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About the StoryThe feathered serpent coils before you, greater than any god or any monster. Maimed warriors are crushed beneath its claws. The sun will never rise again. Game Details
Language: English (en)
First Publication Date: February 16, 2015 Current Version: 1.00 License: Freeware Development System: Inform 7 Forgiveness Rating: Polite IFID: B086BFF0-F8AA-4A07-9538-8DAC1F4DF807 TUID: jwj9zj64g3pcckoc |
Awards
Entrant - ParserComp 2015
Editorial Reviews
Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling
Points to this one for presenting a highly unusual setting: the body of a feathered serpent that has just (I think per Aztec mythology?) swallowed the sun. Gloom and gore abound.
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PyramidIF
This is a decently accomplished piece. It's very sparsely implemented (think Ecdysis) but that works against it. Lots of scenery doesn't seem useful. By the time you reach the...terminus of the serpent you might have missed important things you could actually interact with. It's a short game though, and worth it for the unusual setting.
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SPAG
The puzzles are pleasantly straightforward (at least to reach one of two similar endings), making this a nice game of exploration through an atypical and grotesque setting. --C.E.J. Pacian
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Stuff I have to say about stuff, and stuff
I think the game was a bit too sparse, but this looks like it can be fixed. The rejection messages are very atmospheric and non-generic and give a nice sense of impending doom, so well done there!
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These Heterogenous Tasks
This has some strong things going for it – ambitious prose, a strong mythic feel, a really strong idea of the mood it wants to evoke – but those same things drag some pretty big problems along with them.
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Member Reviews
| Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 2 Write a review |
A polished game with a lavish, gory setting., July 20, 2017The serpent has eaten the sun. You are the last one who can get it back.
Based loosely on Aztec myths, this game presents a prime example of Groover's signature imagination. Down is dark and bloody - set, after all, in the maw of a monster - but unlikely metaphors abound. Gemstones in gullets. A sun in the stomach.
Contrasts abound in this game. You must relinquish control in the beginning to be able to participate, despite being a warrior - a person of action! The serpent is a broken, diseased creature, despite being undeniably powerful - having swallowed the sun and defeated all before you.
Though somewhat more ornate, and definitely more outspoken than some of Groover's other games, Down, the Serpent and the Sun is well worth playing.
Memorable, but Challenging, March 1, 2015This is a quick game, but only if you're able to surmount its challenges (some intended by the author, some not). There are red herrings and optional herrings and unseen things that must be sought, as well as at least one coding issue that can hang people up and cause them to abandon the game. But I played it with ClubFloyd and we stuck with it and found a couple of endings, including the one that I think is the 'good' ending.
I can see why the other review so far gave it three stars. It's a first time author's game, written in under a week, and it (not surprisingly) has issues, but I liked the concept and the imaginative setting. I also have a soft spot for games that explore anatomy, and I enjoyed the blending of qualitative description and clinical jargon. So I bumped up to four stars for this.
Definitely memorable.
Not for the feint of heart (or those of weak stomach).
If you enjoyed Down, the Serpent and the Sun...
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Polls
The following polls include votes for Down, the Serpent and the Sun:For Your Consideration - XYZZY-eligible settings of 2015 by verityvirtue
This is for suggesting settings from games released 2015 which you think might be worth considering for Best Setting in the XYZZY awards. This is not a zeroth-round nomination. The category will still be text-entry, and games not...
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I'm looking for a very specific level of difficulty: a game where you theoretically could beat it on your first attempt, but you won't. At some point in the game you'll fail, but that point may vary from person to person, and when you...
Vertical Games by Anya Johanna DeNiro
Looking for games that really explore verticality, which go up (way up) in their setting. Human-made structures in particular: towers, skyscrapers, radio antennae. Games that figuratively can make you feel dizzy, particularly after a...
This is version 19 of this page, edited by Lance Campbell on 28 July 2021 at 2:05am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item