I’m alive and back for IFComp! I have been extremelyyy unactive here lately T.T but I’m excited to see play the entries and see what everyone’s been getting up to. These will probably not be super in-depth, but I like having a record of what I’ve played and my thoughts so here we are 
16 Likes
The Burger Meme Personality Test by Carlos Hernandez
I only played through this once, though I’m considering going through again just to see some of the different results. This one was fun for me! I thought some of the categories and results were really funny, and being able to see your rating as a potential candidate as you answer each question was great. There were definitely times where I’d answer a question and see my rating change, and I’d be absolutely baffled trying to figure out how my answer had done so poorly (or so well), which I do think is incredibly reflective of the company personality test experience. I also just think it’s a great idea in general? We really SHOULD be talking more about the weird quizzes companies make you do during the hiring process, and I’m delighted to see a game reflecting that.
8 Likes
The Reliquary of Epiphanius by Francesco Giovannangelo
I confess that I got a bit frustrated toward the end and ended up quitting before I finished the game. I’m not sure how much time I spent on it though? I should’ve been keeping better track lol. As a history nerd, and one who loves ancient history at that, I was really excited to play a game with notes of archaeology and ancient ruins and secret passages. However there were a few implementation quirks/technical aspects that hindered my ability to enjoy the game; most notably, the game establishes early on that bolded words are objects which are implemented and can be examined/interacted with, BUT later in the game there’s a moment where that isn’t true (
when you enter the secret room, you have to examine each wall individually, which I didn’t try at first because I had gotten so accustomed to only examining things that I had been explicitly told were there
). I also was struggling to figure out if the PC’s father was actually IN the secret room or if his words were just something the PC was remembering, and I honestly still don’t know.
I must have missed something, because toward the end the walkthrough stopped being helpful - I tried to follow the instructions, but was prevented from doing so by the game.
These are all kind of nitpicky, so I do want to emphasize that there were absolutely things I enjoyed! The descriptive language and lore were well-written (I love an immersive world), and I do think the story is compelling! I’m pretty sure I was just having some technical issues due to using way more turns to solve the game than were probably expected. As much as I love parser games, sometimes I think I might be bad at them lol.
6 Likes
Uninteractive Fiction 2 by Leah Thargic
Show-stopping tbh. I don’t know how Leah keeps churning out masterpieces like this.
12 Likes
A Visit to the Human Resources Administration by Jesse
TLDR: I liked it
Firstly, I do have to comment on how funny it is that I’m only four reviews in, and I’ve already had two “games” that focus on the pitfalls and convolutions of corporate and governmental systems. Coincidence? An emerging theme? Only time will tell.
I say “game” in quotations because this isn’t really a game at all - which isn’t a criticism! Not all interactive fiction works are games, and I don’t think they all should be. This work was actually pretty near and dear to my heart, as I grew up using SNAP (or whatever the equivalent was when I was little), and my job leads to a lot of interactions with people who use SNAP, or EBT, or just struggle with pressing buttons on a screen. The author’s passion for the subject really comes through, and while it’s certainly angry, it’s also very, very truthful.
On the technical side, there weren’t any typos or grammatical errors that I noticed, though I didn’t see every page. I’d definitely say it’s well-polished! I spent less than fifteen minutes and played through it twice, just to see a little more of the flavor text, and overall, I thought this work was really good. Thematically and emotionally, it stands out to me, even if it’s not one of the more laborious works of the season.
4 Likes
The Semantagician’s Assistant by Lance Nathan
Oh my god. Yes… YES…… I had so much fun playing this!!! Wordplay my beloved. I ALSO love an escape room game; you have everything at your disposal, and you just need to figure out what to do with them, and it’s so delightful. I did almost the entire thing without the walkthrough and felt VERY proud of myself. Definitely recommend. Like a mini Counterfeit Monkey in a way.
2 Likes
Many thanks for your review and for highlighting the issue! Unfortunately, some things got confused during the translation process (and some were already a bit confusing!). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to beta test the English version… Anyway, I’ve managed to fix the problem and have uploaded a corrected - I hope! - version right away.
Sorry for any frustration caused by the bug and thanks again!
1 Like
The Litchfield Mystery by thesleuthacademy
A fun, Christie-style murder mystery! I felt like this one really succeeded in giving you all the information you need to figure out who the murderer was, while still requiring some actual thought and deduction to get there in the end. I succeeded in solving the main mystery, though not the second one (not sure about the motive, I think?), and I had a nice time doing it. This might be a good game for people who like IF but maybe aren’t as into puzzle-solving or parser games. Would recommend !
3 Likes
Pure by PLAYPURPUR
I largely agree with Mathbrush regarding this work; it’s really excellently done, though with a few small typos and bugs that still need to get polished out. Nothing game-breaking, though! My playtime was probably only an hour at most - I definitely didn’t need the two hours the game lists in order to finish it.
Works that are inspired by the queer experience are so important to me, and I’m always glad when that tradition results in works like this. The horror/dread writing is phenom; there were so many descriptions and moments that did make me shudder or that tore at my heartstrings more than I was expecting. The transformation of all the characters was really impressive and fascinating to watch, and I’m definitely going to be keeping my eyes open for part 2, though this really does do just fine as a standalone work.
2 Likes
By All Reasonable Knowledge by BMB Johnson
Admittedly, my biggest mistake was reading the pre-existing reviews for this game and deciding to give it a go anyway. This game is unfinished at best, and hates the player at the worst. I found two memories and at that point gave up because I simply could not figure out what else there even was to do. I’m not going to go into detail because other reviewers already have, and there’s no need to beat a dead horse, but please please please if you are reading this, I’d highly recommend you avoid this game until its problems have been resolved by the creator.
5 Likes
Very late in responding here, but wanted to say thank you for playing and taking the time to write this excellent review! The word “baffling” is so perfect to describe the experience, I’m thinking of going back to the game description and editing it in (if I am allowed to alter the game description?). Anyway, much appreciated.
Thanks for playing! Glad that you’ve enjoyed it 