10 Second Defence

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Small puzzlefest, April 23, 2014
10 Second Defence is a single-puzzle game about laying out a booby trap for someone you know is coming after you, using a combination of objects found in your one-room apartment. There is a tiny amount of backstory about how you got into this situation, but really not very much: the game isn't so much interested in telling you a story as in setting up a replayable challenge.

When a piece is primarily about inventive uses of objects, implementation becomes extremely important. 10 Second Defence is a mixed success in this department. It doesn't always offer implicit actions that ought to be obvious ((Spoiler - click to show)such as picking up the glue before gluing something to the wall). Some of the actions are a bit surprising or require finicky wording ((Spoiler - click to show)I had to experiment with several phrasings before figuring out how to fill the syringe from the capsule), and one solution requires things to behave in a way I found a bit implausible ((Spoiler - click to show)it was hard for me to believe that even a very strong glue would affix the knife to the wall in a way that would successfully stab the hitman).

On the other hand, there are multiple uses for most of the objects, and the replay concept worked pretty well for me. I found that each playthrough gave me some ideas about what might work better next time, without being entirely obvious about it.

I was able to replay to a successful conclusion in about five tries, and enjoyed doing so.

kill or get killed, February 20, 2015
You have until he reaches your apartment.

sorry, I have what?

10 Second Defence

oh, thanks for clearing that up in the title. So far, this looks like a sparsely implemented one-room defense game with bad prose. yes, it indeed is.

The prologue text doesn't really mention what Kiernan is about to do, so I just took 15 turns waiting for him - perhaps he's the PC's boyfriend or boss? He enters the room and I'm blasted away. ah, good, so it really is about defending yourself against some lunatic.

Well, gotta say, it's a finally crafted small situation you've thrown us at here, worthy the few replays it demands. It evidently requires some trial and error before a good ending - which evidently means (Spoiler - click to show)your ex-lover dead while you draw a shaky breath and head off.

It's already 3 stars for being a proper game, but the short length, sparse prose and implementation got the better of me and I took 1 away. :/


Now let's look at some implementation fails:

wow, I have a sensory enhancer implant! Let's try putting it to good use:

>listen
You can't hear anything.

:/

>smell
The air of your apartment is so familiar, you no longer notice it.

>smell Kiernan
You can't see any such thing.

I know I can't see him, but I assumed the implant would give me wolverine-like powers. Perhaps I could smell his stink or fear miles away :/

>throw knife at hitman
You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.

:/

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