Thornfell Manor: 1984

This PunyComp game had a nice concept and was pretty fun, with a few caveats. It looks to be the first game by this author, which is pretty impressive if true and I would definitely play more games if they choose to write more.

You play as a paranormal investigator who comes up on the scene of a crime. Your goal is to figure out who died, how, and what to do about it.

You're equipped with two helpful sidekicks (who are later contactable by radio) and a protective amulet and an EMF reader. You explore a big mansion, solving a variety of puzzles and interacting with a few 'unusual' characters.

I was impressed by the implementation of things like the characters and a lot of the default messages. There were two big sticking points for me, though:

1-The game has an extremely small inventory limit. I was trying to carry around the 'default' gear the game gave me (radio, EMF reader, and amulet), and I could only pick up 3 items. I know some people go for realism, but these items are things like a lighter, sage, cigarettes, a pocketknife--I could easily carry all these things in real life, especially with pockets! I'd give a full point higher score if the inventory limit were removed or doubled or if a backpack were provided, or even if the amulet and/or meter were 'wearable'.

2-The game is missing a lot of scenery objects and synonyms. One really noticeable example is that the beginning of the game (so not really a spoiler) tells you that you see a lot of blood. But "X BLOOD" has no response. This is a frequent issue throughout the game, where the text prominently mentions an object but doesn't implement it.

Outside of these two factors, I enjoyed the game a lot, as I like supernatural things and mysteries. I especially liked the ambient messages about the radio and the overall thematic unity of the house.

It's a fun concept and I enjoyed the game up to a point. I agree with the other reviewer who noticed that the game is pretty sparse on descriptions, and I'd go further to say the rooms are pretty empty altogether. I mean, the bedroom has nothing but a bed and the exits. The dining room has only a table and chandelier.

Where I got really frustrated though was after (Spoiler - click to show)finding all the bodies and getting to the point where it's clear I need to (Spoiler - click to show)interrogate the ghost. I've literally gone through the tutorial and I still haven't been able to figure out (Spoiler - click to show)how to obtain instructions on how to perform a seance. I had the right idea before even seeking out a hint, but no matter what commands I use, nothing is working to get me the information I need. I'm trying to find the supposed (Spoiler - click to show)'hidden collection', but I'm unable to take or move any of the existing books, and the only objects in the room are "books", "rug" and (Spoiler - click to show)the hidden ladder. I know I sometimes have to experiment a lot to figure out the specific commands needed for this sort of thing, but with so few objects to play with, it's frustrating to come to a dead end...especially when the tutorial glosses over this part completely, as if it should be self-evident what I should do.