Marbles, D, and the Sinister Spotlight

I beta tested this game.

Marbles, D, and the Sinister Spotlight" is a delightful game from Drew Cook (author of Repeat the Ending) that is inspired by the old Zork CYOA books (which I haven't read, but I definitely got old-school CYOA book vibes from the writing here.)

This is a highly polished Parser game with several illustrations, cinematic 'cut scenes' and act changes, several layers of help menus and a lot of independent actions by actors and scenery changes. It has a lot of custom responses as well.

The idea is that you are a highly intelligent cat and you're exploring an abandoned movie theatre with your human friend that you've been locked inside of as part of an adventure. The movie theatre is mysterious and dark, and it's up to you to guide your human around.

The text is rich and expansive, while the geography is small and limited. I'd say that this game is designed (intentionally?) to be accessible to those familiar with gaming in general but unfamiliar with parser conventions and tropes. It has extensive tutorial comments early on, a constrained list of verbs that can be accessed at any time, a list at the top of available locations and important items, and hints in the text at which actions are appropriate to progress.
It's not too long; it's divided up into six acts and a finale, with each act solvable in just a few actions. The story does feel complete, though, which is another reason I think this makes a good game for those new to parser games. I've found that when starting parser games (or playing parser games in a new and unfamiliar language) that it really helps to split up the game into distinct sections, limiting the geography, and keeping a running list of important items makes it so much easier (I write this as I'm struggling with a long French parser game).

The pictures were a real highlight, very evocative and fitting of both the setting and the style of writing. They worked for me in both downloadable and online versions but I preferred the overall look of the online version.

The HELP text at the end suggests that the game was made with learning and/or teaching new Inform techniques like scenes in mind. I hope the source code becomes available, as the game does enough neat stuff that I think people would benefit from seeing examples of it.

I appreciated the little 'paw pictures' that let you know when to press a button, as there are often large amounts of text at once.

Veteran parser players will enjoy the Zork references (which manage to be both pretty faithful while also being creative) and newcomers will appreciate the help systems. Fun and not too long.

An expansion of a short review originally published at Intfiction.org on May 8, 2025. I beta-tested this game. This review is based on the published version.

This game is simply delightful. A good-hearted cat protagonist, protective of her human boy but also empathetic to other creatures; a constrained environment that’s still full of details and ripe for exploration as only a cat can explore. Simple on the surface, but deep underneath, and cut through with an understated sadness that adds poignancy to what could have been a purely light-hearted adventure story.

There are many player-friendly features, making the game accessible even to players who may be new to the parser game medium. To boot, there are also several charming illustrations as well as bonus material that you can unlock based on your score. Highly recommend!

Adapted from a SpringThing25 Review

Cat protagonist. This is what we’ve come to. If my credentials as a reviewer of superhuman dedication are ever in question, I call your attention to this review.

This is a light work whose overriding atmosphere is welcoming. From its friendly, warm wordsmithing, to its forgiving and increasingly nudgy gameplay; its limited vocabulary (meant as a design choice, not a criticism), to its stated purpose, as a feature showcase to budding Inform authors… all of it just conveys “C’mon in the waters fine, and not nearly as scary as you think.”

While I am clearly not the primary audience for any of these things, least of all its protagonist, the nature of its amiability is that it is impossible to begrudge the time spent. The presentation goes a long way to this feeling. From its care paid to Scene change formatting cues, its ascii cat ‘pause for more,’ its scorecard rendition, it is all very deliberate and polished, conveying we are in strong, gentle hands for the duration of this modest puzzle fest. Against a backdrop of parsers often characterized by an intimidating, minimalist and cold greater-than prompt, this work goes out of its way to make every part of the experience less vexing.

I could talk about what it sacrifices in service of that, but… why? I mean, it would be wild if I criticized Smokey the Bear for his inability to explain the difference between colon and semi-colon. Meet the big guy where he lives, yeah? This is a work that has a specific goal, and is SO successful at it other things don’t matter. Its creative tradeoffs are uniformly successful in service of that goal. Were I a blank slate at the beginning of my artistic journey, filled with unspecific ambitions and preoccupations and completely asea on how to even start, this work would be a godsend - both a reassurance, a first step, and a glimpse of what success could like.

It would feel outright inspirational, if not for the nagging feeling that its protagonist choice is a subtle and portentous warning. That the only cost the aspiring artist might pay is THEIR ENTIRE SOUL.

Horror Icon: Pinhead
Vibe: Welcoming
Polish: Smooth
Gimme the Wheel! : If this were my project, it would be focused on TADS, not Inform. Just that one small change. Well, maybe just one more.

Polish scale: Gleaming, Smooth, Textured, Rough, Distressed
Gimme the Wheel: What I would do next, if it were my project.