Down, the Serpent and the Sun

by Chandler Groover profile

Surreal
2015

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Reviews and Ratings

5 star:
(2)
4 star:
(6)
3 star:
(16)
2 star:
(1)
1 star:
(0)
Average Rating:
Number of Ratings: 25
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- Walter Sandsquish, March 26, 2024

- Max Fog, February 16, 2024

- rabbitking, June 27, 2023

- egostat (1st Level, Abyss), May 1, 2023

- Edo, November 19, 2021

- Zape, July 2, 2021

- William Chet (Michigan), July 20, 2020

- Greg Frost (Seattle, Washington), December 21, 2018

- xochie, December 7, 2017

These Heterogenous Tasks

This has some strong things going for it – ambitious prose, a strong mythic feel, a really strong idea of the mood it wants to evoke – but those same things drag some pretty big problems along with them.

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- Cory Roush (Ohio), July 20, 2017

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A polished game with a lavish, gory setting., July 20, 2017
by verityvirtue (London)
Related reviews: melancholic

The serpent has eaten the sun. You are the last one who can get it back.

Based loosely on Aztec myths, this game presents a prime example of Groover's signature imagination. Down is dark and bloody - set, after all, in the maw of a monster - but unlikely metaphors abound. Gemstones in gullets. A sun in the stomach.

Contrasts abound in this game. You must relinquish control in the beginning to be able to participate, despite being a warrior - a person of action! The serpent is a broken, diseased creature, despite being undeniably powerful - having swallowed the sun and defeated all before you.

Though somewhat more ornate, and definitely more outspoken than some of Groover's other games, Down, the Serpent and the Sun is well worth playing.

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- Ryan Veeder (Australia), July 18, 2016

- Teaspoon, April 7, 2016

- Sobol (Russia), April 5, 2016

- revereche, January 25, 2016

- branewurms, January 18, 2016

- E.K., June 28, 2015

- Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), April 15, 2015

- Doug Orleans (Somerville, MA, USA), March 19, 2015

- Joshua Houk, March 17, 2015

- Floating Info, March 15, 2015

- Matt W (San Diego, CA), March 13, 2015

- BlitzWithGuns, March 13, 2015

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Memorable, but Challenging, March 1, 2015

This is a quick game, but only if you're able to surmount its challenges (some intended by the author, some not). There are red herrings and optional herrings and unseen things that must be sought, as well as at least one coding issue that can hang people up and cause them to abandon the game. But I played it with ClubFloyd and we stuck with it and found a couple of endings, including the one that I think is the 'good' ending.

I can see why the other review so far gave it three stars. It's a first time author's game, written in under a week, and it (not surprisingly) has issues, but I liked the concept and the imaginative setting. I also have a soft spot for games that explore anatomy, and I enjoyed the blending of qualitative description and clinical jargon. So I bumped up to four stars for this.

Definitely memorable.

Not for the feint of heart (or those of weak stomach).

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