Ratings and Reviews by Ant-Fan
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Great untraditional horror game!, April 18, 2014Although I usually don't care for horror games that much, I did enjoy this game. My problem with horror most of the time is that the focus is on making it scary, rather than making it good. This game, depending on which course you take, can be really scary (albeit not terrifying), but no matter what you do, it is an interesting, suspenseful, action-filled game. I'm not a fan of gamebook-style games (also known as Choose Your Own Adventure), and that's one of my few complaints. I prefer the text-adventure style. I also wish there was a way to turn off pictures, which kind of destroy the reason that IF is greater than video games (in my opinion anyway); IF makes you use your imagination. Aside from that, though, the game is pretty good, and I'd recommend it.
A hidden gem in the Infocom collection, January 19, 2014I love Infocom. You really can't NOT love Infocom.
Everybody knows about Zork. Everybody knows about Enchanter. Everybody knows about Deadline. Nobody, however, really talks about Ballyhoo. I decided to check it out, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I'm now 100% convinced that Infocom is incapable of making a bad game.
Ballyhoo is challenging, but not too challenging. It does make you think, but there aren't all that many rooms, so it's fairly easy to wrap your head around navigation. There is one part, though, that is ridiculously difficult and takes a while. If you really want to know what I'm referring to, (Spoiler - click to show)it's the rather infamous part where you are hypnotized. This includes a maze of sorts and a lot of methodical planning, because if you make one wrong move, you have no chance of winning anymore.
As long as you save often (as you can't undo moves), this is a very enjoyable game.
It's a kids game., November 28, 2013While it's not anything to write home about, this game holds you interest throughout. It's not great, but that's because it's designed for kids. As an adult, it's not bad, though it's not especially good either.
One of the strangest things I've ever seen, November 28, 2013As you might guess from the oddball title, this game makes no sense. Nothing that happens in the game makes sense. It's simply bizarre, and, to be frank, pretty uninteresting. It's just a bunch of random stuff happening, and you feel completely unattatched to the character you're playing as.
Also, (Spoiler - click to show)after you finish the game, you get to play as the unicorn. This makes even less sense! Basically, you get to be a jerk. What's the appeal?
I don't understand this game. I don't enjoy playing it. I don't recommend it.
A very interesting story, November 28, 2013This sci-fi story is one of the more interesting ones I've played through. It really makes you think. It's kins of a mystery, but it doesn't dive deeply into that genre. It's mostly just a really interesting sci-fi game. You can do nearly anything you can think of with the resources at your disposal, despite it being in PDF format (which I'm not a fan of). I highly recommend it to people who love the sci-fi genre.
One of the best games I've ever played, October 13, 2013I'm afraid that I really can't say anything about what I really love about this game without spoiling major points in the storyline (and there is a storyline, a really great one). I'll just say this. (Spoiler - click to show)The game gives you a chance to figure out how it's going to end without making it too obvious, so it really makes you think, and it's really interesting. I really loved this game.
A classic, July 8, 2013You really can't beat the classics, I say. I have an immense respect for Adventure, as it was really the first of its kind. However, I'd like to say that it's not the best of the classics. When you compare it to Zork, though, it doesn't seem nearly as great, but for being the first of its kind, Adventure is pretty good.
Scary, but at a price, July 8, 2013This game (if you can call it a game, you can't really play it) is really only good at one thing. It's not a fun way to pass time. It's not an interesting story to play through. What it's good at is sending you on a ride. The storyline (or lack thereof) tosses you around in every which direction without warning, which is confusing (and not quite as fun), but it ends up working to startle you more often than not.
That being said, I still wish that there WAS a storyline. As stated above, it's confusing and not really as fun as it can be. I love text-based horror, but I really wish there was a plot. While you do get a bit of a sense of what's going on as you advance through the game, it still takes quite a while to get used to. I'm also not a fan of the fact that the game sort of takes the player hostage. What I mean is that you don't get very much say in what's going on. For the most part, you just press 'space' over and over again as it advances through the story. Even when you die and it says "would you like to 'QUIT' 'RESTART' or 'RESTORE?", you can press whatever you want and it will come up as "restart".
I like that Shrapnel went out on a limb and tried something new, but sometimes you should just stick to what works.
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