A New Day

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SPAG

Jonathan Fry's A New Day is another in a fairly long list of games that were nice in theory but not a real joy to play. Though the premise is interesting and though the plot is well-designed, mostly, the challenges of A New Day felt more like annoyances, and I never really got into the game.
-- Duncan Stevens

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

Clearly, A New Day wants to position itself in the avant-garde of IF and explore fictional levels in the manner of experimental modern fiction. This is certainly a worthwhile project (and one that has been touched upon by many games including A Mind Forever Voyaging, Piece of Mind, and Bureaucracy), and New Day manages to break some intriguing ground along the way. However, the game is by no means an unqualified success. The author overuses one off-the-wall prose technique in one section of the game, a little of which would have gone a long way. Also, I found the puzzles often to be counterintuitive and confusing. Finally, the game gives the impression of having bitten off a bit more than it can chew. I found myself wondering if the author had carefully thought through all the semantics and implications of the levels he imagines -- by the end it all seems a bit of a muddle. Still, A New Day has some shining moments, and the author is right to think that it's a significant step up from Stargazer. I look forward to the continued maturation of Jonathan Fry's artistic voice.

A New Day has an interesting concept. An IF creator died before they finished their game, and one of the NPCs still wants the game to get attention, so the NPC enters it in the IFComp.

The game is mostly unfinished, but as you play, you reach some finished parts. For instance, you go to Greece and uncover a terrorist plot which you have to stop.

The game reaches some parts with messed-up text and weird descriptions you have to get through, before reaching an ultimate scene that is a commentary on text adventures in general.

The ideas are fun, but some of the execution has difficulty. For instance, this time I couldn't use the commands (Spoiler - click to show)PULL ROD or PUSH ROD, although I've completed the game before and thus must have had access to another solution. Also, the puzzle solutions are unlikely to be solved on one's own.

Recommended for fans of IF about IF.

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- Tortoiseshell Bat, March 18, 2013

- perching path (near Philadelphia, PA, US), April 21, 2009

- Ben, February 10, 2009

- Audiart (Davis, CA), January 8, 2009

- NotVerySubtle, August 3, 2008

Baf's Guide

The author of the game has died. The protagonist of his last, unfinished game enlists the aid of the player (you) in figuring out what happened. Consequently, you wind up exploring that last game: an incomplete replica of a world. Nicely devious in conception, but rather difficult - consulting the hint menu is a virtual necessity, especially in the time-constricted endgame.

-- Carl Muckenhoupt