Ratings and Reviews by Simon Deimel
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A short reading matter, May 19, 2020This short project in Twine offers some thoughts on losing a loved one during the current crisis. The text is accompanied by graphics and sound effects. The ideas are considerately executed, but unfortunately there is no real interactivity to make it feel like an actual game. The project at hand only takes some minutes to finish, so is worth a try anyway.
This is a collection of articles on Wooley Swamp. I did not know the corresponding song when I started playing (or let's say reading), but checked the lyrics after clicking through and as far I can see, the main article summarizes the lyrical content of the song and there are some additional lines containing some creepypasta. So all we get is a number of text dumps that do not require any decisions. This kind of presentation is not very compelling -- it might have been a better idea to let the player be a part of the plot.
It is not the worst to read, but not recommendable for people who want a playing experience. There is no interactivity in selecting and reading some articles and most certainly not a game.
Above average, June 30, 2017The Seers Catalogue is a Twine game of medium length with graphic elements and suitable sound effects. The game has a great atmosphere and the player is drawn into strange events. It starts with a weird magazine that you can actually browse in. There are articles and something is going to draw your attention: The request for an accomplice...
The interactive story is mostly linear. There are some choices every now and then, but I am not sure if they change much about the outcome of the story. The game is focused on the atmosphere.
There are minor flaws like the fact that some choices are not highlighted enough in the colour schemes, but this is something you can get over easily. Recommendable for everyone who likes a story with surreal elements.
What we have here is merely the introduction to an interactive science fiction story about a stranded space traveller, limited to some choices and some dead ends. At the time at which I am writing this review, the game (or rather introduction to a game) was posted one and a half years ago without being continued, so I may assume that the author has lost interest in this project, or there are other reasons for abandoning it. I do not mind unfinished games being online, but there should be more than some screens of text.
Nevertheless the beginning is really not that bad. The writing is decent and the way the choices are given reminds me of the old fighting fantasy game books that I loved a lot when I was younger. It is a pity that this game will probably remain unfinished. It is not a game in its current state.
A brief experience, June 27, 2017I would probably classify this interactive story as a vignette as it is about one situation that you have to deal with -- the attack of a bear. The prose is sparse, there are some visual elements and not much else.
But still I found this little piece quite entertaining. Exploring the different branches was interesting enough to replay it a few times, and the choices branched off in amusing situations. Recommendable for everyone who can spare five minutes.
Almost 4 stars, January 28, 2015It is a nice story in the tradition of Edgar Allen Poe, featuring motives of his works and mixing them up with the visual works of Vincent van Gogh (both of which are characters in the play). The story has some branches, and it is worth to experience every possibility. Unfortunately the main branch seems to relate to an element which, depending on the choices before, may not have taken place, so there is an illogic moment. But nevermind. The prose is skilled and reminiscent of Poe. The dreamlike atmosphere is well put in scene.
I recommend this to friends of Edgar Allen Poe's works -- if you are familiar with his works, you will rediscover his tone and trains of thought.
Minimalism in a good way, May 3, 2014A minimalistic CYOA game that consists of nothing more than colored squares displaying room names, objects or incidents that take place, followed by keywords as choices. It should be mentioned that both elements are written in English and in French.
The lack of narrative elements is something I usually do not find appealing, but to my surprise it was different here: Being confronted with nothing else than single words I felt motivated to think about them, and a narrative of my own came up in my mind. The game manages to tell a story without existing prose, and despite its sparse style I got the feeling that there was a plot, at least for me. The style of the game inspires the readers' fantasy, encourages them to make up parts of the story for themselves.
Principally this piece of work is recommendable for everyone who does not feel offended by the lack of words (some people may consider it to be a sign of laziness, but it can also be a stylistic device). Especially recommendable for people who like something different and experimental.
A fine sci-fi story with horror elements and a touch of the surreal, March 15, 2014The game FISH BOWL is about a beach comber who awakes one day to find a peculiar fish bowl in his shack near the beach, unable to remember where it has come from and why it is there; this makes the fish bowl a central object and the player is likely to get the idea that there is something to be done about it.
The game is segmented into two parts, the first of which mainly deals with the fish bowl, the second concerning the search for the truth about the situation. Amnesia is a subject of the first part and resolved in the second, which justifies the use of this trope. The change between illusion and reality is nicely arranged and conveys a surreal feeling. The storyline is sinister and dismal; I felt absorbed into it.
It is a quite short game and positively worth playing; the necessary actions can easily be found and there are hints given. I am not good with puzzles, but found out what to do without resorting to a description of the solution. I may recommend this interactive fiction to people with the same preference; also to beginners who want to check out a tight sci-fi narration without running the risk of a headache.
Missing implemetations, March 1, 2014According to the description, this was made for a friend of the author.
The adult elements consist of a laptop described as displaying adult material, the existence of a dildo (which cannot be taken, and using it results in an error message) and references to playing with oneself. The implementions are shallow, typical examples:
>lie on bed
You can't lie on it.
>switch on TV
You can't turn it on.
There are sudden deaths when the house is left, resulting in falling out of a window or being hit by a meteor.
I could not find anything like a story. I originally wanted to state that the game has the quality of a SpeedIF entry, but due to the lack of story elements it is not more than a programming exercise.
It may be funny among friends, but not suitable for a general audience.
Metaphorical, March 1, 2014Blue men is a game about an office worker who discovers that not everything is as it seems. I am not an office worker, but I think I would have similar thoughts about it as the protagonist.
The story is very intriguing, the character descriptions leave no doubt about the protagonist's true feelings. He (we can postulate that the protagonist is male) is obviously on the edge -- there are repeated comments how annoying his co-workers and his boss are. The game can bee seen as a metaphor for the wish to break away from the daily grind. The players even have the choice whether they accept their fate of being trapped in their position as office workers.
I was not sure about the rating -- I wanted to give four stars, but finally gave three. The reason is that the game is quite difficult and mistakes can very easily take place, and then the player has to repeat the previous actions when he realizes that what he did was not the series of actions that will lead to the desired ending. So every player is advised to save the game position frequently and keep various save files to prevent trouble. About the endings: the author states in a postscript that there is no real winning ending -- the player has to decide if the reached ending is satisfactory or not, and that is true: When I reached the final ending (it announces that the player has reached the ending which is considered to be the best), I wondered if I would not have preferred something different. But the author offers some thoughts on it in the postscript, so we get an insight in what he was thinking.
The prose is great, even if it contains some profanity (I tend to dislike strong expressions in written texts). It was still acceptable.
I would rather not recommend this game to beginners; it is quite tough, the puzzles are above average and some things may appear confusing. I can heartily recommend it to advanced players though.
The author wrote a short story and tried to pack it into a game with a parser -- this medium is not suitable for the presentation.
Let's ignore the initial error message -- I wonder why it occurs anyway, there are hardly any implementations -- and take a look at the way this game is designed. The game consists of several rooms, mostly to be passed in a certain order, and the room descriptions consist of parts of the story -- so going to the next room is not different from turning the page of a book, and returning to a visited room is like reading the previous page: dialogues and initial observations are repeated. Actions apart from going to the next room are redundant. The game ends when the last room is reached.
It might work in a CYOA-format, although there is still the lack of interactivity. Even in a format with hyperlinks there would be hardly any choices. In the current version it is just a short story without any possibility of interaction worth mentioning.
So after all it is not a game, but a story. What about its contents? Well, that depends on personal tastes. I would not call it literate. It is pulp, throws in sexual elements. It is a question of taste how a player/reader receives such provocations. For me it has only trash value.
Not to lose respect for the author, the prose is acceptable. He surely had some work with it. It could be published in a forum for pulp short stories, without any doubt. But it cannot pass as interactive fiction in the current version.
Note: I removed my rating because I do not consider it fair to give a rating based on the use of the medium. There are more factors that should be equally regarded. My initial impression was just that this project is not working properly.
Adorable, February 26, 2014A very cute story about some kids going trick-or-treating on Halloween. A very short CYOA-game, one of the endings can be reached after a short time -- but there are different endings, so it even has replay value.
The game was written by a young Miss with some help of her father (also an IF author). It has to be mentioned that the storyline is pretty much her own creation. Of course it contains some fantastic moments, but that's fairly okay -- to be honest, I felt reminded of some R.L. Stine story, so nothing wrong with that.
I also liked the numeration of the pages -- it conveys the feeling of the old Fighting Fantasy books (in case anyone happens to remember those).
So cheers to Adelynn and her first work.
An interactive portrait, February 25, 2014This project was an entry for the IF Art Show 2000. The works published in this context concentrate on observation without an apparent plot -- like watching a piece of art in a museum and experiencing its details.
THE VISITOR lets you visit an elderly woman in a nursing home, and you can have a conversation with her. (Spoiler - click to show)It is also useful to examine the room to find suitable conversation topics. The conversational system is basic, but adequate. According to the topics chosen and actions done, the player will influence his/her relationship to the elderly woman. The game presents the final result when it ends.
It is not a real art show, but moreover a character study. When I played it, I was eager to find out more about the woman and to attain a good relationship. In some way the story has a lot of heart.
It is recommendable for everyone who likes a short diversion; there could be more to it, but it surely meets the requirements of a short character portrait.
Experimental, but not for the player, February 23, 2014Yes, I get it. It is an experiment. Create a game without an actual room. It sounds impossible, but obviously here we have an example of what can be done. It is surely interesting in terms of programming, but does it contribute to the gameplay? Well, it hardly does. The game starts nowhere, in darkness; for the player it is actually like a room without a lightsource and without any exits; I could not see a difference.
The game itself consists of one puzzle which is not difficult to solve with some experimenting. The implementation of verbs is okay, I did not have to do any guesswork. There are no storyline and no characterizations at all -- the player is confronted with the problem, has to solve it, and that's all, folks.
(Spoiler - click to show)I played (and solved) the puzzle on my mobile phone for the first time, using ZMPP (which does not show the cover pictures). So I saw the picture later, and I really wonder why it was designed in such a way. It actually gives away the complete solution of the only puzzle. The picture is not only giving a clue, but shows the final objective of the game. Honestly, you would not put the picture of the arrested murderer on a film poster of a mystery thriller, would you? It would spoil the whole plot. In this case, carefully spoken, the choice of the game cover is slightly inconsiderate.
For me this was a short puzzle, nothing more. I cannot say that it is bad, but there is not much content. It may be a great experiment, but a player will probably not experience anything special. Referring to general gameplayers, it is recommendable if you like a short diversion that focusses on one puzzle.
Original in a silly way, February 22, 2014A very short game with a silly premise: So you are a chef and have to prepare a meal. There is a list of ingrediences that you have to use, and then a number of objects fall from the sky and you have to put the ones mentioned on the list into the pot (Spoiler - click to show)(or you take everything and then "put all into the pot" -- it also works, the game will automatically choose the right ones). Some things cannot be taken without previously getting hold of corresponding objects (luckily the game explicitly states the possession of which other item is required, as in some cases there is hardly any logic -- maybe it is knowledge based on community conventions which I am not familiar with). So there are no puzzles and the game progress takes place almost by itself. It just takes a short time to reach the ending.
Recommendable to people who feel like being silly for some minutes and cast the deadly seriousness aside.
Technically inaccurate, February 22, 2014A storyless collection of puzzles, intended as a tutorial for people who are new to IF. Principally a tutorial is not a bad idea, but anything with educational intention should show the basic concepts of an idea.
This game succeeds in teaching some basic commands, but it fails to get a new player accquainted with general conventions in IF, such as the use of containers (in this game the backpack has to be taken to make the possession of certain items possible; but they just coexist in the inventory, because the backpack is not programmed as a container), or the difference of inanimate and animate objects (the kids are programmed as inanimate things, not as persons). I did not care much, but it may be confusing for beginners. The puzzles are not too difficult to solve, but some of them may be a bit too underclued for beginners.
For me it was a short puzzler, nothing more. I found the ending a bit annoying, because the game lets you lose for a reason without any logic(Spoiler - click to show) -- the win requires dropping a certain object before exiting the last room (or not having taken it before), and I don't think any player will reconsider having the thing in the inventory (as picking it up does not suggest any lethal danger) before exiting. In the end this game cannot be recommended as a tutorial.
The escape of a gummi bear, February 21, 2014For a speed IF this game is neatly done. The player directs a gummi bear trying to avoid being eaten alive. The actions are quite obvious and can hardly be called puzzles. The implementations are sparse and sometimes a verb that I considered to be the right one was not what the program was waiting for; but regarding the short time in which the game was written, perfection can not be expected.
All in all a cute story. This short amusement is recommendable for people who have some minutes of free time.
Not too shabby, February 19, 2014I normally do not like CYOA-style games. I prefer a parser, because choices in a game made with Twine or Inkle most of the time do not require much thinking. A choice is right or wrong, and if it is wrong, do it different when you start up. In this game it is similar: Some choices, some of them lead to points already known, some later lead to death or win.
I liked the writing, and this is an important thing for CYOA stories -- they have to create atmosphere by the prose, and the author succeeds in my opinion. I recognized two typos or so, but the rest is flawless and creates nice images.
The actual flaw of the game is something else.(Spoiler - click to show) It is a contentual shortcoming: The author starts the story with an often used trope (amnesia -- someone awakes in a room and does not know how he arrived there), and the conclusion is the victory over the beast. But in the end the author simply forgets to resolve the initial situation of amnesia. He also created a new problem: The player is trapped on the island, as the barge drifted away, so what is he/she going to do? As a reader I was not be fully satisfied with the ending. But the game was not too long, the considerable length of a medium sized short story, so I recommend to give it a try and enjoy the existing prose.
Very short, but not bad, February 19, 2014The game is set in modern times, but contains elements of a Zorkian adventure: spell scrolls. So you basically have a modern slice-of-life setting with a modern aim to be achieved, but to finish the game you have to draw on casting a spell (not much of a spoiler, the player is going to find this out very soon). The game is easily solved and ends with a joke.
I did not play the whole bunch of Infocom games when I was young, so there was no nostalgia effect for me. Nevertheless I found the story entertaining enough to make me find a solution. The method how to solve it was easy to find, the trick is very obvious.
Recommended mainly for beginners -- it is short and does not cause much frustration. Veterans of IF will probably feel unchallenged. Then again the game is very short, so there won't be much time lost.
Knowing what to do, February 19, 2014There is not much time spent on finding out what to do in this game: the player simply has to behave like a tough barbarian, destroying everything which can possibly destroyed.
The game offers some little puzzles, but they can be solved quite easily. There is hardly anything like a plot -- so the story is about doing what the title of the game is, and there is not much more to be done. Just kill everything. And if there is not any such a thing, try to find it. And then kill it.
It sounds dumb and it probably is, but in a funny way. The ending highlights the joke behind it all. As the puzzles are quite easy, this game is recommendable for beginners of the genre. It is short, straight to the point and positively worth a try.
Absurd, but delightful, February 18, 2014In this little game the player takes the role of a person who is prone to nudism. But the protagonist wants to extend this lifestyle. You as the player have to cross a part of a town to reach the nudist camp. Not to forget, you refused to wear your clothes and are naked. It is a story in the tradition of the author -- I checked out some of his games and liked them despite their briefness.
The situation sounds absurd, but that's what happens if you give in to your inclinations.
The game is very short. There is not much to do and the end is reached in a jiffy. There are easy puzzles and the solutions are more than obvious. Nonetheless I liked the absurd atmosphere. The implementation could be better, but it is sufficient for the easy play. The language is also okay. For me it was a nice diversion.
I recommend this game to people who are new to IF and want to check out the mechanics, and also to players who like a short absurd comedy.
Little more than nothing, February 18, 2014I can only agree with the former reviews: this is not a game.
This project cannot pass as IF. Sure, there is interactivity to a minor degree (in answering one question), but there is no fiction, no story, not even the slightest bit of it. It cannot pass as a joke either, at least not for the player. A joke normally works with expectations and their dissolution in a punchline, but there are no expectations built up in the player by asking a single polar question.
I did not expect much when I started this, and I got even less. I did not feel especially annoyed or insulted, but there are no gaming contents here.
Quite solid, February 18, 2014BANE OF THE BUILDERS is a quite solidly arranged game with a sci-fi theme. The player explores an alien planet in search of a missing professor and encounters the ancient race of the so-called Builders, getting acquainted with their culture while holding out for the missing academic. The game ranked about in the middle of the 7th annual IF competition.
The game itself is not too bad. A science fiction story that complies with the standards. There are a redundant maze and some arbitrary puzzles, things that could have been more polished. But the writing is decent and the game features in-built hints. There is also a walkthrough available on the database, so the player can find help when he/she gets stuck.
I can recommend the game to fans of science fiction and people who want to get a taste for the sci-fi category, although there are probably better choices for people who wish to check out the genre for the first time.
Promising start, February 16, 2014My first impression is not that bad, the story is okay and the writing sufficient. Unfortunately the coding is not complete (error messages because answers to a verb have not been defined), and synonyms are not implemented (Spoiler - click to show)(you discover that the top of the container where you start is a lid. "push lid" results in the reply that there is no lid, "push top" then works and the reply is "you push the lid", which is contradictory). This game should be revised, the start is not too shabby.
The shortest game ever?, February 12, 2014A simple guess-the-verb game. One obvious matter has to be solved with one move. This cannot be called a puzzle, there is hardly any logic thinking required. The solution is obvious, but still you might not see the wood for the trees.
I gave this two stars because in the end I found it funny -- not that kind of funny to have long laughs about, but funny in a way that makes you bump your head against the wall.
It is somehow stupid, but I recommend it. I clearly recommend this to people who like to check out stuff that does not fit into the usual categories.
Something is missing, February 12, 2014Basically this game is a collection of riddles, presented in rhymes. I liked them. I really did, even if I could not find the solution to the second half of the fourth riddle. But the first ones were nice, quite easy, but you had to think about them for a short while.
But something is missing, something which is essential for a good interactive fiction: a story. I can not find much of it, I just know that I am locked in somewhere and have to solve riddles, nothing more. Maybe there will be explanations after the last riddle is solved, but it might be not a good idea to introduce a storyline right before the ending. I would have liked the game better with a background. Why am I there? Why do riddles appear? And who is the unknown riddler? Maybe I am Batman, trapped by the Riddler? It would have been little work to create some scenes around the riddles, just to establish some atmosphere. There could have been more effort to this.
A masterpiece, February 12, 2014So, as this game seems to be praised by everyone, I finally decided to check it out. It is hard to give a review about this game without spoilers, so read with care. It starts with a scene that let's you think you are a tourist, but the player will very soon be taught better.
In the first part of the game two kinds of scenes take turn -- the protagonist tries to retrace what he previously did, and if there is something deviant from the actions that happened before the actual gameplay, the gameplay will move to an interrogation room where the player is told why it cannot have happened like he tried it. These interludes are helpful, they give hints what to do. The player has to work with certain gadgets found in the inventory. It is fine to experiment with them -- if something is not correct, the game will switch to the interrogation, and the situation can be replayed. The conversational system is quite simplified and reminds of a platonic dialogue: the player can only confirm or negate the questions of the interrogator. It is easy, but sufficient.
It all changed for me when the protagonist's life was at stake for the first time. I had read some comments before, it had been inevitable; and there had been remarks that the game contains one outstanding puzzle -- and there it was. Thinking about actions that might have effect -- no matter how likely they would succeed -- I tried something, and then something happened that changed my whole point of view about the situation. Yes, the voices had been right. This puzzle is one of the best I have ever encountered. It is perfectly integrated into the storyline.
It is advisable to save the game frequently during the second part, especially in the end game. There are tough situations and the player has a hard time not making a mistake. These moments come very close to what we call stealth action, in a text-based version -- it is excellently managed to convey a feeling of being pursued and trying to evade from the scene. The second part may be a bit tedious, because the puzzle conjoining the parts has too much of an actual climax. But it still fits the frame.
So, what is the conclusion? The game may be a bit too tough for beginners, but everyone who likes interactive fiction has to play it sooner or later. This is a masterpiece.
Nice wordplay, February 11, 2014Considering that it was a speedIF entry, this game is very well done.
The wordplays are not difficult to understand, and the prose is written in stanzas, making this a piece of poetry. The ending is heart-warming.
It is recommendable for beginners who want to see the basic concepts of IF and advanced players who like a short diversion.
Emotional, February 10, 2014A short story about a dad and his daughter, about emotions and things that can disturb them.
I was intrigued from the very beginning, although there is hardly any interactivity in the story. The dialogues are powerful, coming to live with an authentic feeling. The ending is sad, but the reader also sees a glimmer of hope, so it is very satisfying.
The pacing is fantastic. There are some pauses and the lines of each dialogue part are not revealed all at once, but little by little... it makes the reader feel like being part of the scene.
The use of different colors is also great: the dialogues use a different color for each character to make obvious whose statement we are reading.
The prose is totally okay. There are dialogues, presented as mentioned above, and narrative parts. I recognized one or two typos, which could easily be fixed.
I recommend this story (yes, it is a story rather than a game) to everyone who likes tales that appeal to the heart.
A review, parts of it in the language of the game, February 9, 2014This was an entry for a speed IF competition in German language.
In dem Spiel geht es darum, zwei Plutonite (bestimmte Arten von Gestein) zu finden und so eine Wette zu gewinnen. Man wandert also in den Wald und untersucht die verschiedenen Orte, um der Steine habhaft zu werden. Dabei gibt es auch ein kleines Puzzle, welches sich jedoch wie von selbst löst; es wäre auch nicht klar, daß die ausgeübte Handlung einen Stein zu Tage fördert, also ist das eher im Sinne des Spielers.
Für einen Speed-IF-Beitrag ist die Geschichte ganz ordentlich gemacht. Mir hat sie jedenfalls Spaß gemacht und ich denke, man kann sie gut und gerne weiterempfehlen.
It is also recommendable for people who learn German as a foreign language. There were no obvious mistakes in the writing, and the prose is sparse, so there is not much translation work required.
It is just a joke, alright. I get that. It might have been funny in some way, but it does not work for me in the current version.
It may be a coding exercise, but there is not much exercised here: "straight" and "left" and "right" are not defined as proper directions (the game simply demands the cardinal directions to be used -- in a way that makes them meaningless), the commands not in use are not implemented or deactivated (so "X car" produces the standard response of not seeing any such a thing), and there is no proper ending (the player ends in a room called "End Game" with the room description of the victory). There is no prose -- some descriptions should have been added to convey a feeling. These are just some of the things which might have been improved and which deviate from what I am used to find in Z-code games. Joke games are okay, in fact I like them. A short play with a punchline, a nice ending -- it is good. But jokes can be polished too. The basic idea is not bad, but needs more prose and some improvements.
A very short lecture, February 4, 2014This is not really a game, but an electronic book. There is no real interactivity, each of the short paragraphs presents a drawing of the scene and only one option, so choosing it is like flipping a page in a book. The player, or in this case reader, cannot make decisions which change the progress of the story line. There is not a possibility to win or lose -- the ending is predetermined.
Regarding the fact that there is not even the illusion of interactivity, I would give a rating of two stars, but the drawings have heart, I like them; there can be a moral interpreted into the story; it is short and the colours of the background are friendly; so I want to add one star.
I recommend to take a look. It is a very short lecture and there is not much time wasted if the concept is not your cup of tea.
Kudos!, February 4, 2014For a speedIF entry this is an extremely well organized game with well crafted details and a hilariously unpleasant NPF (non-player fish). The atmospheric messages are funny and give a personality to the fish. The game can be solved within a few moves, but the enjoyment of it emerges from realizing the little details found in the room and exploring the life and motives of the acting person.
A question of causality, February 3, 2014This is a quite short game which does not take much time. The story is okay, there are some puzzles and an ending, and a solution to prevent getting stuck.
The story presents the player being stuck in a subway section, unable to escape from that place. The player has to deal with various items. The puzzles appeared a bit arbitrary to me -- I sometimes failed to see the causality of them -- I solved one puzzle and then something happened, and I did not necessarily find it related to my previous actions. So it was not always easy to find out what to do next, and I had to consult the walkthrough sometimes to find sense in what was going on. The aim is a bit unusual, one would expect that the player is supposed to escape from the tube station, and in the end he might succeed, but it is not explicitly made the purpose of the game. A player will maybe find the actual aim a bit unspectacular to feel motivated.
I can recommend this game anyway, it is surely a nice diversion, as long as you don't expect a masterpiece.
A good purpose, February 2, 2014I am sure the writer of this game had a good intention. So the game is supposed to show the importance of safety at work, and that is fine. Improvised methods at a construction site can be dangerous for instance. I have seen photos of painters on adventurous ladder constructions.
So this game is located in an office building -- also okay. There are potential dangers. Let's see, what comes to mind? A partially broken wire of an office computer. Or another scene, an office worker places a candle with an open flame on his desk around Christmas, then is called away and forgets about it...
So no offence, but using a coffee vending machine (which has nothing to do with the work itself) as an object to demonstrate the importance of safety seemed a bit strange and even amusing to me. There are probably better examples, like those mentioned above.
Creating a world of its own, February 1, 2014Probably no other beginning of a noncommercial game is as well known as the opening paragraph of FOR A CHANGE. It gets right to the point: that is what happened, that is what you have to do, and for some reason you have something.
The game comes up with a world that is different from what we know. To show how different it is, the language makes use of unusual words for common things -- the player gets hold of a dictionary soon and can consult it about the unusual expressions.
The atmosphere reminds me of graphical adventures like Myst or Riven -- even without using graphical elements FOR A CHANGE succeeds in depicting a surreal world. Exploration is one part of it, even if the player gets to know what has to be achieved in the first paragraph. There is no reason explained why the player has to do it, but you get the feeling that it makes perfect sense. There are not too many locations, not too many objects, but they are parts of a comprising puzzle and have to be put together.
The game is puzzle-orientated. Some of the puzzles are cleverly made up, some let me stumble over unusual expressions. But that was probably my own fault. I clearly recommend this game: although there is not much characterization of the player, the puzzles will be a worthy challenge.
Bad in being bad, February 1, 2014Sure, the game is probably a satire, presented in a language that can be found in chatrooms populated by some troglodytes. The author makes the joke of including remarks that are only meant for himself and "accidently" displayed in the game; calling the players stupid behind their back; making errors that are obviously deliberately included.
I got the point, and I did not find it very funny; nevertheless I continued playing, just to see what would happen. After short time I encountered problems which were probably not intended by the author: ambiguity errors, property mismatches, finally error messages that were not the work of the author but obviously coding errors, because I got stuck in a room and the exit was no longer accessable. That's when I had enough.
Honestly, the language makes playing this one a bothersome chore, so I would have appreciated to finish it within some minutes. Which turned out to be impossible.
Tricky -- but too tricky, January 31, 2014First things first: for a speedIF this game is astonishingly rich. There are only two locations, but many items that are implemented, some of them with nice descriptions. The story concept is also nice and motivates the player. Also good: after a while it is clearly stated what has to be achieved to win the game.
But then it becomes incredibly hard to deal with the different objects; I had to take a long look at the walkthrough. It is almost impossible to find the solution: exact timing is necessary to make progress, and if the right moment is missed, the game can easily be brought into an unwinnable state without any information about it. There are hardly any hints given which object has to be used at which time. Some aspects can only be found by guessing them. The difficulty level is increased dramatically.
So, playing this without a walkthrough is almost a waste of time in my view; it is a pity that the author has not revised this game with an otherwise fine premise and added more hints to make it more accessible.
A brief clicking, January 30, 2014A small twine game with a story where you are drawn into criminal activities.
The narrative is brief, but enough to get the point of the story.
The NPCs are named A.,B. and C. without much characterization -- there could have been more effort put into their persons to bring heart and soul into the story.
(Spoiler - click to show)Unfortunately the decision tree seems to be a bit awkwardly designed. The best ending obviously is that which can be reached within one move, taking the other choice will inevitably lead to a worse ending. So the game can only be won if it is finished as soon as possible, and the gameplay actually has to be avoided? Or maybe I missed something?
As the story is very short, there is not much time lost if you try it and find out the endings, so it is worth a try.
Impressive, January 27, 2014Having heard so much about it I had to give it a try.
The setting and atmosphere are very deep and compelling. The reader/player can easily immerse in the events that take place and thus is motivated to explore the mystery. Elements of conspiracy and kabbalah are integrated; the authors obviously did some research on that.
The appearance of various machinery is intriguing. The personal assistant (a gadget called Triage) is cleverly integrated as a device to help the player. The function of the fantastic contraptions is explained in manuals that can be found, so there is not much guesswork to be done.
The narrative is remarkable, but the authors deliberately use some archaic expressions, which made it a bit difficult for me; nevertheless it contributes to the atmosphere of the Victorian age. The prose is extremely rich, has literary quality; sometimes it is almost too rich, so objects mentioned in the room descriptions are not implemented, resulting in contradictory messages, which were a bit confusing sometimes. On the other hand, deceisive objects are implemented with thorough descriptions and proper names that prevent ambiguities.
Furthermore the game is quite player-friendly; an elaborate menu of hints is contained. There are different endings, so it has replay value.
It is clearly recommendable for both beginners and veterans who like a steampunk setting.
Nice little something, January 25, 2014This is a nice story, a very brief speed IF. It is principally not too difficult, but the solution requires knowledge beyond the game -- surely common knowledge in the US, but for me it was not so common(Spoiler - click to show) and resulted in an annoying guess-the-verb moment: 'man, how am I supposed to warm up?' I knew the story which the game is based on, but unfortunately I did not know the original line (by now I checked it, and okay, the order of unusual verbs makes sense as soon as you know the line; probably every kid in the US knows it by heart, but they told me different tales here when I was young), so in the end I had to read the code, which luckily was available.
Anyway, a cute story and in the end a new lesson for me.
Like it or not, January 23, 2014The idea of CHEATER is not new, but surely interesting; it is a big advantage if you tried to program with Inform yourself. It is not difficult once you find out the principles.
It is a very short game. I played around a bit until I found the solution, and unfortunately, despite its shortness, there were some inaccuracies.
(Spoiler - click to show)The pillar that supports the cave can be taken in a normal way. Meh. The pedestal can be purloined and will still be mentioned in the room description -- and the toaster, resting on it, will still be present in the room, maybe hovering in the air. Meh.
These things are a little shoddy and could have easily been detected with a little testing (Spoiler - click to show)(applying the commands that are required for the solution to other possible objects). Nevertheless we must honor that it is the authors first game and it is finishable. I recommend it to people who like to think outside the box.
Nice writing, January 20, 2014Checking this I had the impression of reading a short story instead of playing a game, and a second playthrough with different choices just confirmed this impression: the selections did not change much and the story would return to the predetermined course soon. So in the end there is not much interactivity, and not much replay value.
The writing is okay though, despite some typos and inconsistency of the tense (most of the story is written in past tense, but some paragraphs or single sentences are written in present tense without discernable motive). The writer should have proof-read and revised the text thoroughly. Nevertheless I want to acknowledge the content of the story. I suppose it is the authors first work and it is well worth a try in my view.
Quite okay, January 18, 2014It is a fun story about a scientist trying to make up some inventions. The inventions and the way how to (randomly) find them is entertaining enough. Unfortunately there is no handling of choices which already have been made, so they can be repeated over and over again; it would have been better to take them away from the list of choices after they have been chosen, because the gameplay gets confusing when the player decides to chose them for a second time and the result is just the same.
(Spoiler - click to show)The occurence of time travels does not explain this, because this aspect aims at different parts of the story.
A negative thing is that I did not find an ending... or maybe I missed it?
The basic premise is not bad though, and maybe this could be improved in a later version one day.
An exercise, January 17, 2014Basically this was probably a programming exercise, so it is centered around some common tropes such as obtaining keys of different colors and unlocking corresponding doors. It is just what an author does to check out the mechanics of an engine (I did the same and later expanded the results).
It is short and I cannot say that it is really bad. The solutions can quite easily be found and I did not encounter too annoying moments that made me give up. There is a good will behind it, it contains a story (more or less) and it is finishable. Of course there could have been more to this and it cannot be compared with the masterpieces of interactive fiction, but for a first try it is okay.
Good one, January 17, 2014All in all a very good game with a tight story, probably influenced by the Matrix movies. Considering the short time in which it was assembled we can overlook missing implementations and little inaccuracies (there should not be the possibility to drop a tattoo, for instance). Regarding the fact that Quest was used for creating this game, I instantly tried the "use a on/with b" command when I did not find the required synthax, and mostly it turned out to be what the program was waiting for (as opposed to Inform, Quest contains "use" as a standard verb). For instance, in a certain situation I was unable to put one thing into a container, but instead could use it on the latter; or I could not enter a certain device, but use it instead.
The game contains two endings and I discovered the bad one first -- the game then mentions that there is a better ending and suggests further investigation, so replay is encouraged.
The puzzles are quite logic and once you get accustomed to the "use a on/with b" command, you can easily make progress. I recommend this game to everyone who likes a short science fiction story and does not back off from the mechanics (which sometimes may appear unusual to many gamers).
Serves its purpose, January 14, 2014The project consists of a room and an art object to fiddle around with. There is no aim, no plot, just the art object. This is an interactive art show, not a game.
The main thing to do is to turn the wheels and get random sentences as a result, which is entertaining for at least some minutes (not a spoiler, there is not much more to do). The implementation is sparse, not very thorough outside of this context; but the actions are centered on spinning the wheels and reading the sentences. I tried to examine the parts connected to the wheels, but I did not get to know much more; the only deceisive thing to do was to spin the wheels, and that worked fine.
I would have liked some more implementations, more to examine about the wheels. An exit of the room could have been provided to leave the art show, it would have been more authentic.
I like the main idea despite the aforementioned shortcomings.
The wrong strategy, January 12, 2014It seems to me that the writer came up with the idea of a zombie apocalypse, created a room with some items and a little puzzle how to exit it, then he created a vast area with room descriptions (and the writing is not that bad at all), and then stopped continuing. Most of the things mentioned in the room descriptions are not implemented, some exits mentioned are not further pursued. It is simply unfinished, for whatever reason: maybe the writer lost interest, maybe he did not have time anymore. It is still not justified to label it as a "beta". It should not have been published in the current state.
It is much better to have a smaller game with a tight story and maybe just a small amount of locations than an unfinished code that presents many locations and details and the promise "have a look, this is unfinished, but will maybe become awesome one day". People who visit this database want interactive fictions, not a text that could become an interactive fiction one day.
Makes you think, January 12, 2014Honestly spoken, I liked the concept, although the game exclusively presents guess-the-verb puzzles. The description of the location (which is not a concrete place but an abstract concept) contains several objects, and the player has to find a way to deal with them. Some of these actions seemed arbitrary to me, so I really relied on guessing and sometimes was surprised when I got it right.
The author states in an afterword that he is aware of the aforementioned disadvantages. I think I understand the meaning of this game for the author, and I pay respect to it. In the end I did pass the week, so the game can be finished. The writing is okay. The implementations are not perfect, but sufficient, and I did not find obvious bugs.
Not what I need, January 12, 2014This project is not bad in itself, but it does not fit into the category of a game; it is a collection of articles about alternate histories. It may serve educational purposes, yes, it may even be informative. If someone wants to read a number of essays, that is. But I suppose that is not what people search for in Inform projects; they want text based games with interactivity and a positive ending that can be reached. Nothing of it can be found here.
Another little diversion, January 9, 2014It is a short story with the background of a typical zombie apocalypse. So nothing new at all, but how is it executed?
Principally not bad, the paragraphs are quite short, so it is an easy and fast-paced reading from choice to choice. And there are some choices and some endings, so yes, this is interactive. On the negative side it is a short piece and the ending is a bit too abrupt -- an open ending. I felf slightly unsatisfied and did not have the feeling that the story had come to an end... it did not seem like a resolution to me.
Nevermind, even though I think this can not compete with the flagships of interactive fiction, it is surely worth a try.
The approaches to a story are not bad, I was thinking about the choices that were to be made. The paragraphs were short, the language sufficient. It was an easy walk to the ending. There should have been more to it and again I get the impression that the author was hastily publishing it without even trying to make improvements to the result.
Unfortunately this is not a genuine game, but just a prologue -- there is no plot, this is just one scene meant to be an introduction to a story, so I do not want to give a rating on the scale. The writing, although there is not much of it, seems to be relatively competent as opposed to other novice authors; the author should have finished a small project instead of starting a big one and publishing only a first small part of it. Nobody wants to read the prologue of a book without a chance to read the rest, as it is usually just a tiny fragment of the storyline; people want to read a complete story.
Interesting concept, January 7, 2014When I started this and saw the first page, I just thought, "Oh no, what is this gonna be? A history lesson?" I am not a history buff, because what history teaches is more or less the history of politics, but I prefer the anthropologic aspects.
But to my own surprise I found this very short piece not that bad. It is not fiction, but has educational approaches. The concept is simple: try to find truth and lies within history as it was recorded. I found pleasure in checking out the highlighted words. It is a clever idea.
In the end it was a pity that this piece is very short. It could be expanded. Other continents could be included. There are many possibilities.
Acceptable, January 7, 2014It was okay, I have seen worse, but also better developments of a story. The narrative is sufficient, the structure is logic and events happen in a likely order.
I replayed this some times but I could not find any way to win -- in the end there seemed to be no possibility to "win" this game. Maybe there should have been a possibility to score with the crush (or maybe I just missed it).
The premise is not groundbreaking but fairly promising, so i think this could be extended.
The text is quite abstract and makes you think about it, and there is surely some truth behind it, but the excessive use of metaphors has an effect of disadvantage on me: it lets the arguments become blurry. Maybe a philosophical statement (and justice is a philosophic topic) would have more impact without many metaphors. So language may be created in a sense of beauty, but its message may be partly lost or misinterpreted as an unwanted side effect. Nevertheless it is sometimes enjoyable to read the thoughts of someone else.
A little diversion, January 6, 2014The concept is not bad, but there is something missing behind it. The game makes the player read summaries of newspaper articles and decide which of them are interesting enough to appear in the newspaper. The article suggestions are entertaining and I had some thoughts about them. (Spoiler - click to show)The game ends with a list of the articles that were chosen and a statement concerning my choice. I replayed some times but the choices obviously did not affect the final statement, so the interactivity is just an illusion. There should have been a genuine evaluation of the topics chosen. There is not much time needed to check this out, so it is surely worth a try.
Something for everyone, January 6, 2014Probably everyone who likes to be creative in one or the other way will find something to relate to in this interactive piece of fiction. I found the beginning rather depressive, but the texts became more encouraging after some time, and I found myself between the lines. I must say that the aspects pointed out were very comprehensible.
The interactivity is often limited to only one choice, so clicking it is like simply turning a page to the next paragraph. The language is quite simple, but the content is sensible. It is a good start for the author.
Interesting start, January 4, 2014The start is quite interesting, but like so many Quest games it is unfortunately not complete -- I don't know why, but I suppose that many novice authors start their games, finish it to a certain degree, then put online what they have with the announcement that they will continue it later (which I can understand -- it is something that they are proud of, even if it is just a part of a finished product, and Quest games can easily be put online), and finally forget about it, for whatever reason. Maybe they find something more interesting, or they don't have time for it anymore, I can't tell.
In this case, the story is promising. It makes the player want to know what is going on. It introduces several characters who can become suspects later. But the game ends abruptly with the forementioned announcement; so as a player I felt a bit betrayed, I hoped for a solution and there was none.
I encourage the author to continue this.
So far, so good., January 3, 2014A nice short story with a disturbing ending. The writing is sufficient, the concept promising. The ending comes a bit too abrupt and made me wonder if it was meant to be the regular ending, also regarding the fact that there is a broken link some pages before, so I got the feeling that I had missed something. I encourage the author to revise the code and fix the bug, and maybe to continue this story, as it has some potential.
Nice additions, January 2, 2014This is a quite short Twine story with additional animations.
The content is okay, a standard science fiction in a brief version. The prose is well written, its design successfully created the impression in me that the depicted incidents are a dream or a vague memory.
There were graphic elements in the form of easier animations included, and it has to be acknowledged that they are not parts taken from an exterior source but the author's own creation. It shows that the author tried to bring new aspects into a Twine game without resorting to materials of someone else.
There are different courses towards the ending, so the story can be played more than once. I would have given four stars if it had been a bit longer. But so far it is positively worth a try.
Several bugs, January 1, 2014The beginning looks promising, an apartment that is simulated in detail, a way to the working place and the work. The descriptions are nice, and this is announced as a test version, so two stars (with leniency).
The things mentioned in the room description are not implemented. It does not seem to have any consequences whether the player gets dressed or appears at work without his clothes. The mapping does not work once you leave the path between home and work (it is quite confusing). And I did not find an obvious clue what to do at work.
I hope the author will continue this.
Note: this rating relates to the test version.
Not too bad, January 1, 2014This is a nice little game with good prose. The graphic elements are dispensible; the author is able to present good writing and I would have preferred further descriptions of the animals over the display of pictures. The game is principally a CYOA-game, although there are commands to be chosen by clicking on the hyperlinks; it was written as a conventional text adventure, and the command line has been removed. This is a technique which is possible with the Quest editor. (I see that Quest does not have the best reputation among programmers. I think it is not bad in itself though, it just requires some additional work.)
The story is short, but a nice diversion.
Is it true or is it not?, December 28, 2013Generally including graphic elements is not a bad thing. The player is enabled to visualize the locations, which can be of advantage. But such elements should be used with care. I am not sure about the common conventions, but using material of external sources is not really creative in my opinion. Displaying a (principally copyrighted) picture of an alien taken from a Predator movie is a different thing than describing an alien inspired by those movies. A game should be new, original, and not put together by parts that already exist in other places (and were somebody else's creation).
The game in the current version contains severe bugs and is subsequently unplayable. A weapon is there, taking it results in a description how it feels holding it, but it is not moved to the inventory, so cannot be used in the next room. There is another room that cannot be entered: an error message appears. So in the end the game obviously cannot be finished.
A short diversion again, December 26, 2013This short game is not comparable with the masterpieces of interactive fiction, but I have seen worse. The commands seem a bit arbitrary, because things that should normally be understood don't work. (Spoiler - click to show)I had a code on the paper, but reading it did not work... instead unlocking something was enabled without any further actions. It was not obvious that I did not even have to do something with the code. I think it is due to the structure of the development system -- the writer probably tested his own game by clicking the command panels instead of checking the parser, so the use of the command line has been neglected. Many objects lack a description, they are just "nothing out of the ordinary". There could have been more effort to describe the story world, or in this case the story room.
Furthermore there could have been more of a story. I was not satisfied with the ending, I wished to know why I had been trapped there. But I think this is a general subject of escape-the-room-games: They cast a player into a situation and the story is not important. So not a real disadvantage.
Buggy and not much to do, December 26, 2013The game has a crazy quilt environment, a common device in surreal settings. Different rooms are patched to each other. It may contribute to a surreal atmosphere, but here it makes navigating the rooms and scenes more difficult. Talking about scenes: they are integrated into static room descriptions, so will happen every single time when the room is entered. That is something which I can live with, maybe even done on purpose. But then the room descriptions (and described scenes) reveal objects again and again when the room is entered, even if the object has been taken or moved into another room, but the thing is not actually there anymore. That is annoying. Which brings us to the next point: The room descriptions contain things and most of them are not implemented as objects, so dealing with them is met with a reply that this object is not existent. Which is frustrating and makes the player wonder if there is a reason to try any interaction.
The basic idea of the game may be fine -- I suppose it deals with a mental landscape of memories -- but the technical side leaves a lot to be desired.
Short and sweet, December 20, 2013Despite its brevity the game includes some relatively easy puzzles and conveys a nice story. The objects are limited, so it is not too difficult to figure out how to use them. The basic idea is not new, but the peaceful ending is heart-warming. Recommendable for everyone.
That's how it goes, December 18, 2013A nice story. In the end it is a bit exaggerated, but part of it is surely true. It reminds me of the days when I posted my own music into forums and about half of the comments were made by users promoting their music instead of commenting on mine.
The structure is fine, it develops gradually until finally the reader feels urged to do what he or she is not supposed to do, just out of curiousness. It shows that the average computer nerd will be able to identify with the motives that occur in the story.
A review, only parts of it in the language of the story again, December 17, 2013Es handelt sich hier um eine verzweigte und über einen großen Zeitraum erstreckende Kurzgeschichte, die einige momentane Entscheidungen fordert und daraufhin auf unterschiedliche Weise fortgesetzt werden kann. Sie zeigt, wie die Entscheidungen das Leben unterschiedlich beeinflussen und zu verschiedensten Ergebnissen führen. Die Sprache ist ordentlich. Der Inhalt wirkt durch die Zeitsprünge eher abstrakt und ich hatte teilweise etwas Mühe, dem Verlauf zu folgen, trotz seiner Kürze. Dennoch eine ordentliche Präsentation.
I also recommend this story for people who want to learn or train the German language, as the writing has some literal quality.
Good old times, December 17, 2013I remember something similar that ran on my old Amstrad machine, a public domain version. You could place cells and simulate their culture, based on a mathematic algorithm. Depending on the original pattern that you created, interesting geometries would come to life.
This is basically quite the same process. I regard this as a great example of what is possible with Inform. There is hardly any interactivity, so it is really just a demonstration and not a game. It could have been expanded or some pieces of information added.
Replay value, December 16, 2013A story with an abstract dystopian background. Some passages reminded me of the classics (Orwell, Huxley), others were rather interactive poetry. All in all a solid piece of work with a high replay value, because many choices are not part of a "foldback scheme" which lets a player make a decision and returns to a predesigned path after a number of paragraphs; here the choices result in actually different stories which end at some point, and the reader is motivated to start over.
Promising but incomplete, December 15, 2013The style of this story is brief, the paragraphs short, but the plot is promising and made me want to know more about the background of the happenings.
I am not sure if the following statements are spoilers, but I don't think so. I rather think it is something that should be pointed at before starting this interactive fiction. Unfortunately the game ends abruptly without giving an explanation of the events. It ends with a cliffhanger and the writer announces a continuation of the story. I was a bit disappointed, because nothing indicated that this version is not finished, and so I encourage the author to continue.
Note: this rating refers to the incomplete version.
Several bugs, December 13, 2013My rating is very merciful, there are bugs concerning the room descriptions and the choice of commands, but I am inclined to overlook them as this is the author's first game. Nevertheless it seems that there should have been more testing. Such bugs can easily be detected by the author himself/herself if he/she takes effort to explore some eventualities.
Not too bad, December 12, 2013Very short, but the writing was funny and so it offered some diversion.
Not too bad for a first interactive story. I recommend to have a look at it.
Dystopia, December 11, 2013The basic premise is quite fine. There are missing pieces in the story, but that makes the scene more surreal, so it is not necessarily a bad thing. The puzzles are quite difficult, mainly because some elements are not efficiently implemented. These are shortcomings which would have easily been detected during playtesting. (Spoiler - click to show)Examples: I try to TAKE the black cable and there is not enough of it to get a hold of, but it can be PULLED anyway; CLIMBING the hole results in the standard response that there is nothing to be achieved by this, but GOING THROUGH it is fairly okay. So I had to resort to the walkthrough and sometimes my idea had been correct, but the game didn't show me that I was expected to try something very similar.
Nevertheless I liked the surreal and dystopian setting.
I can hardly rate this, because it is a flash fiction, so supposed to be short, and the main idea is not that bad. I understand that this is a kind of miniature interactive fiction, but some more actions and implementations should be there. I mean, the title of the game lets the milk coffee become an object of the scene, the room description mentions milk coffee, so I examine the milk coffee -- but no, I cannot see any such a thing! There is hardly any interactivity because the game/story consists of inactivity.
A short one, December 9, 2013It is a short story with interactive elements. Some strong expressions, but that was still acceptable... I did not feel offended at any point. It reminded me of a typical story by Charles Bukowski.
Not spectacular, but I have seen worse, December 8, 2013This little game is not a challenge for anyone -- finding keys and the corresponding doors right after that; no further implementations, no real story. But going through it did not hurt me, and finally there is a good will behind this game, as opposed to others which were simply made to be annoying. I have seen much worse. And stuff of the same quality which got better ratings for reasons that I do not understand.
A nice diversion, December 8, 2013This story is quite short, and the locations are clearly limited.
The special thing about it are the responses and actions of the central NPC, your sidekick who shares the fate of the story with you. They appear funny and brighten up the gameplay without ever becoming annoying. The NPC is well intergrated into other aspects like the hint system and the puzzles which cannot be solved without interaction with the NPC.
This is an excellent example of NPC integration.
Just browsing..., December 3, 2013...and again I stumbled upon a CYOA-game. I do not really like them, but sometimes they offer a short diversion without being brain busters. So I started and I think there were three choices until the game stopped without a true end... I tried again with other options... all of them lead to an untimely death or return to the choice... so the path I had chosen at the beginning was actually the one intended by the author... I wonder if the game is meant to be complete, because it is not. So, if this is one fifth of the game (and it is surely less) the rating is self-explanatory.
As usual, I apologize for harsh words. I am aware that interactive fiction is a free product for everyone, and authors must be respected. I can only speak for myself and encourage people to put efforts in what they do.
Choices, December 3, 2013I understand that opinions will differ on MOQUETTE.
The prose is exellent. I enjoyed reading it, despite some vulgar elements (I usually reject verbal abuse). As some critics already pointed out, I can just say the same: The beginning was a bit aimless, I did not understand what to do, and when the main encounter finally happened, I had the feeling that my choices actually had not made any difference. The author gets an extra praise for implementing each of the mentioned passengers in detail and rendering thoughts about them. The text effects were interesting.
All in all this is a well-crafted piece of interactive fiction, which put a focus on fiction rather than interactivity. Nevertheless I must say that the first part was somehow tedious and I wondered "when is something gonna happen?" too many times.
Note: I posted a similar review on the webpage of the game.
A short diversion, December 3, 2013This is a short game with no apparent deep plot. It describes just a single scene, and there is not much else. There should have been more implementations maybe. I did not find much interesting about the dialogue, but it is my opinion that there is some potential in a situation of this fiction, which could have been developed. All in all it is worth a try anyway.
Buggy and unplayable, December 2, 2013I started the game and found a test and opening it produced the first error message. Not a fatal one, so I continued. The text said I needed a GDC for the test, so I went and found the GDC -- whatever it was, examining it only produced a standard reply -- and returned to the test, and again it replied with an error message.
None of the things mentioned in the room descriptions were implemented. There was a hint that you needed a rope to reach a different part, but when I found the rope I could not take it without getting a reason for being incapable.
I do not question the good intentions of the author, but this is a half-baked attempt and needs to be revised.
A reference, December 2, 2013SHADE is not a long game. It is not an extensive game in the sense of locations. It has a quite linear course. It is not very difficult, once you get the hang of it. SHADE is simply awesome, just because of the story that is tells.
After a long time, remembering the old text adventures that I played on my old Amstrad machine, I decided to look for something similar nowadays, and I started with SHADE. Now the game is surely much shorter than commercial games were 20 years ago, but the atmosphere was overwhelming. After a while it was easy to find out what to do next, and each action is rewarded with another disturbing reaction of the environment. I felt drawn into the story and could hardly stop until the end, which can be interpreted in various ways. The game takes place in a single location, but the many implementations create a true-to-life experience, even as things start to change.
All in all SHADE is a reference how interactive fiction has to be composed. It is a delightful treat for both beginners and veterans of text-based games.
Ein kleiner Ausflug in surreale Gefilde, December 2, 2013Let me write a review in the language of the game.
Es handelt sich bei "O" (der Titel spielt vermutlich auf die Form eines Kreises an) um ein sehr kurzes Abenteuer mit surrealistischem Hintergrund. Ich habe mir auch den Film dazu angesehen und muß sagen, daß die Atmosphäre gut eingefangen wird. Ein paar wenige Rechtschreibfehler, aber die Story ist sehr solide.
Leider ist sie nur etwas zu kurz, um eine höhere Bewertung zu geben.
Wrong expectations, November 29, 2013The first two parts of the story were quite well written. A father neglecting his son, a son feeling misunderstood by his father, both parts ending in a surreal moment. So I expected a solution to the appearance of the unicorn -- was it a metaphor? But I was disappointed. (Spoiler - click to show)The third part describes the unicorn embarking upon a destructive romp, maybe the author wants to show how air-built castles can crash when the truth is revealed, but this approach will not work for everyone. These passages make use of a vulgar language, which was way too extreme for my taste. Conclusively there is not much time wasted if you check it out, but do not expect a philosophical statement.
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