Reviews by MathBrush

This game is a clever inversion of usual goals. Playing normally as Dr. bonesaw, this is a short game; you get your vengeance.

The true gameplay, however, is more fun:

(Spoiler - click to show)You find the true ending by sabotaging yourself. It takes a few turns, but it's really pleasing to stop the unstoppable vengeance of Dr.
Bonesaw.

This game spoofs Toiletworld, so you should probably make sure to play that first.

This game just has 3 under-implemented locations with some neat tricks involving Magician's Choice and movement of scenery, but otherwise it's pretty typical for a speed-IF ectocomp game. Not bad, though. This author has a longer, fun game called How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors.

IN this game, you're trapped in a mirrored box as part of a Halloween stunt, carrying only a candle and some matches.

I couldn't get the game to do much, but it really had atmosphere. Just the act of lighting the matches, and the candle, and having the descriptions of your reflection described, were subtly creepy.

This game makes excellent use of different text and background colors and fonts to provide an intriguing and creepy atmosphere.

You play as a groundskeeper for the queen who has been dismissed. You take a short tour through a fantastic and frightening landscape. The background darkens as the game progresses.

Overall, a great short gane.

This game is brief, and is based on (I believe) on the Masque of the Red Death.

The game is sub-q style, short and straightforward, but Bruno manages to make it interesting. The writing is heavy, like Devil's Food Cake. The game is an adaptation, but with enough early changes that I was intrigued to see where it would go storywise.

The game has good replay value due to a sequence of end actions wandering about a party and choosing what rooms to visit. I found at least two different interesting sequences.

I recommend this game as a short literary bite.

This isn't really something to try and beat as much as it is a tool to come up with characters. It chooses things like name, sex and appearance, but also personality types, astrological signs, concerns about body image, etc.

There is a message of sorts in what options are generated, but it seemed mostly just like a fun tool rather than a means to a greater end.

Edit:

I've just replayed this, and discovered the black text is links to mini-stories, many of which are really good. I recommend this game now. Some strong profanity. I've increased the rating from 3 stars to 5.

Feu de Joie was a serial story released starting in 2015. It was about someone working for an online company who started getting weird messages from elsewhere.

This game is set from the other side, and manages to make powerful statements about war and world history. It's hard to go into more detail without exposing the plot.

It is very brief. I give it five stars for its polish and for its important place in the Feu de Joie series as a whole.

This game is about a young person who longs to be free from the mundane world. They try to escape, and begin to find the faery world.

The game has a variety of branches, picking from 2 sets of three big options and many smaller ones.

The game is very successful at creating and maintaining a wistful, deep atmosphere.

S. Woodson is a talented author, and it comes out in this brief game.

In this game, you create a story by choosing from menus. This game has a time cave structure, where every chance branches widely into more choices.

This usually is not effective, but the branches are short, the game meant to be replayed often, and you have a general idea of what effect your choices will have.

Options include choosing a setting for your short story, choosing characters, choosing motivations or objects, and so on.

This Sub-Q game is tightly focused and compact. You play as Fuwa Bansaku, a samurai based on a real-life Japanese swordsman. You are investigating an abandoned shrine that is rumored to be haunted.

This game uses a small number of directional commands and tightly-written poetry to achieve a compact and peaceful feel.

The story revolves around court drama and the story of the abandoned shrine.

An enjoyable, short piece.