Travels in the Land of Erden

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

Erden is a sprawling, ambitious game which probably does not belong in the competition. This isn't to imply that the game is without merit; on the contrary, it seems to have the potential to become an enjoyable fantasy excursion. However, the game is huge -- I played for two hours and I didn't even visit every location, let alone solve many puzzles. Moreover, Erden could use another few rounds of testing; I found several coding bugs and a plethora of grammar and spelling errors. In my opinion, the best thing that could happen to this game is thorough testing and proofing, then release in the spring of 1998, when we've all recovered from our competition hangover and hunger for substantial new adventures.
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SPAG
The game design is somewhat wide: much of the territory is available at the outset, and figuring out exactly where to start is something of a challenge, since there's lots of area to explore and lots of objects to pick up. Even so, the exploration is well-done and feels convincing, particularly a series of caves in the endgame; disparage fantasy quests if you like, but this author put plenty of thought and effort into making the scenery come alive. (At some key moments, the author rewards solved puzzles with more territory to explore; I wanted that to happen more often, but when it does happen, it works.) With a clearer hook, something to push the player into the plot, this would be a very effective story.

-- Duncan Stevens
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SynTax
The towns-people are affable, the countryside is scenic; there's nothing to kill and nothing tries to kill you. This danger free, warm-heartedness may make for a very player friendly game, but the lack of any sort of urgency doesn't really inspire me to motivation. The land of Erden is so pleasant that the charm of the place borders on twee and I for one would probably go stir crazy if I lived there. [...]

While Erden may not be everyone's cup of tea, (could have done with a little more action and a tad more comicality for my liking - I like a laugh me) it is well rounded and well written, with no noticeable flaws.

-- Nick Edmunds
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