| 5 star: | | (20) | | 4 star: | | (34) | | 3 star: | | (28) | | 2 star: | | (8) | | 1 star: | | (0) |
| Average Rating: 
Number of Ratings: 90
Write a review |
Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All0 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Short and simple, September 19, 2016Good prose and good puzzle design. The puzzles do a good job of hinting towards the solution. If you are experienced with IF, you'll probably find them to be pleasantly easy and not frustrating. If you aren't there's a convenient "hint" website that can give you some tips if you are stuck. There's really only one "puzzle" to speak of in this game, that's pretty much it as far as challenge.
Overall, I have no complaints, but it wasn't particularly engrossing to me. It was short (about an hour) and the subject wasn't particularly interesting to me. Can't really talk about the subject without getting into spoiler territory, all I can say is that this IF didn't leave me "in awe" or anything like that - it just wasn't very memorable. I say that as someone who has never been a fan of short experiences.
You don't really stand to lose anything by playing it though, so go ahead and give it a try at some point.
- NinaS, July 3, 2016
4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Quietly sinister short story set in a reedbank, May 1, 2016You are searching amongst the reeds for eggshells. If you believe the tailor, these are what you need to take back what is yours.
The Warbler's Nest doesn't immediately give up its story, but rather reveals it both through cutscenes and through environmental detail. This is aided by the mechanic, which is basically a treasure hunt. Given that this game is rather short, though, to reveal more about the story would spoil it. All I will say is that this game taps on faerie folklore and rituals related to them. It follows the interpretation of faerie folk as being intensely selfish yet bound by immoveable, arcane rules, which gives a quietly sinister air to the game as a whole.
Overall: understated horror is one of my favourite genres, and I really like how The Warbler's Nest handled that. This is a gem of a short story, well worth the 20 or so minutes it takes to play.
- E. W. B., March 18, 2016
- Something Moving Under The Bed, March 10, 2016
4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Short, medieval, edgy psychological thriller, February 3, 2016This is a game kind of like the stories Ethan Frome or the Yellow Wallpaper, where you have a kind of growing sick feeling in your gut, not from gore or sex or anything like that, but from a disturbing psychological predicament.
This game is set in medieval times, and deals with faeries and the fey. Or does it? It's hard to tell. You are outside gathering eggshells, and soon you discover what purpose they are for.
This game has stuck with me for a very long time. It creeped me out. I don't want to give away too much, so suffice to say that you can make strong moral choices.
2 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Short Game, Sticks with You, October 23, 2015by RickyD (South Carolina, USA) What a game! It really messed with my head. Although I've never faced the exact dilemma faced by the protagonist, (Spoiler - click to show)I am the father of a young child and know what its like to try to calm an inconsolable baby, especially when you're both sleep-deprived. As such, finding the happy endings was fairly easy, and I couldn't bring myself to try the "unhappy" one, even though I know it's just a game. Yes, to me it was that compelling of a story, even though it was a short one.
Maybe I just get too caught up in it, but that says a lot about the game itself.
If I had to nitpick one thing -- there are a lot of places mentioned in the narration that you can't actually visit. I know it hints at a larger world "out there", but I don't know that it was necessary. But that's a minor thing that I'm willing to overlook.
- Lanternpaw, May 16, 2015
- dutchmule, April 7, 2015
- Thrax, March 12, 2015
- cabalia (Ohio), March 2, 2015
- CMG (NYC), February 18, 2015
- morlock, January 20, 2015
- Floating Info, December 10, 2014
- BlitzWithGuns, November 25, 2014
- madducks (Indianapolis, Indiana), November 10, 2014
- Sobol (Russia), September 12, 2014
- NewWorld, May 10, 2014
- Katrisa (Houston), March 3, 2014
- Simon Deimel (Germany), February 28, 2014
- Doug Orleans (Somerville, MA, USA), November 28, 2013
- bigotitos, November 8, 2013
- Jason Lautzenheiser (Navarre, Ohio), August 20, 2013
- Sdn (UK), July 5, 2013
6 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
The age-old conflict between head and heart, May 21, 2013My predominant mood after finishing this game is one of contemplation. I am not getting where the horror or sorrow mentioned by others comes into play. But I found all the possible endings without much trouble, and each of them says something about the player character as a person. I found that the character was both believable and easily identified with. There is a dark side to her that I could appreciate, as well as a dutifulness that I could respect.
The writing is rather spare and minimalist. In fact, there aren't really many places to explore. But IF conventions are honored. You're told what you need to do, and cut scenes give relevant backstory but are vague enough to have the player wondering what's being alluded to. Even now, I'm unsure about a few points. Perhaps reading more about the game will bring some insight.
Really, though, the central point of this game is a moral choice, so emotional impact comes from the various endings.
There are no puzzles in this game. Everything you need to do is simply achieved, so that all focus goes to the story and setting. But setting falls down for me because not everything was implemented. (Spoiler - click to show)The reeds rustle, but you can't hear the river. No ability to touch things, either.
I think there are clear links between the tasks at the beginning of the game and the protagonist's backstory, as well as a juxtaposition, a mirroring, of reality and the character's internal monologue. This creates a pleasing symmetry.
Because of the sparse prose, which doesn't really do it for me aesthetically, I rated this game as average. But it has a good story and doesn't take any significant time. Everyone should play it at least once. Not much commitment and worth it for anyone who cares about the literary side of IF.
Edit: I upped the rating because the impact really hit me hours after finishing the game, when I realized I was still thinking about it. (Spoiler - click to show)The horrifying barbarism probably perpetrated on innocent children and unfortunate mothers.
Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All | Return to game's main page