Blue Lacuna

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Lacuna, a Blind Man's Textual Paradice, June 1, 2011
I'll get the verdict out of the way first: Blue Lacuna is a wonderful, evocative piece of work, and you should go play it right now. I know I have to justify that statement, so here goes…

Interactive fiction games are wonderful for blind computer users, as they allow us to experience settings and scenes we might not otherwise, perhaps more so than for the sighted people in this world. That was a large attraction of Lacuna for me, the richness and vibrancy of its island setting are unparalleled in the annals of interactive fiction. Other games may have similar esthetics or similar talent for description, but none I know of simulate day and night and tide with such loving detail. The world and how the player perceives it changes radically with each passing hour, and it was a joy just to wander around the island, soaking in the ambiance of a place too beautiful to be real as it changed over the course of my playthrough. I was beyond pleased to look up at the night sky and notice that the moon was implemented, and that it had phases which changed from day to day, as irrelevant as that might be to the actual plot.

What, I'm two paragraphs in and just starting to talk about plot? Yes, the game has a plot, and it is a big, sprawling thing just like the setting I raved about so much. Sprawl here is used in a loving sense--the length is not too long in my opinion, though I may quibble, just a bit, about the pacing here and there. Being IF, naturally there's potential for choice, and while the broad strokes of the plot remain the same throughout every game, there is much potential for interpretation and outright variation. A lot of that last comes from interaction with the single main NPC, who deserves a place all his own.

The single main NPC--you'll know him when you see him--is very well done. He has his own backstory which is central to the overarching narrative, and does his own thing in a manor to make you forget for a moment that he's a mass of programmed instructions. Conversation is topic-based, and sensitive to the mood of the characters--there's some Galatea-esque tracking going on in there, certainly. All told, he's a wonderful companion throughout, or was in my playthrough.

Bugs? I feel ashamed to mention them, but there were a couple minor ones. Most significantly, the NPC will occasionally go invisible--you can still talk to him, but finding him is difficult when he doesn't appear in room descriptions. I've reported this one to the author, and hopefully a fix is forthcoming. Tiny typos were perhaps a bit more noticeable thanks to my screen reader, but none jarring, and honestly they pale in comparison to the constant mispronunciation of a character's name, but that's my reader's fault and probably fixable on my end, anyway.

So, once again, play this game. Explore its setting, indulge in the plot at your own pace and according to your own whims, be swept away by the many good qualities here and enjoy a modern masterpiece of IF. I can say no more.

Truly Interactive Fiction, July 14, 2010
The words 'interactive fiction' imply a story you can truly influence - that you're part of the process of telling the story. Unfortunately, few titles actually accomplish this. Even when the game contains multiple paths, you're still essentially playing through a detailed puzzle box. Blue Lacuna is an outstanding piece due to its true interactivity.

You, as the PC, have the ability to Wayfare - to travel between worlds and places by creating art. When called by another of your kind, you rush to the rescue - only to find yourself on a near-deserted island with a crazy old man and some very creepy trees. Who called you here? And what do they want with you?

This game goes far beyond multiple paths: you genuinely do shape the story. The characterisation of the PC is entirely up to you and you're able to act in almost any way you feel fits. In turn, your actions shape the environment, the outcomes of the story, and the attitudes of the one main NPC in ways that frankly boggle the mind. Progue is an incredible NPC; your behaviour towards him influences his towards you, as well as what encounters you will have. He can be your mortal enemy, love interest, or anything in between. No two playthroughs will be the same. Sadly, the game is so huge and time-consuming that it's difficult to live up to the near-unlimited replay potential.

The setting - the island of Lacuna - is a character in itself. Complete with succinct but vivid descriptions, day-night and weather cycles, random environmental events and an expansive but intuitive map, it's the most detailed setting I've ever seen in a work of IF. Even on third and fourth playthroughs, I'm still discovering new treasures hidden away. Exploring Lacuna even without a plot to drive you would be well worth the effort. Speaking of the plot, it's one of the few things that don't replay so well. The main events of the plot (particularly the (Spoiler - click to show)dream sequences) are less adaptable than the rest of the game, so even the most haunting parts grow dry and familiar after you've read them once or twice.

Aside from the story itself, Blue Lacuna breaks ground in other ways. You may select between story and puzzle modes; this adds to the re-playability, and means the game will appeal to both fans of narrative (like me) and those who like a challenge. I loved this touch and wish more games would offer it. While not exactly a new idea, the (optional) compass-free movement commands heightened the realism and made it feel like you really were exploring the environment instead of a game map. (Spoiler - click to show)The backstage commands were a brilliant touch; they made it way easier to find new endings and to otherwise mess around with the game environment, which is always fun.

Unfortunately, with great interactivity comes great complexity, and with great complexity comes great bugginess. (Is that a word?) On my first playthrough, an essential plot event (the (Spoiler - click to show)tsunami, if you're wondering) never triggered and the game was rendered unwinnable. Though nothing that bad ever happened again, the interpreter kept crashing during one of the conversations and there were way too many bugs and minor inconsistencies to count. I understand that the huge scope of the game makes it impossible to debug completely, but I had so many issues dodging bugs it's enough to lower the game one star in my estimation.

Blue Lacuna is a groundbreaking game that is likely to take an important place in the history of IF. If you enjoy immersive games that reward persistence and patience, then I would definitely recommend giving it a play.

A PC that deserves its name, March 7, 2009
How long has it been since you played an IF game that really reacted to your actions and shaped itself accordingly, offering you a wide gamut of choices - some of them don't even look like choices - which allow you to shape the course of the story in uncountable ways? A game that didn't just try to be non-linear, or feature optional puzzles or multiple endings? A game where what you did and chose actually impacted the story?

I'd seen bits of this - in The Baron, and most of Emily Short's experiments with conversation-based games. But Blue Lacuna is the first time I see it applied to a full game. A full story.

The game's beginning is remarkable - even before the prologue begins, you are prompted for your gender and some other little things. The way you are prompted, however, is imaginative and rather poetic (if you're in that sort of mood), and the text at that point sets the tone for the rest of the game.

What tone is that? Exploration, essentially. Both of a fascinating, vividly described island and of an intriguing inhabitant, and of the past of two people and two races - at least.

This is a game for people who want to savor the journey, because not only it is well written (in my opinion) and tells a great story, it has a *lot* of content - worth seeing, worth hearing, worth smelling, worth experiencing... all of this while fine machinery is ticking in the background, in the shape of Reed's "Drama Manager", which guesses when you're bored and need a little nudge - and the nudges are simply brilliant. Let's just say that when you're playing and suddenly come across text like (paraphrased), "A small, furry creature darts through the bushes, heading northeast. It occurs to you that you have not yet explored that direction"... well, then you *know* you're in for a treat. You *know* the pains the author took to make this game a seamless experience, a wondrous journey.

There are some innovations, which almost make the game feel like a graphic adventure - the ones where the mouse doesn't change, and where you can just click on something to see what happens. There are highlighted items and exits in room descriptions; the game is played mostly by writing these items. Other interactions are always possible, of course - this is still IF, and not CYOA or a point-and-click-wannabe.

The game's main strength is that it encourages you to explore, in such a way that you will soon know the layout of the Lacuna inside out, feeling as though you're truly exploring a fascinating island. During the exploration, you will unearth the plot - at your own time, in your own way, and in your own terms. *You* make the story unfold, by *your* actions - and the relationship you establish between yourself and the other characters will directly affect the ending of the game.

Which will always be the right ending, I am sure. Reed has written it so that the end is the direct result of our actions. We will only be displeased with that if we didn't act the way we thought we should have. As long as we act according to our wishes, we can not possibly see an ending we did not want, did not like, did not wish, wanted to be different.

This is a game for people who want to savor the journey. This is for people who want to explore and discover. It's also for people who liked Myst - I kept imagining the scenery in Myst-style, for some reason, and am not surprised to know that Myst was one of Reed's main sources of inspiration.

A great story, a great playing experience, great puzzles (there was one puzzle(Spoiler - click to show), involving opening the pyramid, I absolutely loved), great characters, and a gripping dillema to boot. What more is there to say? Great game? No, the whole is possibly better than the sum of its parts - excellent game! Excellent experience! Bravo, Mr. Reed!

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