Salt

This game is premised on a simple but interesting concept, one that requires the player to press the spacebar every few seconds (or every few fractions of a second, as the pace increases) while reading the narration above, which consists of a few words at a time. This narration is automatic - it would be cruel, after all, to require the player to perform more complicated actions and press the spacebar at the same time. There are, however, a few instances where the player is required to decide between two choices by using the up and down arrow keys, which is reasonable, especially with the approaching need to make a decision signalled by the use of capital letters in a different font. The need to press the spacebar is also removed for the temporary periods during which the protagonist reaches shore.

Yet, even with these measures in place, I found it difficult to keep up with the story because the distance between the text and the timer bar is quite large. This combined with the fact that the text is relatively small meant that I had to continuously divert my attention to a multitude of tasks, namely following the timer bar, reading the text, and consolidating my understanding of what was going on. No doubt I missed some nuances of the story because of this.

Also, I didn't find the story very well-written. I thought the use of a small number of simple words was appropriate, but some lines were vague and felt as though they didn't play any role apart from adding to the already rich description. Instead, what the writer could have done was to dedicate more prose to the characters of the story (the people on the beach especially), giving a more in-depth explanation of their actions and intentions.

Still, the music is excellent. I liked the echo-y feel of the swimming music, as well as the contrast between this and the airy, outdoor noises played when the protagonist reaches shore.

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