Reviews by Dida
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Unusual in such a good way, September 8, 2012I had a feeling Ad Verbum would be good when I realized it was all about wordplay. I absolutely adore logical puzzles! So this was right up my street.
The puzzles ticked pretty much all the boxes:
-- they were well-designed and well implemented (the vocabulary of the parser really did impress);
-- they differed from each other keeping the game fresh;
-- they were mostly well-clued, though there WERE some significant exceptions;
-- they started off easy to understand, getting progressively harder, but that was fair;
-- and yes, they were frustrating but in a good way because they were so rewarding once solved. The fact that the wordplay theme doubled as a constant clue certainly helped curb those frustrations.
There were two things I really didn't like: first, I didn't like (Spoiler - click to show)the inclusion of Pig Latin because this assumes that the player is familiar with it; second has to be (Spoiler - click to show)that pesky robodog puzzle which had NO apparent connection to wordplay which I thought was pretty unfair. The supposed explanation in the Hints section didn't explain it either.
All in all though, I really commend the author for making this and for doing it so well. It loses a star for the two issues I noted above but even with that factored in, Ad Verbum was brilliant fun!
An absolute gem!, September 3, 2012Suveh Nux is a true gem and my favorite IF game to date! The game is short, simple and uncluttered. It uses a good system of magic, teases the brain a little and entertains nicely. As one of the first IF games I played, I found it a commendable introductory game.
I can't quite put my finger on what I liked best. I reckon the game just made me feel good as I played it. I liked the way the puzzles made me think and though I got frustrated at times, patience and experimentation worked enough for me to not mind. The puzzles were rewarding too. Some could be solved via different methods which I thought was a nice touch.
The magic language was logical and therefore learnable. I loved that because I felt like I was actually learning magic rather than just being told it. Much more fun!
I must say I am very impressed with the way the author has taken such simple ideas and crafted a game that is beautifully done. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about it.
Impressed by the work behind the game, August 31, 2012I've given this game 3 stars because I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
I was very impressed with the attention to detail and the level of implementation. This is good if you like messing about in your IF and hate unpolished responses that don't make sense. I noticed the NPCs struck a good balance between reacting to the player and living their own lives. I respect the work that goes into creating something like that.
Unfortunately, I lost interest in the puzzles quite rapidly. I felt they left me a bit too clueless a bit too early on in the game. Earning just one point per solved puzzle only served to alienate me further. I suspect that the puzzles work well for experienced IF/Zork players who are accustomed to trying more obscure commands, knowing they might do something useful. They are probably more hungry for unusual thinking, too, having seen most tricks played before. Not the best for beginners, though.
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