The Rocket Man From The Sea

Really liked the premise of the game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the imagination sequences. What kid hasn't dressed up and pretended his house was some sort of fortress (be it a space fortress, fort in the old west, or whatever)? Then you actually find (Spoiler - click to show)the titular rocket man from the sea, and just when you think the story might get interesting, it ends, with a Twilight Zone-esque twist.

Or rather, after one more "puzzle" it turns into exposition, exposition, exposition followed by talk to, talk to, talk to, until time runs out. The End.

Played several times, getting a couple different endings, eventually deciding that one of the ones I initially considered a "bad ending" (interestingly enough, the first ending I tried) may have been the best for all involved.

Gameplay itself is OK. There are several spots were a seemingly obvious object (mentioned in the narration) can't be examined or interacted with, and there are several areas that are mentioned but permanently blocked off for one reason or another. Not a deal-breaker, but a bit annoying.

The game had a lot of potential, and it was good for what it was, but I would've preferred more interaction in the second half, and perhaps even a chance to change the outcome ((Spoiler - click to show)talk to your parents, attempt to send a radio message, let someone know what you've found out.) I would love to see another IF game by this author, but sadly, it doesn't appear there are any at the moment.