Reviews by f-a

A small tale in a contained environment. Puzzles are easy and make sense; even if you get stuck there is an online walkthrough.

The high point in this adventure is setting, a thematic sci-fi trope that the author pulls off in a very cosy manner: difficult for me to add details without spoiling the plot, but you will for sure feel a connection with the game characters.

I feel less generous than previous reviewers.

The setting of this game is nothing original but descriptions and lore are clear and crisp. Characters instead are all a bit flat and especially dull in conversations.

Puzzles are hit and miss. The ideas are interesting but implementation sometimes is lacking. You tinker with the parser for some time, finally give up and check the in-game hints and discover you need a specific word or phrase to accomplish what you were planning to do.

It is not a bad game at all, but parser and narrative craft might feel subpar to the contemporary player.

This is a tiny, simple, immersive game written using Adventuron. The experience player will recognise a comfortable adventuring experience, the new one will go through this one without frustration (there is a tutorial, navigation is simple, puzzles are self contained).

It does not do anything particularly new, but sometimes you just want to play some good horror. Well done!

A short game which uses the old trick of starting in medias res to paint an eerie tale, and does it in a very skillfull manner.

As usual with short works I prefer not to add much more, if not to praise the writing and the images the author managed to create; not a word is superfluous, not an action is without reason.

Make sure to check the ”Afterword” once you finished playing, it is as satisfying as the game itself.

After the Accident is a series of vignettes that came one after the other, while the protagonist is in a desperate event. It is a very short game and manages to exploit this brevity by not missing a beat. I enjoyed it much, long enough to get us to know the character, dry enough for us to wonder what the untold part of the story is.

A very short game about eating cookies while waiting for a train — I cannot say anything more without spoiling it. The idea is good and doesn't overstay its welcome. There are minor annoyances (some actions are not implemented, same for help and credits) but the ending makes up for it.
Recommended!

A short adventure about being tailgated with a surprising amount of: twists, humor, action scenes, endings. I liked it!

A very good, short twine horror where you are lost at sea.

At first I thought it was a “forced choice” adventure (where whatever you do, you will end up in the same place) and I honestly liked that feeling too (pulled off really well), but apparently there are other endings too.

Again, enjoyable production which does one thing and does it well.

This game was made for ECTOCOMP 2022, it is very simple and even shorter. Despite that, I still think it is a good production, the descriptions while not flowery were captivating and the mini-story and different endings left me wanting for more.

I hope the author writes longer IF!

I have not yet finished the game, but this adventure resembles Inside the Facility, another DiBianca production. I love the “limited commands” idea, gives the author some space for clever puzzles.

Simple description, an ingame ASCII map and the above mentioned limited input makes this also a great game to get acquainted with IF for new players.

I cannot praise enough this game: the good UI, the sensible puzzles, the lovely characters, their witty lines, how everything in the world seems believable yet magic at the same time. You don't have to be flowery to be moving and the writing in this game shows it.

I don't even like Twine games that much, but this one seems more a point and click adventure game relayed via text: you have your player character (and what a player character), her sidekick, a number of NPCs who are at times dumb, obstinate or helpful and a small mansion that is the background of your adventure.

There are some minor drawbacks, like slow room/inveotry transitions (maybe it is my browser but transitions at times took even a couple of seconds) and missed interactions ((Spoiler - click to show)if you jump with pepper in your hand in the goulash, it should instantly make it hot, without requiring us to specifically drop the ingredient in it).

Suggestions for the player: do have pencil and paper with you (game is small, but still making a map makes navigation easier); do download the hint files, which makes this even more enjoyable.

Closing the page I find myself fantasising about the future life of Tekla and Quintus, I hope the author will release more IF!

A small jewel of a game, unravelling a compelling story with just one simple game mechanic. The characters are interesting, the puzzles balanced — and there is an in-game hint system in any case —, writing is good without being flowery.

I advise anyone to play this game, doubly so if you are a developer and want to learn a trick or two on how to get the best bang for your buck.

Surveillance state simulator. The idea was very good and drew me into the game, the execution less so in my opinion: I would have liked to have some kind of “reward” or score for my choices while the game relies on articles and heavy handed narrative to convey its point.
I hope to see more from the author since this is very interesting.

Poverty porn in a gamebook.
Few choices, scant writing, stereotypical characters.

I believe the idea is sound — if difficult to pull off without resorting to clichés. Frankly I did not enjoy the execution one bit.

I liked this game, both the puzzles and the narrative side were fresh and enjoyable. Directions were extra cleas which is always a plus in parser games.

The only think I would add is some kind of time counter so you can immediately get — in the first three puzzles — in how many moves max the puzzle should be solved.

Play this if you like chess!

I agree with the other reviews, the game is interesting because it explores something new (inaction, inanimate bodies, impossibility to act) in Interactive Fiction but not super fun per se.

It is quite short and will give you new ideas if you are a game developer and a fresh view on the medium if you a reader of IF, so I say: «play it!»

Quite a refreshing short experience, dealing with more than your usual gore+lovecraft horror trope.
Very good in doing what it does (there is no way for me to address it, without revealing the coup de théâtre), despite some minor writing flaws (Spoiler - click to show)(telling us how we feel. I was perfectly unsettled without being reminded I am horrified or that a shiver runs through my spine).

My suggestion to you is: play it! It is extremely short (coffee-break IF), and will add a thing or two to your IF and Horror experience.

Alone is a post-apocalyptic horror which plays along the «man against enviroment» lines. I much appreciated its descriptive dryness; the fallout narrative is told through observations.
Puzzles were OK, sensible if sometimes déjà vu (Spoiler - click to show)(the fusebox one I did not like, guessing which part of the station is powered at the moment).
If you like the genre, this is a very good production!

Century is a text/graphic adventure which reminds me of them ’80s: simple text, cosy graphics, sensible puzzles, not much of a story.
I enjoyed it.

I give this 4 starts for the story, well narrated, dry enough not to be overwhelming, precise in its description. 2 stars for interactivity instead: it doesn't feel much of a game (bar from a choice towards the end) and much more of a (very) short story.

Since it is not long at all I recommend you to play it, as the author managed to convey the horror quite nicely.

The premise of this game is simple: you wake up as a spider, you need to meet eight of your species to turn back to human.
The delivery is poignant. Life, especially as an insect, is cruel and there many ways in which our protagonist can find a premature end.
The only minor drawbacks I found are about navigating the rooms (it can be a bit difficult to render a mental map -- as with every IF, especially Twine).

The horror works well and is apt to your spider form. Recommended game!

This game is quick, amusing, satisfying and I am amazed how such a story is packed in less than a 1000 words.
Very good game itself and an excellent intro-piece to longer IF.

The game lures you in with the incipit of a story, but is essentially a place description: the complex really feels alive (or dead), vivid and part of a bigger narrative.

OK experiment in "map painting" ("location narrative"?), plot itself is not satisfying/fulfilling.

It is quite short so I recommend playing it!

Extremely short game with 1 easy puzzle.

It would be interesting to see the protagonist in another adventure.

As other reviewers stated, very difficult to talk about this game without spoiling anything. I will say it is an interesting experiment, puzzles were mostly boring/uninteresting and drags a bit too long for my taste.

Play it with ~1h to kill and an open mind. If you get stuck, just read a transcript.

Short adventure which eloquently puts our hero in the middle of the elements.

Style is dry and at the same time expressive, puzzles are rewarding, can be played in one sitting (20 minutes).

Very nice production!

All the mechanics & tropes & grinding of your run-of-the-mill RPG condensed in 300 words.

Fine as a critique to the genre and fun to play.

The first Act is marvelous and exquisitely crafted: perfect specimen of a "restricted choice" IF where the player still feels in control. Excellent experience and (for me) a pinnacle in its genre.

The remaining adventure (Act II and III) are less interesting/funny, but worth playing with a walkthrough.

I encourage you to play this Twine: despite being quite light on the "gaming" part, it is expertly written and touching.

The game sports "multiple ending", but I was satisfied with just one walkthrough.

It is quite short (say: half an hour to an hour).

Exquisite art, captivating story, recommended!

After replaying it, yes, I agree with other reviewers that some characters are a bit flat and some interactions may feel unrealistic, but still a very good production and presentation. Congratulations to the artist and the typesetter, excellent excellent work!)

The set-up, writing, characterization, are funny and serious at the same time and well fleshed out.

I didn't have much fun solving the puzzles, but it was worth playing!

Well written game on a disturbing topic. The lyricism of some descriptions cheapens the experience a bit and you cannot but wonder if the theme was chosen as a psychological investigation or just shock value.

In any case a good production.

Il gioco non è semplice (armatevi di penna e carta a quadretti), magari a volte la scrittura è troppo lirica, ma ben descrive il senso di angoscia che caratterizza la storia.

Non l'ho ancora finito, ma mi sento di consigliarlo agli amanti dell'horror.