In case the subject line doesn’t make it clear enough, you really shouldn’t read this until you’ve finished voting!
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For me, the winner is Lost Pig. In terms of writing, characterisation, polish and humour, it’s head and shoulders over any of the other games this year. I’m a little surprised myself at this pick, because I tend to favour serious, story-heavy IF with easy (or no) puzzles. I don’t think Lost Pig has any of those attributes - but gosh, it was fun! (I am, however, a sucker for great characters, and the characters in LP are fantastic.)
Other games I liked a lot were Deadline Enchanter, Varkana, Ferrous Ring and A Fine Day for Reaping. None of them were anywhere near perfect, but when they worked they worked brilliantly.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with this year’s competition. Lost Pig was the only real stand-out for me, but there wasn’t a single game that I felt had absolutely nothing to recommend it.
And now, because everyone else is writing reviews and I must join the party, I present you with my (occasionally VERY spoilery) Haiku Reviews, organised roughly from least favourite to most favourite game.
The Lost Dimension
A monster is here.
Where did the aeroplane go?
I need more hit-points.
Adventure XT
Die, monsters, die, die!
I feel very thirsty and
I cannot go on.
Jealousy Duel X
Must make Ex jealous.
Oops, I made a mistake and
I have no saved game.
Eduard the Seminarist
I thought I must save
my friend from a madman but
we just read poems.
Packrat
I try to acquire.
But the puzzles make no sense
and it’s too buggy.
Reconciling Mother
There are many rooms
and characters and items.
I don’t understand.
Press [Escape] to Save
I am in prison.
Pressing Escape does nothing.
It just gets weirder.
Beneath: a Transformation
Nifty status line.
I go to the walkthrough and
I never come back.
Gathered in Darkness
Ev’ryone is dead.
My captors take no notice
when I escape them.
The Immortal
I have a sword that
I never use. Goblins kill
me from a distance.
Orevore Courier
I lose. I lose again.
I will never get this right.
I blow up the ship.
Slap That Fish
Take that, evil fish!
Violence is the answer to
this one. And puzzles.
Wish
This is silly but
I finished it without hints.
I don’t see the point.
Fox, Fowl and Feed
I know the answer!
Oh wait, no I don’t. I go
to the hints once more.
My Mind’s Mishmash
I start at the end.
I must take off my ghost cap
and wear it again.
My Name is Jack Mills
My name is Jack Mills.
I say yes to ev’ryone
and find it mattered.
Lord Bellwater’s Secret
My lord’s dark secret
is hidden in compartments.
But he left me clues.
An Act of Murder
Someone is guilty.
I try to find whodunnit,
But I can’t do maths.
In the Mind of the Master
I break down a door
and become someone else. Then
I get stuck again.
A Matter of Importance
I’ll break the Guild’s rules
to get even with Alice.
But first I’ll play ball.
The Chinese Room
Philosophical.
I get some of the jokes but
the puzzles stump me.
Across the Stars
Deserted spaceship.
When I escape, the planet
is extremely strange.
A Fine Day for Reaping
I am Death, but I
am bumbling and have a lisp.
This is not funny!
Ferrous Ring
The prologue is cool.
But then I need the walkthrough
to use the 'dozer.
Deadline Enchanter
I don’t see that here?
Under-implementation
Could be delib’rate.
Varkana
I must save the Book.
But first I’ll have lunch and then
I’ll change politics.
Lost Pig
Grunk must find lost pig.
Grunk solve puzzles underground.
Grunk play with fire. Yay!
Disclaimer: I never played Ghost of the Fireflies or Vampyre Cross. I don’t have or want a C64 emulator, and GotF refused to run on my computer for some reason. (So did Adventure XT, but I played it on another computer.)