Ratings and Reviews by verityvirtue

The AI system informs you that you are in a shelter after a nuclear war destroyed most of the earth. You have lost your memory (as usual); there’s not much place else to go, so there’s just one thing to do: converse.

This short game has just one major twist which can only be reached by asking one specific question, which, as far as I could tell, was unconnected to anything the NPC had said or which was in the scene. However, this is not to say that I didn't enjoy the game, especially the melancholy ending.

The author used the graphics effectively to build up the atmosphere: the tiny pause in responding to a certain question and only being able to observe a small part of the room you are in gives the game an edge of dread. Some further explanation of events mentioned or background information would have been useful to add depth to the PC, but otherwise, really, it's a good game.

Smoke and divots and scorching and stinky brimstone – there’s only one thing this could mean.

There has been demons in your garden.

So begins this tale of a God-fearing parish worker whose dog has disappeared. Armed with a motley crew of, uh, vegetables and one puppy, he ventures deep into the depths of Hell. He has to battle various trials and tribulations to get his dog back.

While the premise of the game is rather linear, the puzzles are all fairly straightforward and stand alone. In case you don’t get it, location-based walkthroughs are also available. Some of the puzzles require a small amount of lateral thinking and most will make you smile and go, “Oh, right!”. Although it is possible to die in the middle of the game, abundant contextual hints are provided and it is always possible to undo the mistake. Special mention should go to the endgame, which I thought was (fridge?) brilliance: it was quite a "Why didn't I think of that?!" moment (for me, at least).

There is also some characterisation near the endgame, which provides some background to an otherwise colourless PC and pathos to an otherwise light game. Suitable for those who are just looking for a fun diversion, or who are bad with puzzles.