The One That Got Away

"The one that got away" is one of those small little gems which are often overlooked. It's neither long nor puzzle-heavy, instead emphazising the mood and atmosphere of a fishing trip to get away from it all. It's great on those - it's touching, funny, and even a tad creepy. On the downside, some implementation is awkward (though there is a nice in-game leaftlet which explains all the fishing commands to stupid cityfolk who don't know the next thing about fisihing, e.g. me)maybe in part due to the game's age.
None of it is really a show-stopper, but it breaks atmosphere and reminds you that you're not experiencing a story, but playing a game.
Bottom line: A nice, short diversion. Good story, some minor implementation problem. And ask Bob about everything indeed.

"The One That Got Away" by Leon Lin, third place winner of the TADS division of the first annual IFcomp, is a quirky little game. What seems to start as an extremely naturalistic fishing simulator turns out to contain an exaggerated love story with a large number of unbelievable elements. The game never takes itself too seriously, but a lot of the humorous elements just seemed a little too gonzo for the relatively restrained tone of a fishing game (such as when I fished a VAX out of the lake). The few puzzles present seem mere tokens, as if they are just expected for the medium, and are so obvious they almost do not count. The game does keep a score, but makes no point of announcing acquired points as they are gained and the end just unceremoniously lists the points without giving rank to the accomplishment. I wonder if there just was not enough precedent in 1995 for a puzzleless, slice-of-life story game. It is worth noting that Andrew Plotkin’s “A Change in the Weather” was an entrant in the same year’s competition. The writing is mostly competent, with some mistakes, and some out-right confusing lines, such as:

The only sign of the hand of man [...]
The line starts like a race horse threatened with milk wagon.
This world-famous fishing hole is this state's best kept secret.

But I do not mean to imply that the game is bad. For a subject of which I have absolutely no interest, I found it charming, well-implemented, and an extremely short diversion (replaying with no extraneous moves, I completed the game in 24 turns). Modern players may find it a bit shallow and dated, but I found that “The One” was very playable for its age and recommend at least trying it if you are looking for a short diversion.

In this game with only 4 or so locations, you have a variety of fishing equipment and have to try to catch a giant old fish called the Old One.

You have a variety of options for bait and weights and so on. The actual puzzle, though, is solved by lateral thinking.

It's interesting seeing this and other games from the very first IFComp. It seems like there was more originality and experimentation in the first competition than in the others, where originality was often localized in a few entries.

Somewhat unfair. Recommended for fishing fans.