Suburban Prodigy

I open the game and get the feeling I'm going to like what I find. I'm at the bottom of a well and with the pictures and sound oh it reminds me of Monkey Island.

First location, first bug discovered. GET ALL has not been disabled so it is possible to get things I can't see without changing the image, and then possible to get them again. GET ALL, gets the bone. Then GET BONE gets the bone again. Generally the game has a problem not treating TAKE and GET the same. Still, I've taken the skeletons arm. Great!

But Mike please include proper descriptions of things you are likely to carry as a minimum. The old bone is described as "You see nothing special about the old bone." It is a bone from an old skeleton or a gross bone, at least say that.

x red brick doesn't work, x red stone works.

Lets see how I do in the second location, a Hidden Passage. Spent ages trying to work out what the yellow blob is. GET ALL tells me it is a nugget. Then I can GET NUGGET. Technically it is the same bug I all ready found. But, hey I'm a reviewer. Can't examine the ladder at this location. Hmmm.

I find myself in a backyard next. This is better I can at least examine everything seen and mentioned.

Next I find a kennel although the game calls it a "doghouse". The British normally prefer the term "kennel" so both should be used. Still like the dogs name - Snarl! Brill, I'm carrying a magic bone! I give it to Snarl and yet I'm still carrying it. Oh dear.

Ah, now a door puzzle. If you are carrying the key it is always better to automatically unlock the door if you try to open it. Remember modern IF players are lazy.

In the Living Room, more odd behaviour. I get a book by examining it and not by taking it. "x sofa" doesn't work but "x couch" does. Anyway you probably get the idea by now.

The ideas behind the game are good and it is a fun little game. It just needed a little testing to fix the issues especially the GTV problems. That said I like this game and enjoyed playing it. I look forward to playing other titles from this author.

Game by up and coming ADRIFT author Mike Desert. Heavy uses of anti-mimetic writing and familiar stereotypes. Inclusion of illustrations and music may ameliorate these for some.