Epic Expedition

I tested this game. I was worried with a title like Epic Expedition I'd have a lot to test, but as things turns out, and it wasn't a very big game. In fact, I felt sheepish giving the author a list of small stuff that probably wasn't a bug, but just in case...

EE felt like one of the best fits for TALJ's mission in the history of the comp, in terms of giving someone a tutorial and not throwing them too much at the player. The colored Adventuron text definitely helps, but it also makes sure to note why you shouldn't destroy that destroyable item just yet and blocks you from getting locked out of a win.

In EE you are sent to Earth where you need to pick up a specimen. What that specimen is and how to get it are not particularly exotic. But it's fun to get them. The puzzles are pretty clear: a piece of paper you can't reach, a stubborn but unlocked door, and some cafeteria machines you need to use though you're not hungry. The puzzles are the sort where you know what to do, and common items require another use. The map is pretty simple. It's in a zipper/rose-with-thorns shape, and you have to figure out how to open a few doors.

The game doesn't mess around and also allows you a communications device to talk to your ship, which helps you feel not totally alone but at the same time gives justification for sticking you somewhere strange. It also allows you to toggle highlighted mode, so you know what nouns are worth poking around with.

You don't have to do anything crazy, but since it's a TALJ game, you probably shouldn't. The puzzles are satisfying, and there are nice touches like a funny wifi password, or just why a game with under ten rooms is "Epic."

I was able to imagine the surroundings well from the text, but I'd be interested in a post-comp release with actual location pictures. I think it'd be fun to see. But this is just a stretch goal. As I mentioned above, the author took full advantage of using colored text, and that was by far more relevant to the comp--and to a smooth player experience.

I was pleased when going through the competition to see a familiar name I knew and which I associated with quality games, and this game was in fact well put-together.

It's brief and designed for beginners, and as such uses sparse text (which would be great for ESL players or youths). The story is interesting: you are from space and coming down to earth to investigate lifeforms. You explore a diner that seems futuristic from our perspective (but still near-future; it has automated systems for refrigeration and cooking, which probably already exists).

The tutorial was very helpful, giving details not only on the game itself but the genre as a whole. Puzzles were simple but non-trivial, and I enjoyed the environmental storytelling.