Reviews by Matt Kimmel
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Lovecraftian Horror at its Finest, January 4, 2008Anchorhead is most certainly a jewel in the crown of the Lovecraftian horror genre, up there with such favorites as The Lurking Horror and Theatre. First and foremost in this game comes the prose; the author has lovingly crafted a deep and memorable world, which is slowly revealed in paragraphs that give you, as a player, all the information you need, while keeping you on the edge of your seat. Additionally, the author knows well the principle behind Lovecraft's works: that nothing he writes on the page can possibly be as horrifying as what you can imagine. Hints, suggestions, and half-glimpses of the evil lurking in the town of Anchorhead are what you're treated to--not outright descriptions that inevitably fail to live up to your expectations.
There is also a depth of information about Anchorhead's world that's rarely found in interactive fiction. Details on every aspect of the town and its inhabitants can be found from a multitude of sources. This serves to immerse the player in the horrors that are unfolding, but it's not just window dressing; much of the background information is integral to the plot.
This is a primarily literary work, and although the puzzles are fun and require some thought, they're not tremendously difficult. My only complaint about the game is that not all of the puzzles are made obvious. The game progresses as you cause various events to take place, and there were a few points where I felt a bit lost because I didn't know what to do next, and therefore could not move forward in the plot. In retrospect, I could probably have figured out most of those situations by looking a bit harder, but there are one or two puzzles that require a bit of an intuitive leap--and you won't be continuing until you make that leap.
Still, this is a minor complaint about a beautifully written work of IF. I highly recommend this game to any serious player of interactive fiction, whether you're a fan of the horror genre or not.
Ah, Nostalgia, December 8, 2007This game is a fun, if somewhat short, romp in the Zork/Enchanter universe. As a novice Frobozz Magic Support employee with pretty much no experience with magic (or anything else in the Zork universe), you'll solve a bunch of entertaining puzzles while attending to some support calls--and maybe, just maybe, solve a bigger problem in the process. The puzzles are coherent and well-realized, with a reasonable number of clues scattered about to guide you through them. While you could theoretically play through the whole game without saving and restoring if you're quick on your feet, it's a little bit too easy to get into situations where you cannot complete the game. Still, for a short trip down memory lane to the old Infocom days, this is a fun and accessible game.
A Truly Original Work, December 7, 2007This was one of the most abstract and speculative works published by Infocom--and, in my opinion, one of the most difficult to solve as well. It managed to combine an Alice-in-Wonderland feel with a story about the invention of the Atomic Bomb, with some time, space, and interdimensional travel thrown in to boot. It also managed, as few games at the time did, to make some social commentary in the process. Overall, a unique and challenging game, and one that will make you think--not just about the puzzles, but about life and the consequences of our actions.
Great Lovecraft-style Adventure, November 29, 2007This was one of the first of the "new" IF games I played during the Inform-fueled IF resurgence in the mid-90s. It was one of the games that made me realize that the IF being produced by the community was rivaling and even exceeding the quality of the Infocom and Legend classics that I loved. Although Theatre is a bit on the short side, it evokes a Lovecraftian creepiness quite well. While it's completely its own game, I couldn't help comparing it--favorably--in my mind to Infocom's The Lurking Horror. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys that sort of on-your-own-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-indescribable-monsters type of horror game. My only complaint is that I wish there were a bit more of it.
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