Reviews by Hyacinthos
"IFComp 2023"
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I'll have to emphasize: The game is still a Work-in-Progress and will be updated further in the near future apparently. It's an entry coded with choicescript, part of the "Less than 15 minutes" playtime. Even though I'm reviewing it, there's not much that can be reviewed, considering it's incomplete.
The title is self-explanatory enough for those wondering what the story is all about. It's about finding the culprit behind the glasses stealing case and solving the mystery of where MC's glasses ended up.
The story is centered around MC running around, trying to find the other members of their club, the Literature club, so that they can question them about their precious glasses. Their names are Minh (terrible pun and toublemaker) and Jaime (the picture-perfect student with a hidden past (Spoiler - click to show) she used to be some sort of delinquent who led or better yet is still leading a... gang of bike racers from their previous school. Nickname: Boss), 2 out of three potential romance options. There's also Red, the "gangster" who is having quite the interesting conversation with Jaime if MC decides to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Can definitively say the author has successfully managed to make use of a hook, choosing to start with the scene of MC waking up and not finding their glasses, showing, rather than telling, the emotional attachment MC has with their glasses. Something seemingly trivial from an outsider's perspective, is made to be felt much heavier from a reader's perspective who knows the anxiety MC is going through. They use the second-person POV narration, a wise choice considering how the game is designed. The writer has the tendency to have a clear and straightforward writing style, making use of descriptive language effectively, managing to set just the right pace. I can't help but think of the loss of glasses and the journey of finding them as a symbol of uncovering the secrets being hidden.
That, being said, there are small grammar mistakes here and there as well as bugs:
1.on Jaime's scene where if you don't decide to eavesdrop, or if you run, the story loops again, repeating the same scenes.
2.Achievements don't trigger even if you follow the guide to the letter. This could be a problem with the html file or the website where it's being hosted.
The game is a cute concept with a simple plot in hindsight, yet if the author decides to develop the miniplots further, it would add more depth to the story overall.
Playtime: less than 7 minutes
Rating: 3/5 because it's an incomplete entry. Will re-rate it after the full version is out.
The extensive and highly informative review posted before this one, provided almost everything one needs to know about the game, so in this one, I'm going to be writing my thoughts and impressions on the overall story instead.
IFComp 2023 has started a few days ago, yet unfortunately, I didn't have the time to check any of the entries. Fortunately, yesterday was my day off. While perusing the entries, the unusual name on the title and Socrates caught my eye first. When I read the description, then it was an insta-"Play online" for me.
I'll have to admit: I failed the first playthrough on reaching the main objective. Following the usual logic of games in the romance genre didn't work. Had to get creative and think out-of-the box, meaning: Searching on google who Xanthippe was and hopefully learn of her personality/relationship with Socrates. Surprisingly, it said Socrates liked her difficult and contrarian personality.....
To make a long story short, I decided to choose the most spiteful options one would expect to start a fight, along with the appreciation for philosophy. Managed to both achieve the main goal and get into a philosophical debate with the famous philosopher, Socrates. That's a win in my book.
Lovely concept the author has here. Seeing the last night before his death from the wife's POV. It was both a touching farewell and a good exploration on Socrates' possible psyche.
Playtime: 3 hours
Would I play it again: Yes, if not only to see the rest of Socrates arguments towards the second half of the game.
IfComp rating scale: 8/10 A great game which I'm pleased to have played, and which I'd recommend to others.
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