Reviews by underthemilkyway
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The Ultimate Lovecraftian Horror Game, November 4, 2023In 2019 I finished The Lurking Horror. The experience was bumpy. But I had a great time. TLH was my first IF game that I finished. With it came a learning curve. Four years passed and I find that I'm burned out on modern games. Maybe it's because I'm older. Maybe it's the endless exploitation of the consumer. Either way, modern games don't spin my disc drive like they used to.
Returning to IF I knew I wanted Lovecraftian. In 2019 I did finish a handful of smaller games after TLH. But I wanted something long to sink my teeth into. The critically acclaimed Anchorhead called my name. I started with the original release. Overcome by a nagging feeling, a feeling of spoiling my first experience, I picked up the steam release. And there's no regrets here.
In the twenty hours it took to finish Anchorhead I didn't use hints. Mind you... I was paranoid.
1. Saves
I saved 111 times during my playthrough. Something that paid off several times. Without the saves I'd have found myself softlocked frequently starting with the third day. I don't consider this a flaw. When playing a dangerous game, you stack the deck in your favor.
2. Mapping
I learned from the error of my ways after The Lurking Horror. Using Tizbort I created a detailed map. Creating this map created a detail layout of the game space. Something that made solving puzzles less difficult.
3. Notes
Notes. Notes. Notes. Some with notepad. Some by taking pictures of the screen. Not going into spoilers. But this came in clutch.
Michael S. Gentry crafted something special that will stand the test of time. And I mean that. This is a timeless experience. The writing is strong. The puzzles well-balanced with good clues. The author respects your intelligence. But knows when to stop dangling the carrot. There isn't in jokes. Or "clever" pun-based puzzles. Overall, this is a stronger experience than The Lurking Horror.
And what we have here may be the ultimate Lovecraftian horror game. With Bloodborne coming in second. Gentry understands how to work in the constraints of the genre. Again, I don't want to spoil things. But the ending put a smile on my face. For all the wrong reasons of course.
Cool Take on Hunt the Wumpus, August 24, 2019I prefer this one to Shade. The illusion of choice is much stronger. I didn't mind the death mechanic/cycle because it gave gravity to your choices. The puzzles are fun but a little easy. The excellent writing ties the whole experience together.
Innovative creative writing experiment. Boring interactive fiction., August 23, 2019This isn't anything you haven't read in a college student's creative writing workshop. Or a no budget student film. The game itself is considered innovative. But there really isn't much to talk about. In general I'm not a fan of this kind of game. It leaves me going, "Huh. Okay." The author himself admits that he rushed to get it to a competition.
Often showing up in top 20 game lists. Frankly, I believe this is due to accessibility, and little to do with the quality of the title. Yes, you don't have to bang your head against this one for long to beat it, but are you left feeling fulfilled? I wasn't. Still, there isn't anything objectively bad about the title. Even if I consider it overrated. It's just not to my taste.
Excellent title, modern reviewers are missing the mark..., August 23, 2019 The Lurking Horror, like nearly every Infocom game on the site, is being unfairly compared to modern titles. These are games that wouldn't exist without Infocom. I wouldn't blame you for believing that internet reviewers are incapable of rating games with historical consideration in mind.
Interactive Fiction is gradually turning into short-form, choose your own adventure games. This game is a refreshing game for a few reasons. The first is that it respects the player. This game is difficult. You're going to want to create a map. From what I understand modern auto-mappers don't play well with Infocom games so you're on your own. You're likely going to need to restart as well. There is an element of keeping the player character awake that I won't spoil here.
But that's not to say that the game is unfair. The game is surprisingly fair for the time. I became stuck for a long period on two puzzles. I made the mistake of assuming that the puzzles were unfair. I sought hints and in both cases I realized that they both were logic based puzzles. No moon logic here.
In 1996, Next Generation ranked The Lurking Horror as the 24th top game of all time, calling it "the best adventure game of all time," as well as "one of only two in the horror genre that has ever seemed genuinely scary." And I'll be honest. This game frightened me. I mean it. Gamespot ranked it as its 10th scariest game of all time. It made ME jump on two occasions. You see the game, if set up properly, comes with sound files. I highly suggest you make the effort to set them out. because the game receives a lot of atmospheric aid from these sound files.
Oh, and this game IS atmospheric. From the descriptions of the snowy oppressive landscape that acts as a deterrent to the player, to the unmistakably 80s vibe you get from the game. In a time where every tv series and movie is banking on 80s nostalgia, it's a relief to play something that feels authentic.
I'm trying to avoid spoilers here... so I'll get back to what I touched on in the title. Nearly every review I've read for this game is bad. Not just bad, but pretty awful. From the sound being called "gimmicky" and the horror being called dated. 1. Anything not text in Interactive Fiction is gimmicky. The gimmick here provides charm and can actually be frightening. Any review before 2006 will agree on this. 2. Of COURSE it's dated. You know what's dated? John Carpenter's Halloween. It's still a great film.
Verdict
If you can enjoy a hard(but fair!) text adventure with the context of 1987 in mind then you will love this game. If you're into the CYOA fair then maybe skip this one.
Custom Soundtrack: Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Played using: Windows Frotz
Hints Used: 2
Difficulty Rating: Hard/Fair
Good atmosphere and visuals, August 23, 2019Because of the length, I can't give this more than a three stars. But I had a fun time with it. The atmosphere/aesthetic brings a certain charm to a play through. The only puzzle I would call cheap is one that involved acid and a freeze beast. I wont give it away. Give it a try if you're reading this.
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