Misunderstood games - an IFDB Poll

by MathBrush
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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.

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Poll created on September 7, 2015