The Moonlit Tower

5 star: (15) 4 star: (29) 3 star: (9) 2 star: (6) 1 star: (0)

Average Rating: Number of Ratings: 59 Write a review

- george (Seattle), August 21, 2008

A beautifully written, evocative, almost poetic game, The Moonlit Tower is a short tale of strange myth and melancholy longing that, in its final moments, gave me goosebumps in the best possible way. Best of all, though, contrary to what you may expect from a game praised for its writing, The Moonlit Tower is far from florid or long-winded, its tightly written imagery packing a lot of content into a few sentences per action.

My one complaint is that such a stunning story, more than capable of carrying itself entirely on the strength of its surreal and deeply implemented setting, is at heart a puzzle game. The mid-part, where you must figure out how to use the sundry gorgeously described items you find, was for me the weakest, the flow of the prose being constantly interrupted by the need to wonder what on Earth (or elsewhere) I actually had to do to make the story continue, or by trips to the terse and occasionally frustrating hint menu.

But even if you are, like me, puzzle-averse, this is some of the most affecting writing I can call to mind, and the chance to explore this exquisite world should not be turned down.

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- jwbjerk (Mid-West USA), July 24, 2008

- jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008

- Maureen (California), November 2, 2007

- Hauston (Seattle, WA), November 1, 2007

- Steve Evans (Hobart, Tasmania), October 28, 2007

- Brian Slesinsky (California), October 27, 2007

- Wendymoon, October 26, 2007

- Quintin Stone (NC), October 23, 2007

Baf's Guide

A beautifully-written game based on Asian mythology. To explain the premise would be difficult, but that's not really an issue -- the best thing about this game is simply enjoying the setting, which is full of rare and lovely imagery. The puzzles are occasionally a bit elusive, but the built-in hint system helps somewhat with that problem. There are also multiple endings and an extensive set of notes describing the game's background -- quite a lot of polish for a (relatively) brief piece.

-- Emily Short