Ratings and Reviews by mg51
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Limited commands make you think outside the box, December 16, 2021The only commands in this game are moving, looking at the room description, checking your inventory, and waiting. The fact that you can't inspect things more closely or take objects that seem useful can be frustrating when you're used to having more control, but it's somehow funny to passively infiltrate this facility by simply wandering around. I definitely recommend making yourself a map-- something I pretty much never do, but this game practically requires it.
Fun and fast-paced with high replay potential, November 16, 2021I've played this game through about eight times now. The setup is something of a scavenger/treasure hunt through an old antebellum mansion, grabbing antiques while filmed for a reality show. Most non-passive commands cost you fifteen seconds, and you have half an hour to collect items and pass through the foyer with them (or else put them in their special location, which you must guess based on the item and what rooms you've seen). It doesn't take long to reach the end point, and as you learn more about the value of various items, how to access different parts of the mansion, and other factors, you start working on how to allocate your time best. My first playthrough, I ended with about $6000, whereas my most recent I had almost $18000 (still a far cry from the high scores listed in the links).
I wish there was a way to play without the time limitation, just so I could play through the entire game, but I understand why having that sort of gameplay available would cheapen the timed play, since it would be easier to make choices once you had the entire place mapped out, and more room for trial and error on the special locations was allowed.
Did I mention you're wearing a chicken costume for the TV show? You're wearing a chicken costume for the TV show.
Scratches an itch I can't name, November 5, 2021Related reviews: five stars, spell casting, single room, (actually many rooms), (but single room in spirit)
I have absolutely enjoyed the experience of playing this game. I'm one of those people who likes mathematical thinking, but who hasn't been in a math class for about a decade, so this is perfect for me because it isn't prohibitively challenging as far as the sort of math you have to actually perform, but it requires you to test things out and think outside of the box as more ways to create numbers become accessible to you in the form of "spells".
There's a charming little plotline with NPCs to provide the story propping up the puzzles, but I'd definitely say this is a puzzles-over-plot game.
If you enjoy logic puzzles and growing a toolbox incrementally, this is a game you should enjoy.
Somewhat amusing, but misses some shots., October 28, 2021I appreciate what Being Andrew Plotkin was trying to do, but it fell a bit flat for me. Between the kind of unnecessary and awkward romantic plotline and a lot of jokes that were probably just too meta for me, it felt repetitive and overly linear, with almost no room for exploration with the frequent P.O.V. switches, leaving me with an overall sense of dissatisfaction with the environment. And in spite of the frequent P.O.V. switches, I never found myself attached to or invested in any of the characters. I should say I haven't seen the film this is based on, and while I don't know if that would have made me enjoy the game more, it probably would have given context to some elements I wasn't a fan of.
Basically, to me, this game relied too heavily on plot and not enough on gameplay, an issue I had with Photopia too, but unlike Photopia, the story wasn't interesting enough for me to continue forward anyway. When I reached the point in the story where you can find yourself in an infinite loop and couldn't figure out how to stop it, I gave up on the game.
So, because I didn't finish, please take my rating with a grain of salt. I can't speak to the entire game. I have selected to have my rating excluded from the game's overall rating too for this reason.
Fast-paced religious horror, October 25, 2021I quite enjoyed playing Vespers, but it is not for everyone. It was written in a way that elicited a kind of visceral disgust (unsurprising giving the setting is a medieval monastery in the last stages of being wiped out by the plague). The decay of scenery and the protagonist's mental state keeps you wondering what is real and what is hallucination, and the regular (and often gruesome) deaths of the few other cast members keeps a sense of suspense.
Positives:
I enjoyed a specific aspect of the game that I've seen complained about in other reviews. The prayers to the saints were the most interesting kind of puzzle to me (Spoiler - click to show) as the stained glass windows gave enough hints about what sort of scenario each saint can help you with. I found the writing properly atmospheric and terse, and the short timespan of gameplay fits the small-ish setting.
Negatives:
I was probably most disappointed by the lack of descriptions. Most rooms were fairly barren, and many of them served no real purpose during the game. Also, some aspects of gameplay can be finicky and require a bit of trial and error (for example, timing some actions perfectly) which is a quirk of some games that I'm personally not a huge fan of.
So overall, I would recommend this game with the caveat that players understand what they're getting into. I think most prospective players will be able to tell based on the reviews whether or not the game is one they'll enjoy.
Fun space simulator, limited puzzles, October 25, 2021This game was fun in a way that's common with some simple simulation-type games, but it wasn't typical for IF. It involved a lot of simple exploration, where speaking with different characters introduces you to new places you can visit. A lot of the game involves finding methods to earn money and simple resource management (rocket fuel). While it was enjoyable to play casually, it probably won't scratch your typical interactive fiction itch.
Unique, intriguing, and hilarious, October 20, 2021This is one of the most entertaining IF games I've played, period. The story isn't overly complicated but it's never boring, and while the "twist" (Spoiler - click to show)that the pig is the princess didn't take me long to figure out, that didn't detract from the experience at all, as enough hints are dropped later in the game that it shouldn't be a surprise by the time it's revealed.
The gist of the game is that you're playing as a pig, and because of that, you are very limited in what you can personally do and need to manipulate the NPCs around you in order to navigate the world. It makes for a completely different kind of gameplay experience and puzzles that are entirely unlike those you find in standard IF games. I enjoyed it immensely.
The characters were a charming mix of standard archetypes and subversions of those same archetypes (Spoiler - click to show)(the brave but dimwitted knight, the cowardly but reliable squire, the evil sorcerer, and the vain prince) and I found myself somewhat invested in their stories. (Spoiler - click to show)I especially enjoyed Tuck and Tristain's awkward friendship, as it defied both hetero and homosexual romantic cliches.
As far as difficulty, this game was on the easier side, but it wasn't so simple that it detracted from my experience personally. I think it is a good game for beginners or players who might often rely on guides and hints to finish games.
TL;DR: Wizard Sniffer is charming, engaging, funny, and doesn't require a huge time commitment. I loved it.
Fascinating story, limited gameplay, October 14, 2021It's a captivating story that unfolds in a way that makes more sense as you go, leading you to understand the characters and their relationships to each other. I went into my first playthrough completely blind, so my understanding was absolutely zero when I started and the first few sections made no sense whatsoever, but this didn't at all take away from my experience. It made it more rewarding when I began putting pieces together.
The game's only weak point is that it is more of a story than a game, and interactivity mostly comes down to different choices of dialogue. I understand that this was a choice on the creator's part, and I definitely still recommend giving it a play-through, but it's best to be aware going in that you're going to get a non-traditional, non-linear story rather than an interactive adventure with puzzles.
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