Why Pout?

Note: This review was written during IFComp 2024, and originally posted in the authors' section of the intfiction forum on 21 Sep 2024.

This is the latest word based game from Andrew Schutlz. Back to parser this time, and a game mixing a gradually unfolding fantasy world with word based puzzling.

I enjoyed this more than any of his other word based games. Although the core mechanism is still manipulating words, it did feel as though there was a more substantial underlying story world to uncover. I was really intrigued by the fantasy setting that I was discovering, including its variety of NPCs.

In some cases I really struggled to find the next things to type. Maybe I missed a clue, or it was under clued, especially when I came back later to the same location. I also had a few cases where there seemed to be a bug. But otherwise it was a nice game, with a fairly open world, not too steam rollered, and combining a fun puzzle mechanic with a good plot.

I really liked the THINK command, which keeps track of some of the things you’ve found or need to do. Though sometimes it seemed to be missing some clues for me. Luckily there is a walkthrough provided, which I needed sometimes.

Word puzzles can be divisive, and too tricky often for some players - me included! But if you can get past the opening stages of this game I think it’s approachable, and apart from a few clueing issues in places surprisingly accessible.