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Game Details
Language: English (en)
Current Version: 1 License: Freeware Development System: Inform 6 Baf's Guide ID: 1183 IFID: ZCODE-1-010210-A2F6 TUID: jv9y29bn167wwix5 |
Awards
Winner, Best Individual PC - 2001 XYZZY Awards
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Member Reviews
| Average Rating: ![]() Number of Reviews: 4 Write a review |
Most Helpful Member Reviews

The Kissing Bandit is extremely linear, and basically runs on rails, with little real interactivity. What saves it, tough, is the hysterical writing, which are sure to make you smile throughout the game.
There are no puzzles as such, and you don't even have to pick up anything during the game (but do examine your inventory!). While many 'original' verbs are implemented, several items mentioned in the room descriptions are not, and the autocompletion could be smarter. For instance, typing 'climb' outside a tower offers the not-so-helpful (but somewhat amusing) completion 'climb (the maiden)'. The author does acknowledge the somewhat spotty implementation, caused by lack of time before the submit deadline, and it would be nice to see an expanded and improved version released.
All in all, I think the humour and the overall cuteness of The Kissing Bandit does make up for some of its shortcomings, and since the game only takes about 10 minutes to play, it's well worth spending those 10 minutes.

The game was apparently written for a target audience of one (Wheeler's significant other), and anyone who's tried their hand at writing IF can sense the Herculean lengths the author went through to ensure a smooth playing experience. You won't be "guessing the verb" in this one... indeed, I suspect the game could teach you a few synonyms if you inspected the source code.
Some might say that this game is 'for girls', but this should not be an issue for anyone who's gotten past the 'girls are icky' stage of growing up. Though the final ending is perhaps a bit too personal to satisfy everyone, the story leading up to it is like a good G-rated movie: fun for the whole family. It is cute, original, and violence-free, and the player character is so memorable that it's easy to see why it won the 2001 XYZZY award for Best Individual PC.
'The Tale of the Kissing Bandit' should be a fun diversion for any player who wants a light-hearted break from their busy day, and an instructive example for any author who wants to see the impact of a gold-standard grammar implementation on playability. Take the time to try it out; you won't regret it.

This game was part of SmoochieComp, which I've seen a lot from recently. It was a veil tines day themed comp.
The game tells you what to do for each next step, but gives you some freedom. The setting is in the olden days, probably a ball.
The game has a twist at the end, which made me feel a bit better about the premise. Going about kissing girls against their will is unpleasant. But the ending makes it more charming.
Recommended.
See All 4 Member Reviews
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Polls
The following polls include votes for The Tale of the Kissing Bandit:Games with an abrupt and unexpected ending twist by dutchmule
I'm looking for games which, as in a lot of short stories, feature a sudden and unexpected revelation/twist at the very end of the game, that possibly changes your interpretation of what the game was really all about. (but please be...
Best Short Games (5-60 minutes) by Sasha Davidovna
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Romance Games by Molly
In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm looking for games that deal with romance and relationships.
This is version 6 of this page, edited by Dave Chapeskie on 29 April 2009 at 6:43pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item