Suveh Nux

A brief, charming game with puzzles centered on a neat magical grammar. The system is well-designed and internally consistent, the puzzles are fun to solve, and there are lots of rewards for experimenting. For the most part the solutions are not too difficult, either, but there's a hint system, just in case.

Not long on story or characterization, but excellent for what it sets out to do.

You are locked in a vault while putting something in it for your wizard master, and you must find a way to escape.

Now I'm not the biggest fan of "escape the room" games, with so many on flash, I'd hate to see IF dedicated to it also, but this game more than makes up for it.

First of all, the game includes easter eggs to find, adding to replay value.

Second, the entire game is about figuring out magic words, and the syntax in which to use them, which is a great puzzle in itself. The puzzles are fair, they make sense, and they're great fun to play with.

That leads to number three. Once you figure out what's going on, there is plenty of fun screwing with everything, and anything you can see can be messed with. On top of that, the game understands so many nonsense commands with funny responses. This game will keep you entertained long after you actually completed it. (And FYI, completing the game does not give you the best score. Playing beforehand does!)

I must say, I was initially put off by this game when I read in reviews that in this game you interact with your environment by learning to communicate in a language it understands. As a semi-relative-newcomer to IF, all I could think was, AGH!! ISN'T THAT ALREADY THE PROBLEM WITH INTERACTIVE FICTION?! DO WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE IT HARDER?!?! However, I found myself continually drawn back to this game with its strange title, and eventually I just had to try it. Casting aside my misgivings, I downloaded the game and began to play. And, I must say, it was well worth it. I was immediately drawn into the story and my fears about the "magic language" were completely dispelled (no pun intended). There were NO endless "guess the verb" sessions as I had feared. Rather, everything needed to solve the puzzle was provided within the game. What a relief not to have to read the author's mind, as seems to be the case with so many other games. All in all, Suveh Nux was a beautifully simple and enjoyable game. I now laugh at my initial hesitation to try it. After completing the game, my only disappointment was that it was over!