Losing Your Grip

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Average Rating: Number of Ratings: 19 Write a review

SPAG

I certainly don't claim to understand everything that the author was driving at in Grip; there are many parts of the game whose significance isn't clear to me, and may well remain that way. But I enjoyed the parts of it that I thought I understood, and it kept me interested enough to play through and think about in order to make sense of the rest, no small feat for a full-length game. As both game and story by symbolism, Losing Your Grip deserves praise.

- kierlani, June 5, 2020

- Walter Sandsquish, February 21, 2020

- Laney Berry, September 28, 2018

- finnn62, December 14, 2016

Like So Far, All Hope Abandon, and a large number of other games, Losing Your Grip is a trip through the subconscious.

The game is filled with beautiful and crazy imagery. For instance, the opening scene consists of (Spoiler - click to show)you standing in the mud next to someone buried up to their neck who resignedly chides you.

I tried this game without hints, and it was very hard. I explored every room in the first main area, tried everything I could think of, and I only got 2 points out of 100.

The game was previously shareware (i.e. you got a limited version, then pay for more), but now the author has released it for free (well, over a decade ago). It comes with well-written feelies, and ifdb has a walkthrough or two.

I cannot say how much I enjoyed playing through this game.

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- Janice M. Eisen (Portland, Oregon), December 18, 2015

- Thrax, March 11, 2015

- Sdn (UK), March 2, 2014

- DJ (Olalla, Washington), May 9, 2013

- twisted_words, September 2, 2011

- Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), May 10, 2011

- Mastodon, March 26, 2009

- Martin Braun (Berlin, Germany), November 25, 2008

- Linnau (Tel-Aviv, Israel), October 31, 2008

- mrsambarlow, April 5, 2008

- jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008

- J. Robinson Wheeler (Austin, TX), February 22, 2008

- Leland Paul (Swarthmore, PA), November 19, 2007

- Michael R. Bacon (New Mexico), October 21, 2007

Baf's Guide

Large, highly complex and introspective game. You're a fellow named Terry, in rehab for nicotine addiction, and the drug you're put on sets you on an internal journey of sorts. Nearly everything in the game functions on a symbolic level, and trying to unravel everything is challenging--there's been no little debate on the rec.*.int-fiction newsgroups about what everything means. Thematically rich, but also plenty of fun as a game--the puzzles are challenging but fair, on the whole. What's notable about this is that, for the most part, the puzzles serve the purposes of the story rather than getting in the way of the story--the author manages to weave the plot into the obstacles to be overcome. The central relationship in the game is a puzzle in itself--much as the protagonist doesn't fully understand the relationship, you the player spend most of the game trying to figure out the dynamics. At two points in the game, the plot branches (in a sufficiently subtle way that you may not realize there was another choice), such that two lengthy sections of the game have two entirely separate paths through them (after which the paths rejoin). Complex, but thoroughly rewarding. Originally shareware, but the author has now released it as freeware.

-- Duncan Stevens

An exceedingly well-crafted game, and a pleasure to play. Originally released as freeware with an optional registration (to get "feelies" and hints), but now the feelies are free too. Features multiple paths and a surreal atmosphere.

-- Mark Musante