Reviews by streever

While a few of the implementations were a little foggy, this is an incredibly satisfying and enjoyable piece with fun writing, laugh-out-loud scenes, and a great deal of variety.

I enjoyed finding ways to kill the vampire--and occasionally get killed--and while a few of the solutions were a little obtuse, it always became clear what I should have done without any real head scratching.

Overall a rewarding and enjoyable piece which holds up through several playthroughs.

This piece transported me to my own confused teenage years. Trying to sort out my future, scared of adulthood, pushed by forces beyond my control, I desperately could have used two close friends, a road trip, and a magical motel.

Strengths include fantastic writing throughout, a sense of place, strong characters, and a powerful voice from a talented writer.

Weaknesses: Where is my soundtrack? What is the url for the motel website? How can I visit here? Why isn't there more? Will you write more? Can I subscribe to your email list?

OK, so maybe those aren't actually 'weaknesses' in the commonly accepted meaning of the word, but come on, let me visit the Cactus Blue! :)

Sharp, well-written, and packed with humorous moments. I didn't finish this game due to time constraints, but enjoyed it very much; I will pick it up again when I get the chance.

I found the actual mechanics of capturing pokemon--and seeing my medals, trophies, and XP go up--as engaging as trying to follow the narrative and plot.

This piece begins with a sense of leisure and time: the day is ending for you, a docent who provides tours of a historical home for the rare visitor. The sense of place and setting are excellent--this could easily be modeled after any of a dozen small historical museums from New England.

Tension builds quickly (especially with the recommended background audio), and continues to a satisfyingly creepy and unsettling finish. The pacing and plotting are both well done.

The one area I wish Veeder had spent more time on was in fleshing out the protagonist and giving us a greater sense of who we are, and what the stakes mean to us, although I suppose some of this is done in the implications. I do wish there was a little more characterization, typically a stronger point in his work.

This is a short Twine piece which uses the experimental format of a checklist of tasks which must be performed before you miss your chance to go off-world and avoid the apocalypse.

It's moving and surprising, and lends itself to multiple replays. The writing is engaging and human, and the voice authentic. The UI and design function well and make it easy to read on a computer screen.

Highly recommended.

A tight little mystery game, but I'm not sure how I feel about it: I enjoyed the story and the red herrings, but the limited scope combined with the notebook feature made it feel a little constrained. I would not have been able to solve it without the 'write' feature, but that felt a bit like a hint/cheat system, as it gave me the answer.

In a way, these games feel a little bit like a distillation of IF mystery: search all the objects, talk to all the people, and the case is solved. Part of me thinks this would make a better Twine game, as Talk/Ask isn't particularly well implemented, and seems mostly a linear experience. "Talk to" character will accomplish most of what you need.

This is a fine game for a newcomer to IF, but the mystery doesn't unravel in a way that makes me feel particularly clever; the writing is good, but the actual experience of solving and finishing the game feels a bit loose.

There doesn't seem to be a game here, rather, just page after page of poetry generation. By design or by chance, some of the passages become memorable or significant: I felt awkward dragging Montaigne through Stein, particularly with the text above referencing a man dragging his own father and the German word 'mann'.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fridge poetry and philosophy, perhaps a small group, but we can hope a dedicated one.

This story is a puzzle-light spoof of 1950's (and modern!) stereotypes and tropes.

None of the puzzles are particularly difficult, and primarily consist of 'find the right object' type quests, with simple but fun secondary mechanics. There are any number of red herring objects (based on one play: it's possible they have more utility or alternate puzzle solutions) that add a sense of depth and contribute to the comedic themes.

The dialogue is fun and peppered with classic 'old-timey' declarations--when you are offered the chance, try saying the 'worst' swear your character can imagine.

The writing is concise, terse, and flows nicely: this is a piece that has clearly been edited & written for readability, and the effort is greatly appreciated.

This is a complicated piece; I'm not sure how I feel about it, and I'm not sure that I can give it a star rating. It's a challenging piece on a number of levels, and I think it really should be played by someone aware of the challenges, and with the author's notes, which I found moving.

In a sense, it's a parody, but in a more important sense, it's a social commentary on games and power fantasies that go unchallenged & are too easily fulfilled.

Groover strips away chance here, and much of the narrative abstraction that lets a player feel comfortable with their choices in most games, in a way that hopefully makes a statement about the deeper issues that are implicitly raised in this work.

This piece opens with a strong and novel take on a standard interactive fiction trope, introducing the character to the world and the situation in a natural, engaging way.

This piece plays with dreams, memories, and experiences in a way that is highly rewarding. Although I have not managed to attain the 'good' or 'best' ending, which I suspect exists, I found the entire story to be satisfying and would recommend it.

The experience is fairly short, and it really makes the most of a constrained world and a linear plot; I had fun failing in my attempts to break away from the foreshadowed ending.