Number of Reviews: 5
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Short melancholic piece, September 11, 2014This short work by Veeder is well-written and interesting.
An unnamed protagonist is mildly obsessed with a distant tower; at points, I thought of Kafka's The Castle, with its themes of alienation and futility. While this touches on similar themes, it's a very different story.
It's melancholy, lonely, and occasionally mixes pronouns; if it wasn't for the protagonists lack of relationships and connections, I'd think that the occasional odd message referencing the wrong person was an error. In the context of the narrative, however, it feels intentional; the protagonist, you, doesn't really connect with these people or achieve any closeness to them.
As the classic unexplored 'you' of interactive fiction, you have one goal; ascending the old gothic tower.
The journey is well-described, and the narrative voice is as strong and original as any other work by Veeder.
I've only played once; I feel like I missed sections or areas, and am going to play again, but I suspect my ending will be the same. This isn't a game that holds your hand or forces you to explore every paragraph of text; it's a brief and rewarding exploration, that lets you pass up points of interest and explore at your own pace.
I highly enjoyed it and enthusiastically recommend it.