I figured this would be a good spot to start collecting some Ectocomp reviews! They’ll probably vary quite a bit in length based on how much I have to say, and I’ll be doing a mix of LPM and LGG games as my spare time allows. They’ll also be selected roughly randomly, as I intend to get through (or at least attempt to get through) all of the (English) entries eventually and so am less worried about current rating counts.
I actually have pretty limited “modern” IF experience, both playing and creating, so I will probably get stuck on a lot of weird stuff that seems normal to more seasoned IF-ers. I will do my best to make it through every game, but will also make note of if/where I get caught up! I think that’s enough preamble, so we can get into some actual reviews!
This was a really well-written little adventure. I would have liked a little more context for what was going on, this culture and ritual seemed very well-thought out and gaining a little more insight into the meaning behind it would have been appreciated. I was also pretty fuzzy on the family dynamics, which seemed to be a major factor with a decent chunk of the runtime discussing the relationships between these characters. Despite this light story confusion, I found the climb to be very satisfying, and the spooky elements were more than sufficiently eerie, though not explicitly scary at any point. The idea of a dead thing watching over you and interacting with you while you can’t see it was very effective, especially as it’s a pretty recurring intense fear of mine. I probably would have preferred having a little more influence over the game world as the choices didn’t seem to have much of an impact as far as I could tell, but that’s more of a personal gripe than one that actually says anything about the game. Overall a really evocative spooky time!
Thank you for the kind comments! You are right that there’s not a whole bunch of choice choice … macro choices as opposed to micro choices, very valid criticism!
As for the background, I was very much thinking of the Peruvian communities that dress and redress their dead to “keep them alive” (which I was attempting to produce in the cover image), but also Eusapia (from Calvino’s Invisible Cities), where the dead are posed as if they continue to live after their death. The later is an image that has stuck in my mind ever since I first read it as a student.
This game took a really bizarre and interesting premise and managed to turn it into something shockingly cohesive. Playing as the simulated mind of a fly, you manage to learn both about your own functioning (both biological and computational) and the idea of a similar process on humans. The writing was really well-done, striking a great balance of informative and evocative. I think without either part it would feel like a science fair poster board or weirdly hollow. The interactivity was relatively minor, but the lab puzzle was well done for what it was, and the ability to examine basically every object in addition to using it was a nice touch. I would have maybe hoped for something a bit more overtly spooky as an Ectocomp entry, but it still fits the brief and definitely succeeds in what it’s trying to do.
I’m a huge sucker for any sort of “explore an old computer” type game, and this was no exception. There’s something particularly satisfying about combing through old files and piecing together something that has already happened. The core story was pretty satisfying, though I feel like there were like 2 or 3 names more than necessary which made it a little more difficult to keep track of who was who. The haunted spirit in the code is always a good trope, and it was executed well here. I simply cannot believe how many horny emails were on this confidential work server though, after a handful I think I got the gist.
In terms of the actual gameplay experience, I wish there had been a little bit more of a puzzle influence. The story was cool, and I liked delving into all these files, but every answer is just flat-out given to you if you read all the documents as you come across them. Maybe having to piece together a password or two, or having to retroactively assign names to nodes would have made it feel a little bit more like a proper mystery. Fryday was a good fun diversion, though, and even if the majority of it didn’t seem relevant it was still fun to go for proper completion. Wish we actually got to play Zork 4!