External Links


bluechairs.z5
Requires a Z-Code interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
bluechairs.z5
competition entry
Requires a Z-Code interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
notes.pdf
design document
To view this file, you need an Acrobat Reader for your system.
Story File in Russian *
Contains bluechairsR.z8
Translation by Vyacheslav Dobranov.
Requires a Z-Code interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
* Compressed with ZIP. Free Unzip tools are available for most systems at www.info-zip.org.

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Blue Chairs

by Chris Klimas

Surreal
2004

(based on 92 ratings)
13 reviews

Game Details


Awards

2nd Place overall; 1st Place, Miss Congeniality Awards - 10th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2004)

Winner, Best Game; Winner, Best Writing; Winner, Best Story; Nominee, Best NPCs; Nominee, Best Individual Puzzle; Nominee, Best Individual PC - 2004 XYZZY Awards

34th Place - Interactive Fiction Top 50 of All Time (2011 edition)

Editorial Reviews

Baf's Guide


My favourite game in IF-Competition 2004, Blue Chairs almost immediately won me over by a wonderfully surreal (or, more precise, dream-like) atmosphere and setting. As it turned out later, they were combined with one of the strongest stories I'd ever encountered in interactive fiction. On the other hand, it has been (deservedly, it seems) criticized for somewhat obscure puzzles, so that someone could find enough reasons to take away a star off its rating; someone - but not me.

-- Valentine Kopteltsev

SPAG
Yet work it does, with more than enough panache to spare. Yes, all of the above problems are inarguably present -- the sequence in the maze-complex or whatever it is does drag on too long, there are some actions I'd never think to do if the walkthrough didn't tell me to, and the whole Dante-and-Beatrice angle made me roll my eyes. But man, it just doesn't matter. I'm willing to concede that a good part of my goodwill towards this game is a result of its peculiar aesthetic, and particularly the author's knack for description, which comes off like Clockwork Orange by way of Freaks and Geeks. [...] The puzzles for the most part live up to the off-kilter yet sharp aesthetic of the prose.
-- Mike Russo
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>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

Klimas has a hold of something very powerful -- interactive fiction steeped in surrealism and symbolism. This sort of thing has been tried before, but Blue Chairs is the best realization of it that I've seen.
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Member Reviews

5 star:
(35)
4 star:
(22)
3 star:
(22)
2 star:
(9)
1 star:
(4)
Average Rating:
Number of Reviews: 13
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Most Helpful Member Reviews


12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Needs an Author's Cut, June 12, 2008
by Marsh (Oxfordshire, UK)

The game deserves 4 stars. A good edit would get it 5 stars.

The implementation is utterly sound and the prose is consistent and error-free. And that alone is enough to set this apart from 80% of that year's offerings.

It's a beautiful game, and I got really immersed. However, there's a dream section that goes beyond the nightime otherworldly and into pure surrealism for the sake of getting some exposition done. It's not needed, and shakes the mood.

What I'm saying (non-spoilery) is that the conversation with the reporter could as easily have been done by a conversation with Chris, while flying through the dark in the car.

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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Technically great, full of symbolistic smugness, December 28, 2008
by kba (berlin)

I played Blue Chairs because I looked specifically for games with a surreal setting and surreal is what I got. The opening scene is really great, both technically and as a plot device, and it seems like the start of some psychedelic fun. But it isn't really psychedelic, it felt more like the stoned ramblings of a preachy zen-buddhist who read too much wikipedia on Freudian pychoanalysis. Then again, I don't know what kind of drug I, the player that is, is on.

I have no problem with games with a message, but either I didn't really get it or I'm not interested in it.

But mine is a very subjective point of view: The game is flawles technically, has various endings and if you are into psychology of the sub-consiciousness, symbolism and new-age-isms or just more tolerant than me, you will love it.

Even though I didn't like it I advise you to play it, it deserves it!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
One heck of a Ride!, December 31, 2014
by Chai Hai (Kansas City KS)

I enjoyed this immensely. Several different settings, and a nice plot too. A lot of thought was put into this, it's extremely well written.

My biggest concern was the store maze. That certainly got repetitive ( had to look at the walkthrough to figure the end of that out) but I loved the people you met in the supermarket. The rooms you went into were unique enough to keep me satiated, and I wasn't too annoyed by the maze.

I loved this game's theme of life changes, it was really poignant and definitely gave you a lot to think about. Bravo!

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See All 13 Member Reviews

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Polls

The following polls include votes for Blue Chairs:

Plot over Puzzle Parser by thecanvasrose
Looking for what it says on the tin.

I'm looking for a great surreal game. by Bishopofbasic
It's pretty hot up here in Canada and I was wondering if anyone knew of any great surreal type games. Something I can spend my time in front of the AC or in my office hiding from the world. Thanks you guys.

Games That Changed Your Mind by Ghalev
Before you played X, you never thought you'd like horror games. Before you played Y, you never thought you could take a game with a dragon in it seriously. Before you played Z, you thought linear games would just frustrate you. Tell me...

See all polls with votes for this game




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