Porter Cave Adventure

This game was designed as part of a class in game history. It's one of the most successful games I've seen done as part of a course, since most such games are very timid in their scope. This one is decently-sized.

The author decided to feature game history and critique heavily. Something happens in the game, and then you get a quote relevant to what you just experienced.

I found that an enjoyable premise. It did suffer from implementation issues, which are the bugbear of parser games in general. For instance, there is a telephone which cannot be referred to at at all.

Overall, it's a valuable addition to the niche of 'games about games'.

This felt less as a game, and more like a pedagogical exercise. The way through it is linear and underway, the player is met with quotes relevant to game theory that shines light on the purpose of what they are doing or just did. As such, there are no real puzzles here, though I’m sure many will appreciate the IF meta-perspectives laid out in this manner.

The mechanics were a bit too unpolished for my taste. Most things listed cannot be examined, and some of the verbs needed to advance were impossible for me to guess. However, in this case, using the walkthrough didn’t really spoil anything.

Porter Cave Adventure is a neat way of explaining game concepts, but don’t expect an immersive game experience.