IF Comp 2024: Welcome to the Universe
I’m getting mixed messages from the cover image, title, blurb, and content warnings. What even is this thing?
The opening confuses me even more, as it sounds educational. However, it’s very interesting, talking about a different version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Which also doesn’t seem to relate to any of the information about this game I’ve been given so far. Is it comedy? Horror? Realistic? Fantasy? I can’t answer any of those questions, when normally I’d be able to answer them from the image OR the blurb OR the title OR the opening paragraph.
But there’s no typos and there’s some psychology, so I’m interested.
Okay! That was a kind of prologue, ending with a joke. So… comedy? Probably? I can certainly deal with that.
This is delightfully weird.
Here’s an entirely random example. What does it mean? I don’t know. But I’m enjoying the ride.
I enjoyed the ride all the way to the end, and was impressed when the game fed various choices back to me in a cohesive description. I’m not sure I’d recommend this game, but maybe I would?
I have to let it percolate for a while. The writing is interesting and solid throughout, so I suspect it’ll rate highly with me. I’m biased like that.
IF Comp 2024: Civil Service
Okay, this opens in a surprisingly atmospheric, interested, poetic-but-not-annoyingly-so way. I’m quickly hooked.
After a while, the poetic qualities grow stronger. It’s hard to know what the plot is, and sections seem disjointed. I’m not sure what my choices are doing most of the time.
…
Wow, that was WEIRD.
I think I sort of understood the plot in the end, and a lot of my confusion was due to the deliberately mysterious writing. I’m not sure it worked, not quite. But the writing suggests this author will appeal to some people, and has plenty of talent.
IF Comp 2024: Birding in Pope Lick Park
I’ll be honest: Pope Lick is a terrifying name for a park. But let’s do this anyway.
Putting the opening of the story on the title is an unusual choice, but fine. It’s also the blurb. Still fine, just unusual.
It’s a perfectly adequate opening.
Pope Lick Park seems to be a real park—so much so that there’s a link to the actual web site on the first page. I really like that. There’s loads more links after that (some informative, and at least one to a comic), which is also cool.
The pics are way too big for my browser, but that’s probably my fault. (Yup; I switched browsers and all is well.)
The accessible text is excellent.
There are some minor typos and a LOT of photos. The bird photos are excellent. The other photos are adequate.
For a little I felt like, “What’s the point of the story?” but clicking on the birds I saw along the way became more and more compelling. I hate repeating text (which I got a little as I wandered around) but the game clearly remembered when I’d been somewhere before, which meant I’d often see new text or even new birds in the same area. That was VERY cool. It really felt quite immersive, in the gentlest possible way. I began to find the scenery photos more compelling too, as it became clearer and clearer that this is, effectively, non-fiction. Everything here is real.
Okay, I’m finished my play-through and I’m totally converted. This is a great story that grows more fascinating as you stroll through it. And yes, it’s incredibly educational and beautiful too.
Felicity Banks 