Kissing the Buddha's Feet

Having recently enjoyed Good Bones: A Haunted Housewarming, it seemed like a good opportunity to check out an older work by the same author, Leon Lin. What a pleasant surprise!

If you're interested in the history of the form, this game is a significant to the study of the evolution of NPCs. It's the first to garner XYZZY Awards for both Best NPCs and Best Individual NPC, a feat matched by only four other games since: Varicella, Lock & Key, Cryptozookeeper and The Wizard Sniffer.

I think what stands out most about this game is that it seems like an obvious precursor to Violet. The plot is oriented around removing distractions for someone trying to accomplish an academic goal by the next day, with a puzzle structure just a little off-kilter from everyday reality in order to accommodate a comic sensibility. There's even an NPC (the award-winning one) who takes over parser messages!

There are plenty of classic IF references (especially to Infocom titles), which may not translate well for someone unfamiliar with them, but these are not essential to the puzzles, which are of moderate difficulty and well-judged to deliver a two-hour play session. The puzzles that stumped me the longest came down to (Spoiler - click to show)missing an object on a supporter that's not mentioned until the supporter is examined and (Spoiler - click to show)failing to realize that I'd need something to use as a makeshift dolly to move a heavy object. Neither one is a game issue -- they're just stumbling blocks for a modern player that arise from certain old school conventions having fallen by the wayside. (I tend to forget about the old school basics when the game feels newer than it is, as this one does. Maybe that means it was ahead of its time? At any rate, if you don't habitually play older games, remember to (Spoiler - click to show)examine every piece of furniture and that (Spoiler - click to show)some things can be pushed between rooms.)

I'd definitely recommend this game as a fun interlude and as a good example of a late 90s game that has aged pretty well. If you liked Violet, you should definitely try Kissing the Buddha's Feet to compare-and-contrast the approaches to two broadly similar scenarios.

This game was the very first winner of the XYZZY for best NPCs. Your roommate John is studying, and four of his buddies come over. You have to eliminate them one or two at a time, and quiet down your environment, until John can study.

The PCs are well-written and entertaining. The puzzles are early-90's standard: a series of events that seem logical afterwards, but which ignore many alternative solutions (for instance, you can't (Spoiler - click to show)tape the wrapper or the towel across the hole in the window).

Good for fans of busy, interactive rooms of NPCs.