Rematch

Baf's Guide

Like Aisle, this is a game that only lasts one move; you're expected to repeat that move many, many times. Unlike Aisle, though, this is a puzzle game--there's a problem you're trying to solve in that one move. It's a pretty complex problem, moreover, and the parser is accordingly expanded--in some syntaxes, up to five nouns, well beyond the norm. Not only is the puzzle difficult, but there are some red herrings that make the puzzle even harder--but it's also very satisfying when you finally do solve it. Both funny and grim--lots of amusing stuff around the edges, but the puzzle itself isn't particularly funny. A few nudges are included in the game, but no explicit spoilers.

-- Duncan Stevens

IF-Review
Care For Another?
It's a successful if somewhat evil puzzle. I was confused when it was going on, then gradually had more and more of a sense of what I wanted to do; at the end, however, it all clicked together with a satisfying snap, leaving no loose ends.

As writing or story I think it is slightly less successful. Even excellent descriptions and dialogue begin to pall on the 129th reading, and much of the NPC conversation has a somewhat stiff and unconvincing quality. There is a good reason for this, gameplay-wise, but it lends strength to the impression, especially on repeated playings, that these are clockwork people carrying out their clockwork functions in a world where you alone are sentient.
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SPAG
Rematch highlights the real strength of one-move games, in that they make it easy for the author to provide for absolutely everything the player could come up with (since the combinatorial factor--objects being combined in unexpected ways--is limited). In giving you multiple views and variations on the central event of the game (not revealed here, since the surprise of it is part of what gives Rematch its impact), the game enhances its mimetic qualities: you can try just about anything logical, and the parser will handle just about anything you type. The AMUSING section at the end is well populated, and in fact there are many things worth trying that don't, in fact, show up in that list.
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Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 4 Write a review

Most Helpful Member Reviews

Snapshot of some characters, June 17, 2009
As the reviews above say: one turn, one monster puzzle, and so you have to keep replaying, exploring, and dying in order to gradually construct the single complex move that will leave you with a happy(ish) ending.

My favorite feature is the way the relationships among the three main characters (player character and two friends) become clear as you keep playing. There's a history behind the moment you find yourself in, and you can use your turn to explore that history as well as your physical environment. I end up being more interested in the way the solution (as well as certain unsuccessful attempts) affects the interpersonal dynamics of the characters than in the technical details of how it saves everyone's life.

I like it. I like Aisle too. (Aisle is another one-turn game, also very good, and so an obvious comparison. But if you haven't played it, then this paragraph won't do much for you.) There's something about about the idea of approaching one key moment from a hundred different angles that appeals to me. Rematch is different from Aisle in that you have a clear and difficult goal, and the fictional world and characters are consistent from run to run -- so it's maybe more reality-bound than Aisle, less whimsical, more a problem to solve than an identity to explore.

As for the puzzle, it's difficult, but certainly solvable with patience.

Totally brilliant., June 12, 2018
I'm the person who wrote the true and proper walkthrough. I solved it on my own, though it took a couple hours.

Some people have mentioned that the puzzle seems to fight against the story. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The game is very good at making you, the player, go through what the character would be feeling, if this event was real for them. The horror at the accident, the despair that there seems to be no way to save you, Nick and Ines. The frustration at the trap you have found yourself in, the eventual detachment required to actually work out the solution, and the great satisfaction when you finally manage to break the cycle.

If you haven't played it, do so. I highly recommend not reading the walkthrough. The puzzle is 100% solvable with observation and exploration. (Spoiler - click to show)First you must escape the trap of thinking all you need to know is visible before you type your first command. Having done that, you may then escape the actual trap in the game.

Reset, retry, repeat, September 5, 2015
I didn't mind the red herrings or the guesswork, but the solution (though sufficiently-clued) is contrived and relies more on inferring the author's weird rules than sensible problem-solving. Certain actions (such as ones involving violence) have unrealistically mild or useless results, and other actions that seem like easy solutions are disallowed for no good reason. I don't mind solving a puzzle for its own sake, but I'd prefer one with a consistent tone and an interesting setting. The grim premise made me expect something much darker, but it ends up being a mismatch against the goofiness of the solution. The title is also wasted--the competition in question is really just another red herring. Complaints aside, the author did succeed in designing a challenging one-turn puzzle, so I have to give credit for competent novelty.

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