Violet

5 star: (192) 4 star: (111) 3 star: (33) 2 star: (5) 1 star: (1)

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A difficult but rewarding one-room puzzler, February 18, 2022

you are a college student (male by default, though it switches to female if you type (Spoiler - click to show)HETERONORMATIVITY OFF, something i'd give my left arm to be able to do in real life). you've been making practically no progress on your paper because you keep allowing yourself to be distracted, and your girlfriend is fed up with you. now you have an ultimatum: write 1,000 words by the deadline or she's leaving you forever.

as a point of stark realism, your college dorm room turns out to be a horrible place to study. there's no quiet, you're surrounded by minor irritants, and there's a MAJOR irritant who i'd think was trying to sabotage your relationship if there was any way she could know about the ultimatum.

in a very clever design choice, rather than being personality-free (or pointlessly sarcastic like the default library), the parser's voice is what you imagine your girlfriend would be saying if she was watching your situation right at that moment. it gives her a lot of character, and goes a long way towards redeeming her in my eyes (really, it's not fair to issue an ultimatum about something the protagonist can't really help).

that said, i did not even come close to completing the story without hints.

the puzzles in Violet are eminently logical, but still entirely brutal and require a ton of experimentation. so many things are happening at once that it can distract the player, as your problems aren't kindly enough to line up one at a time. the few means you have to fight back are counterintuitive and in some cases plain ornery (e.g., (Spoiler - click to show)the bizarre way you operate the radio).

but "it's hard" doesn't equate to "it's bad." we need IF for all levels of player skill and creativity. the only reason i don't refer to this as a hidden gem is that it's not at all hidden -- it's extremely well-known.

probably also says something that i was feeling depressed after writing a few negative reviews in a row, i wanted to review something good, and i came here ...

Violet- A great introduction to IF. , December 9, 2020

As someone fairly new to IF, and even newer to this community, this is my first review. I believe Violet is quite a wonderful game, with many *easter eggs* so to speak. It was a fairly simple game, that took me about half a day to complete and look through all the special codes that the game gave me after completing it.
All in all, Violet has a simple plot: Your Australian girlfriend is going to leave you and go home as she has already bought plane tickets UNLESS you write 1000 words of your (quite frankly BORING novel). The puzzles are moderately complex, and the solutions are not the brightest or the most intricate, but Violet was an amusing game that passed the time and I enjoyed it. (Spoiler - click to show) Sometimes I tried to shoot things using the rubber to get to the pen, and I did it once, but the game bugged out and did not drop the pen. I also spent quite a long time trying to get the purple string from the vent, but once grabbing it, I did not know what to do with it and so that was a futile task.

Great story and gameplay, March 29, 2019

This is definitely one of those games I'd put in the "cute but occasionally frustrating" category. Basically, the game is one very large and intricate puzzle, but as things start to make sense, you are definitely rewarded for your lateral thinking skills. The story itself is simple but effective, and the game is occasionally very funny.

I won't put any spoilers, but I'd like to encourage anyone who starts this to put the effort into finishing it--I found it quite rewarding.

A cute story, July 21, 2018

This is one of the few games I've replayed for the fun of it. It's sweet and funny (especially the nicknames) and I couldn't recommend it more. The hints are just enough for the beginner (my first playthrough) and the clueless (my second playthrough).

Also props for gender choice. It was a nice touch.

Annoying, beyond all else, July 7, 2017

At first I was determined to solve the odd puzzles/problems that arouse, but the melodramatic girlfriend's narration, irritating plot line, and ridiculously --SQUIRREL!!-- distracted PC annoyed the patience right out of me. I have no desire to replay or even finish the first play-through.

a great little game with a unique narrator, April 7, 2016

one of the most original "escape the room"-type games i've ever played - i can only assume the premise came to the author in a "stroke-of-genius" type situation. the puzzles are clever, and the game is charming, occasionally sad, and overall a pleasure.

Extremely well polished college game with a great innovation; didn't gel for me, February 3, 2016

In this game, you must write your dissertation while overcoming many distractions. You must use various items in the room to block out sound, sight, itchiness, etc.

The main innovation here is that the parser is actually your girlfriend Violet. All of the responses are hers and she comments on everything.

The implementation, writing, and puzzles are top notch. But the game didn't gel for me. One reason may be that I recently finished my PhD, and it hit too close to home. Another reason is that the parser is very, very pushy. It makes the exploration necessary for the game stressful. And the relationship with the narrator seems unhealthy, like many of the superficial romances that develop in college.

So if you want a game that very accurately depicts a college scenario, this is it. Most people won't have the same negative reactions I had, but will share all of my positive reactions.

Highly Polished, Endlessly Inventive, Funny, Cruel, and Exquisitely Relatable, March 12, 2015

I was looking for a quick game to test out an IF interpreter (Text Fiction) on my Kindle. I knew Violet was a one-room game, so thought it would be a good test. Little did I know I'd be playing what may be my favorite IF game so far.

Plenty of others have reviewed the game more than adequately. I'll just reiterate that Violet is highly polished, endlessly inventive, funny, whimsical, cruel, wistful and exquisitely relatable. This one is a must play.

Hilarious!, December 28, 2014

I love all the extras and the fact that the premise and setting are so unique compared to most games. The humor is wacky and unpredictable and so are the solutions. Good length too. I loved every second.

Charming, Funny, Heartwarming Fun. A Must., December 10, 2014

Your girlfriend you dearly love has given you an ultimatum. Write 1,000 words for your dissertation, or she's leaving you forever to go back to her home country of Australia, 1,000s of miles away...

This may seem cold, but as your struggle continues and more distractions stop you from creating any progress. The inner voice of Violet, your girlfriend and narrator, pushes you on and the sheer heart of victory is the sweet end you thirst for. Memories and funny bits flood you as you recount the personal items in your office as you pace breaking distraction to concentrate on the final objective of the game: Write.

From the irrelevant things you find yourself doing to the strange events taking place just outside your window are both hilarious and touching.

But when you finally reach your goal... Oh boy... You'll have to see for yourself.

Even though this game, Violet, takes place nearly entirely in a single room; the puzzles are ingenious and even silly at times. But every aspect feels like a world of it's own.

By the end of the game, I found myself truly caring about Violet and her feelings and whether my character would succeed in finishing his goal in time.

The writing is spot on and the flow of Violet's voice and narration feels natural and never felt like it lagged. It was continuously entertaining.

Overall, this game is very well done and well deserving of it's award. It's a must play for any fan of Text Adventures or Interactive Fictions.

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