Number of Reviews: 6
Write a reviewP.B. Parjeter at Intfiction.org
CODENAME OBSCURA is the second game that I chose to play during IF Comp. It's a spy game set in 1980s Italy by @MikaKujala. I enjoyed it overall.
I was mainly attracted to the game because of its graphics. The author notes that the images are low-resolution ... but they look great right now. I am looking at the opening shot, admiring the shadows on the bed and curtains. I’m also thinking about the amount of effort that probably went into making the apple recognizable in the blocky still-life painting on the wall. Even if this was not drawn from scratch, the pixel editing is top-notch.
As noted, this is a spy thriller. The story is played straight despite the fact that your spy agency has the slightly silly acronym T.U.R.T.L.E. There aren’t any twists or turns in the plot: you’re simply tasked with retrieving a diamond from a bad guy.
There is lots of flavor in the story, though, mainly in the form of set-pieces, one-time characters, and lots of Italian dialogue. There are also some references to religion, which actually serve as clues.
The author calls the game “fun and recreational,” but it’s nice to have those motifs/touches, even if there isn’t a grand message behind it all.