Reviews by manonamora

Familiar Problems is a fantasy puzzle parser in which you wake up as some experimental familiar in a magical school, realising your creator is nowhere to be found. What to do then? Escape and plot your revenge, of course! Is it doable? As a blob of green slime, it’s going to be challenging but not impossible. Along the way, you encounter other familiars, each with different abilities, which you can consume and acquire to move around the map and solve the different puzzles. The game also includes a map and hints/nudges to progress.

It’s a well polished game, with a satisfying gameplay, and just charmingly fun! You start with limited actions, with a set of commands that builds up as you gather more power (i.e. consume things and others). The progression makes sense, as each power is there to solve a subsequent puzzle/block (sometimes even working in combination!), and the puzzles have the right amount of difficulty that it feels really good when solved (the nudges and map help a ton when stuck, but good old trial-n-error did most of the work for me). As well, the game does take advantage of the Dialog program, enabling players to choose whether to input commands or clicking on the actions (or both, in my case, especially for the map and fast travelling the places).

I really enjoyed helping the lil’ blob getting its bearing and figuring out how to get out of the building. There are a tons of fun stuff to discover in the game (the announcement messages got me to chuckle every time), that really adds to the funky atmosphere here. Honestly, one of the strongest parser I’ve played recently!

An Admirer is a horror conversational parser, in which a immaterial presence really really wants to talk to you, whether you want it or not. The conversation is mainly non-linear: you enter actions or keywords to get different bits of text (and open more topics). It is not always clear how much you can actually progress in the game, and how to reach anything but the mandated ending when inputting QUIT.

This might be one of the creepiest game I’ve played in a while. You can’t get away from the creepy voice that insists upon itself (no movement) nor can you really fight it (it’s not physically there) - only endure what it wants to tell you, all that it knows about you from watching you (on point with the stalker vibes), all the feelings it has for you, the made-up scenarios about you. It really felt that creepy, from the way the voice talks about you, how it is so sure it knows you, inside and out. Creepier still is what it wishes from you, what it plans for you. Escalating bit by bit, every time it slips up (feels on purpose) until you can’t take it any more and input QUIT to stop the madness.

This was wholeheartedly unpleasant, but in a good way. Skin crawling experience with a surprisingly responsive chat-bot.

Museum of Paranormal Phenomena is a relatively short parser made as an homage to the movie Ghostbusters. In the game, you visit the titular museum, whose rooms are decorated like scenes in the movie. Except some things seem out of place or missing. And Slimer keeps roaming around. You end the game by returning the rooms to their counterpart scenes. Knowledge of the movie isn't really required to complete the game (though it will help with speed), as the game only accepts one specific item in each room.

As is, it's a fine fetch-puzzle game, which is well built and without issue. But it didn't do much for me. It's definitely a game that plays on the nostalgia factor (hinting about the referenced movie at the start without explicitly mentioning it. So if you're not familiar with the movie (or if you don't enjoy it), the whole nudge-nudge-wink-wink will fall flat for you. The idea of having cleaning up the museum is neat, and I weirdly wondered when each room would come to life (or have some actual paranormal activities).

Forevermore: A Game of Writing Horror is a poetic Twine game in which you play as famous brooder Edgar Allen Poe, in search for inspiration for his newest poem. Except, he’s having a hard time staying on track, lacking the words and feelings for his pen to translate to paper. And distractions keep breaking his flow, when he finally gets it. There are five different endings, which the game tracks for you, and you can keep the stanza you created then too (some of them are pretty hilarious).

It’s pretty funny to see the contrast between the Brooder-in-Charge struggling to get into the mood, especially when you learn a bit more about his life. It feel a bit too fake: you practice the occult with a plaster skull, your dark study where you brood has been cleaned a bit too well by your maid (yes, a thick layer of dust is needed for the ambiance, you see), and you’re living a pretty cushioned life (a nice little cottage and a maid that cares for you). Truly, the fresh scones and tea do not bring upon the so needed ravens.

Overall, it’s a really fun game with a good sense of humour. And it’s especially fun replaying it, to find the other poems/endings (I got the “bad” ones first which were hilarious). Seeing the ChoiceScript-like stats bar on top of the screen change as you try to brood or enjoy the day.

Dark Waters on the Night Shift is a spooky puzzle game made in Twine, where shenanigans happen on your night shift at a sewer plant. You play as Oscar, a regular guy working alone at the plant on Halloween. Expecting some teenagers and their tricks, it is a succubus, Lucciana, that come entertain your night (and, in passing, literally bring hell to the plant). In order to resolve the sudden chaos, and put down the fire, a friendly ghost comes to help ((Spoiler - click to show)turns out to be some poor soul who had died at work some Halloween's ago, probably because of Lucciana).

The game provides a fun playground to explore and interact with, as the access to the different parts of the sewer plant changes with Lucciana's interference. The larger puzzle itself isn't too complicated, it's traversing the map that will be the most challenging. There are multiple locations and levels you need to take into account, especially as soon as you use the remote. I screenshot the map* before diving into the cart to make things easier on myself (and it did help!).
*Fun fact, which I realised when I beta tested: the map is an SVG element, made completely from scratch!

What worked the best for me was the descriptions of the plat itself, especially as it changed throughout the game. The acid fumes turning into hellish flames or the cool water in the tanks (which hurt me to waste... but that's for a good cause). Created a really nice horror ambiance and a sense of urgency (the fire, obviously and the countdown, even if you actually have enough time).

The Depths of Madness is a short horror piece made in ChoiceScript inspired by “The Call of Cthulhu” from Lovecraft. After receiving in a hurry the research of a now-passed coworker, you delve into one of the tome just before going to sleep. The research deals with the occult, particularly the myth of Cthulhu. It is, obviously, unwise to fall asleep with that kind of reading on your lap (unless you like thrills… or nightmares!).

So you fall (or more like sink) into the depths of a dark body of water, of which you do not see the end. The decent towards the bottom, where shadows still catch you unaware, is pretty oppressing - there’s no way but down. Only madness accompanying you. Here, the inspiration from Lovecraft is clear, and the writing does a good job at conveying this otherwordly horror.

Since the game provides you with choice at multiple point during the story, I got curious to what other paths would bring me (as I played essentially a rational chicken the first time around). It was a bit disappointing to find that few of the choices really did something, only there to provide and illusion of choice (which, is fair, you can’t really refuse the call of Cthulhu). It is most obvious with the final choice, bringing the abrupt ending.

On the other hand, the choice of palette and imagery for the interface was well done. The dark theme and ocean greens add some depth to the atmosphere.

The Little Match Girl in the Court of Maal Dweb is a fairly long parser game in Inform 7, where you play as Ebenezabeth Scrooge, the Little Match Girl who can travel through time and space by looking at fire. In this episode of the LMG series, you are tasked to take down a big bad werewolf, called Imrath, who has been terrorising people through time and space. The game includes hints, and as far as I could tell, does not have a failure state.
This was also my entry into the series.

Though you are supposed to be teaming-up with three other characters, you end up doing not only most of the search and prep for the werewolf, but also take it down. The game itself is relatively simple: explore the Woods and the different worlds (through the flames/torches), try to find information about the werewolf and how to take it down, and help the people in those worlds along the way (some back-and-forth between world is necessary).

While I managed to get through most of the game without needing hints (I think I was lucky in the order I ended up visiting the different realms, it made sense which things I had to get to next), it was the final showdown that gave me the most troubles/confusion. Before (Spoiler - click to show)you can complete your preparations, you come face to face with Imrath and are forced into some sort of mental battle. It really made no sense as to why the violin was there or why I had to play it (my guess is that LGM's violin play is central/greatly mentioned in another game. Still, it *somehow???* takes Imrath down? While the other puzzles made some sense (though I did wish there would have been more use in the kit we get at the start), this one really broke my brain.

I did enjoy the post-game content, going back to the different worlds and (Spoiler - click to show)heal everyone again with the violin. After taking Imrath down, I figured why not, and just rolled with it. But was a bit bummed to not find the missing element required by Maal (did it ever exist?), or what's on the pole, or that Mattin didn't want to (Spoiler - click to show)read my fortune.

I was a bit apprehensive of the long playtime, especially compared to other Ectocomp entries, but it was pretty fun nonetheless. The different worlds are rich in details and implementation, and super varied. Seeing your companions (Spoiler - click to show)fall one by one to the cursed state, like some weird slasher movie where the ingenue(-ish) to save the day, made me snort. They must not have forgotten their plot armour :P

You promise is a short Faustian horror game made in Twine, in which you make a deal with a mystical being (devil? or maybe fae with the insistence of giving your name?) to solve your money problems. Like any magical deals, it's a lot about give and take... and *how* you take. I found 7 different endings, with only one "good" one.

This was a fun take on the deal-with-the-devil trope, giving you different options to deal with your Honoured Guest, each branch as entertaining as the next. Trying to trick HG into giving you what you want without, essentially, paying the price, was trickier than I thought. Getting away with it *is* the challenge, and HG will take you up on your words - *the exact words* you utter. After all, you promise It your words are true.

And the consequences are... varied - your literal words thrown back at you (heart, soul, and all) - and fitting to each path taken (in a sort of monkey-paw kind-of-way sometimes). The styling of that final passage is particularly on point, as tension builds and the danger is imminent. Like a creepy Cheschire Cat about to devour you whole because you slighted it.
Though after the second or third ending found, the timer on the animation drags on a little too long. Great the first time around tho!

One final point on the "good" ending, because while there is a way to best HG and get the money, it doesn't *feel* good, or like you actually won. (Spoiler - click to show)You don't even touch it when you see it in your account, you wait weeks and months, and still you wait. As if, the second you spend the money, HG will appear still and give you your comeuppance. The tension is still there, lingering. Finding this one last really felt like a full circle moment.

Fireboad is an action parser, in which you incarnate Captain Kent Decker, a senior fireboat captain of the NY fire department, on the Hudson river, when the ghost of your grandmother appears before you, with dire news: a terrorist is planning to blow up the Big Apple! You ready yourself to thwart its plan, going up/down the Hudson river with your trusty boat.
There are two endings, incl. one bad which is obvious enough (and clearly hinted that (Spoiler - click to show)you shouldn't touch the trailer) and one where you save the day. A walkthrough is also provided on the game page, though if you follow the explicit "crumbs", getting to the end is just a matter of remembering where to go.

Because you are eagerly told what to do, head on, the game feels pretty railroady: the game presses you to do the things it tells you to do, rushing you almost before you can take a breath. It's a somewhat understandable, seeing as you have an exploding plot in your hands, and you're a seasoned captain that knows what do to. But it felt a bit like exploring/examining objects around you to be... futile/pointless. At times, I wondered if some of these hints/pressure points would have been better behind the *HINT* command, for those needing that extra help (especially since (Spoiler - click to show)notes left around by the ghosts tells you exactly what to do.).

I liked that inclusion of the spectral presence leading you along the way, and how it only appears when you "need" it, or the ghostly objects disappearing when you completed their task. It made keeping track with your task's progress much easier. Though, the whole (Spoiler - click to show)Liberty Statue section felt a bit out of place, and stilted a bit the pace of the story, especially considering the urgency of the issue.

Yet, it was genuinely fun to play and I really enjoyed being able to move the boat around the river (that's such a fun movement function!). And kuddos to the Chief Mate for being so good at his job!

Your Little Haunting is short horror parser, where you get to explore an abandoned house and interact with the limited elements within. In this dark night, your goal is to find a light source. Except it doesn't go the way you hope it will.

Though under-implemented ((Spoiler - click to show)the bedroom is essentially empty, some elements not interactible/reachable like the (Spoiler - click to show)lamp you see through the window), which is understandable considering the Speed-IF time limit, it's pretty chilling: the empty neglected house come to (un-)life as you interact in specific way, a sort of ghostly mirror to what you did.
>But even as ghosts might appear, your presence in this house feels ghostly too. You haunt these halls, turning on/off appliances, moving objects just because. The ghosts themselves don't seem to care about or acknowledge you... (Spoiler - click to show)until the very end, when the veil is removed from your eyes.

I would have loved being able to explore/interact more with this dreamy, liminal space, but my stay in this abandoned house was just right.