IF Comp 2021: Review of “Universal Hologram”
Last but not least…
OR IS IT??
I’m a little leery of scifi and of anything artsy, so let’s see how we go!
. . .
Ah, the writing instantly draws me in. Within minutes I’ve lost my sense of reality so thoroughly that when the test gives me an option to “look down” I don’t click on it. I physically look down at my lap.
This is gonna be quite a ride. . .
. . .
“…the energy signal of your soul blooms like a fiber optic flower…”
This person writes beautifully.
. . .
Aaand I’ve finished the game.
That was a TRIP you guys. The art and animations added greatly to the discombobulation and for a while I was happy to just mooch about here and there, feeling weirder and weirder. I had juust enough time to wonder if there was a point to it all when the game noticeably steered me towards a plot, which I followed for the rest of the story.
A lot of the time I only had one thing to click on, and I’m pretty sure all roads lead to the same main ending. It definitely made me feel things, though. There was worldbuilding, and humour, and decent characterisation.
I’ll give it an 8.
IF Comp 2021: Review of “The Golden Heist”
Yes!
Noooo!
But yay!
But nooooo!
This game is really, really good. I reckon it will outrank mine, and mine is really good too. So rather than pretending to be all classy and professional, and purely celebrating this excellent achievement, I’ve decided to admit to that worm of jealousy eating at my insides.
Dear Reader, this game is EXCELLENT.
It is funny, with great characters, neat branching, compelling writing, and an exciting plot with plenty of twists and turns.
I found a few extremely minor typos, and some very minor continuity errors (we never searched for extra loot but somehow my companion had some at the end). None of them were a big deal. The story is so good, and the characters too. Ooh, and the setting.
Yes, I’m basically just listing the elements of a game and saying that every single one was excellent.
I even liked the PUZZLE (partly because it was fundamentally voluntary) you guys.
I’m giving this game a score of 9. Seriously good AND seriously fun.
IF Comp 2021: Review of “An Aside About Everything”
I feel. . .
Melancholy. Confused, but serene in my confusion—a little bored, perhaps. Defensive. Trapped. Freed. Lost, but on a familiar path. Not the same path I’ve been before, but similar enough that I feel only wary rather than afraid.
This is a strange one, but not because the game sucks. It’s meant to be trippy, and it most definitely is that.
Earlier today, I attempted to set up an app thingy online so that I can accept credit card payments on my phone (eg when I’m selling my novels at a festival). This is something that has been on my “urgent” list since May, but I’ve been too afraid of facing it. And today, when I finally faced it and failed over and over again…. that’s exactly how parser makes me feel.
So when this game has the teensiest hint of parser stylings (in the sense that you walk around and choose which location to go to) I was afraid. But since you go to all the locations anyway, and there’s never more than three to keep track of (really one central hub with two or three locations to explore from there) I was quickly reassured. This game is truly choice-based in the end, with two flaws: one is that there are no obvious branches, so it’s not VERY interactive (in my interpretation of the term). Two, you sometimes have to negotiate (a teeny tiny bit) through a ‘hub’ location (eg Main Street), which is the second thing I hate about parser: I hate EVER having to re-read a paragraph. But that secondary hatred is really minor, in the end.
I’m going to give this game a 6. It seems unfair in many ways to give this fundamentally competent and functional game the same score as two somewhat broken games, but although it’s solid and even lyrical in style it ultimately feels fairly average. There are quite a few minor typos or grammar things but I feel like the point it’s making about the selfishness/self-absorption of the main character contradicts itself because there are no plausible options to be better.
As always, this is 100% my opinion and I don’t claim to be fair.
The atmosphere of the story is good, with above-average writing.
Felicity Banks 