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Story File (release 4)
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
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at Ryan's website.
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Story File (in-comp update)
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
Story File (release 1)
The original version of the game, released at the beginning of the competition.
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
Source text
Source text of the post-competition release.

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Robin & Orchid

by Ryan Veeder profile and Emily Boegheim profile

Mystery, Slice of life, Religious
2013

(based on 64 ratings)
4 reviews

About the Story

High school journalists spend the night in a church, investigating reports of a ghost.


Game Details


Awards

2nd Place - 19th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2013)

Winner, Best Setting; Nominee, Best Implementation - 2013 XYZZY Awards


News

Ryan Veeder and Emily Boegheim have at length completed their post-competition release of Robin & Orchid, now playable in-browser at Veeder's website.

The source text is now available as well, for those brave or foolish enough to plumb its depths.
Reported by Ryan Veeder | History | Edit | Delete
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Member Reviews

5 star:
(14)
4 star:
(33)
3 star:
(17)
2 star:
(0)
1 star:
(0)
Average Rating:
Number of Reviews: 4
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Most Helpful Member Reviews


7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Exploration with a great help system, November 18, 2013
by streever (America)

This is a game of exploration, with a great help system, hidden inside an NPC.

I loved the depth of this game, and enjoyed just reading through the notebook that my character has from her friend.

I was wishing for a little more out of the camera system, but I'll leave it at that--and I'll acknowledge that I may have found it too fussy if the game delivered what I expected from the camera system. Once you've solved the case, it is quite obvious what was happening. Still, with the wide array of choices, I think the ending could use some (very minor) tweaking to show a relationship between the photos you took and the outcome.

A for instance; I took photos of the sleeping chaperone, which I thought was pretty funny. It would have added something to it if my character got a detention or some other mild punishment as a result, despite solving the case, in the epilogue.

The puzzles are really well done, and if you are stuck, you can pay attention to other characters to get a clue. This game unfolds nicely and includes great red herrings.

The writing is top-notch. I'd highly recommend anything with Veeder or Boegheim as writers.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Not what I thought it would be, January 13, 2016
by Deboriole (San Diego, CA)

Upon starting the game you are told to gather evidence to prove the existence of a ghost within the church. You are armed with a camera to capture ...well, anything you want, really. You also have a handy notebook in which you can look up any topic having to do with the church, which is a neat touch.

I admit, I had high hopes for this game based on other reviews. But even if I had gone in with no expectations, I believe I would still feel a little cheated. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast solving puzzles along the way, and I truly appreciate all of the work that went into building this game. There is just one major disappointment!

Spoilers (and whining) ahead:

(Spoiler - click to show)In my inventory I had a crook (a pole with a hook on the end) and a box (to stand on since my character is short). I came across an intriguing trapdoor in the ceiling and was able to open it using the box and crook. Once in the attic, I discovered the truth about the resident ghost.

Now, this would all be fine if there were multiple endings. For example, if you were to go into the attic without certain proofs, you would lose due to insufficient evidence. I would have much preferred that because then I would have replayed the game and made sure I was able to prove my case the next time around. Unfortunately there is only one ending, and once the attic is accessed the truth is made clear regardless of any proof (or lack thereof) I may have possessed. All of the evidence I spent time collecting and photographing was meaningless. I never needed to do anything at all other than get into that attic (although I will note that the crook is only found after solving another puzzle so it isn't like you can solve the game quickly). Still, so disappointing!


I would love for the authors of this game to make an extended version. I think that would be amazing! It would definitely get five stars from me. :)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The help system is the most enjoyable part of this entertaining game., April 5, 2015
by MathBrush
Related reviews: about 2 hours

This game follows a small group of young adults as they investigate mysterious occurences for the school newspaper.

The hint system is supplied in the form of notes, assembled by a young man on behalf of the female narratot. I STRONGLY recommend reading as many of the hints as possible, as they pai t a fascinating picture of the young man, the narrator, and their environment.

There is a second, subtle hint system that soon becomes apparent to anyone getting stuck in the game.

I would recommend this to newcomers based on the two help systems and for experienced IF players based on the rich storyline (including the hidden scene detailed in the Author's notes).

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Recommended Lists

Robin & Orchid appears in the following Recommended Lists:

2013 XYZZY Awards Nominees by Molly
Here are the nominees for the 2013 XYZZY Awards, roughly by order of appearance on the finalist page. Note that this list does not cover the Best Technological Development Award.

Detective and mystery games by MathBrush
These are games where you play a detective or someone else investigating a mystery. Most of them are realistic games which I am splitting off of my realistic list. Some are more magical or science fi-ish.

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This list is not for games that are simply about teens. It is for games starring an individual teen PC (you know, 13-19). I made this list because it is interesting to interact with a story through the perspective of teenagers,...

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Polls

The following polls include votes for Robin & Orchid:

Christianity in IF by strivenword
Sam Kabo Ashwell's statement in his recent review of Cana According to Micah that "the best works dealing prominently with Christian themes are written by non-Christians" made me curious. Perhaps a list of games with serious Christian...

Slice of Life Games by BlitzWithGuns
I'm interested in some slice of life games which are able to make you feel nostalgic and warm inside, something like 'Photopia'!

For Your Consideration - XYZZY-eligible NPCs of 2013 by Sam Kabo Ashwell
This poll is a place to suggest non-player characters from games released in 2013, who you think might be worth considering for Best Individual NPC in the XYZZY Awards. Leave the name (or namelessness) of the NPC (or NPCs) in the comment...

See all polls with votes for this game




This is version 18 of this page, edited by Zape on 12 April 2021 at 2:18am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item - Delete This Page