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Showing All | Show by Page - aluminumoxynitride, March 24, 2024 - witchcock (Gainesville, FL), February 20, 2024 - Raven999, January 27, 2024 - comfysynth, January 22, 2024 - joes, December 29, 2023 - Titania Lowe, November 17, 2023 - Arioch, October 30, 2023 - Snen (United States), September 23, 2023 - RonFromPgh, September 20, 2023 - cheriyato, August 29, 2023 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
One room, almost perfectly realized, August 23, 2023by tobiasvl (Norway) This is a very short and enclosed game, without a clear goal at first. After a bit of milling around, you'll realize how to progress through the game as you start receiving tasks to do; this worked very well, even with the later complications that crop up. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- astrella (Australia), August 15, 2023 - ledzeppelin295, August 8, 2023 - Bell Cyborg (Canada), July 21, 2023 - thesleuthacademy, June 28, 2023 - ghostbird12, May 5, 2023 - Hugginnn, April 20, 2023 - Kastel, April 7, 2023 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
Pretty good for it's length, cool story, a bit vague, April 1, 2023by Cygnus (Australia) Shade. A good intro to IF. Parsers work (obviously). Very polished, short though. Somewhat surreal- definitely comes under its category. You kinda have a linear experience, but then again, everything’s kinda turning to shit as you progress. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- egostat (1st Level, Abyss), March 31, 2023 - miuk, March 9, 2023 - Greg Frost (Seattle, Washington), February 23, 2023 - jaymesjw, February 5, 2023 - Itsame64 (Mcloud, Oklahoma), December 1, 2022 - Cerfeuil (*Teleports Behind You* Nothing Personnel, Kid), October 11, 2022 The solid, algorithmic world of standard text-based games is turned into something more wobbly; after enough weirdness it starts to feel like anything could happen in Shade and that drums up the scare factor.
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| Direct link | Add a comment I cannot, without revealing entirely too much about this game, explain to you just what it was that had me raving about this game for two days afterwards, including randomly piping up with a particular rant that would, again, spoil things. Let me just assure you that this is the case: for two days, I was so haunted by this game that it was constantly in my head, teasing me... waiting for me in the darkness. In the shadows.
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| Direct link | Add a comment >INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction Quite simply, it blew me away. Not only that, it's one of those games that I wanted to restart right after I'd finished, just to try different things. When I did this, even more details came together in my head. Even now, little pieces are snapping together in my mind, and I'm getting flashes of realization about the meanings behind the meanings of so many of the game's elements. Few parts of the IF experience are as startling or as pleasurable.
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| Direct link | Add a comment - Amun100 (UK), July 25, 2022 - DAzebras, June 23, 2022 - rowan.du, April 30, 2022 - JohnK, April 12, 2022 - The Dalek, March 5, 2022 - beeeeeebop (Colorado, USA), February 22, 2022 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
A hard one to review, February 19, 2022by JonathanCR It's clear from looking through these reviews that this is a rather divisive game. Praised greatly by most - including the "editorial reviews" (which always seem especially weighty from their prominence in games' entry pages) - there's a significant minority of reviewers who don't like it, including one or two who really hate it. A smaller minority sit somewhere in the middle, liking it well enough, but not greatly so. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- cgasquid (west of house), January 31, 2022 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
A good but potentially frustrating short story, January 28, 2022by Cody Gaisser (Florence, Alabama, United States of America, North America, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Known Universe, ???) I don't know that I have much to add that hasn't been said before about Shade: Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- bkirwi, December 25, 2021 - Cryptic Puffin, December 10, 2021 - thiefnessman (Massachusetts), November 30, 2021 - NorkaBoid (Ohio, USA), November 14, 2021 1 of
1 people found the following review helpful:
Tight, well-crafted piece of short IF, November 8, 2021by ccpost (Greensboro, North Carolina) Playing through Shade felt like reading a finely-crafted short story. The game environment is small, though precisely described so that each detail is striking and rich with information -- nothing extraneous. The work is focused in on a particular theme, and develops this theme deliberately and effectively. The imagery is evocative, though narrowly centering on a particular motif (Spoiler - click to show)(sand! and more sand!!). Like the best works of short fiction, Shade can be experienced in a relatively brief session, though it leaves a powerful impression that stays in the reader's head long afterward. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Prosilire (New York City), August 3, 2021 - Megg, July 6, 2021 - Hypercubed, June 18, 2021 - Malasana, June 12, 2021 - windchaser, April 28, 2021 - sw3dish, April 23, 2021 - Karlok (Netherlands), April 14, 2021 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
mesmerising, surreal horror that doesn't overstay its welcome, March 13, 2021one of my favourite short IF pieces. despite (or perhaps because of) its relatively short length, plotkin manages to create a vividly realised setting that absorbs the player and doesn't let go. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- knockupwood, February 12, 2021 - Hazel-Rah, November 23, 2020 - JimB, October 16, 2020 - mifga (Brooklyn, NY), October 14, 2020 - C4rd1n4l, September 24, 2020 - Rainbow Fire , August 27, 2020 - bazbike, August 3, 2020 - Virix, August 2, 2020 - William Chet (Michigan), July 19, 2020 - Arrowhead12 (Edmonton, Alberta), June 11, 2020 - quackoquack, June 10, 2020 - kierlani, May 20, 2020 - Edo, April 29, 2020 - Zape, April 28, 2020 - Sammel, April 2, 2020 - Elizabeth DeCoste (Canada), April 2, 2020 1 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Good Story, Eh Execution, March 1, 2020by JuiceCarver It's a unique experience, but the game is not very friendly. Help and Menu available on most IF's don't exist here (well, it does, but it's not helpful). Players are left to fend for themselves when verbs don't work. With the constant changing scenes, it isn't always completely intuitive what needs to happen next. Sometimes a player knows what to do, but doesn't hit the right word to make it happen, which leads to more frustration than anything. Great concept overshadowed by a frustrating lack of attention to the gameplay itself. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- _firexe, December 5, 2019 - Tropical Gothic (Asia), December 2, 2019 - ImaginaryTalkingRabbit, October 2, 2019 - erzulie, September 24, 2019 - beecadee, September 15, 2019 1 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Innovative creative writing experiment. Boring interactive fiction., August 23, 2019This isn't anything you haven't read in a college student's creative writing workshop. Or a no budget student film. The game itself is considered innovative. But there really isn't much to talk about. In general I'm not a fan of this kind of game. It leaves me going, "Huh. Okay." The author himself admits that he rushed to get it to a competition. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- jjsonick, August 17, 2019 - Spike, July 3, 2019 - Jan Strach, April 11, 2019 - e.peach, March 16, 2019 - elias67, March 12, 2019 - Stian, January 22, 2019 - mils32k, January 7, 2019 - SchnickelFritz (TX), December 26, 2018 - oscar-78, December 5, 2018 - Elternabend, December 3, 2018 - illuki, November 3, 2018 - artao (SW Wisconsin), September 3, 2018 3 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
A one room vignette, September 2, 2018by f-a As other reviewers stated, very difficult to talk about this game without spoiling anything. I will say it is an interesting experiment, puzzles were mostly boring/uninteresting and drags a bit too long for my taste. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Seth Fisher (Texas), August 14, 2018 - wisprabbit (Sheffield, UK), July 18, 2018 - yaronra, July 16, 2018 - play_all_day, June 29, 2018 - Divide (Wroclaw, Poland), May 28, 2018 - DustyCypress (Hong Kong), May 19, 2018 - RAmarl, May 9, 2018 - csitrin, April 16, 2018 - Stas, April 14, 2018 1 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Very good game. Clever!, March 15, 2018by NedWrecks Don't want to spoil anything, but don't let the "one room" keep you from playing this charming game. Puzzles were great, imagery was spot on. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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5 people found the following review helpful:
Unusual with a compelling, well-paced narrative, March 15, 2018by WetCheese When it said one room, my expectations weren't high; they were surpassed in spades. I loved almost everything about this. The descriptions were great with some subtle humour thrown in, without being tiringly verbose. Most things gave a response, and generally a very good one, (though there were a few situations where half a dozen things are mentioned and weren't understood - could easily be tightened up, but didn't detract). Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Havner, January 30, 2018 - Guenni (At home), January 24, 2018 - tylermac92, January 9, 2018 - airylef, December 17, 2017 - stet, November 22, 2017 - AKheon (Finland), November 4, 2017 - enkaye (usa), September 1, 2017 - Julia Myer (USA), August 30, 2017 - karlnp (Vancouver, BC), August 23, 2017 - Teacup, August 20, 2017 - Wanderlust, August 3, 2017 - gilhova, July 19, 2017 - dixonjd, July 17, 2017 - doodlelogic, July 17, 2017 - Smidge, July 7, 2017 - sipral, June 8, 2017 - ly2000, June 4, 2017 - Cory Roush (Ohio), June 3, 2017 - plek, May 16, 2017 - pox, March 24, 2017 - Beable, March 19, 2017 - lkdc, January 31, 2017 - TheAncientOne, January 28, 2017 - magicnumber, January 9, 2017 - SciFinn (Alberta, Canada), December 14, 2016 - piffling-paka (State College, Pennsylvania), December 6, 2016 - Christopher Hall (London, Great Britain), November 3, 2016 - jeffhos, October 13, 2016 - Katherine Inez, October 12, 2016 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
The logic of Death, September 28, 2016by Form 27b-6 (Southern California) The true merit of Shade is that it poses the question of free will and fate through interactive fiction. The game (experience?) gives a semblance of freedom to the player. However, as the character explores his room and his grasp on reality weakens, and as he ultimately fails to escape his ordeal (or is the tragedy already behind us?), the player can't quite derail the scripted structure of the game. And thus Andrew Plotkin bonds the player and the character through constraint rather than freedom, which in itself is a bold and original proposition. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- mstahl, August 18, 2016 0 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
Who reads reviews of Andrew Plotkin games?, July 17, 2016by Billy Mays Seriously, who does that? Of course the game is going to be freaking amazing, it is Andrew Plotkin. Just download it and play it already. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- insufficient data, July 10, 2016 - childhoodlabrador, July 6, 2016 - NinaS, July 3, 2016 - Matt Bates, May 18, 2016 - Denk, May 4, 2016 2 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Eerie and Powerful, May 2, 2016by Rollersnake (Rogers, AR) "It's like an interactive episode of The Twilight Zone" is a line that probably doesn't do Shade justice, but it's something I always say when I'm recommending it to anyone—it's about TV episode-length, really grippingly weird as you're playing it, and something you'll still be thinking about years later. Shade is always the first game I bring up whenever I'm introducing someone to IF, and it's one of my favorite pieces of weird fiction—in any medium. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- Deka, April 26, 2016 2 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
very cool, April 7, 2016by zemma nothing like simulated mental deterioration...once everything clicked into place (Spoiler - click to show) the radio! it kinda blew my mind. moral of the story: (Spoiler - click to show) don't do drugs in the desert. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- ToALonelyPeace, April 1, 2016 - itsdnoftheworld, March 19, 2016 - Shirm, March 10, 2016 - Mergath, February 25, 2016 - E. W. B., February 23, 2016 - Traviswf (Los Angeles), February 11, 2016 - Oreolek (Kemerovo, Russia), February 11, 2016 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
One of the few games to truly frighten me (because I thought it wouldn't), February 3, 2016Shade is a surreal game. It is an almost one-room game, where you are trying to leave your apartment, but encounter more and more difficulties. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- Teaspoon, January 30, 2016 - Aryore, December 13, 2015 - RoboDragonn, November 9, 2015 - CasualGamer33356, October 14, 2015 - KingofSushi, October 12, 2015 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Uniquely Casual, August 26, 2015To qualify my review, I'd like to first say that this is the first IA/text adventure game I've played in a number of years, so my experience is not necessarily indicative of regular readers. That being said, I think it may provide its own insights into the title. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- leanbh, July 30, 2015 - Pegbiter (Malmö, Sweden), June 15, 2015 - ibelongia, June 5, 2015 - chux, May 21, 2015 - Lanternpaw, May 16, 2015 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
You have no desire to look night in the face., May 11, 2015by scottmbruner (alameda, california) It's a testament to Andrew Plotkin's skill as an IF writer that this is my least favorite of his works that I've played so far, and yet I would still highly recommend people experience its tight, disturbing narrative. (and plan to do so, soon). Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Robot Marvin, May 6, 2015 - Doug Orleans (Somerville, MA, USA), April 27, 2015 - dosgamer, April 10, 2015 - Mike Root, March 23, 2015 - hoopla, March 12, 2015 - Thrax, March 11, 2015 - Matt W (San Diego, CA), February 28, 2015 - morlock, January 14, 2015 0 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Good, but getting stuck is a pain., December 31, 2014by Chai Hai (Kansas City KS) This was a good game, by all means. I enjoyed it, the mechanics of delirium were done well. My main complaint is the claustrophobic setting of the game, especially in earlier parts where you can easily become put off by the lack of action. I know that was intentional and is part of its "charm", but I almost gave up early on with the vacuum. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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3 people found the following review helpful:
Hmmm... huh?... ho hum., December 31, 2014Very well written -- moody, evocative, and not too heavy-handed -- but I found steadily declining pleasure in it, especially once I got to the (Spoiler - click to show)fiddle-with-every-damn-object-until-something-happens section. Eventually the puzzle-solving part of my brain checked out and went on vacation somewhere, leaving me to go look for a walkthrough. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Janice M. Eisen (Portland, Oregon), November 10, 2014 - CMG (NYC), November 7, 2014 - EllaClass, November 5, 2014 - Catalina, October 31, 2014 - Tranmoor, October 20, 2014 - Matthew Darby (London, United Kingdom), September 20, 2014 - BlitzWithGuns, September 13, 2014 - Sobol (Russia), September 12, 2014 - nosferatu, August 21, 2014 - M. Tea, August 19, 2014 - wolfbutler (Canada), July 9, 2014 - Caleb Wilson (Illinois), May 24, 2014 - boxesoffoxes, April 19, 2014 - streever (America), April 19, 2014 - Taffer, April 18, 2014 - Roricus, March 11, 2014 - Lorxus, March 8, 2014 - Snave, March 7, 2014 - Deychrome, February 15, 2014 - francisthe3rd (Horseheads, NY), January 23, 2014 - lisapaul, January 9, 2014 - Cloud-Of-Judgement (Eastern Europe), December 12, 2013 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
A reference, December 2, 2013by Simon Deimel (Germany) SHADE is not a long game. It is not an extensive game in the sense of locations. It has a quite linear course. It is not very difficult, once you get the hang of it. SHADE is simply awesome, just because of the story that is tells. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Kuffen Bach (Brno), November 25, 2013 - nf, November 23, 2013 - IxPrefect, November 9, 2013 - bigotitos, November 8, 2013 - John Simon (London), October 31, 2013 - jcbahr, September 29, 2013 - Zeofar, August 30, 2013 - Indigo9182, August 14, 2013 - Artran (Taipei, Taiwan), August 13, 2013 - Enrique, July 31, 2013 - Guillaume Voisine (Montréal), July 29, 2013 - BladeL, July 21, 2013 - NewWorld, July 21, 2013 - Xon, July 15, 2013 - morphy_richards, April 7, 2013 - Zepton (Canada), April 6, 2013 - Floating Info, April 4, 2013 - Tiberoo, March 26, 2013 - dk101 (London, UK), March 2, 2013 - Brown_Cow, March 1, 2013 - ptkw, March 1, 2013 - redfuture (Canada), February 19, 2013 - DJ (Olalla, Washington), February 5, 2013 - Stewjar (USA), January 29, 2013 - Fantacide (California), January 11, 2013 - Edward Lacey (Oxford, England), January 8, 2013 - Sdn (UK), December 24, 2012 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
Elusive symbolism, but well-written, December 24, 2012by Andromache (Hawaii) I've never been very good at working out symbolic meanings. I think I'm supposed to take something away from this, but it eludes me. (Spoiler - click to show)I have impressions of someone going mad from dehydration and possibly drug use, but the ending feels like I'm supposed to be grasping something that I'm not. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Lingling (Perth, WA), November 20, 2012 - Rezz05, October 12, 2012 - bluevelvetwings, October 5, 2012 - Sillyjuliaann, September 30, 2012 - AADA7A, September 19, 2012 - Jordan Magnuson (Corvallis, Oregon), August 21, 2012 4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Thought-provoking but somewhat blah, August 20, 2012by glassmice (Equatorial) Maybe I'm dead inside, but somehow I couldn't get drawn into the plot, despite the excellent attention to detail, (Spoiler - click to show)e.g. the subtle changes to the game environment as the story progressed, and very competent writing. Perhaps what detracted from the story-telling was the predictability of the plot twist, which was not so subtly hinted at (too?) early in the beginning (Spoiler - click to show)(namely the news report on the stereo), and the linear manner in which the subsequent actions unfold. For most of the game I could see where the character was going, and it was just a matter of figuring out how to lead him there; the little details in the story, which on hindsight provide so much to the narrative process, just got lost in the rather tedious gameplay. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- krolikov, August 20, 2012 - Inarcadia Jones, August 2, 2012 - Amy (Upstate NY), July 21, 2012 - Katrisa (Houston), July 19, 2012 - Molly (USA), June 26, 2012 - rec53, June 9, 2012 - libsrone, June 7, 2012 - kala (Finland), May 25, 2012 - Herr Rau (München, Germany), May 9, 2012 - zylla, May 2, 2012 - EJ, April 30, 2012 - EsotericAlgorithm, April 28, 2012 3 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Amazing and Creepy One Room Short IF, April 8, 2012by octofuzz (Trondheim, Norway) Played it over an Easter vacation in a hotel lobby and was absolutely captivated. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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5 people found the following review helpful:
A Solid Four-Star Game, March 20, 2012by Jim Kaplan (Jim Kaplan has a room called the location. The location of Jim Kaplan is variable.) Related reviews: andrew plotkin, one-room, short Play the game if: you simply want to enjoy a competent and in some places innovative work of interactive fiction without getting bogged down in complex intellectual challenges. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Relle Veyér, March 1, 2012 - deathbytroggles (Minneapolis, MN), January 30, 2012 - Hagbard Celine, January 26, 2012 - E.K., January 19, 2012 - amciek (Opole), December 18, 2011 - MonochromeMolly, October 26, 2011 - trojo (Huntsville, Alabama, USA), October 10, 2011 - o0pyromancer0o, September 30, 2011 2 of
9 people found the following review helpful:
No second chances, September 22, 2011by Deboriole (San Diego, CA) I enjoyed this game to a point. That point came when I became completely stuck and had to look at a walkthrough. Turns out I missed one opportunity and therefore could never solve the game. There was no indication that I was hopelessly stuck, so I rambled about for an hour until finally throwing in the towel. That did not make me very happy! There could be a simple solution to this... Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- dacharya64, September 4, 2011 - r6144, August 6, 2011 9 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
The "Jacob's Ladder" of Interactive Fiction, August 4, 2011by John Daily (New York) There is a reason why, eleven years after its release, people are still playing (and discussing) Shade: It's a benchmark game. Beautiful in its elegance and completely immersive, its seemingly simplistic gameplay belies a sophisticated core. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Digibomber, July 29, 2011 - LaFey (Porto, Portugal), July 15, 2011 - calindreams (Birmingham, England), July 14, 2011 5 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Surrealist IF at its best, July 6, 2011by katz (Altadena, California) Surrealist interactive fiction is largely an untapped resource, and this well-written and well-crafted little game shows what the genre is capable of. It's atmospheric, creepy, and suffused with a sense of inexorability that builds as the player finds him- or herself moving things along towards a foreboding conclusion. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- rmg66fl, June 29, 2011 - Nemansphere, June 27, 2011 - Shchekotiki, June 23, 2011 - Jizaboz (U.S.A.), June 16, 2011 - flamingoboots, May 31, 2011 - baywoof, April 25, 2011 - Jonathan Blask (Milwaukee, WI, USA), April 4, 2011 - JohnW (Brno, Czech Republic), March 16, 2011 - spinnerin (Portland, OR), March 13, 2011 - frocutio (Irvine, CA), February 22, 2011 - diddlescatter (US), February 2, 2011 1 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Surreal, February 2, 2011Odd, eerie, surrealistic, and foreboding, "Shade's" mood is its real attraction. The game's only "puzzle" is actually a very clever meta-puzzle; once you've noticed what all the significant commands in the game have in common, you'll get the gimmick and soon find yourself at the game's notorious ending. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Elihu Jones, January 30, 2011 5 of
11 people found the following review helpful:
Shades of black and white?, January 28, 2011by Aintelligence (Canada) This is such a controversial game in so many different ways that I felt the need to weigh in my thoughts. I'll get this straight from the beginning so there's no confusion later. This game was in my mind an incredibly put together game. Arguably the best of Andrew Plotkin (although several others come to mind as well). Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (2) - Add comment
- snickerdoddle, January 28, 2011 - Ben Cressey (Seattle, WA), January 25, 2011 - Callust (Michigan), January 3, 2011 7 of
13 people found the following review helpful:
What happened?, December 29, 2010by OtisTDog Some people might think from my breathless review of Spider and Web that I am an Andrew Plotkin groupie. This is not the case. While I have tremendous respect for his fearsome combination of seamless coding and tight story-telling*, he is, in the end, only human. Shade is the reminder. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Carlo, December 26, 2010 - mojay, December 19, 2010 - rootmos (Stockholm, Sweden), December 19, 2010 - GreenSnake, December 4, 2010 - Markoff23, November 22, 2010 - Sophronisba, November 7, 2010 2 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
a defining title in the genre, November 6, 2010by The Year Is Yesterday (California) The "first" IF I played, aside from some Zork as a child, and therefore my first experience of interactive fiction that went beyond mere "text adventure," blurring the lines between literature and game. To this day, the experience hasn't been surpassed. There isn't much challenge here: let the story unfold, and just try not to get drawn in by the bleak, arid atmosphere. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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18 people found the following review helpful:
Ultimately unfulfilled, October 20, 2010...though perhaps that was part of the point. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- FeralPawn (Australia), October 15, 2010 - Adam Rezich, October 11, 2010 - Chris Longhurst (Oxford, UK), September 30, 2010 - Brian Lavelle (Edinburgh, Scotland), September 12, 2010 - Aaron (Lille, France), August 29, 2010 - peterb, August 27, 2010 - Clemency Jones (England), August 26, 2010 - Telvayne (Tennessee, USA), August 18, 2010 - Alder (San Francisco), August 15, 2010 - Joel Webster (Madison, WI), July 26, 2010 - Celestianpower (Gloucestershire, UK), July 25, 2010 - Buffaloelvis, July 22, 2010 - Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), July 19, 2010 - karcher, July 11, 2010 - Stickz (Atlanta, Georgia), June 23, 2010 - Dan Efran, June 15, 2010 - strikemeyer (Atlanta, Georgia), June 12, 2010 - Masada, May 29, 2010 - Patrick M. McCormick (United States), May 20, 2010 7 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful but sometimes tedius. , May 18, 2010by tggdan3 (Michigan) Shade is one of those games that is hard to discuss without spoilers. It's a one room game. The game includes your bathroom, kitchen, and apartment proper. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Christopher Bogs, April 21, 2010 5 of
33 people found the following review helpful:
The only way to win is not to play this!, April 20, 2010by Andreas Teufel (Poland) (Warning: This review might contain spoilers. Click to show the full review.)While not even close to being the worst game of all time (All roads is cemented in this honorable position for all eternity), Shade will for me always be a beacon of hatred for all that is so wrong with the Interactive Fiction scene, what is so obviously stinking to high heaven but accepted and hailed by the majority. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Azazel, April 2, 2010 - TanRu, March 13, 2010 - A. Margo (Southern California), March 12, 2010 - Danny Huss, March 12, 2010 - omenofdoom, March 6, 2010 - Danielle (The Wild West), March 3, 2010 - Sam Kabo Ashwell (Seattle), February 15, 2010 - Pinstripe (Chicago, Illinois), February 7, 2010 - Ioannis D., February 6, 2010 - loungeman (Bilbao, Spain), January 4, 2010 - Ken Hubbard (Ohio), December 23, 2009 - Grey (Italy), December 21, 2009 19 of
22 people found the following review helpful:
Lost In The Dark, December 15, 2009by TempestDash (Cincinnati, Ohio) Shade is a one-room puzzle game, but what a room it is! Technically, this game is very accomplished. The room feels large and cramped at the same time. While there are no other real locations to go to in the game, the room has distinct areas that you can enter or exit but which don’t really impact the scope of your actions. What I mean by this is that you can enter the ‘kitchen’ area of the room, and the status bar will even reflect that, but if you then type ‘sit at desk’ (which is in the living room) the game will seamlessly make you leave the kitchen area then sit at the desk without complaint. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- Nicholas, December 5, 2009 0 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful psychological horror, November 30, 2009by cpuguy I am a great fan of stories intended to make you paranoid. This game acomplished this task rather well. The "ending" could have been better, but it still made me stop and think. Some people may find this repetetive, but I was pushed frorward by the desire to see the ending. This demonstrates how suspenseful the game was. I personally loved this game. Some people, however, may not find it to their liking. Try at least the first fifteen minutes. It'll help you decide if it is a game you would enjoy. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Dannii (Australia), November 12, 2009 3 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
I would give this a 3.5 star rating , October 24, 2009by maxporter (Philly) Shade is gripping, creepy, and creative. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- tigersfan (Durham, NC), October 8, 2009 - lupusrex (Seattle, WA), October 4, 2009 - Pepisolo, September 30, 2009 - GDL (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), September 25, 2009 - Mike Ciul (Philadelphia), September 3, 2009 - VK, August 28, 2009 - Jimbo, August 23, 2009 - dutchmule, August 8, 2009 - yandexx (Saint-Petersburg, Russia), July 26, 2009 - Stephen Gilbert (Canada), July 23, 2009 - Pope Richard Corey (Colorado), June 26, 2009 - Brian Conn (Eureka, California), June 19, 2009 - Fabien Vidal (Tours, France), June 14, 2009 - Mark V. (Madrid, Spain), June 2, 2009 - Hipster Scumbag, May 4, 2009 - Bart Oshgo, April 16, 2009 - Mark Jones (Los Angeles, California), March 31, 2009 - Jerome C West (United Kingdom), March 18, 2009 - Newbot, March 8, 2009 - winky, February 24, 2009 - Ben, February 10, 2009 - albtraum, February 8, 2009 - Karl Ove Hufthammer (Bergen, Norway), January 13, 2009 - kba (berlin), December 29, 2008 - Adam Biltcliffe (Cambridge, UK), December 28, 2008 - Shigosei, December 6, 2008 - ensoul, November 15, 2008 - Pru (Houston), November 13, 2008 - cadenza, November 11, 2008 1 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Dark and haunting, November 1, 2008by WriterBob (Richmond Hill, Ontario) Shade exemplifies the best aspects of Interactive Fiction. Shade was written in Inform without relying on any graphics or sound effects. Released in 2000, this game demonstrates the true potential of what IF can be. IF is more than tedious mazes and guessing verbs. IF is about exploring ideas and delivering experiences that cannot be presented in any other medium. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Linnau (Tel-Aviv, Israel), October 31, 2008 - Nathan (Utah), October 25, 2008 - Yigit Akkok (Ankara, Turkey), October 9, 2008 - George Shannon (Pittsburgh), September 17, 2008 - hywelhuws (Clynnog Fawr, Wales, UK), September 17, 2008 - madducks (Indianapolis, Indiana), September 5, 2008 - burtcolk, September 3, 2008 - Genjar (Finland), August 31, 2008 - schifter (Louisville, KY), August 20, 2008 - bpadinha (Lisbon, Portugal), August 16, 2008 - Maze (Rome, Italy), August 12, 2008 - googoogjoob, August 4, 2008 - Anders Hellerup Madsen (Copenhagen, Denmark), July 21, 2008 - LisariaUS, July 17, 2008 - Ben Treat (Maine, USA), July 11, 2008 - Steven (Honolulu, Hawaii), July 4, 2008 - Zoltar, June 22, 2008 - Wendymoon, June 11, 2008 16 of
18 people found the following review helpful:
Competent and innovative, but not great, June 8, 2008This short, stylized and evocative "in your apartment" game is carried by technical merit and an effective surprise turn in the plot(Spoiler - click to show) -- a bizarre and horrifying disintegration of reality which reminded me of Philip K. Dick's oeuvre (e.g. Ubik, Electric Ant). Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Sarah Mitty (Ypsilanti, Michigan), June 2, 2008 - oneyedemon (Sydney, Australia), June 1, 2008 - thisisboots, May 5, 2008 - Moses Templeton, May 3, 2008 - Clare Parker (Portland, OR), April 22, 2008 - paperclypse (Portland, OR), April 10, 2008 - brattish (Canada), April 9, 2008 - mrsambarlow, April 5, 2008 - Rhian Moss (UK), March 30, 2008 - bolucpap, March 18, 2008 - lobespear, March 14, 2008 - aaronius, March 13, 2008 - Cheryl L (Australia), March 11, 2008 - jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008 - J. Robinson Wheeler (Austin, TX), February 22, 2008 - Interference (Oxford, England), February 14, 2008 - Squidi, February 3, 2008 - Dan Schmidt (Boston), January 31, 2008 - Michel Nizette (Brussels, Belgium), January 18, 2008 - oddgrue (California), December 30, 2007 - Havoc Crow, December 25, 2007 - RichCheng (Warwickshire, UK), December 19, 2007 - Miron (Berlin, Germany), December 11, 2007 - David Schweinsberg (Pasadena, California), November 27, 2007 - Nusco (Bologna, Italy), November 26, 2007 - MattArnold (Ann Arbor, Michigan), November 24, 2007 - Naeradan, November 20, 2007 - Leland Paul (Swarthmore, PA), November 19, 2007 - Jonathan Harford, November 19, 2007 - anj tuesday, November 18, 2007 - ErWenn (Bloomington, IN), November 18, 2007 - Benjamin Sokal (Elysium pod planting enclosure on Mars), November 14, 2007 - Wesley (Iowa City, Iowa), November 11, 2007 - protobob, November 8, 2007 2 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Expanding the definition of a one-room game., November 7, 2007I'll say first off that one of the things I liked about this game is that it never puts you in an unwinnable position (there should be a tag for this, but I'm not sure what to call it); and I'm glad that other reviews told me this, because it made it easier to immerse myself into the mindset of the story. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Hauston (Seattle, WA), October 30, 2007 - Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 26, 2007 - Pseudo_Intellectual (Vancouver, Canada), October 25, 2007 - Sami Preuninger (New York City), October 23, 2007 - zer, October 22, 2007 - Juhana, October 22, 2007 - Brian Campbell, October 21, 2007 Baf's GuideThe author's tag-line for this game is "A one-room game set in your apartment," and it's difficult to say much more about it without spoilers. Suffice it to say that it's extremely well crafted and very, very creepy--this is "mess with your head" IF par excellence. Precisely what happens, particularly at the end, is open to multiple interpretations. There's also a lot going on, in a sense, so you may want to replay it a few times once you're done. Not to everyone's taste--it's not an upbeat game by any means--but masterfully done. -- Duncan Stevens
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