Ratings and Reviews by MathBrush

In this game, you must write your dissertation while overcoming many distractions. You must use various items in the room to block out sound, sight, itchiness, etc.

The main innovation here is that the parser is actually your girlfriend Violet. All of the responses are hers and she comments on everything.

The implementation, writing, and puzzles are top notch. But the game didn't gel for me. One reason may be that I recently finished my PhD, and it hit too close to home. Another reason is that the parser is very, very pushy. It makes the exploration necessary for the game stressful. And the relationship with the narrator seems unhealthy, like many of the superficial romances that develop in college.

So if you want a game that very accurately depicts a college scenario, this is it. Most people won't have the same negative reactions I had, but will share all of my positive reactions.

It's hard for me to review this game (the first horror IF game by Infocom, and one of the first horror games ever) without comparing it to later Interactive Fiction based on Lovecraft's work. Specifically, Theatre, Anchorhead, and Lydia's Heart come to mind. How does this one compare?

First, size. The Lurking Horror is on the small side, due to PC capabilities at the time of publication. It is about the same size as Theatre, and much smaller than Anchorhead or Lydia's Heart.

Next, setting. The game is set in an alternate version of the MIT campus called GUE Tech during the winter. This worked well for me in the end, with the creepy Department of Alchemy, dark buildings and deep basements, and the gross muddy areas. It gave them game a more campy feel though, like Theatre, as opposed to the bigger games.

NPC's and enemies. While The Lurking Horror has a few okay PC's, it really shines in the creature department. I had played for a few hours without encountering more than one 'creature', and nothing that threatened me, so I was quite shocked when I (Spoiler - click to show)buried an axe in the chest of the maintenance man without any reaction from him. The further the game got, the more disturbing the creatures got. The enemies are more like Theatre's than the later games.

Puzzles. The Lurking Horror has some puzzles that are just dumb (especially the carton in the fridge). Later on, though, the puzzles get more fun, especially as you use the same objects in more and more ways. In the end, the puzzles are more like Lydia's Heart than the other two games, although there are much less puzzles overall.

Overall, it seems to me that the Lurking Horror was a great success that became eclipsed by later games. Theatre ('95) seems to be strongly inspired by The Lurking Horror, while Anchorhead ('98) seems to be inspired at least partially by Theatre (as it includes some similar puzzles). Lydia's Heart ('07) was more of a successful reboot of the Lovecraft idea using newer technology.

I played Earth and Sky and this game, its sequel, this morning.

This game was enjoyable, and I enjoyed the varied environments and the fun use of powers.

This game features the superhero Earth, who can break things and jump very far. You navigate a small set of areas (I think six), each with an inside and an outside.

At first, and at the end, I really enjoyed playing around with the powers and learning about abilities. But I found the middle game repetitive, especially because you have to travel the map repeatedly and exits aren't undoable in the normal way (i.e. going east and west doesn't return you to where you started).

Overall, a good game, but I preferred the first one.

Moon-shaped is one of those odd games that is a little bit lacking in most categories but somehow pulls together to be more enjoyable than many more polished games. It has that elusive quality that makes you remember it and want to play it again.

Moon-shaped begins as a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and branches out from there. Puzzles are enjoyable, with a nice flashback system. But the game is somewhat sparse. The world feels empty, with short descriptions.

Perhaps I enjoy this game most because of the great storytelling in the flashbacks. The multiple endings involving big moral choices are also good.

I recommend this game to everyone.

This game is very short, but it's not bad while it lasts. You have a chance to purchase a variety of equipment, and then you must face a dragon. There isn't really that much here, but then again, randomized combat is hard to find in IF games. I can only think of 3-4 games off the top of my head that have any randomized combat, including Zork, Adventure, Kerkerkruip and RPG-ish (another twine game written using constraints).

So I have to give Tim Samoff credit for implementing this.

This game consists of a single sentence that changes the names in it every time you refresh. It also has backdrop images of paintings of Adam and Eve that change every time you refresh, as well.

It's not really a game; most of Soda51's games are like this. But they do attract a certain amount of attention, so you have to wonder if Soda51 has a good plan after all.


****
Note: I reviewed this game a month ago; it is just a random coincidence that Soda51 posted another game today.

When this game existed, it was a short game where you are in a car and need to get out of it and try to repair it. You had to make sure the battery was turned off before opening the hood, etc. I do not know why the author took it down.

I found this game on Juhana's list of Mindbenders. It was very unusual; I don't think I've ever seen something like this done before.

The whole game is about trying to understand what is going on, similar to games like Legion in theory but very different in practice.

Once I understood what was going on, I simply used a walkthrough to complete the rest of the game. The rest of the puzzles are only mildly interesting. But the main puzzle is very, very good.

I really enjoyed Madam Spider's Web. It is one of those games like Theatre where the writing is a bit more sparse and the game feels just slightly unfinished, but they both have an emotional appeal to them that keeps you playing and sticks in your mind. When I saw the title of this game, it brought up a very evocative picture I've always had of Madam Spider in her room.

This game is short to mid length, with a variety of puzzles. The game feels almost like a Grimm's fairy tale at first, until you start piecing everything together. I think this game was nominated for Best Puzzle not only because of the puzzles solution but because of its deeper meaning.

This is not a long game, and has some very interesting material, so I would recommend that everyone play through it. Good bang for your buck (or for your time, I suppose).

Spider and Web is one of the most famous interactive fiction games, appearing at or near the top of several lists of Best IF. While I personally have enjoyed some other games more, Spider and Web is still in my top 10. I believe that part of its fame is its ability to draw in every kind of gamer; the story is interesting, the puzzles are hard but get easier with each failure, and those that don't know what to do after the transition mentioned in the game's ABOUT text can still feel great about their accomplishments.

In this science fiction game, you encounter a wide variety of technological devices. You must learn how they work. It' shard to be more specific without giving away plot details.

The game has two brilliant innovations. One is the puzzle it is most famous for, which causes the big transition I mentioned above. Most walkthrough said refuse to give the solution to this puzzle, as a gift to first time players. It took me a day to get over the shock of solving it.

The second innovation is the narrative structure. It frames the game in a way that no one had done as successfully before, and provides an interesting mechanic for hints.

Everyone should play it at least once. I played it the first week I started IF five years ago, and I played it last month, and it was great both times.