Reviews by MathBrush

Draculaland gave me several hours of playtime, even though I resorted to hints near the end of my playing time. It uses an innovative system where it is a parser, but all commands are chosen by clicking buttons instead of typing them in.

This is definitely a parser with some web UI thrown in as opposed to games such as Hallowmoor or the Axolotl Project which were Twine games but with heavy parser elements.

The parser effect is achieved by having an actual parser on half of the screen, with commands passed to it when you click on the buttons on the right-side (which consists of an inventory and room description).

The big worry here of course is that the button system might detract from the freedom of the parser, and that was my experience at first. It was difficult going back and forth between the two interfaces, and I felt like I was just trying every button in every situation.

However, as the game progressed, the dual interface became more natural, and as the inventory and its options grew, I was no longer able to get anyway by random button presses. I had to resort to the hallmark of the parser system, which is planning and carrying out a complex sequence of events.

Overall, I found the writing charming when the game wasn't being frustrating. That ended up being the one drawback of the game; I felt that many of the puzzle solutions, even in hindsight, didn't make sense or didn't allow for reasonable alternatives. (Spoiler - click to show)For instance, I felt like you should be able to distract the magpie with shiny objects or hide the keys in the box or bury them or kill the bird in its nest, or that you could slow the flies down by having them get drunk just like you did with the Magpie, etc. However, I would still rank the puzzles in the top half of all adventure games, especially for a patient player.

Overall, I recommend it; as an experiment, it's worth spending some time with, and as a game, it should appeal to the minimalist Scott Adams fans (which includes me).

This game is styled fairly well for an Ectocomp game (I wonder if this is a second release?); there is green goo in the background and a spooky font.

The game's story was really odd and not too spooky. You travel around the city before a Halloween party, buying food or alcohol or cigarettes, and interacting with two different women, whom you can follow, talk to, buy stuff from, etc. You then go to a party where a variety of things can happen.

The language is off frequently; for instance, one line says "Here is Marianne, and Beatrice, but you are now too drunk the things like this." I thought it could be a deliberate choice to represent inebriation, but the text is like this throughout.

This Ectocomp game (which had to be written in two hours) feels like the author ran out of time. It is set in a dark and brooding office of a physiognomist who is not present. It puts off a real abandoned hospital sort of vibe, like Mariel or One Eye Open.

Nothing much happens, though. There is just about one puzzle, and that puzzle is escaping. Once you do, the game is over. There were no NPCs as far as I can tell.

In a normal game, this would be off-putting, but SpeedIF is different. Taking your 2 hours to build a compelling setting is not a bad thing.

In this Ectocomp 2015 game, you have to get out of a haunted ship to make it to freedom.

As a speedIF, it is ambitious, and I enjoyed it. You have to escape a series of locked rooms or gauntlets, and often the wrong choices will kill you.

Like most puzzle SpeedIF, the puzzles are underclued, but the game is small enough to allow you to experiment with it.

Fun for SpeedIF fans.

This game was entered in EctoComp 2015. It was written in two hours or less. The author is good at writing a lot of text quickly, and so this is quite a large game.

It is written in Choicescript, with many choices per turn, but I believe the story plays out roughly the same whatever you do.

The story is set in Australia, and is a goofy game about a girl who gets a variety of new roommates, one of which has left a bizarre and nasty experiment in the refrigerator.

References a lot of wildlife, like axolotls,kangaroos, maggots, etc.

This was my favorite game of Ectocomp 2015, a SpeedIF competition where games were written in 2 hours or less. You play a tiny little ninja wandering around a small landscape with big pumpkins and friendly creatures.

The game just has a cute atmosphere. The puzzles are easy, and I solved them within 10 minutes.

Recommended as a good introduction to SpeedIf.

Andrew Schultz is known for his wordplay games, and has managed to make quite a good SpeedIF game puzzle here. Watch out for Full Nelson and Half Nelson as they chase you for your candy!

The game centers on a large graphical display representing various words. The goal of the puzzle is to figure out how to defeat your enemies based on information you gain in the chase.

It's just one puzzle, but it's a pretty good one. Recommended for puzzle fans.

This is a well-put together Speed IF about a mummy waking up in a modern laboratory after centuries of slumber. With your mummified cat friend, you need to pull a Wizard of Oz and get a heart, a brain, a stomach, etc.

The game is fairly descriptive for a speed-IF, but the puzzles are undervalued, most likely due to time constraints (it was written in 2 hours!).

The ending has a twist that introduces a very different tone into the piece that some found effective and some found off-putting.

Recommended for Speed-IF fans.

This game was entered in EctoComp 2015, the annual Halloween Speed IF, where it took first place.

The game is class Chandler Groover; a constrained set of interactions, non-standard parser directions, and a style that is rich like Devil's food cake.

The story is fairly gory, but in a surreal way. It is surreal and allegorical; Groover likes readers to develop their own interpretations, and their are many you can make here. The game is linear, running from start to end, with many surprises.

This game was nominated for an XYZZY for Best Setting. In it, you play an individual who is seeking enlightenment, and for a path between strength and wisdom.

The game map is relatively small, with descriptions reminiscent of The Moonlit Tower. The puzzles are fairly standard fair; a lot of searching will generally be rewarded, and a combat lesson tells you how to win battles.

Most of the game is about quiet contemplation, and the game is related to some legends about the development of TaiChi.