The Untold Story by Michael Pavano
(Before the review, note that this game has been uploaded to the IFComp website incorrectly. This has not been corrected as of my writing this. There are ways to obtain the game, and StJohnLimbo has provided a working version of the game file here: Cannot Download "The Untold Story" )
I liked this game! It’s not without its flaws, but I liked it.
It’s a nice, light puzzler with clear goals that can be achieved in non-linear order. It even touches on some deep themes (pacifism or violence) and, I think allows you to solve puzzles with either a peaceful or violent option. Juxtaposing a warrior brother with a religious brother (I have a few quibbles there, but I get the point), and allowing the player to define themselves by their actions, worked pretty well for me.
That said, it is kind of a light game. I wish there had been more to both the puzzles and to the story. The writing gets the job done, but isn’t spectacular; too many adjectives, too much tell over show. And there are some issues with polish - its/it’s and they’re/there/their confusion, inconsistent descriptions (after removing an item, the description still implies it is there), item confusion (examining the flowers in the meadow, for example, does not work properly if you are holding the special flower from the tree), and odd results of actions (trying to place a chess piece on the chess board results in being told that, no, I should only put chess pieces there).
All that said, this was an enjoyable time. I had fun with it. I just hope the author is able to correct the problem with the upload, so that others can easily play the game.