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Contains CoSv3.blb
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links. (Compressed with ZIP. Free Unzip tools are available for most systems at www.info-zip.org.)

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City of Secrets

by Emily Short profile

Espionage, Fantasy
2003

Game Details

Off-Site Reviews

Gaming Enthusiast
We’re just a tourist without a clue what’s going on, so large part of the game is just exploration and marvelling at all the wonders around us. [...] Story-wise and by the creation of the setting, it is one of the best IF out there.
-- Toddziak
See the full review

IF-Review
Life In The Big City
I think my favorite thing about City Of Secrets is that it gave me several pieces of writing to treasure, things that I wanted to enshrine and remember. A quote from the denouement now appears in my collection of randomly rotating email signatures. Queen Rine's Meditation Upon Passion now hangs on my office wall. More than any other IF game I can think of, City Of Secrets offered me ideas that feel like they apply directly to my life -- that's the mark not just of a great game, but of a great work of art.
-- Paul O'Brian
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SPAG
There is an impressive amount of detail in the descriptions with nearly all first level objects implemented and many second and third level as well. Such extras as your complementary personal shampoo from the hotel are fully implemented, which gives the world a solid feeling. The City seems to be an actual place rather than merely the setting for a game. The superb map design also contributes to this feeling. The city is represented as 20 or so rooms, but between the graphical map that you have available and the intuitive layout of the main thoroughfares travel is easy. She has also admirably succeeded in giving the different sectors of the City a unique feel.
-- Cirk Bejnar

Overall it's an excellent game. It's not a puzzle-fest; it's not supposed to be. It's a conversation-fest. You can chat to (and "up" to some extent) a large number of NPCs who are all intelligently programmed. The way that the story unfolds is very well done, with different NPCs (and some books) filling in different parts of the canvas with their own style. To be honest it's not my cup of tea -- I prefer puzzles (like Metamorphoses), but I have no problems recommending this game to anyone.
-- David Jones
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Page Update History

v.13: 22-Nov-2015 12:33 - David Kinder (Current Version) - Edit Page - Normal View
Changed download links
v.12: 06-Mar-2022 07:41 - David Kinder
Changed download links
v.11: 29-Jun-2020 16:47 - Zape
Changed external review links
v.10: 20-Nov-2019 18:54 - Denk
Changed download links
  v.9: 22-Nov-2015 12:33 - Leaden
Changed IFIDs
v.8: 23-Sep-2013 03:30 - Edward Lacey
Changed external review links
v.7: 14-Apr-2013 05:53 - Edward Lacey
Changed external review links
v.6: 08-Oct-2011 03:12 - Emily Boegheim
Changed IFIDs
v.5: 20-Apr-2008 13:27 - pwiecz
Changed IFIDs
v.4: 04-Apr-2008 18:37 - Paul O'Brian
Changed external review links
v.3: 25-Oct-2007 19:46 - Eriorg
Changed author
v.2: 21-Oct-2007 10:59 - Emily Short
Changed cover art, forgiveness
v.1: 16-Oct-2007 01:50 - IFDB
Created page