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Far More Than An Interactive History, January 28, 2008Every so often, I play a work of IF and wish it could be made into a movie. This was one of the times. Jigsaw begins at the turn of the millennium and proceeds to whisk you through historical event after historical event with barely a pause for breath -- all the time pursuing a fascinating stranger who seems to think you're on their side.
The writing is superb -- Graham Nelson manages the feat of never using pronouns when referring to Black in order to allow the player to see both themselves and Black as they choose. The historical sections are obviously carefully researched, with careful details -- I loved Orville Wright's mandolin! Black, the main NPC, is a strangely likeable villain (or are they an ally?) with a fiery temper and a well-polished wit. And the plot, if somewhat confusing on the first playthrough, is entertaining.
As for the puzzles, I can't honestly say. I didn't solve them by myself -- I used a walkthrough. The impression I got, however, is that they are generally well-clued but with one or two guess-the-verb problems. There are lots of sudden deaths, most with warning but a few not. It's incredibly easy to lock yourself out of victory without realizing it -- (Spoiler - click to show)at the end of the game it is required to have an item from the prolouge that is none-too-easy to find. If you want to avoid problems with the game being unwinnable, pick up everything not nailed down and keep them in your rucksack in case.
To sum up, this would have to be my favorite game yet in terms of story and writing. I just wish it had been a novel and not IF.