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Horror noir with a lot of investigation, November 21, 2023This glulx game was entered in Ectocomp.
In it, you play a classic noir-style detective (who has, I believe, appeared in other games by the same author, as Castronegro was mentioned) who has been commissioned to investigate a haunted house.
The bulk of the game consists of investigating, first at places like libraries and courthouses and then at the house itself, which has more action pieces.
The writing is elaborate, fully leaning in to both noir style and early cosmic horror style. For instance:
'The house, wrapped in an aura of faded elegance, evokes a
bygone era through its windows and timeworn architecture. As the
wind stirs the leaves, a sense of mystery lingers, hinting at the secrets
hidden within its walls.'
At times it becomes a little too descriptive, where it can be difficult to piece together what's important and what's not.
The implementation is solid along a critical path but sketchy off that path. A lot of unimportant scenery is left unimplemented, but conversation is indicated fairly well through the use of a topics menu and bolding.
I struggled a bit in some of the actions scenes of the game, although the final results made sense. I believe the very end of the game has some randomization.
Overall, this was fun to play, although it could implement some more things.
Edit: This game is also an adaptation of a Call of Cthulhu module, I believe.