Cut the Sky

--“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
Stephen King, The Gunslinger (Dark Tower series pt 1)

Meanwhile, across an unfathomable distance in both time and space, in a world with a Black Tower of its own piercing the glowing sky, a Master Swordswoman sets off on a quest of her own…

--“Under the golden glow of the noon sky, a sea of withered stalks sways in the wind. A rusty crossroads sign post rises from the ground before you, leaning slightly. Whatever roads it once pointed towards have long been lost to the grass.”
SVLinwood, Cut the Sky

Now, I don’t know if Cut the Sky was (intentionally or subconsciously) inspired by Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I don’t even know if the author has read any of King’s books. But to me, even if it’s completely unintentional, Cut the Sky feels like a tone-perfect interactive novella set in a world closely connected to that of King’s magnum opus.

Cut the Sky drastically limits the allowed parser inputs. This narrows down the possibilities for interaction, providing a clear way of solving the puzzles and investigating the surroundings. There is still considerable difficulty in finding the correct target and the exact timing. A number of solutions depend on an intricate sequence of commands.
I found the limited parser especially successful for the evocation of movement through the setting. The game consists of a linear series of events, confined to one location, with an unknown but considerable distance between them. NESW are disabled, so instead of going in a compass-direction after finishing an event, there is only the WANDER command. This simple change works perfectly to suggest the wider world, and the protagonist’s uncertain search for a way forward.
Early in the game, I found myself worrying if the limited parser was going to succeed in carrying a full-length game, as I felt increasingly distanced, almost mechanically typing the same few commands. However, the puzzles soon became more complex, forcing me to focus not on the command, but on its results on the environment, and on combinations of those results.

Even more important in holding my attention were the fantastic storytelling and writing. I was truly involved in the setting and its colourful characters.

Throughout the main character’s journey, interesting bits and pieces of the surrounding world and its history are revealed. Ancient technology alongside magic, revolvers and swords, a cult based around a half-forgotten Oracle,… (Speaking of technology, magic, and swords… What is your own blade made of?)
The environment changes a great deal from scene to scene, from desert to mountain to lush jungle to city, enhancing the impression of a complete world outside of our own limited experiences.

The narrative is structured as a collection of small vignettes, self-contained scenes with one or a few obstacles. The mood differs greatly between them, with the relentless pull of the wandering serving as connection.
Almost all of the vignettes feature an encounter with a stranger, and it’s the personalities of these characters and the interplay between them and the protagonist that give Cut the Sky such a special feeling. Depending on the NPC, the feel of each vignette can be threatening, comedic, dramatic,… All of the scenes are small stand-alone miniature stories, with a touching human connection as their kernel.
About that human interaction, I loved the lightness with which physical intimacy and sexuality were portrayed. The meetings with strangers can often lead to lovemaking, and it’s quite easy to steer the encounters toward such an outcome. However temporary or casual these amorous adventures are, they never feel tacky but always sincere and warm.

Amidst these wonderfully evocative images of the setting and the haphazard encounters with interesting strangers, the protagonist remains an enigma. You can enter a name at the beginning of the game, and you can project a gender of your choosing onto the PC. Aside from that, it seems that your protagonist’s personality and appearance are hardly determined at all. The player’s choices will fill in some of the blanks, but the PC’s core will remain out of grasp.
This does not mean at all that the main character is an AFGNCAAP, a blank slate of cardboard. Quite the contrary, through the unknowability of the protagonist shines an enigmatic depth, a sense that if only you could get to know them better, you would be astounded by the stories and experiences they could relate. But that’s not possible, and they always stay at a distance, always out of reach.

A wonderful setting, some very memorable characters, and one of the most intruiging protagonists I’ve met. Very good game.