Gardening for Beginnersby Juhana Leinonen profile2008 Humor Inform 7
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| Average Rating: based on 18 ratings Number of Reviews Written by IFDB Members: 4 Write a review |
This is a speed IF, so it has a lot of rough edges, but the mid-game is pretty fun.
You are a gardener who just can't handle all of the problems going on. You start out with a nice checklist of things to do, but it soon dissolves into chaos.
A lot more synonyms and actions could be implemented. But that sort of thing is exactly what separates Speed-IF from regular IF, isn't it?
The writing is comedic and amusing, and there is some clever work going on behind the scenes in the shifting room descriptions.
I enjoyed the (frustrating!) mechanics. Some commands are not well implemented (water garden, water crows, etc), and I think the game would benefit from letting the player go off the rails a little bit, but overall this was a fun and engaging short piece.
I've played this through a few times over the last couple months. Not that there is a ton of reply value with multiple paths or alternative solutions, but really because this is just a fun little diversion, that still give me a few chuckles. I thought it was well written, and perfect for a newcomer to IF. Ending I thought was a bit weak, yet it did fit well with the rest of the game....and who am I to talk, endings can be hard. Nice job.
Gardening for Beginners by Juhana Leinonen is a short speed-IF game describing the misadventures of a budding gardener.
What is supposed to be a peaceful and upbeat day of work quickly turns into a nightmare as the player is beset by the horrors of nature.
I can recommend this game as a choice to suggest to text adventure newbies, as it is uncomplicated, easy to play and funny to boot.
Personally I would add an option to name your fish to add some more personal involvement to the game. In fact the enclosed framework of the game world even would allow for a game allowing the player whatever he wants to do (e.g. drink the poison, or eat the fish).
Anyway, quite a fun little title to play.
5/10