Misunderstood games - an IFDB Poll

by MathBrush
RSS Feed

I'm interested in games where the reviewers 'just don't get it', where part of the game that is essential or hidden got overlooked.

I'm thinking of Scary House Amulet as a prime example, where a solid parody game is passed off as poorly written.

View Comments (1) - Add a comment


Endless, Nameless, by Adam Cadre
2 votes
"Billed as being for hardcore retro gamers only" [+]"Billed as being for hardcore retro gamers only: I passed on this game given Adam's apologetic blurb, but later I learned that it was not what it seemed, in a significant way. (I still haven't gotten around to playing it myself.)" --Doug Orleans... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Kinetic Mouse Car...

Vote for this game

Final Exam, by Jack Whitham
2 votes
"Lots of hidden content" [+]"Lots of hidden content: If you only follow the directions of the Central Administrator (which is also what the walkthrough has you do), you miss out on a whole extra layer of story, including a more interesting puzzle and a bunch of alternate endings." () --Doug Orleans... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car...

Vote for this game

SPY INTRIGUE, by furkle
2 votes
"Easy to dismiss as ZANY, but actually very heartfelt." [+]"Easy to dismiss as ZANY, but actually very heartfelt." ( - Full review) --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car...

Vote for this game

Scary House Amulet!, by Ricardo Dague
1 vote
"Great parody of a bad game." [+]"Great parody of a bad game." ( - Full review) --MathBrush...

Vote for this game

Laid Off from the Synesthesia Factory, by Katherine Morayati
1 vote
"Not as "on rails" as it seems" [+]"Not as "on rails" as it seems: The story advances automatically whenever it doesn't understand your command, which makes it seem like this game is "on rails" and totally linear, but there are actually a fair number of choices you can make that affect the story outcome." () --Doug Orleans...

Vote for this game

parasite, by Porpentine
1 vote
"Looking at the..." [+]"Looking at the reviews, it seems like at least one reviewer got a losing ending at the "test" section at the start and assumed that they'd seen the entire game." () --Christina Nordlander...

Vote for this game

CYBERQUEEN, by Porpentine
1 vote
"Misunderstood by myself?" [+]"Misunderstood by myself?: After many playthroughs, I still don't know whether the Cyberqueen is meant to be a pure villain or someone we're meant to sympathise with" () --Christina Nordlander...

Vote for this game

Stationfall, by Steve Meretzky
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Robb Sherwin...

Vote for this game

Plundered Hearts, by Amy Briggs
1 vote
"A "romance game" that is very action-heavy" [+]"A "romance game" that is very action-heavy" ( - Full review) --MathBrush...

Vote for this game

Pogoman GO!, by Jack Welch and Ben Collins-Sussman
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk...

Vote for this game

Mouth of Ashes, by verityvirtue
1 vote
"Well-described scenery with suspense." [+]"Well-described scenery with suspense.: Several reviewers gave this story the "on rails" cliche comment. While available choices are definite (i.e. this and not that), that's kind of how hiking works. You take one path and probably don't have the stamina to walk back and choose another on the same day. All in all, I enjoy a good descriptive piece for its own sake. The scenery was well written, but also gave the reader a feeling of haste and suspense." ( - Full review) --IFforL2...

Vote for this game

The Black Lily, by Hannes Schueller
1 vote
"Many reviewers..." [+]"Many reviewers completely missed the best puzzle in the game and something important about the protagonist." () --Sobol...

Vote for this game

ULTRA BUSINESS TYCOON III, by Porpentine
1 vote
"Some important..." [+]"Some important themes are easy to miss if you aren't looking at it the right way." () --Floating Info...

Vote for this game

Inward Narrow Crooked Lanes, by B Minus Seven
1 vote
"People thought the code was broken; it's not." [+]"People thought the code was broken; it's not." ( - Full review) --CMG...

Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.
Game Title (or TUID or IFID):

Poll created on September 7, 2015