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About the StoryIt is playgroup day and playgroup day is normally a good day but ever since that little red-haired girl started coming she always wants your toys. Game Details
Language: English (en)
Current Version: 4 License: Freeware Development System: Inform 7 Forgiveness Rating: Merciful Baf's Guide ID: 2916
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Awards
Nominee, Best Game; Nominee, Best Writing; Nominee, Best Puzzles; Winner, Best NPCs; Nominee, Best Individual Puzzle; Nominee, Best Individual NPC - 2007 XYZZY Awards
Editorial Reviews
IF-Review
Shall we fall foul for toys?
The star of the game is your nemesis, the little red-haired baby Zoe, who wants your favorite toy. Her behavior is so well-integrated into the rest of the game that it doesn't really stick out as an experiment in goal-seeking behavior or application of AI, but that's a sign of its technical success: Zoe, and to a lesser extent the other children, actively modify the environment and respond to the player's actions, carry out their own small plans, and display personality, without any verbal communication at all.
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Jay Is Games
Granade does an excellent job imbuing an adult sort of awareness into the unique mindset of a young child; the protagonist is entirely self-aware (as well as savvy enough to realize that adults will be of no help whatsoever) but must contend with limited abilities (cannot talk, cannot walk, etc). So, instead of relying upon strength or sophistication, you as baby must watch the world around yourself, observe patterns of behavior and learn how to manipulate the other children and adults into doing your will. Surprisingly Machiavellian!
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Member Reviews
| Average Rating:  Number of Reviews: 4 Write a review |
Most Helpful Member Reviews
Sometimes it's what you CANT do that shows what you CAN do., April 13, 2010That's how I feel about this game. In it you are a baby. You can't talk. You can't walk. You can't even go to the bathroom on command. (Hence the diaper). Yet you're mind is active- you know the diaper is just the MAN'S way of keeping you down.
The writing is very cute, and the plot puts you in the mind of the child. People don't take you seriously, there are in-game reasons why PUNCH NPC doesn't get you a result. You can only carry a couple of items at a time, the smallest inventory limit I've seen, yet still makes the game fun and make sense.
And you have to be smart to figure out how to get at that toy and make sure the little red head doesn't get at it. Very clever!
The writing is great. The parents have silly conversations with each other, and the descriptions of people are great. Definately a fun game with more thought behind it than you might originally think. Long live Alphadog!
So very entertaining!, March 24, 2008
This is one of the best IF games I've played in awhile. Well-written with great NPC conversations and well thought out characters. All of the babies have different personalities and attitudes which you must get to know in order to solve the puzzles. The game isn't difficult, mainly because all of the puzzles are actually logical and rely on things you learn as the baby learns. Great humor throughout. (Spoiler - click to show)It's also well worth a 2nd playthrough with the Commentary track on.
I also wrote a Walkthrough for it at: http://www.placesandpredators.com/tads/ChildsPlayWalkthrough.txt
Your PC is a toddler in an epic rivalry with another., July 19, 2020This was the first truly funny IF game I played, and I remember it was one of my favorites when I first played IF, although I haven't been as interested in replaying it. I didn't understand the work that went into IF at that time; looking back, this game must have taken an enormous amount of effort.
You are a toddler trying to get their favorite toy. Your competition is the red-headed toddler, who is mean and wants the toy, too. You navigate around several toddler NPCs who you can manipulate into different actions and movements. There are also several 'Parent' NPC's who carry on a background conversation (some of the best parts of the game). You can manipulate them as well.
This is a mid-length, semi-linear comedy game. It is split into several acts. The main appeal is the writing, although the puzzles are well-crafted. Even side things are well-implemented; you must drop everything to hold the big plush book because your little hands are too small.
See All 4 Member Reviews
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Recommended Lists
Child's Play appears in the following Recommended Lists:Games that made me smile by MathBrush
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Polls
The following polls include votes for Child's Play:PC's personality integrated with the story by JasonMel
I would like to be able to recommend to someone many examples of interactive fiction in which the player character is far from a cipher or an everyman or everywoman, but is instead a character with a definite personality within a game...
Wandering NPCs by Fredrik
I have always been fascinated with games that have several wandering and independent NPCs, especially when you have the ability to try to order them around. This sets the stage for a game where no one session is like any other, and even...
AI developments, particularly NPC-AI by breslin
Doesn't need to be satisfying as a conventional game, but must be interesting as an experiment. The idea being that AI work in IF is something that still needs work. Name the games you think which are contributing to this area of genre...
This is version 17 of this page, edited by Kara Goldfinch on 28 June 2021 at 4:32pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item