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Showing All | Show by Page - The Varv, May 1, 2024 - LoquySSS46 (Longueuil, Québec, Canada), April 23, 2024 - pebbleston, April 15, 2024 1 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Good writing but to what end?, February 20, 2024by witchcock (Gainesville, FL) Great writing. Not sure where it was supposed to have gone, ending felt abrupt and didn't really feel like I'd done much except follow along. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Wallace, February 18, 2024 - lunaterra (GA, USA), February 11, 2024 - Rastagong, February 8, 2024 - LayeringYellow, January 1, 2024 - itschloe (Texas), December 26, 2023 - anavina, December 23, 2023 - Max Fog, November 17, 2023 - aluminumoxynitride, October 29, 2023 - Smallgoth (Seattle, Washington), October 12, 2023 - Arioch, October 7, 2023 - jonathanhuston, September 17, 2023 - fruitofwisdom (Charlotte, NC), August 15, 2023 - Drew Cook (Acadiana, USA), July 26, 2023 - thesleuthacademy, June 28, 2023 - Beable, June 11, 2023 [...] the overall layout of the story appears to be a complex weave, where you travel along the thread as it makes its way in one direction, turns around and comes back, crossing the previous parts of the weave and then continues. [...] In summary, this game is like an interactive story nestled inside another. A russian doll. A woven russian doll at that.
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| Direct link | Add a comment >INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction The colors, like everything else in Photopia, worked beautifully, adding artfully to the overall impact of the story. The work is interactive in other important ways as well. In fact, in many aspects Photopia is a metanarrative about the medium of interactive fiction itself. Again, it wasn't until the end of the story that I understood why it had to be told as interactive fiction. And again, to explain the reason would be too much of a spoiler. I have so much more I want to talk about with Photopia, but I can't talk about it until you've played it. Go and play it, and then we'll talk. I promise, you'll understand why everyone has been so impatient. You'll understand why I loved it, and why I think it's one of the best pieces of interactive fiction ever to be submitted to the competition.
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| Direct link | Add a comment - Hikari Starshine, May 17, 2023 - elysee, April 24, 2023 - Hugginnn, April 20, 2023 - Kastel, April 5, 2023 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome UI., April 1, 2023by Cygnus (Australia) This game was pretty!! Really pretty. I should replay it, so I can see what the commenters were talking about, but first playthrough… very pretty. Use of colour is very smart, parsers all work, kinda sorta linear. Plot and worldbuilding is honestly top notch. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- ilyu, April 1, 2023 - Jaded Pangolin, February 10, 2023 - kawzeg, January 21, 2023 - TCWT, January 13, 2023 - SirIgnotus (Somewhere, probably.), January 3, 2023 - VanishingSky (Nanjing, China), December 17, 2022 - aech, November 3, 2022 - vivian rabbit, October 21, 2022 - RonFromPgh, October 16, 2022 - sw3dish, October 13, 2022 - Cerfeuil (*Teleports Behind You* Nothing Personnel, Kid), October 11, 2022 - TagoMago69, October 6, 2022 - NorkaBoid (Ohio, USA), September 26, 2022 - SharpNaif, September 24, 2022 - purplepoet01, August 18, 2022 - Kinetic Mouse Car, August 4, 2022 - thesacredbagel, July 25, 2022 - Amun100 (UK), July 25, 2022 - Bell Cyborg (Canada), July 1, 2022 - TheBoxThinker, June 21, 2022 - SherwoodForbes, June 21, 2022 - jgkamat, June 17, 2022 - rowan.du, April 30, 2022 - lleon, April 19, 2022 1 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
Short, simple, unique IF. Everyone should try it., January 28, 2022by Cody Gaisser (Florence, Alabama, United States of America, North America, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Known Universe, ???) The narrative content of Photopia is what I'd call a "good little story." It's not the most mindblowingly deep thing I've ever read; but it has some heart, humanity, and empathy to it. To me this in itself is more than adequate compensation for the very brief amount of time it takes to play through to the end. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- civilstat (Maine, USA), October 21, 2021 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
Fascinating story, limited gameplay, October 14, 2021It's a captivating story that unfolds in a way that makes more sense as you go, leading you to understand the characters and their relationships to each other. I went into my first playthrough completely blind, so my understanding was absolutely zero when I started and the first few sections made no sense whatsoever, but this didn't at all take away from my experience. It made it more rewarding when I began putting pieces together. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Malasana, October 9, 2021 - krai, October 4, 2021 1 of
1 people found the following review helpful:
Powerful, Affecting, August 29, 2021by ccpost (Greensboro, North Carolina) I don't know that there's much I can add to the numerous reviews, but I played this for the first time recently and I wanted to register the incredibly moving experience that this game delivered for me. I'm still fairly new to IF, though I've had thought-provoking experiences with several works that have quickly demonstrated the artistic potential of the form to me. Photopia, though, is the first IF work that I've encountered that has moved me at a deep, soul-searching level. From start to finish, Photopia is a fine crafted, emotionally-wrenching experience. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- doodlelogic, August 19, 2021 - declain, August 18, 2021 - autumnc, August 1, 2021 - Hellzon (Sweden), July 1, 2021 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Well-plotted fiction, June 18, 2021by Wynter (London, UK) I appreciated Photopia above all as a short story. Alley's life is told through the medium of brief sections of text, presented out of chronological order, and not from her own perspective, but from the perspective of different people in her life. As in some of the short stories of Alice Munro, the reader takes these different fragments of time and pieces them together. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- knockupwood, June 18, 2021 - proxyfeathers, April 27, 2021 - Cingulomanic, April 19, 2021 - yleaf, April 14, 2021 - Karlok (Netherlands), April 14, 2021 - Chin Kee Yong (Singapore), April 11, 2021 - starlitevenings, March 13, 2021 - arslonga, March 12, 2021 4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Sweet, sad, funny fiction with few puzzles, December 12, 2020by dvs I first played Photopia about 15 years ago and cried at the ending. It took me a while to figure out how the different vignettes fit together and it hit me hard. I had never experienced such emotion playing a silly text adventure. I will always love that about Photopia. Note: this review is based on older version of the game. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Ola (Sweden), December 3, 2020 1 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
Poor little game, November 15, 2020by Jade68 I've played this game and I expected more of it. Its an totally directed game, you can read coloured text and nothing more. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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5 people found the following review helpful:
A game which deserves his fame, October 28, 2020by frolic Adam Cadre made a brilliant use of Inform device, using it in a story with two kind of fictional worlds : in white, various points of view on a young girl's life, told in a non-linear order, and in colors, various adventures of an explorer , told this way in linear order. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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4 people found the following review helpful:
A must-play for anyone into IF, October 5, 2020First off, is this the greatest piece of IF of all time as it was ranked so a few years ago? I don't know about that. Currently I'm only giving it 4 stars (though that may change with another play-through), and since I have at least one other game already rated as 5 stars I guess I don't consider it the best of all time. That said this is a truly great work and something that everyone should play-through at least once. There really aren't any game aspects to it, you are just walking yourself through a story. But the story is so immersive and the way the interactivity is used really draws you in. And there are a few magical moments that just wouldn't have been the same without the interactive part, that wouldn't have felt the same just reading it. It really did open up new possibilities in IF and really lives out its own classic line: "Let's tell a story together." Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- William Chet (Michigan), July 19, 2020 - Xuan Li, July 5, 2020 - Arrowhead12 (Edmonton, Alberta), June 11, 2020 - quackoquack, June 10, 2020 - Cognitive_Prospector, June 6, 2020 - Edo, May 24, 2020 - Virix, May 17, 2020 - kierlani, April 30, 2020 - Elizabeth DeCoste (Canada), April 2, 2020 - RoboDragonn, April 1, 2020 - Sammel, March 21, 2020 - airylef, February 23, 2020 - Zape, February 8, 2020 2 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Inspirational, January 29, 2020by menerell This is one of the first adventure games I played, and soon I understood the potential of the genre. How he plays with colour, voices, time... it's inspirational. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Rovarsson (Belgium), December 3, 2019 3 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
I guess this was groundbreaking?, December 3, 2019by HaleyDreams Photopia is fun to read, but it's not a masterpiece or anything. Apparently in 1998 the idea that we could use a text-based medium to tell a story was a huge deal, and that "wow" moment is what got the game on so many "greatest of all time" lists. Coming into it from my perspective, though, one where IF as ebook with some stray interactive elements is just as common as IF as game or puzzle, this is basically just, yeah, one more IF as ebook. Pretty good. Not amazing. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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7 people found the following review helpful:
I may have played this game too late..., November 14, 2019Over the next couple of days I intend to write on IFDB reviews of some IF games I have fond memories of. I am hopeful that recentness of play is not mandated on this site, since I will be reviewing from memory games I played years or decades ago. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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7 people found the following review helpful:
Interactive fiction only, lacks replayability, October 27, 2019When this game first came out, it was the first "html-style" text adventure game I had ever played; with the exception of Eric the Unready's hybrid of graphics and text-input, I had never played a text adventure game which involved anything more than inputting text and certainly had never seen a text-only input game use color changes on screen as in Photopia. I remember being favorably impressed at the time, especially since the colors changes are influenced by the story itself. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- beecadee, September 15, 2019 - Whom (Wisconsin, United States), August 22, 2019 - jjsonick, August 17, 2019 - Kommissar Verboten, July 1, 2019 4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Generational, May 27, 2019by deathbytroggles (Minneapolis, MN) I just finished Photopia for the second time, almost twenty years after my first playthrough. I worried that time or perspective would change my opinion, and while that did indeed happen, it remains a treasure I will still recommend to anyone who delves into the world of interactive fiction. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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5 people found the following review helpful:
This game is like a Russian doll, May 15, 2019by suchamazingdoge (Austin, Texas) Basically, this game is a bunch of stories that tie into each other, and work to make one single story. A story within a story, like a Russian doll. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- UmbrellaPie, May 5, 2019 - Jan Strach, April 11, 2019 - elias67, March 11, 2019 - mkn, March 4, 2019 - Deka, March 1, 2019 - Steffan LW Sitka (Los Angeles), February 28, 2019 - bradleyswissman (Virginia, US), February 9, 2019 - Max Crow (United States), February 8, 2019 - getlostdont, February 5, 2019 - Laney Berry, January 31, 2019 - Stian, January 22, 2019 - SchnickelFritz (TX), December 26, 2018 - Zach Shifflett (VA, United States), December 12, 2018 - JoQsh, December 10, 2018 - oscar-78, December 5, 2018 - caitirilt, November 19, 2018 - Vigorish (Bradenton, Florida ), November 19, 2018 - illuki, November 3, 2018 - Snave, October 30, 2018 - AKheon (Finland), October 10, 2018 - Janos Biro (Goiânia, Brasil), September 30, 2018 - Joey Jones (UK), September 15, 2018 - mSphix, September 14, 2018 - Spike, August 14, 2018 - ppoulsen, August 4, 2018 - Sungorus, June 21, 2018 - wisprabbit (Sheffield, UK), June 16, 2018 - DustyCypress (Hong Kong), May 19, 2018 - Ruber Eaglenest, May 13, 2018 2 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Good., April 21, 2018I'm still working on finishing the game, but so far i felt there were a couple things to mention. The game is pretty fun, can be a little confusing at times though. The main thing i want to say here though, for the people struggling on the maze- and i know you are -the walk-through is wrong for that part. this isn't really a spoiler, but i'll hide it as a spoiler. it's more of a hint if you cant figure out the maze. (Spoiler - click to show) you cannot go up twice and down twice. I don't want to give a spoiler for the solution, but lets just say you don't actually WALK OUT of the maze. I like to think of it as more of a dream like moment- though i can't say if it is a dream or if it's something that's happening, i just prefer to think of it as a dream-like situation -Don't assume all you can do is walk out of the maze. what would you do if it was your dream? how would you get out? I hope that helps the people struggling with the maze. Besides that, I found the game intriguing and fun to piece together, though the ending was sort of bland and disappointing. It felt as if it should have had at least one or two more scenes, though i wont go into detail because i don't want to spoil the game. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Arctic Kona (Great White North), April 19, 2018 - csitrin, April 16, 2018 - Stas, March 26, 2018 - bernatguillen, February 17, 2018 - 1PainfulPocket, January 10, 2018 - tylermac92, January 9, 2018 - Moomoo, December 9, 2017 - Prosilire (New York City), December 3, 2017 - Sergio (Trento, Italy), November 30, 2017 4 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
sentimental drivel, poor writing, but brilliant use of the medium, October 24, 2017by Angharade I really wanted to enjoy this. As far as I understand it, the game was fairly groundbreaking use of the medium at the time. As it stands now, I would not recommend this piece to anyone I would want to get interested in interactive fiction. The writing is genuinely bad, the overall theme of the story feels like someone beating you over the head with cheap emotional shots, and it isn't very interactive at all- text heavy and slow to move into anything resembling action. I have trouble understanding why so many have resonated with this piece, why there's a sense of reverence around it. I have a feeling it's related to timing on my part-and I don't wish to slam anyone who related to or was moved by the piece--I just can't see it. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- jakomo, September 21, 2017 - xochie, September 18, 2017 - enkaye (usa), September 1, 2017 - ja, bo ja, August 28, 2017 - karlnp (Vancouver, BC), August 23, 2017 - Wanderlust, August 3, 2017 - Ivanr, August 1, 2017 - gilhova, July 19, 2017 5 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
Thoroughly disappointing, July 11, 2017by coati At the beginning of the game, there is a sense of intrigue: shifting perspectives are used to spiral around a single character, building up hype for a grand conclusion. The story's direction and pacing is held on a tighter leash than in your average IF game. At first, this was exciting. However, it soon became clear that the plot was headed nowhere. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Targor (Germany), June 4, 2017 - ly2000, June 4, 2017 - Cory Roush (Ohio), June 3, 2017 - Kyriakos Sgarbas (Hellas (Greece)), May 25, 2017 - Doug Orleans (Somerville, MA, USA), April 3, 2017 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Beautiful, March 18, 2017Photopia is a beautiful game and is relatively short, so I would recommend it to anyone who has a few minutes here and there, whether they're beginners or not. The imagery is wonderful and good use was made of the colored text. I was hooked from the very first scene. The game has a mystery aspect to it because the story will completely shift once in a while and the player is left wondering how the scenes relate to one another. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- pox, March 18, 2017 - Pegbiter (Malmö, Sweden), February 14, 2017 - lkdc, February 11, 2017 - TheAncientOne, January 28, 2017 - John of Thornwick, January 11, 2017 - imelda, December 29, 2016 - piffling-paka (State College, Pennsylvania), December 6, 2016 - Christopher Hall (London, Great Britain), October 27, 2016 - jeffhos, October 13, 2016 - mstahl, August 18, 2016 - BinkleyBeardman, August 4, 2016 - eyeballkidable, July 17, 2016 - T.M. Biernatinho, July 14, 2016 - NinaS, July 3, 2016 - eli, June 29, 2016 - G_G, May 24, 2016 - Rollersnake (Rogers, AR), May 1, 2016 - Denk, April 17, 2016 - Matt Bates, March 28, 2016 - Mergath, February 26, 2016 - E. W. B., February 23, 2016 - sadcarnival (Australia), February 20, 2016 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
A variety of genres rolled into a cohesive story. An influential IF game., February 3, 2016Photopia is often cited as the best interactive fiction of all time. It has won numerous awards, inspired a shift to story-centered Interactive Fiction, and so on. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- wojnarabc, January 13, 2016 - KennaM (Southern California), January 8, 2016 - Oreolek (Kemerovo, Russia), January 8, 2016 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Short, unique, and relatively on-rails, December 18, 2015by chairbender Likes: Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Aryore, December 13, 2015 - Ashen_, December 12, 2015 - tearingdownthewall, December 3, 2015 - deskoft, December 1, 2015 - paulmr, November 11, 2015 - bignose (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), November 7, 2015 - Catalina, November 4, 2015 - KingofSushi, October 12, 2015 - nonnamethankyou, September 29, 2015 - brian.j.sanders, September 29, 2015 - Harry Coburn (Atlanta, GA), August 14, 2015 - Sophie Grimaud (France), August 2, 2015 - leanbh, July 30, 2015 - Emdistal (Muncie, Indiana), July 30, 2015 - aom, July 20, 2015 - Julia Myer (USA), July 11, 2015 1 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Photopia review, July 5, 2015by Cder An amazing and touching game. Once you realize what all of the seemingly disconnected events have in common with one another, it will be quite the shock. Most of the events are told in different perspectives, all tying together into one specific event, and you will recognize said event when it reveals itself. 5/5, would play again. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- thebloopatroopa, May 28, 2015 - Jens Leugengroot (Germany), May 25, 2015 - wildj79 (Dallas, TX), May 18, 2015 - LaFey (Porto, Portugal), April 24, 2015 - NiMuSi (London, UK), April 11, 2015 - CMG (NYC), April 6, 2015 - Mike Root, March 23, 2015 - Keiya, March 15, 2015 - Thrax, March 11, 2015 - Asherred, February 27, 2015 - Matt W (San Diego, CA), February 19, 2015 - prevtenet (Texas), February 15, 2015 - hoopla, February 15, 2015 - besmaller (Portland, OR), January 28, 2015 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
Integrated graphical effects and strong emotional impact, January 19, 2015by Amphiareion Photopia has been an influential game. The amount of interactivity is small, but the story drives the game along. As has been mentioned, the emotional impact should really be classed as manipulative, but it is effectively done. The author manages to put the player into the skin of a number of different roles and also to make the reader identify with characters at different stages of their lives. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- openmedi (Berlin, Germany), January 17, 2015 - Jallarial, January 16, 2015 - morlock, January 14, 2015 1 of
1 people found the following review helpful:
Fantastic color themed game!, January 10, 2015by Chai Hai (Kansas City KS) I loved this! I loved how each part was themed by a color, and finding how everything fit together was really well done. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Iakampa (Poland), January 7, 2015 - dutchmule, December 23, 2014 - BlitzWithGuns, December 5, 2014 - VarunG (Mumbai, India), November 15, 2014 - Janice M. Eisen (Portland, Oregon), November 10, 2014 - siquis (Scotland), November 7, 2014 - EllaClass, November 5, 2014 - Witchy W, October 20, 2014 - Khalisar (Italy), October 4, 2014 16 of
21 people found the following review helpful:
Eh...I feel like I'm missing something., September 24, 2014by akaisha0 (Omaha, Nebraska) I feel like this game is entirely lost on me. I saw this on so many top lists and read so many fantastic reviews I had to give it a try and I admit my hopes were far higher than they should have been. This game was a colossal let down for me. I make it no secret that I prefer text adventures to "interactive fiction" but I felt this offered me neither. I appreciate that it tried (and succeeded) at doing something new with non-linear story telling with time and the wonderful use of color. But beyond that it was dull and uninteresting. This can't be called a game, a story, or even an experience. It just fails on all counts. Photopia is easily played in less than an hour and the hardest puzzle for me was trying to figure out how to exit the garage. This game is not interactive which would be fine if it told an interesting story, but it failed on that count too. In the beginning you're led through disjointed tales under the assumption they will likely culminate into a larger scheme. The problem is..they really don't. You can infer a reasonable bit by the end of how it all pieces together but it leaves entirely too much to the imagination and gave me absolutely no reason to care. I didn't care for any of the characters or situations, I kept playing out of the assumption this was going somewhere and it didn't. This story was beyond a let down. It has so many wonderful reviews and I can't tell if I'm just not pretentious enough to see it for what it is or if I just saw through it for what it was: a dull, lifeless, uninteresting, "story". It wasn't a game, it was hardly a story. I think you should play it to judge for yourself. I think it stands as an important piece of interactive fiction history and certainly influenced games that would come after it but..even as a catalyst for a brighter future of IF games, I can't praise it. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- Matthew Darby (London, United Kingdom), September 20, 2014 - Sobol (Russia), September 12, 2014 - danbergam, September 5, 2014 - secretgeeksociety, September 4, 2014 - Pinstripe (Chicago, Illinois), August 29, 2014 - sasq (Stockholm, Sweden), August 26, 2014 - nosferatu, August 21, 2014 - blue/green, July 16, 2014 - dgeyer, June 1, 2014 - Caleb Wilson (Illinois), May 24, 2014 - tekket (Česká Lípa, Czech Republic), May 5, 2014 - HappyDooder (New Zealand), April 19, 2014 - Taffer, April 18, 2014 - shornet (Bucharest), March 23, 2014 - Deychrome, March 20, 2014 - Lorxus, March 8, 2014 - Jonas Kyratzes (The Lands of Dream), February 28, 2014 - 10CallClear, February 11, 2014 - Kendi, February 3, 2014 - Katrisa (Houston), January 28, 2014 - francisthe3rd (Horseheads, NY), January 23, 2014 - Simon Deimel (Germany), January 19, 2014 1 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Masterful, January 18, 2014by scottmbruner (alameda, california) Putting aside technical criticisms, Photopia clearly succeeds in its artistic ambitions - to create an immersive, emotional resonant experience by using IF elements to build intimacy with a touching, devastating tale. Revelatory. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- ajacks01, November 29, 2013 - bigotitos, November 8, 2013 - N.C. Hunter Hayden, October 30, 2013 - grainne6, October 25, 2013 - verityvirtue (London), October 14, 2013 - Adam Myers, September 19, 2013 - Indigo9182, August 14, 2013 - Egas, August 12, 2013 - Enrique, July 31, 2013 - Guillaume Voisine (Montréal), July 17, 2013 - Ghalev (Northern Appalachia, United States), June 3, 2013 - Gluon, May 9, 2013 - Kuffen Bach (Brno), May 7, 2013 - absentsock, April 27, 2013 - Dr. Fleming (Torrent, Valencia), April 13, 2013 - morphy_richards, April 7, 2013 - Floating Info, April 3, 2013 - Stier, March 29, 2013 - Edward Lacey (Oxford, England), March 10, 2013 - ptkw, March 3, 2013 - dk101 (London, UK), March 2, 2013 - DJ (Olalla, Washington), February 5, 2013 - SaraG, February 2, 2013 - Stewjar (USA), January 29, 2013 - Cab, January 27, 2013 - drumsfellow, January 13, 2013 - Fantacide (California), December 31, 2012 - StrawberryFields (DC Area), December 17, 2012 - Brianna, December 5, 2012 - Artran (Taipei, Taiwan), November 24, 2012 - Sdn (UK), November 6, 2012 - Puddin Tame (Queens, NY), October 31, 2012 - bluevelvetwings, October 5, 2012 - AADA7A, September 19, 2012 - ikv, September 16, 2012 - Lubulos, September 10, 2012 - platy, September 10, 2012 - Gravalax, September 8, 2012 - Jordan Magnuson (Corvallis, Oregon), August 26, 2012 - aenimus, August 24, 2012 - lastplaneout (Boone, NC), August 12, 2012 - Petrichor, August 8, 2012 - Inarcadia Jones, August 2, 2012 - Amy (Upstate NY), July 21, 2012 - Molly (USA), June 26, 2012 - Peloquin, June 16, 2012 - rec53, June 9, 2012 - dingo (New England), June 4, 2012 - aoizumi, May 31, 2012 - kala (Finland), May 25, 2012 - M Mustermann, May 20, 2012 - Orivej Desh, May 12, 2012 - zylla, May 2, 2012 - EJ, April 30, 2012 - stadtgorilla (Munich, Germany), April 17, 2012 10 of
11 people found the following review helpful:
A Curiosity, But Perhaps Not A Masterpiece, March 24, 2012by Jim Kaplan (Jim Kaplan has a room called the location. The location of Jim Kaplan is variable.) Related reviews: adam cadre, fantasy Play it if: you have a thing for IF that treats itself as a linear story rather than a game, for this is by its very conception one of the least interactive entries into the genre; and if you're big on "emotional" stories in your IF. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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7 people found the following review helpful:
Well worth a try!, March 24, 2012by RekoOne The story is catchy and puzzling, you really wants to understand how the different episodes fit together. And in the end the solution is quite clever, even if a bit sad. You might describe it a puzzle-less. But it does have some puzzles and even a maze or two. So puzzle-light might be more correct. Some of the later parts of the game is a bit too illogically and with bad fairytale-feeling. But still a short and easy game well worth a try. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Narwhal (California), March 11, 2012 - Jizaboz (U.S.A.), March 11, 2012 - Domaknitrix (Virginia), March 6, 2012 - Emerald Rhapsody, March 5, 2012 - Relle Veyér, March 1, 2012 - Bran Rainey (Windsor, Ontario), February 26, 2012 - Hywel Dda, February 11, 2012 - knowyourknot, February 1, 2012 - E.K., January 27, 2012 - Hagbard Celine, January 26, 2012 - [delete this account], January 10, 2012 - Costis, January 2, 2012 - diddlescatter (US), January 1, 2012 - amciek (Opole), December 18, 2011 - Jaxcap (Arizona), December 11, 2011 - Nereare (São Paulo, Brazil), December 10, 2011 2 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Beautiful, December 6, 2011by blu_gtar87 In a word, this story is simply beautiful. Definitely a tear-jerker. Definitely heart-warming. I call this a story because while there is a puzzle element to it, it is not difficult. One action or just a few actions can quickly lead to the story's progression. This is a good beginner's game, but also one that will leave a lasting imprint on the mind. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- sqbr, November 30, 2011 - Marco Innocenti (Florence, Italy), November 17, 2011 - sunny and mild (South Africa), October 4, 2011 - trojo (Huntsville, Alabama, USA), September 30, 2011 - Ann R. J., September 11, 2011 - heleneotroy (Washington, DC), September 8, 2011 - dacharya64, September 4, 2011 - Savaric (Sweden), August 31, 2011 - Hulk Handsome (Carmen Sandiago), August 23, 2011 - WaterMonkey314, August 1, 2011 - Digibomber, July 29, 2011 - Corwin71, July 9, 2011 - Nemansphere, June 27, 2011 - Shchekotiki, June 23, 2011 - David Kinder, June 7, 2011 - flamingoboots, May 24, 2011 - Rotonoto (Albuquerque, New Mexico), May 16, 2011 - Ollie (UK), May 12, 2011 - Mel Hython, May 11, 2011 - Charles Wickersham, April 27, 2011 - MKrone (Harsleben), April 26, 2011 - baywoof, April 25, 2011 - JasonMel (Florida), April 14, 2011 - Robb Sherwin (Colorado), April 4, 2011 - Felix Pleșoianu (Bucharest, Romania), March 18, 2011 - JohnW (Brno, Czech Republic), March 16, 2011 - radax (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), March 2, 2011 - artao (SW Wisconsin), February 2, 2011 - Walter Sandsquish, February 2, 2011 - snickerdoddle, January 27, 2011 - A. P. Sillers (United States, East Coast), January 19, 2011 - r6144, January 19, 2011 1 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Lovely, January 10, 2011by katz (Altadena, California) The linear nature might turn off some players, but that also makes it a more truly story-like experience. Easily flowing narration (marred by the constant word definitions, which get tedious after a while) carry the whole thing along in a dreamlike manner. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- LiudvikasT, January 8, 2011 - Callust (Michigan), January 2, 2011 - Carlo, December 27, 2010 5 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant, breathtaking, and deserving the praise. , December 21, 2010by Aintelligence (Canada) When I first noticed Photopia and it's popularity as an IF, I was very sceptical. I was even more skeptical because the first part of gameplay was about two drunk guys swearing and drinking. I thought, "Great! Another IF made in under an hour by two teens after a party.". I hardly gave it a chance at all, but continued reading to see where the fuss was about. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- rootmos (Stockholm, Sweden), December 19, 2010 - lagran-G-an (Tel-Aviv, Israel), December 18, 2010 - mrplutonium, December 17, 2010 1 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Photopia is an example of the moving literature IF can be, December 6, 2010Photopia is an example of the moving literature IF can strive toward. It is a remarkable game, moving story, and well thought out. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- GreenSnake, December 4, 2010 - Narcisse, November 26, 2010 - Softbagel, October 21, 2010 - Adam Rezich, October 11, 2010 - srh (Seattle, WA), September 26, 2010 - Brian Lavelle (Edinburgh, Scotland), September 12, 2010 3 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting story, not necessarily a great game, September 7, 2010Photopia is really more of a story than a game. It's interesting and it's compelling, but if you're looking for traditional IF gameplay, this might not be your cup of tea. There are no puzzles and not even many choices to be made. But when it all comes together, it works like a well-written short story. And you're gonna have an emotional reaction that you might not have expected. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Clemency Jones (England), August 26, 2010 - Telvayne (Tennessee, USA), August 18, 2010 - Muskie, August 11, 2010 - Sneeze (Derby, UK), August 11, 2010 - Justin Morgan, August 8, 2010 - RCooke, August 4, 2010 - Joel Webster (Madison, WI), July 26, 2010 - Celestianpower (Gloucestershire, UK), July 25, 2010 - Buffaloelvis, July 22, 2010 - Juleske, July 20, 2010 - Simon Christiansen (Denmark), July 15, 2010 - karcher, July 11, 2010 - SarahTheEntwife (USA), July 6, 2010 - Sorrel, July 5, 2010 - Stickz (Atlanta, Georgia), June 23, 2010 - osofine, June 22, 2010 - strikemeyer (Atlanta, Georgia), June 12, 2010 - Yigit Akkok (Ankara, Turkey), June 3, 2010 - Masada, May 29, 2010 4 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
Wow, May 20, 2010by tggdan3 (Michigan) I admit, I read the reviews first. I walked into this knowing that there would be little in the way of interactivity. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- G.D. Lascelle (UK), May 19, 2010 - Patrick M. McCormick (United States), May 4, 2010 - LogopolisMike, April 28, 2010 - Christopher Bogs, April 11, 2010 - Azazel, April 2, 2010 - Danny Huss, March 12, 2010 - J. Francisco Martín (Spain), March 11, 2010 - Martinellis (California), March 1, 2010 - BladeL, February 27, 2010 - Danielle (The Wild West), February 19, 2010 - Sam Kabo Ashwell (Seattle), February 15, 2010 - Naerbnic (Santa Clara, CA), February 11, 2010 - Ioannis D., February 6, 2010 - Amy Kerns (Tucson, AZ), January 16, 2010 - schifter (Louisville, KY), January 15, 2010 - smurfas666 (Klaipeda, Lithuania), January 7, 2010 - loungeman (Bilbao, Spain), January 4, 2010 - Ken Hubbard (Ohio), December 23, 2009 - Grey (Italy), December 21, 2009 6 of
12 people found the following review helpful:
The pinnacle of interactive fiction, December 20, 2009by Andreas Teufel (Poland) Photopia. Real name, no gimmicks. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (4) - Add comment
- jflower, December 18, 2009 - Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), December 7, 2009 - TempestDash (Cincinnati, Ohio), December 4, 2009 - Divide (Wroclaw, Poland), December 1, 2009 - Matt Wigdahl (Olathe, KS), November 13, 2009 - C.E.J. Pacian (England), November 11, 2009 - eu, October 18, 2009 - Ugo, October 18, 2009 - tadjinar, October 9, 2009 - lupusrex (Seattle, WA), October 4, 2009 - Pepisolo, September 30, 2009 - finferflu (Manchester, UK), September 30, 2009 - Jimbo, August 23, 2009 - Cuxxu (Albany, NY), August 9, 2009 - Ben Cressey (Seattle, WA), July 16, 2009 - Stephen Gilbert (Canada), July 11, 2009 - GDL (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), July 2, 2009 - Brian Conn (Eureka, California), June 19, 2009 - Michael L. (Germany), June 10, 2009 - Naeradan, June 3, 2009 - Mark V. (Madrid, Spain), June 2, 2009 - alblazek (Cleveland, Ohio), May 26, 2009 - Nicholas, May 10, 2009 - Bart Oshgo, April 16, 2009 - Halcyon, April 12, 2009 - four1475 (Manhattan, KS), April 10, 2009 - Mark Jones (Los Angeles, California), March 31, 2009 - Mastodon, March 26, 2009 - John D, March 14, 2009 - Zharradan, March 10, 2009 - Newbot, March 8, 2009 - ., March 3, 2009 - googoogjoob, February 26, 2009 - winky, February 24, 2009 - Gantenkiel (by the Bavarian Sea), February 23, 2009 - Anjka (Trieste), February 10, 2009 - Ben, February 10, 2009 - albtraum, February 8, 2009 - Rose (New Zealand), February 3, 2009 - Shigosei, January 31, 2009 - Gemma Bristow, January 25, 2009 - Karl Ove Hufthammer (Bergen, Norway), January 12, 2009 - m1150, January 10, 2009 - Cheryl L (Australia), January 9, 2009 - Audiart (Davis, CA), January 8, 2009 - kba (berlin), December 28, 2008 - Lenya, December 25, 2008 - Aaron Mumaw (Appalachia), December 22, 2008 - Martin Braun (Berlin, Germany), November 25, 2008 - ensoul, November 15, 2008 - Stagrovin, November 10, 2008 2 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
A Colorful Tale, November 5, 2008by WriterBob (Richmond Hill, Ontario) "Photopia," is an intriguing piece that makes great use of color. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Ikram (Swaziland), November 5, 2008 - Linnau (Tel-Aviv, Israel), October 31, 2008 - Tartalo, October 22, 2008 - Markus Peter (Regensburg, Germany), October 18, 2008 - ctgPi (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), October 13, 2008 - hywelhuws (Clynnog Fawr, Wales, UK), September 18, 2008 - Molotov (Marginalized, USA), September 5, 2008 - madducks (Indianapolis, Indiana), September 5, 2008 - burtcolk, September 3, 2008 - Genjar (Finland), August 31, 2008 - helga (Australia), August 29, 2008 - Mukeja, August 20, 2008 - maronis, August 14, 2008 - divbyzero (Boston, Massachusetts), August 12, 2008 - NotVerySubtle, August 1, 2008 - Tetsuo (Taipei, Taiwan), July 31, 2008 - Beekeeper, July 28, 2008 - Alizarin (Monrovia, CA), July 24, 2008 - Timo Saarinen (Finland), July 23, 2008 - Anders Hellerup Madsen (Copenhagen, Denmark), July 21, 2008 - LisariaUS, July 17, 2008 - genericzombie (Louisville, Kentucky), July 17, 2008 - zibahkhana, July 15, 2008 - Ben Treat (Maine, USA), July 11, 2008 - Steven (Honolulu, Hawaii), July 4, 2008 - Seren (Paris, France), June 29, 2008 - Mike Ciul (Philadelphia), June 4, 2008 - Sarah Mitty (Ypsilanti, Michigan), June 2, 2008 - Steve Blanding (Redmond, WA), May 9, 2008 - Michael Everson (Canberra, Australia), May 6, 2008 - felicitations, May 3, 2008 - Clare Parker (Portland, OR), April 22, 2008 - aaronius, April 14, 2008 25 of
27 people found the following review helpful:
Not quite the masterpiece it's often touted as, but still well worth playing, April 12, 2008by Jimmy Maher (Oslo, Norway) This is easily one of the half-a-dozen or so most important games of the modern IF era. Importance does not always equate directly with quality, however. I played it again recently out of a desire to know how it holds up a decade later. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Hans Möller (Sweden), April 5, 2008 - brattish (Canada), April 3, 2008 - Catherine Daze, March 24, 2008 - lobespear, March 20, 2008 - bolucpap, March 19, 2008 - Aris Katsaris (Athens, Greece), March 17, 2008 - jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008 - J. Robinson Wheeler (Austin, TX), February 22, 2008 - Interference (Oxford, England), February 14, 2008 - Ziixxxitria (California), February 10, 2008 - Squidi, February 1, 2008 - Dan Schmidt (Boston), January 31, 2008 - Michel Nizette (Brussels, Belgium), January 18, 2008 - frankpape (San Jose, California), January 18, 2008 - Matt Kimmel (Cambridge, MA), January 17, 2008 - onyx (Ann Arbor, Michigan), January 17, 2008 - incandenza (carrboro, north carolina), January 17, 2008 10 of
11 people found the following review helpful:
"Momento" as Interactive fiction, January 14, 2008by somegirl (Minneapolis, Minnesota) I'm not a big fan of "puzzle-less" games, but I did enjoy this game. Really, I'd have to say it was more like a short story than a game, but it was quite a *good* short story. I'd encourage anyone who plays it to settle in to do some reading, and talk to everyone you can - this is not the time to go rushing to the end. I especially liked seeing the plot lines weave together, it starts out quite disjointed, but everything fits together so snugly by the end, it takes your breath away a bit. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
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8 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting but disappointing, January 13, 2008by Dannii (Australia) As one of the first "puzzleless" IF works I tried, I certainly found it very interesting. The scene changes worked well, and with one "wow" and several "ahh" moments, Cadre really is quite the storyteller. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Wendymoon, January 13, 2008 - tfbk, January 10, 2008 - Cendare, January 9, 2008 - fastfinge (Toronto, Canada), January 4, 2008 - Juhana, January 3, 2008 - oddgrue (California), December 30, 2007 - Gocho (Spain), December 22, 2007 - RichCheng (Warwickshire, UK), December 19, 2007 - Tyrog, December 14, 2007 - Miron (Berlin, Germany), December 11, 2007 - Neale Grant (Hove, England), December 6, 2007 - Isxek, December 4, 2007 - PSilk (London, UK), November 29, 2007 - VK, November 28, 2007 - MattArnold (Ann Arbor, Michigan), November 24, 2007 - David Schweinsberg (Pasadena, California), November 21, 2007 - Leland Paul (Swarthmore, PA), November 19, 2007 - anj tuesday, November 18, 2007 - Benjamin Sokal (Elysium pod planting enclosure on Mars), November 14, 2007 - Wesley (Iowa City, Iowa), November 11, 2007 2 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent story-driven piece, November 9, 2007I really liked this one. The juxtaposition of the two storylines, the non-linear time progression, the use of different voices — all excellent. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- protobob, November 8, 2007 - Salamosam (Montreal), November 5, 2007 - Nusco (Bologna, Italy), October 31, 2007 - Steve Evans (Hobart, Tasmania), October 28, 2007 - Brian Slesinsky (California), October 27, 2007 - Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 26, 2007 - aparrish (NYC), October 25, 2007 - zharris70 (New York City), October 25, 2007 - Pseudo_Intellectual (Vancouver, Canada), October 25, 2007 - Hauston (Seattle, WA), October 24, 2007 - zer, October 24, 2007 - Sami Preuninger (New York City), October 23, 2007 - Eriorg (Switzerland), October 22, 2007 34 of
35 people found the following review helpful:
Canonical, October 21, 2007by Emily Short This is a work so hugely influential to IF development that anyone interested in the history of the form should try it: it experiments with non-linear presentation of time, menu-based conversation, and constrained game-play to support a specific plot. A number of its features look perfectly ordinary now, but were ground-breaking at the time. Photopia's particular form of menu conversation, for instance, was spun off into a library used in a number of other works. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- robkun (London, UK), October 21, 2007 - Brian Campbell, October 21, 2007 - Michael R. Bacon (New Mexico), October 20, 2007 - Gregory (USA), October 20, 2007 - yandexx (Saint-Petersburg, Russia), October 19, 2007 2 of
18 people found the following review helpful:
Overwhelming, October 19, 2007by isd (Tokyo) How could a game be exhausting when the puzzles are solvable? Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
Baf's GuideScenes from a handful of ordinary lives alternate with chapters of a child's colorful science-fantasy. Sweet and sad, and complex enough that you may need to go through it twice in order to fully understand how all the fragments fit together. Very story-driven, with menu-based conversations and virtually no puzzle content. My only complaint is that it isn't terribly interactive - indeed, you're practically driven through it on tracks, and any actions that you don't take tend to be rendered unnecessary. But the story is intriguing enough, and well-written enough, and moving enough, that this seems a small quibble. This is probably the most successful example I've seen of interactivity at the service of fiction, rather than vice versa. The author intended this game to be played with colored text. Although I normally dislike such things, I agree that it works in this case. A monochrome version is also provided for those who feel differently. (NB: The first release of this game credits Opal O'Donnell as the author. This was a deliberate deception on the part of the real author, carried out with the permission of the real Opal O'Donnell.) -- Carl Muckenhoupt
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