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Number of Ratings: 120
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Showing All | Show by Page - shrimpylemons, March 16, 2023
- jaymesjw, February 5, 2023
- Cerfeuil (*Teleports Behind You* Nothing Personnel, Kid), October 11, 2022
- Nightmace, June 11, 2022
>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction
This is a game that clearly took great care with its design, extending the illusion of freedom a long way while maintaining a fairly specific structure. Also, several rooms have initial descriptions which describe the experience of arriving in the room, and the features that are most salient at first. Once this description has been displayed, further looks at the room will stabilize into a more settled description, one which takes details into account and bears reading multiple times. Attention to detail like this just permeates the game, and makes it one of the most engrossing competition entries I've ever had the good fortune to play.
- bkirwi, March 22, 2022
- BlueAskew, February 8, 2022
- Fie, December 14, 2021
- starlitevenings, March 13, 2021
2 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Player, in Discomfort, November 27, 2020This is a well-crafted game, but I did not like it. It made me feel claustrophic and antsy and miserable. Maybe that's a tribute to Plotkin's ability to set a scene! After all, the protagonist here isn't super-enjoying his/her life when the game begins. But I had to push myself to finish it and I didn't particularly care about getting the "right" ending if only I could escape that awful cave.
- Durafen, October 26, 2020
- nf, October 12, 2020
- Panawe, May 28, 2020
- Zape, May 24, 2020
- Squidi, January 26, 2020
- Phlegethon, January 25, 2020
- FishOnHead, September 27, 2019
3 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Cool Take on Hunt the Wumpus, August 24, 2019I prefer this one to Shade. The illusion of choice is much stronger. I didn't mind the death mechanic/cycle because it gave gravity to your choices. The puzzles are fun but a little easy. The excellent writing ties the whole experience together.
- Stian, January 22, 2019
- Jan Strach, April 19, 2018
- Stas, April 15, 2018
- Cory Roush (Ohio), June 29, 2017
- Ivanr, June 14, 2017
- lkdc, February 20, 2017
- E. W. B., March 18, 2016
- Guenni (At home), February 5, 2016
2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
A claustrophobic thriller game with great pacing., February 3, 2016Hunter, in Darkness has some of the best pacing of any IF game out there. You are hunting, in the darkness, and you must follow your prey through a cave. Things quickly go from bad to worse, and your injuries and fears come to the front.
In this game, you usually know exactly what you need to do, but may not know how to do it. The final big puzzle in particular took me a long time to get, but the writing was good enough that the game didn't feel stagnant while I was experimenting to solve it.
If you enjoyed Gun Mute or even Attack of the Robot Yeti Zombies, but wanted a more serious experience, this game is for you.
- branewurms, January 16, 2016
- Aryore, December 12, 2015
- kala (Finland), August 5, 2015
- BlitzWithGuns, May 12, 2015
- CMG (NYC), April 27, 2015
- Asherred, April 4, 2015
- Thrax, March 11, 2015
- morlock, January 14, 2015
- Floating Info, January 2, 2015
- Sobol (Russia), September 12, 2014
- Ismarus, June 24, 2014
- IFforL2 (Chiayi, Taiwan), May 19, 2014
- Snave, March 7, 2014
- lisapaul, January 9, 2014
- streever (America), November 30, 2013
- John Simon (London), October 31, 2013
- Adam Myers, September 19, 2013
- Zeofar, August 30, 2013
- Tortoiseshell Bat, March 18, 2013
- Brown_Cow, March 17, 2013
- DJ (Olalla, Washington), February 13, 2013
- Sdn (UK), December 24, 2012
- Dannii (Australia), June 13, 2012
- amciek (Opole), May 28, 2012
10 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
Play this game., September 9, 2011I've been pot-holing and had a horrendous time. Thankyou Andrew Plotkin for helping relive my nightmare from the safety of my own home.
And he really does describe the claustrophobic surroundings masterfully. It is essentially a cave-crawl, but this time the cave is a cave you really could imagine. It seems like either he's done his research or has had first-hand experience of caving.
There are no compass directions. The player navigates by 'going forward', 'entering left tunnel', etc... I thought I wouldn't like this aspect of the game but it is implemented very well and suits the scenario perfectly, lending the atmosphere a sense of disorientation.
I enjoy puzzles in my games, but I'm often impatient and resort to hints. As soon as I've looked at my first hint I lose interest. I'm pleased to say I only needed to look at a walkthrough after completion, just to check that I had in fact been successful (I had). It gave me a real sense of achievement. The puzzles were fair, but not too easy and well thought out. I would personally recommend this to beginner players and IF veterans.
You will die often, so save often. Dying itself is fun and can help point you towards an eventual solution. The game is well implemented so there are often lots of opportunities to examine your surroundings, not just to complete the game but to enjoy the rich descriptive environments. So don't give up too easily if you get stuck (literally and metaphorically).
There are some great set pieces and surprises round the corners. Yet it is the consistent desperate atmosphere throughout that gives the game 5 stars from me.
4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Prey., August 2, 2011**Plotkin - Hunter, in Darkness**
(Spoiler - click to show)I'm old enough for "Hunt the Wumpus" to have more personal resonance for me than for many, but young enough that all I have is resonance— any memories of having played the original game provide only a faded backdrop to my sharp, clear impressions of this thematic, multisensory heir.
This is a short, simple game— almost tiny, with only a few puzzles. The prose is well-written, and both environment and puzzles are traditional in inspiration, but mockingly, fiendishly original in execution. As a once-again newcomer to this genre, I required guidance from the walkthrough to proceed on more than one occasion... and again, when I replayed the game. Simple does not imply easy.
My choice for a single word to describe this creation: subversive. Immersive as well, of course, but subversive— in construction, climax, and resolution.
Highly recommended.
- LaFey (Porto, Portugal), July 15, 2011
- Nathanial, May 27, 2011
- Ollie (UK), May 12, 2011
- baywoof, April 25, 2011
- Jonathan Blask (Milwaukee, WI, USA), April 4, 2011
- Felix Pleșoianu (Bucharest, Romania), March 19, 2011
- Walter Sandsquish, February 2, 2011
- snickerdoddle, January 27, 2011
- Ben Cressey (Seattle, WA), January 26, 2011
- Stickz (Atlanta, Georgia), January 15, 2011
- Carlo, January 3, 2011
- Mattlistener (Boston), December 25, 2010
- Markoff23, December 8, 2010
8 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
damp, dark, dank, and dangerous..., November 28, 2010I died more times than I can count playing Hunter, in Darkness, but I loved every second of it. In a masochistic sort of way, perhaps. This is one of the most claustrophobic, terror-inducing titles I've encountered - an achievement, considering it's based on (Spoiler - click to show)Hunt The Wumpus. The puzzles all come logically, and even better, the various deaths arrive with a brutal, no-nonsense finality that encourages you to try a different tack, rather than frustrating you with that feeling of being so close and so far. This is a serious story, not of adventure, but of survival, unsympathetic and unadulterated.
- strask, October 1, 2010
- Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), September 23, 2010
- Brian Lavelle (Edinburgh, Scotland), September 12, 2010
- Alder (San Francisco), August 15, 2010
- Joel Webster (Madison, WI), July 26, 2010
- Dan Efran, June 15, 2010
- smurfas666 (Klaipeda, Lithuania), May 21, 2010
- Patrick M. McCormick (United States), May 13, 2010
- lavonardo, April 28, 2010
- Azazel, April 2, 2010
- omenofdoom, March 6, 2010
- Ioannis D., February 6, 2010
- Grey (Italy), December 25, 2009
- Pepisolo, September 30, 2009
- Jimbo, August 23, 2009
- Mike Ciul (Philadelphia), July 24, 2009
- Rhian Moss (UK), July 8, 2009
- Nicholas, June 11, 2009
- four1475 (Manhattan, KS), May 25, 2009
- Fabien Vidal (Tours, France), April 6, 2009
- Shigosei, February 9, 2009
- albtraum, February 8, 2009
14 of
14 people found the following review helpful:
Eerie and Satisfying, January 26, 2009Woah. This game takes me back to the first time I played Adventure; I was so terrified when I reached the dark section that I rushed out immediately and refused to explore further until the next day. This game has a similar feel: you don't want to progress for fear of what you might find, but feel compelled to progress nonetheless.
The writing really makes the game; crisp, succinct, vivid and chilling. An interesting touch was the total lack of compass directions; you navigate with commands such as left, right, forward etc. This defiance of genre traditions actually works surprisingly well, adding to the feeling of realism.
The structure of the game is not so much defined by puzzles as by learn-by-dying. Save often and expect to die often. In fact, if you play from a walkthrough and never die, you'll miss some of the best writing in the game. If you really really really need a walkthrough, I'd recommend saving often and trying different ways to die anyway.
Overall, in terms of craft and writing, this is an excellent game. I'm rating it only four stars, however, because of its small scope. Regardless of the small size, Hunter, in Darkness is definitely worth a play.
- Cheryl L (Australia), January 9, 2009
- Audiart (Davis, CA), January 8, 2009
- Robot Marvin, January 4, 2009
- burtcolk, September 3, 2008
- jwbjerk (Mid-West USA), July 22, 2008
- Anders Hellerup Madsen (Copenhagen, Denmark), July 21, 2008
- Ghalev (Northern Appalachia, United States), June 11, 2008
- Beekeeper, June 8, 2008
- Fra Enrico (Torino, Italy), June 3, 2008
- Eric Mayer, May 18, 2008
- Krishnoid (Sunnyvale, CA), May 13, 2008
- Pavel Soukenik (Kirkland, WA), May 9, 2008
- Michael Everson (Canberra, Australia), May 6, 2008
- paperclypse (Portland, OR), April 23, 2008
- aaronius, April 14, 2008
- jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008
- J. Robinson Wheeler (Austin, TX), February 22, 2008
- Dan Schmidt (Boston), January 31, 2008
- Michel Nizette (Brussels, Belgium), January 18, 2008
- Miron (Berlin, Germany), December 11, 2007
- VK, November 26, 2007
- MattArnold (Ann Arbor, Michigan), November 24, 2007
- Leland Paul (Swarthmore, PA), November 19, 2007
- ErWenn (Bloomington, IN), November 18, 2007
- protobob, November 8, 2007
- Nusco (Bologna, Italy), October 31, 2007
- John Murphy (Lebanon, NH, USA), October 27, 2007
- Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 26, 2007
5 of
15 people found the following review helpful:
Immersive, but frustrating., October 25, 2007I didn't like the beginning of Spider&Web(and gave up rapidly), but I can say I liked "Hunter, in Darkness" right from the start...
Even if my first play was not really interactive and very short (going to the left, falling, then crawling slowly towards my death a few turns later) it was a great experience.
I don't like the games in which you have to die a lot to make your way through the traps but I can say it was very immersive and fun to "play" (the theme itself is not really fun, rather claustrophobic, and reminded me of some spelunking I did. While playing I swore myself I won't do spelunking again, ever).
Nevertheless, my second play didn't last more than 2 turns. great.
So I tried the third, and last, direction and... stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no clue, no way to go back or forth, having to guess the right verb without which I'm stuck here for eternity.
Then, after a few attempts to get out I manage to almost survive then die.
I guess the author has created this trap with some sadistic pleasure.
Oh well, the 4th attempt let me resolve this "welcome puzzle"... just to stuck me again with another "there is nothing" room.
Frustrating.
Another "guess what the author had in mind" game.
- zer, October 22, 2007
- Gregory (USA), October 20, 2007
Baf's Guide
The plot--you're exploring a cave, hunting a mysterious beast called a Wumpus--is derived from the ancient minimalist BASIC game Hunt the Wumpus, but the similarity ends there. This is arguably the most richly described cave in the history of IF, and your experience of it is thoroughly and harrowingly described. In fact, the cave is as much your adversary as the Wumpus itself, and it takes just as great a toll on you. The puzzles are fairly conventional (though the last one is rather elegant), and they include a maze that isn't really a maze. But the story is brilliantly executed--the plot branches and rejoins so seamlessly that you're unlikely to notice that there are multiple ways through the game--and the writing is terrific; Plotkin is adept at using all the senses. Hunter... breathes new life into a very tired genre, no small feat.
-- Duncan Stevens
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