|
Have you played this game?You can rate this game, record that you've played it, or put it on your wish list after you log in. |
Playlists and Wishlists |
RSS Feeds New member reviews
Updates to downloadable files
All updates to this page
|
|
Game Details
Language: English (en)
Current Version: release 3 License: Freeware Development System: Inform 6 Baf's Guide ID: 434
|
Awards
Best of Landscape, Landscape - 2000 IF Art Show
Editorial Reviews
Baf's Guide
The text is expansive and rather poignant. The game's one or two puzzles are for the most part self-evident in their solution, and most of the points are scored by simply looking at the right bits of scenery to trigger your character's memories.
The Cove isn't meant to be a game, and it shows, but it is an excellent example of how a story that would be hopelessly banal in a standard format can be compelling and emotional in IF.
-- R. Serena Wakefield
SPAG
The Cove won Best Landscape in Marnie Parker's Art Show in the spring of 2000, and the landscape really does take center stage: there are only a few locations, but all of them are packed with things to experience. In fact, your score increases not with problems solved, but with things seen (or heard, or smelled, or felt), though exactly which ones give you a point and which don't feels rather arbitrary. Interestingly, much of the interaction is purely sensory--there aren't many objects to manipulate, and you can't really affect your surroundings much, though you can certainly be affected by them. The scene itself--a seaside cliff, a beach, a cave--is familiar, but there are enough unexpected elements--a sea lion, an otter, tidal pools--to make it feel fresh, and the game oozes attention to detail. [...]
Unfortunately, the landscape isn't the only thing here; there's a plot of sorts involving a dead lover and a pressured marriage and such that owes much to cliché and adds very little to the game.
-- Duncan Stevens
See the full review
Tags
Member Reviews
| Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 1 Write a review |
A beautiful contemplation piece set in an 1860's beach, June 27, 2016You play as a woman who has second thoughts about her engagement, visiting a cove to be alone with her memories. Points are given based on memories remembered and animals examined, as well as for exploration.
The writing is peaceful and beautiful.
The game has a very small puzzle aspect that didn't really work for me.
Overall, I recommend this for fans of the IF art show. If you haven't tried any IF art show games, you should.
If you enjoyed The Cove...
Related Games
People who like The Cove also gave high ratings to these games:| Blackstone Academy for the Magical Arts, by Alana Joli Abbott Average member rating: (1 rating)Cast spells, pass your exams, and save the world! Blackstone is more than a magic school: you'll compete for glory in the sky sailing tourney, find love, and steer the fate of magic itself. Blackstone Academy for the Magical Arts is a... |
| Being There, by Jordan Magnuson Average member rating: (13 ratings)Being There is an extremely experimental little work of interactive fiction with pictures, about existence and Korea. Only requires a few minutes to play through, but you are encouraged to take your time. |
| Snowquest, by Eric Eve Average member rating: (43 ratings)You've been on your quest so long you've almost forgotten what it is all about, but now you are nearing your destination -- if only you can stay alive long enough in this frozen wilderness to reach it. |
Recommended Lists
The Cove appears in the following Recommended Lists:IF Romances by Emily Short
IF in the romance genre is rare; here are a few I thought worked well.
Great games in a mostly realistic setting by MathBrush
These are games that for the most part don't contain magical elements or futuristic technology. This includes games where there might be magic or futuristic technology, but you don't know until the end. So several of these games do...
Polls
The following polls include votes for The Cove:Historical adventures. by Rovarsson
I love historical novels, no matter what time period they're set in. They do have to be accurate though. Can you suggest IF-games that are also like that? (In short: no magic.)
ZCode games with non-standard status lines by Dannii
I'm interested in finding ZCode (primarily those written in Inform, though Infocom games could be ok too) which have a non-standard status line. Whether it's with colours, maps, arrows, or more! With such a list I can investigate what...
Best Short Games (5-60 minutes) by Sasha Davidovna
I'm pretty new to IF and am having a lot of fun, but in between a toddler and a job and other real life stuff, I'm having trouble finding time to finish many of the longer games I want to play. Can you please recommend me some fun and/or...
This is version 5 of this page, edited by David Welbourn on 20 June 2015 at 1:51am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item