Faery: Swapped

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Tag, you're it!, April 2, 2024

Faery: Swapped is a short parser games where the central puzzle revolves around swapping names of things/people in the correct order to reach the end. As the title suggests, you (a non-descript child) believe 100% that the new arrival in the family is not actually your sibling but a changeling (swapped by fairies), though no one seem to care about your convictions. Since no one wants to listen to you (because what else but a changeling cant this wrinkled thing be?), you set yourself to prove it to everyone! Problem is: the baby is kept out of your reach.

The mechanic is pretty unusual (and I would love to check out the code behind it!) and ends up making things quite confusing after a few swaps - you will need to keep track of what is what to get to the end. Or write single detail down and make a plan before getting into the game.
It took me a while to get the hang on the puzzle itself and the order of the swaps. I had to restart a few times because I kept losing track of what I had swapped xD
Luckily, if you get stuck, there are some handy hints (given bit by bit so you don't spoil yourself too fast) to help.

A very neat puzzle!

Name theft is the name of the game, March 22, 2024

A very funny little puzzler (it took me like 20 minutes tops I think?) with basically one puzzle and a very clever mechanic for it. Genuinely enjoyable and well done. The only note I would add is that some items that I tried to examine didn't seem to be implemented, notably the carpet in the hallway, but I didn't really mind as it didn't impact the game much at all. All in all, highly recommended if you have 20 minutes (give or take) and an interest in fantastical comedy!

Unique and whimsical puzzle game, April 15, 2024

This game is really trippy. And hilarious.

Took me a while to figure out you were supposed to give the meat to the dog - there was what seems like a red herring, where there's also a guy trying to discard meat in the alleyway outside the pizza place. But I never figured out what the point of that was and eventually obtained meat via the kitchen.

After that, the rest of it was fairly easy. Good game. I noticed a few typos and lightly implemented areas, but nothing to get too worked up about.

The one quibble I had was that initially, while I was fiddling around, I somehow managed to reach a point where I named the kitchen fridge "dog", and then couldn't interact with it even though the room description said the "dog" was in the room. My guess is that the security guard noticed it and took it away, but the fridge is still fixed to one place, so the description didn't change? I really have no clue, though. I was swapping a bunch of names around at once, so maybe I broke something and didn't realize it. I ended up restoring an earlier save and beat the game more easily when I knew where all the names were and didn't have to chase down the stray refrigerator or wastebasket running around the premises.

Also, the ending is amazing:

(Spoiler - click to show)
The gnome goes on: "I said you could expose a changeling with iron. That baby's not a changeling."

"What do you mean?" you say. "It's hideous!"

"Yeah, that's what human babies look like."


Overall, it took me about an hour to finish this game, because of the meat thing. Really smooth sailing after that. I'll also note I played the comp edition, so the game is even better now!

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Highlights from my playthrough (contains the mildest of spoilers. IFDB is being finicky with nesting blockquotes inside spoilers, so I'll leave them unspoiled):

'Staring at the baby in the crib, you just can't believe it. That...thing just can't be human. There's no way. It looks like a shriveled apple with flailing hands and feet.'

friendship ended with baby, apple is new best friend

'Oberon's Pizza Parlor'

Nice.

'"No way that's a human," you say.

"Sounds like you have a changeling problem," says the gnome sitting next to you.

That's when you notice the gnome sitting next to you.'

Surprise Gnome Attack

'>x plants
Looks like grass. Seeing it survive in these harsh conditions fills you with determination.'

Undertale music plays

'>x counter
The counter looks like it's made of formica. You don't know what formica actually is or what it looks like, but this has got that weird texture and color that makes you think, "Yeah, that's formica."'

I, too, have no idea what formica is.

'>x memo
This note says:

Important:

Monitors are for night time use only. Daytime guards should be constantly on patrol!

Night time guards, for safety purposes, please remain inside the room and use monitors exclusively.

All guards should report promptly to loud noises, including screams'

Five Nights At Freddy's? In MY parser game!? No way...