Gris et Jaune

Metal fatigue often results in catastrophic failure. Bridges that seemed strong instantly give way. Structures collapse without warning. So it is with Gris et Jaune, one of many victims of the IF analog -- contest deadline.

I'm especially biased about this game, because I helped playtest it, and that makes my disappointment that it wasn't ever fixed more intense than usual. As others have noted, the first few moves are spellbinding. In fact, all of the scenes that occur until you leave the house are gripping and memorable. I haven't played this game in several months, and yet upon first firing it up, the images and the suffocating emotions claw their way up from the bottom of my chest. Playing again, I am reminded of the stark, beautiful, and bizarre imagery. Simply, the atmosphere and the descriptions here are par excellance.

The problem is that the game starts to falter about halfway through and it collapses once you leave the house. It becomes painfully obvious in the latter scenes that the same level of polish wasn't applied. The descriptions become cardboard generic; you can do things without penalty that really should end the game, and the endings are lackluster. (The game devolves into crude language at this point, as well, which in addition to being lame by itself, just doesn't flow with the dialog and style previously established.) Finally, the plot just unwinds and meanders, leaving you stranded and confused about what to do next.

There are many games that deserve to be polished and/or completed, but few of them literally beg to be. Gris et Jaune is one of those few.