Moon-Shaped

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	Story File The latest version. For all systems. To play, you'll need a Z-Machine Interpreter with Blorb support - visit Brass Lantern for download links.
	Walkthrough For the latest version of the game.
	Story File (old) The original competition entry. For all systems. To play, you'll need a Z-Machine Interpreter - visit Brass Lantern for download links.
	Walkthrough (old) For the original competition entry.

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Moon-Shaped
by Jason Ermer

Fantasy
2006

(based on 21 ratings)
1 member review

Game Details

Language: English (en)
Current Version: 2
License: Freeware
Development System: Inform 7
Baf's Guide ID: 2945
IFID: 85DA0BBD-6E25-4AF1-88F3-7305AE4E1DE0
TUID: d93xs619qx1au1ua

Awards

5th Place - 12th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2006)

Nominee, Best Story; Nominee, Best NPCs - 2006 XYZZY Awards

Member Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

Average Rating:

Number of Reviews: 1
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Less Disney than the Brothers Grimm, July 9, 2008

by Ron Newcomb (Seattle)

When thirteen year old Rosalind tires of her mother's angst, she sets off to grandmother's house for good food and better company. But upon arriving, she finds an empty house, a half-twisted quilt, and a full-on mystery. Thus begins her quest through space, memory and a closet full of skeletons.

Moon-Shaped is a typical puzzle-based interactive fiction, save that it favors fuller prose over fuller geography. Puzzles are of moderate difficulty and clued fairly well, and a menu interface offers progressive hints. A wonderful annotated walkthrough is also available separately, though experienced players will likely not need it. The overall result is a work that favors readers over game players and thoroughness over lateral thinking.

Two things kept me from granting Moon-Shaped a full five stars. One, a compass rose and/or a GO TO command would be greatly appreciated by us beginners who disorient easily. But more importantly, I never really felt close to anyone in the work despite the time I spent with it and the spacious in absentia flashbacks. I felt that each such scene was afraid of giving away too much, and the reticency caused me to rely on my knowledge of fantasy instead of the knowledge of the particulars of the work. Consequently, I saw where the work was headed far too soon.

Regardless these idiosyncratic nitpicks, Moon-Shaped is a good work, and I especially recommend it to those who enjoyed Emily Short's Bronze.

(This review is for release 2 of Moon-Shaped.)

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The following polls include votes for Moon-Shaped:

More than it appears to be... by dacharya64
I'm looking for games that aren't exactly what they seem. Perhaps they come across as simple or romantic or anything really, the point is that things take a turn for the worse (or perhaps the better) and everything begins to change....

This is version 5 of this page, edited by Emily Boegheim on 20 July 2008 at 3:23am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item

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