Predictions of a Strip Mall Psychic

This game was one of the first few games written in the current incarnation of Texture, presumably meant to showcase Texture's strengths and capabilities. At the moment, these are very similar to that of a limited parser. Like a limited parser, Texture lends itself to focusing on a small collection of verbs while giving the reader some ability to interact with the environment (compared to, say, purely choice-based games), and it is used here to simulate making and redirecting conversation, to surprising effect.

There is an elegant twist in this, and it's pleasingly circular, topping off the whole game like the proverbial cherry on the ice cream. Predictions is brief and very largely linear, but hides a positively delightful surprise.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Seeing Into the Future, November 6, 2016

by RobMagus (London, UK)

I think if more fictions written in Texture were available, I would only have given this two stars. It feels very linear, and there's no sense that your choices have meaningful consequences.

However, I have a soft spot for the setting and tone and concept. And there is a sequence where (Spoiler - click to show)you are giving a client a reading, and are given the opportunity to play it straight, unscrupulously gather information about the client, and/or try to use some psychology/intuition. I quite liked that, as well as the vague sense of unease provided by a later scene and by the abrupt, open ending--which perfectly caps this particular experience.

I suspect that, in the future, if Texture takes off and there is a wider variety of games using it, this review may change. As it stands, it's worth playing to see how Texture works and have an enjoyable little experience.