Ratings and Reviews by Grey
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Ok, It's not photopia, January 6, 2010No, it's not. But it tries very hard to be it.
The genre is similar, a dramatic, plot-driven gameplay, several flashbacks putting the story together with only some puzzles, and lot of text. A LOT.
The problem is that it's very ambitious, and ultimately it falls short.
Plot driven IF works if the plot is very good, and the writing is very good, but here it's needlessly verbose, to the point of being boring.
The game has its moments, it's a pity that they are buried under screens and screens of text. (Spoiler - click to show) The garage is good, and the doll head was genuinely creepy, but the exposition angel at the end really killed the immersion.
Another problem are the "puzzles". I can understand having little or no puzzles, but the problem here is that the plot is ON top of the gameplay, and often i tried doing something while the dialogue went on in the background...distracting.
I'm sure that by pruning a lot of dialogue and repetitions it would be worth 4 stars.
Nice idea but not developed, December 31, 2009The idea is very interesting, showing the same story from multiple points of view. In this case it is a simple slice of life of a semi-dysfunctional family.
The descriptions are good, and reflect the point of view of the character, but there aren't any real puzzles. Sometimes you get the feeling that you just need to wait until the events happens. This happens with every character, so you don't really feel that you influence each other.
In the end, I didn't care about any of the characters, also because the story is pretty short. The real problem is there isn't anything that really drags you in.
A little bland but decent.
Joke-fest and puzzle-fest, December 30, 2009First the best thing: the writing is brilliant, funny, and full of modern pop references (bordering on copyright infringement).
You get stuck in a sci-fi parody, with surreal elements. (hitchhiker's guide, anyone?)
The puzzles aren't bad, a bit on the classic side, and sometimes a little too hard, or illogical (even for the setting).
The parser is good but not great, and some details really detract from the experience (for example it's very irritating to unlock the doors every time you need to pass thru them).
In conclusion, a fun but conventional game; the humor and some puzzles make it worth playing.
Nice short puzzle, December 29, 2009Don't be mistaken by the plot-driven intro. This is actually a one-room, one-puzzle game.
The actual puzzle is quite original and well implemented, (Spoiler - click to show)based on a time machine, repetition, and multiple copies of yourself.
The parser is perfect, the writing is clear, and the game is short and fun (IF you like puzzles).
Only three stars for me tough because at times I found it frustrating, and the 'time limit' is really unforgiving, even if you can't really die. When I had already an idea of how to solve it i just checked the walkthrough.
Nice idea, but very flawed., December 27, 2009Apart from the classic amnesia at the start, the plot is quite original, based on the dark sci-fi version of a certain fairy tale (Spoiler - click to show)(pinocchio).
It's quite short, the descriptions aren't bad, but ultimately feels rushed, considering some pretty big parser bugs, unimplemented objects, understanding issues...etc.
A real pity, i liked the idea and the setting.
I don't get it, but I still like it., December 26, 2009The first thing everyone should know is that this isn't a simple game. It's not even a difficult or strange game. It's probably one of the most perplexing game I've played.
The prose is rich, the puzzles are simple (harder puzzles simply wouldn't work). It's fantasy-like setting, but on the point of view of something clearly alien.
Suggested to anyone who likes strange, surreal IFs. Even if you don't understand everything, there is surely something fascinating under there.
Interesting but not brilliant, December 26, 2009The thing that confused me was the game duplicity. It starts as a puzzle / treasure hunt, and the bits of background information seems useless and not integrated in the gameplay. The puzzles are interesting and the parser is good. The settings is a little bare, but that's the effect the author want to give.
But soon the game changes and transforms into a more plot-driven IF, with a much more deeper meaning. Still, it feels a little rushed and the message doesn't quite hit the spot.
In the end, it's a good IF, with a quite good first half and a average second half.
A short joke, December 26, 2009It's a pretty simple game to review, since it's just a joke game, the idea is somewhat funny, the game is very short (5-10 minutes), with only a couple "puzzles".
Still, the idea isn't bad, if you have some minutes to spare.
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