Ratings and Reviews by Denk

Ok, I am obviously an outlier here, though five people gave this game 8 or 9 during IFComp. However, I did not play this game during IFComp. Instead I found it as an entry in the Short Game Showcase 2023.

So I expected a very short sci-fi game, which it was. It delivered a very smooth experience on my phone and I was in the mood for a short and simple but yet interesting game. Sure, there are no puzzles but I liked the story and the user interface and graphics were great. There is a sort of moral choice at one point and the ending was interesting.

I think this showcases the Strand engine well for choice based games, which still seems to take into account location based gameplay though I am not sure. However, I do know it can be used for parser games as well.

In general, I rate games based on what I feel when I complete the game as I believe in subjective ratings as enjoyment, being impressed etc. is all about feelings which are always subjective. The game gave me very much what I was looking for at that particular time and I enjoyed it a lot.

Goes straight to the heart. In addition it is also a very good game which drew me in. Not sure if the memories were 100% true or partly fiction but they could all be true so in any case thanks for sharing.

It has a lot of things in common with Repeat The Ending. However, the game element/puzzles are more traditional and puzzly in LAKE Adventure. But their stories are both very impactful and sad.

(Played online with Parchment)
Inspired by Rovarsson's review, I decided to try this old game from 2007. This is an atmospheric 1-room game where your task is to prevent the Count from entering and survive the night.

The writing is good, the introduction story is interesting and so is the ending. There is also a twist (sort of) halfway through this game.

The puzzles are fun but never really hard. The parser is good despite being made with Adrift 4, though I noticed at least one instance where the word "it" could not be used to solve a puzzle and so I had to rewrite the command using the noun instead of "it". Also, there could have been a few more responses to commands where the player tries something other than the intended solutions to puzzles.

But overall a very entertaining game!