Trinity

It's been a while since I played an Infocom for the last time but the release of the Lost Treasures of Infocom for the iPad was the opportunity to dive back into these worlds that shaped my memories of old gamer.
I just completed Trinity and it compelled me to register to the IF database just to write this review. Rarely have I felt so immersed in a game, and so touched by its surreal atmosphere. In that regard, Trinity is a true testament to the power of Interactive Fiction in the hands of talented writers.

Trinity doesn't have a very defined plot. It's more a loose connection of metaphoric experiences, with the historical breakthroughs that led to the atomic bomb at its center. You travel through time and places in an effort to change the course of history, trying to understand the meaning of the events in order to alter their outcome. There's a strong and somewhat foreboding sense of ineluctability, with puzzles often forcing you to race against the clock.

The puzzles are perfectly imbedded into the surreal ambience of the game. It's like trying to decipher someone's dreams, and to make sense of the logic that governs them.
It's to me one of the great qualities of this game. Even though strange and sometimes downright twisted, the world of Trinity always feel coherent, giving you a fair chance of solving its many mysteries.

Still, the game is tough, with multiple opportunities to render it unsolvable, and a pretty complex timed endgame. I made a point to beat the game without help, but it took me long hours, and a couple of times I was close to throwing the towel. But that's what makes a great IF game in my opinion; Trinity strikes a perfect balance, which makes it very rewarding to play. I will not spoil the ending of course but I want to note that it may feel a little unfulfilling for some players, even though I personally think it's beautiful and suits the game perfectly.

I had a great time with Trinity. I felt a stranger in a strange world, discovered many wonders, and even made some friends, like my buddy the roadrunner.

A great achievement by Brian Moriarty.

This is one of the very few Infocom text adventures I solved by myself and without hints way back in the Apple IIe days. That isn't to say the game isn't challenging -- it is -- but that the story is so well written that it kept me coming back and continually thinking about how to get past the next problem. The game would sit for days when I finally thought I'd reached an insurmountable obstacle yet my mind kept returning to the problem and mulling over the possibilities. I'd continually find myself back in this fascinating world and happily getting past some of the most satisfying puzzles in Interactive Fiction. The ending, more so than any other Infocom game I'd played, left me absolutely satisfied and actually proud of the protagonist and his actions.

This was one of the most abstract and speculative works published by Infocom--and, in my opinion, one of the most difficult to solve as well. It managed to combine an Alice-in-Wonderland feel with a story about the invention of the Atomic Bomb, with some time, space, and interdimensional travel thrown in to boot. It also managed, as few games at the time did, to make some social commentary in the process. Overall, a unique and challenging game, and one that will make you think--not just about the puzzles, but about life and the consequences of our actions.