Operative Nine

Long ago, in a review of Zombies (1999), I wrote:

I was struck by the way this piece is framed -- it made me think about the possibilities of throwing a mini-game like this into the midst of a standard IF work... In this case, the game is turn-based, which might work with the "stop-and-think" nature of IF instead of against it.

In all likelihood, Arthur DiBianca, author of Operative Nine was completely unaware that the above statement existed. It nonetheless pleases me to see that the idea -- one that far exceeds my own technical ability -- actually had merit.

This is another limited parser game by DiBianca, who is one of the most prolific (if not the most prolific) authors in this functional subgenre. As he once explained in a short interview, one of the reasons that he likes to use the limited parser format is that it makes his games more accessible to those new to parser IF. His experiments have consistently proven that limiting the options for player input in no way limits the amount of fun that the player can have.

In a limited parser game, the reduced instruction set available for commands generally keeps the search for a solution short enough to maintain a brisk pace, which produces a fundamentally different feel to these as compared to traditional parser works. The simplified solution space also creates a fundamentally different basis for effective puzzle design -- the author must figure out how to anticipate (or create) gaps in the player's intuition and require solutions that don't seem obvious even when they are plainly in view, metaphorically speaking.

When done right, the solution eventually comes to the player like the flash of insight informing a clever geometry proof. Failing this ideal result, the author can at least be certain that the brute force work to discover the solution is manageable. DiBianca is especially gifted in hitting that "just right" mark, and in anticipating just how far to take things before boredom and/or frustration set in. As someone who generally dislikes pure logic puzzles, I admire DiBianca's skill at dressing these up in mini-games that make solving them feel like play instead of work.

Although this game at first seems like something in the spirit of Spider and Web, DiBianca's playfulness comes through in short order, and the player will quickly discover that the only significant actions to be performed are moving around and playing the mini-games presented through the "PQ-807 microcomputer" available from the start. A tutorial game shows one the ropes, and then the first puzzle (opening a door) must be solved.

DiBianca's inventiveness is on display here as he deploys about a dozen different mini-games ranging from simplistic to devilish in difficulty. I didn't have to consult any hints to reach the end, but I did get through one or two of the puzzles only via what felt like blind luck in stumbling onto a solution.

Someone who loves logic puzzles could probably fly through this game in 30 to 45 minutes; I lost track because I was having too much fun to pay attention to the clock, but it felt about the regulation two hours. I was especially glad to see that the penultimate puzzle (Spoiler - click to show)actually consisted of several different mini-mini-games combined into one challenge, since the difficulty had only been increasing until that point. (Among DiBianca's many talents is an excellent sense of pacing.)

This game is solidly fun, and I give it extra points for breaking new ground -- something that grows ever-rarer in an art form now in its fourth decade. With any luck, Operative Nine will inspire similar experiments in the future.