Hunter, in Darkness

Baf's Guide

The plot--you're exploring a cave, hunting a mysterious beast called a Wumpus--is derived from the ancient minimalist BASIC game Hunt the Wumpus, but the similarity ends there. This is arguably the most richly described cave in the history of IF, and your experience of it is thoroughly and harrowingly described. In fact, the cave is as much your adversary as the Wumpus itself, and it takes just as great a toll on you. The puzzles are fairly conventional (though the last one is rather elegant), and they include a maze that isn't really a maze. But the story is brilliantly executed--the plot branches and rejoins so seamlessly that you're unlikely to notice that there are multiple ways through the game--and the writing is terrific; Plotkin is adept at using all the senses. Hunter... breathes new life into a very tired genre, no small feat.

-- Duncan Stevens

>VERBOSE -- Paul O'Brian's Interactive Fiction Page

This is a game that clearly took great care with its design, extending the illusion of freedom a long way while maintaining a fairly specific structure. Also, several rooms have initial descriptions which describe the experience of arriving in the room, and the features that are most salient at first. Once this description has been displayed, further looks at the room will stabilize into a more settled description, one which takes details into account and bears reading multiple times. Attention to detail like this just permeates the game, and makes it one of the most engrossing competition entries I've ever had the good fortune to play.
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Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 2 Write a review

Eerie and Satisfying, January 25, 2009
Woah. This game takes me back to the first time I played Adventure; I was so terrified when I reached the dark section that I rushed out immediately and refused to explore further until the next day. This game has a similar feel: you don't want to progress for fear of what you might find, but feel compelled to progress nonetheless.

The writing really makes the game; crisp, succinct, vivid and chilling. An interesting touch was the total lack of compass directions; you navigate with commands such as left, right, forward etc. This defiance of genre traditions actually works surprisingly well, adding to the feeling of realism.

The structure of the game is not so much defined by puzzles as by learn-by-dying. Save often and expect to die often. In fact, if you play from a walkthrough and never die, you'll miss some of the best writing in the game. If you really really really need a walkthrough, I'd recommend saving often and trying different ways to die anyway.

Overall, in terms of craft and writing, this is an excellent game. I'm rating it only four stars, however, because of its small scope. Regardless of the small size, Hunter, in Darkness is definitely worth a play.

Immersive, but frustrating., October 25, 2007
I didn't like the beginning of Spider&Web(and gave up rapidly), but I can say I liked "Hunter, in Darkness" right from the start...
Even if my first play was not really interactive and very short (going to the left, falling, then crawling slowly towards my death a few turns later) it was a great experience.
I don't like the games in which you have to die a lot to make your way through the traps but I can say it was very immersive and fun to "play" (the theme itself is not really fun, rather claustrophobic, and reminded me of some spelunking I did. While playing I swore myself I won't do spelunking again, ever).

Nevertheless, my second play didn't last more than 2 turns. great.
So I tried the third, and last, direction and... stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no clue, no way to go back or forth, having to guess the right verb without which I'm stuck here for eternity.
Then, after a few attempts to get out I manage to almost survive then die.
I guess the author has created this trap with some sadistic pleasure.

Oh well, the 4th attempt let me resolve this "welcome puzzle"... just to stuck me again with another "there is nothing" room.
Frustrating.
Another "guess what the author had in mind" game.

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