Shrapnel

Interactive fiction players who have gone underground Infocom's "Zork I" are sure to find both an odd familiarity and a terrifying element of the unknown in this story, and others will find the story just as intriguing. Masterfully developed and deeply haunting, "shrapnel" weaves elements of history and science fiction into an unforgettable though short piece.

Provided you understand that a book, movie, game, or other work is intentionally brutal, frightening, demoralizing, or has some other unpleasant effect on the psyche-- and provided you decide that you like that genre of horror-- then go ahead and read said book, watch said movie, play said game. But there's no point complaining if the work makes you want to take out your soul and wipe it on your pants: that's what it's for.

Even if you aren't into that, this game is really gripping. I'm no expert critic, but I liked it, and I don't normally like unpleasant elements.

Adam Cadre constantly experiments with the formal limits of IF, and shrapnel is another such experiment: it plays against the standard ideas of where the game begins and ends, and what a player should be allowed to control. It's worth playing if one is interested in the history of the form, or fond of Adam's writing; and it's short enough that it's not likely to feel like a waste of time, even for people who decide they don't care for it.

As far as content goes, though, shrapnel doesn't have a huge amount to recommend it. The story-line is a mess; the characters are brutal and largely unpleasant; the themes have been better and more richly explored in Adam's other work. As for the setting, it's a parody/re-envisioning of the infinitely-rehashed white house; and while Adam's version is more memorable than most, it isn't the kind of setting one wants to settle into and enjoy.

To give some context here, the main attraction of IF for me is the storytelling - I enjoy the odd puzzle, but not half as much as a well-told story. The storyline of Shrapnel is interesting but not ground-breaking; Shrapnel's strength lies in its medium. The choice of IF over paper and ink pulled me forcefully into a narrative that I might normally have dismissed as "not my thing". Moreover, it's a story that I plan to read again, or at least skim.