A New Life

Baf's Guide

A game with a very thoroughly worked out world and a fancy plot (in fact, so fancy I had troubles following it). Features quite a few (sometimes rather obscure) puzzles, and several paths to play through. All in all, it reminds of a commercial RPG series with a more or less long-standing story full of cobwebs only true fans could find their way through. Fortunately, the similarity doesn't end just here, and also includes the overall "quality of finish and polish".

-- Valentine Kopteltsev

SPAG

The back-story is an epic tapestry of magic and mystery. Much of the fun comes from learning more and more about the unique world in which the game is set, and about the people who inhabit it.

The biggest problem is, it’s sometimes (okay, often times) unclear what to do without getting pointers from the hints. Even then, it can be a little confusing. This is the kind of game that would be great outside the competition, where it might be played over the course of three or four nights without that two-hour mark looming ahead.

-- Mike Snyder
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Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 2 Write a review

A branching fantasy story with strange and interesting takes on old concepts, February 3, 2016
This mid-length, fairly difficult parser game took second place in IFComp the year it was entered. You play a voyager who stops to investigate a goblin cave that a peddler wants looted.

The game allows you to make a variety of choices; for instance, you find various pieces of loot that you can trade for magical equipment. Every choice of equipment leads to a different way of beating the game.

The game has a different take on a lot of things; for instance, most characters can choose their gender over time, including a neutral gender. This makes for interesting politics in the gameworld. Also, there is a lot of magic affecting (Spoiler - click to show)memory.

Like many great parser games that are now neglected, I believe that this wonderful game is not noticed now because it is hard, and because the walkthrough only gives you one path, leaving most of the game unexplored, and, because of the difficulty level, perhaps unexplorable.

I recommend this game for everyone, with the walkthrough after a short time (even the hints are not enough for me and some IFComp reviewers).

Featured on Radio K: Ask/Tell #10, July 23, 2017
Jess Haskins and I discuss A New Life at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERrTj4VCK8#t=24s

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