Reviews by MathBrush

This is a bit longer than most IFComp games; I didn't like it at first, but it really grew on me. In this game, you have to sneak onto a spaceship (a tedious opening sequence). Afterwards, you get to space and discover the (strongly telegraphed from the beginning) secret that the aliens are out to get the humans!

The game has some unusually graphic violence for a sci fi romp as you take down 6 aliens using a variety of devices and items scattered around the spaceship.

I had trouble transferring items from one location to another for a while, until I realized that you later gain the capability of returning to some locations (not the initial one, however).

The hints were incomplete, which made this game more difficult than me (as I always use hints). But I still finished it, and enjoyed it.

Entered into the tiny utopia jam, this game presents a series of graphical vignettes, which, when examined, provide details into a beautiful but mysterious woodsy life.

Like most tiny utopias, this is a small, comfortable game. The graphics and sound effects are lovely, but I found the interaction confusing at first.

I appreciated the nature interactions and the innovative interface.

This game redeemed my opinion of the Unnkulia series. Up to now, they had been juvenile and full of lame humor, especially Unnkulia 1/2 (written as an ad for this game). However, this game seemed to have grown up a little bit more.

The game references all previous games, with locations like Dawg Rock and Dragon's Lair for Unnkulia II and the grate, lake, and some underground areas of Unnkulia I. It also openly (by name) references Colossal Cave Adventure on several occasions, including a dwarf that throws knives at you in a cave and a toll bridge/troll bridge/stoll bridge.

This game is completely overshadowed by Curses! which came out the same year, and which had a coherent, interesting plot and incredible production values.

For fans of the Unnkulia series, this is the best so far (I haven't tried The Legend Lives! yet, which I hear is good).

In this game, you play a prisoner stuck in a jail cell with a minimum of furnishings and things to do. You periodically sleep, and dream, providing more things to do and try. In this sense, it is like a stripped down version of Howling Dogs.

The game is very short, and gives you a sense of claustrophobia. However, everything is resolved too quickly and in too tidy a manner.

I believe this game was entered in a speed comp, and as such, I recommend it for fans of speed comps.

The Unnkulia games were a series of popular games that filled the gap between the end of Infocom and the beginning of the IFComp/XYZZY Award era.

After Unnkulia 1 and 2, the developers made a prequel called Unnkulia Zero, and released this game as a sort of advertisement for the new game. It hints at events in Unnkulia 0 and sets up the events of the original game. It is short and easy.

Like all the games, this is juvenile. You carry a condom made of swiss Cheez, you let a little girl (Spoiler - click to show)drown due to foolish beliefs,

It's not very large, and fairly easy. You find four keys, then you find some treasure and put it back.

If you want to try out an Unnkulia game, this is the easiest and shortest of the bunch.

As a sequel to Unnkulia Underworld, this game is perhaps even more juvenile. Apparently women have been giving you their favors due to your fame, so you're trying to find something famous to do to keep up your popularity. There are two main areas, one on both sides of a river, two mazes, and a large underground complex.

Like the first game, you have ACME company making Cheez products, a monk that loves eggs, and so on. Your goal is the construction of an elaborate machine, like Leather Goddesses.

The game is well-made, but the main idea didn't appeal to me (of being a Kuul Duhd). It is large and a treat for adventurer fans in the right mindset.

This game can be played in less than a half hour. You play as a chinese farmer who discovers that his wife has been unfaithful to him. Through the aid of magic, he can escape her dangerous plans.

The game is tightly narrated, with new actions occurring frequently. The puzzles are very simple in general, with a couple of sticky points where it's hard to know what your abilities should be.

Recommended for fans of story-driven IF.

This is a story-driven game set in 3 parts, with a prelude, interludes, and a postlude.

The game is about two brothers who witness a new civilization come in contact with their own, the Incenders, a race of humanoid fiery beings. Over time, the brothers deal with a variety of forms of conflict.

The puzzles are a bit odd; the first big puzzle is serving drinks to a large group of people, and this can be tedious. It gets more exciting with dangerous exploration puzzles in parts 2 and 3.

A lot of world building has gone on here, similar to that on Worlds Apart, but on a smaller scale.

Recommended for fans of "hard sci-fi".

This game is generally well implemented and has smooth gameplay. You have a machine that lets you switch bodies, and you can switch with quite a few creatures in the game.

But the game is a bit weaker in the story department. You are trying to solve a mystery in a lab, and some people oppose you while some aid you. But as other reviewers noted, you can directly do crazy things around them without them noticing or caring, including setting things on fire, doing crazy and dangerous acrobatics, or even stealing important things as they watch you. Some of this is explained away later, but it is hard to stay motivated.

Otherwise, this is a nice science fiction game of moderate length.

In this short-to-mid length farm game, you are a young girl trying to help grandma and grandpa make up after a fight.

You explore a farm, learn about your family's history, and try to help the two of them out. The main puzzles of the game involve a battery used in three locations.

The writing was charming, the puzzles were mild, and the setting was fairly unusual for interactive fiction.

Good for fans of mildly puzzly slice of life.