Return to the game's main page Reviews and Ratings
1-9 of 9 - Spike, January 24, 2018 2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
An alternative-world chill-out western , May 10, 2017by MathBrush This mid-length TADS game has a strong writing style and uses various colors. It has unique, alien world-building and an interesting map. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- E.K., December 4, 2016 - Hannes, November 19, 2016 - EJ, November 19, 2016 - Doug Orleans (Somerville, MA, USA), November 19, 2016 - Matt Bates, October 21, 2016 - Denk, October 14, 2016 5 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
An off-kilter western, October 4, 2016by Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.) In last year's comp, Jeremy Pflasterer gave us Koustrea's Contentment, an intriguing, atmospheric, very large, and somewhat underclued game that initially lacked a walkthrough, leading a lot of players to give up on it. This year, Pflasterer has submitted Hill Ridge Lost & Found, which is similarly intriguing, atmospheric, and still a little underclued, but also about the right length for the comp. And the walkthrough, thankfully, appeared much earlier (though not on day one).
The gameplay is classic text adventure stuff: explore the mostly-abandoned site, take all the things, fix what needs fixin'. It begins with an imposing wall of text, but it does give you a clear initial goal -- find Lonon -- that I thought was lacking in Koustrea. Once I achieved that goal, though, I was at a loss. There were clearly puzzles to be solved, but I didn't have any idea what my PC was trying to accomplish. The inference I was meant to draw after visiting some of the game's locked-away areas, and the action I needed to trigger the endgame -- these are leaps I wouldn't have made without the walkthrough. Hill Ridge also has a couple of misleading responses, especially with the (Spoiler - click to show)bicycle/lamp (the game reads UNSCREW LAMP as an attempt to open the bottom of the lamp for some reason, rather than unscrewing the screw that holds the lamp to the bike). Overall, I liked Hill Ridge pretty well, more than Koustrea's Contentment, and I think the author has made a more accessible game this time around. With a little better cluing and a clearer motivation for the PC I think it might be excellent. Note: this review is based on older version of the game. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
1-9 of 9 | Return to game's main page |