clever, well-written hint system), that doesn't seem to be the case.

The puzzles are mostly simple and well-worn, in contrast with the innovations in other aspects. This isn't a problem for me (I'd rather play a game with conventional-but-logical puzzles than one that forces in the puzzles), but neither is it an advantage. However, one puzzle I did find original was (Spoiler - click to show)how you dispose of the Red Prince's body.

Castle of the Red Prince is a delicate, gem-like petit-four rather than a full meal. Highly recommended if you feel like playing a Gothic fantasy game that is a small time investment and unnerving rather than gruesome, as well as mechanically innovative.

In essence, Tweezer is a stripped-down fantasy parody RPG created in Twine. You are a tourist with a limited number of days to spend in the fantasy land of Tuisere. Every day or night, you can choose to either visit a shop in town or go adventuring, with different features showing up depending on whether it's night or day, as well as on the day of the week. The day/night mechanic and some of the areas reminded me a little of Castle of the Red Prince, but Tweezer, while it does have a few borderline horror elements, is 100% not serious.

A particularly entertaining feature is the fact that you have a guide, who provides the narration. That's a trick I have seen in the occasional parser game, but never in a Twine game before now. Tweezer is as much the story of the guide as of the PC, and the guide's narrative voice stands for some of the most hilarious lines.

Let's talk about the humour. It's all over the place, ranging from gratuitous swearing and insults to old pop-culture jokes to understated wit. The first time I played, I found it overly broad (visiting the hippie alchemist first). After a few playthroughs, I started to appreciate the variety. While fantasy parody in IF goes back to the 90s at least, this game does manage to infuse it with its own flavour. Whatever your tastes, it's likely that there will be something here to annoy you, and also something to make you at least chuckle.

While this game has an RPG format, with the possibility to buy weapons and items and engage in battle with various fantasy clichés, the actual challenge level isn't very high. Surviving your stay in Tuisere is not particularly hard. (If there is a more "winning" ending other than that, I have not yet found it.) Essentially, in my playthroughs, I noodled around, explored, and figured out which items to use on which challenges. I haven't found everything, though. Don't let the superficial silliness fool you: there is quite a lot to find here, and since every playthrough is quite short, you will need to replay it if you want to look for the things you missed. I still haven't (Spoiler - click to show)beaten the quicktime event, or figured out whether Queen Ghoulia actually appears in-game.

Some of my favourite parts were the losing endings. (Spoiler - click to show)The vampire ending, getting the Blood Sword, and the one where your guide has to register for unemployment come to mind. The black comedy of these misadventures is where the understated narrative voice shines.

As usual, PaperBlurt abuses the multimedia capabilities of Twine in various cool ways. Your mileage will possibly vary on how much use any of it is. I'm not sold on the automatically appearing and disappearing text: I can appreciate that it is more dynamic than pressing a "Continue" link, but there is always the risk of it being either too slow or too fast. (That said, most of the time, the speed seemed good to me.) However, other coding tricks were things I had never seen in Twine before, and they worked well, possibly because they only appeared in small amounts. The colours of the backgrounds are a good minimalist way to illustrate the settings.

Tweezer is a difficult game to rate: I enjoyed it, but I realise that other people have a lower tolerance for clichéd fantasy parodies or wacky humour, or will find the game element too basic. Well, what can I say? It has a dorky passive-aggressive guide, a B-movie mad scientist, and drug jokes. If that sounds like your bag, give it a shot.

The link to this game does not go anywhere. I have to assume that the author has not actually put the game online.

Also, the synopsis "this is just a test story filled with bad spelling" does not inspire me with confidence that this is something that needs to have a page on IFDb, at least not until it has been developed into something the author considers viable.

vale of singing metals is probably the best Twiny Jam entrant I've played so far, and an excellent example of how to create a challenging game in Twine: by using links to create a maze. At first you merely want to find your bearings and explore. Later, you find an object and instructions on where to put it.

This is a straightforward concept, but vale of singing metals uses dream-logic and surreal, evocative sensations to guide the player through the maze. Saying much more about it would probably spoil it.

The colour scheme is enjoyable and works well with the dreamlike but calm ambience.

Strongly recommended to those who are interested in seeing the more game-like uses of Twine, or who want a poetic but decently challenging puzzle.