The Wizard Sniffer

The writing was phenomenal. Hilarious, cadenced, and consistently clever. I felt sympathetic for the other characters, and was easily put into character. The limited parser was actually helpful in reminding one of one's own situation: namely, being a pig.

The first half of the game was enchanting, but after a while, it became exhausting trying to guess what the author was thinking. The fleas (hints) were certainly helpful, but it was really kind of just--limited. There are certainly games which are very linear in fashion, and that works for some people. For me, I do prefer that the puzzles aren't quite as repetitive or stacked.

I believe that more proficient game players than I will perhaps have a higher patience level with the game, and will enjoy the difficulty, and not mind being so patient. I suppose for me it began to feel tedious, even as I thoroughly was enjoying the character, the plot, and the unique writing and play on tropes. Perhaps a better review of this is--it may seem like a beginner game, but it's not. The hints are fun, but do not entirely remedy the tiring aspects (e.g. running in circles).

I did not finish the game. I came close to the end, but ended up looking at the walkthrough and feeling daunted and frustrated by the series of steps necessary. Again, I'm a novice player--a more experienced player might not feel this way. I hope to play more games by the author, and amongst the games I'm playing for the IF 2017 competition, it stands head and shoulders above the rest, simply in terms of writing quality.