The Space Under the Window

5 star: (9) 4 star: (36) 3 star: (37) 2 star: (14) 1 star: (1)

Average Rating: Number of Ratings: 97 Write a review

- ensoul, November 15, 2008

"The Space Under the Window," is a unique piece of Interactive Fiction. It stretches the definition of IF to its very limits.

Is it interactive? Well, yes, it is, but unlike traditional IF in that you do not control the character with actions. The flow of the narrative is triggered by single word input, a word that is already in the narrative on the screen.

Is it fiction? Traditionally fiction is plot oriented, although I am sure there are enough English majors who would argue that there are character driven works. Still, what is lacking in "The Space Under the Window," is a sense of motivation for the central character. What *is* the goal? This is an experimental piece of fiction.

This work is unsettling and surreal. The sense of time seems to fluctuate as certain commands seem to trigger going back in time to previous moments. That is what this piece is, a collection of moments strung together where the player is left to wonder what it was he (used in this context, "he" is meant to be a generic genderless pronoun, which English is sorely lacking) just experienced.

This is a game that is difficult to love, but easy to appreciate for the skill with which it was crafted.

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- Nathan (Utah), October 26, 2008

- Genjar (Finland), August 31, 2008

- tylluan (Vermont), August 26, 2008

- Nathaniel Kirby (Pennsylvania), July 17, 2008

- Mike Ciul (Philadelphia), June 4, 2008

- mrsambarlow, April 5, 2008

- Hans Möller (Sweden), April 5, 2008

- zer, March 3, 2008

- jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008

- Juhana, January 27, 2008

I was pleasantly surprised with the interesting way the player interacts with the scene. It's very short, but I was able to replay it at least a dozen times without being any less amused. It is definitely worth trying.

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- Wendymoon, January 13, 2008

- RichCheng (Warwickshire, UK), December 19, 2007

- Miron (Berlin, Germany), December 11, 2007

- VK, December 1, 2007

- MattArnold (Ann Arbor, Michigan), November 24, 2007

- Leland Paul (Swarthmore, PA), November 19, 2007

- Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 26, 2007

- Brian Campbell, October 21, 2007

- Mister Hunter, October 21, 2007

Baf's Guide

Highly unusual. Rather than entering commands, you choose words from the text presented, and the text alters in various ways depending on what words you choose. (Example: when the text is "The table is open, so you climb down inside. The table is set for two.", and you type "table," the text becomes "The table is open, so you climb down inside. The table is set for two. An empty vase, white glass, stands beside a single lit candle.") You can interact with the game, to some extent, though it's rarely predictable, when you choose a word, exactly how the interaction will go. Some of the more interesting effects involve light--choosing certain words either limits or enhances what you see, and affects how you interact with the game in various ways. If you're especially goal-oriented, this might be frustrating, since it's difficult to steer the narrative toward any particular conclusion, but watching the story go where it does can be rewarding. There are lots of different endings, and not many of them are upbeat.

-- Duncan Stevens