Reviews by MathBrush

This is the kind of game that I enjoy much more than most people would, as I am a big fan of Lovecraftian horror and of atmospheric puzzlefests.

This mid-length game has a bit of a bottleneck opening, followed by a non-linear map area. It's more of an old-school feel, with some actions that are not really fair but not too bad. Two or three of the puzzles are solved by returning to an old area.

You have a recurring nightmare, and this time you can't get out. You explore an abandoned city that is a mix of R'lyeh and of the fortress in Enchanter by Infocom. Ancient writing, mystical texts, haunting memories from a half-forgotten past, violent cultists, gibbering horrors, this hits up a lot of the best parts of Lovecraft.

The NPCs are a bit weak, as you can't talk about much.

This game was written to showcase the German extension of Inform 7. You play someone who wakes up with scanty memories and some wounds in a dark and deserted castle/hospital, in the care of a nurse named Mariel.

The game demonstrates a lot of Inform's capabilities: scripted scenes, openable containers, movable objects, alterable exits, consumable objects, hidable objects, conversation, locks and keys, books, and so on.

The atmosphere really worked for me. A large, dirty, empty castle/cathedral converted into a hospital, the combination of freedom and restriction under Mariel, etc. But the game felt like it just suddenly cut off at the end, with no real resolution. This makes the game more like a toy demonstration, like Graham Nelson's Balances or Michael Robert's Ditch Day Drifter.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this game. Recommended for horror fans.

In this game, you play a graduate student who does investigative work with their supervisor, Dr. Todd. Dr. Todd accompanies you, and was nominated for an XYZZY award for Best Individual NPC.

The idea is that you are investigating a magician who's staying at a hotel, and you want to determine if they are legitimate or fake. You have to solve a series of puzzles to do so, such as breaking in, collecting evidence, etc.

The story is a bit odd; an old knitting lady is a bodyguard, a random child seems to have snuck into the magicians apartment (neither of these have anything to do with the rest of the story).

Overall, not strongly recommended.

In this short game, you play the troll in Zork. You wait around for adventurers, and deal with them as they come.

The PC is well implemented, and the game was nominated for an XYZZY award for best individual pc.

The about text changes each time you read it, which is amusing.

Recommended as a small treat for Infocom fans.

This game was nominated for an xyzzy award for best individual pc. It is a vast world, a city with 8-10 locations, each with a night or day mode, each with 2-4 sublocations, each with a couple of rooms.

The story and puzzles are hidden away in this vast expanze, with only 4 or 5 things to do in the game.

You are sarah winschester, representing gun manufacturers. You confront and stop the horror of gun violence. I didn't finish the last puzzle because I got frustrated.

The game is all in third person, and abbreviations are disabled.

Resource management games aren't super common in IF (Suspended and the Geisha part of When Help Collides come to mind). In this game, you have to manage 30 orphans over several weeks. You can buy equipment for them, assign them various tasks, discipline them, clean them, etc.

The goal is to have a lot of money and to have your kids do well in society. I ended up having 28 of them run away, even though I never disciplined and gave the best food.

As a resource management game, it's very enjoyable. Recommended for fans of sim-type games.

In this game, you are a computer, and you explore a physical representation of the internet and computer programs. Search engines are obelisks, the blogosphere is a bunch of balloonists, and so on.

Your goal is to keep your master from going on a date with someone of the wrong gender or sexual orientation. You have to access their phone, their work, and more to achieve this goal.

The game allows for some customization at first, because you also are a character in an MMORPG.

There are 3 endings, each better than the last.

Recommended for those interested in a physical representation of technology.

In this game, you play Alistair Lidell, a father who is going to a fair with his wife. Things are not good in the Lidell family.

You enter a surreal world based on Alice in Wonderland and on your own life. You experience a variety of events that have tragic connections to real life. Also, you have a paper that you carry around, and you are supposed to write some words on it, but it's hard to know what to write.

Overall, good writing, but the hinting is off.

Fine-tuned is a well-polished and lengthy comedy game, in which you play two characters. The first is a strong but dim motorist, possessing an early automobile. The second is a young opera star with perfect pitch.

The game opens with a few cheerful, comedic scenes that are largely led by the hand in an entertaining way. Then the game opens up into a more free, more linear area.

I used the walkthrough by this point, and stuck with it. It seems like some parts would be quite hard to guess on your own.

This game is very well put-together and enjoyable. Recommended.

This game was one of the first games ever nominated for a Best Setting XYZZY. It's set in a charming campus building used as a computer center. There are three floors, with interesting things on each floor.

The puzzles, writing, and storyline are not super compelling, but their are a variety of charming touches that add to the game. The two significant NPCs are unexpected and cute. There are a variety of extra features that add to the game.

Overall, a very short game with a charming setting.