This is my final thoughts on all of the FIFP Round 1 Division 2 matchups. When reading these, please know I have not finished most of these games except for a few of the shorter Twine ones. So my thoughts, and my votes, are “first impressions” only, not meant to be reviews. I bolded the title that I voted for. If I were to finish and review all of these, my votes very probably could go differently. Maybe I’ll get a chance to see if that is true.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 09:
The Gostak vs. Absence of Law
The Gostak is hard for someone like myself who has not played Parser IF in a very long while. It seemed to have a good sense of humor. The alien nature of the setting was a definite draw that piqued my interest. This seems like the kind of game that rewards a lot of perseverance over time with studious note-taking, and while I definitely didn’t finish it, the satisfactory feeling of figuring out the strange language and world no doubt would leave a lasting smile.
Absence of Law starts off challenging because as I try to do things, the rooms or the characters do pretty much the opposite of what I intended, which is admittedly kind of funny. I appreciate the quirky humor of this game. The inability to directly interact with the environment is definitely a unique puzzle that gives this game an edge. For round 09, my nod goes to Absence of Law.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 10:
Coloratura vs. The Shadow in the Cathedral
This matchup was a very difficult decision for me. I greatly enjoyed my time with both of these titles and will definitely play both of these games to completion at some point after I’m finished voting this week or after the challenge is completed.
Coloratura has a great story, a great setting, and an extremely unique protagonist. I loved the horror of it all. The beautiful, colorful horror, the vivid sounds and colors and descriptions. Being alien. Thinking alien thoughts. In the back of my mind, realizing what a monster I must be to the Blind Ones. Coloratura feels like one of the most polished short-form non-commercial adventure games. The game is very kind to the player, ensuring that you stay focused on the unique story and clever interactive world. Are you sure you want to do this questionable thing? Coloratura’s parser works to figure the player out instead of vice versa. The narrative doesn’t railroad the player, but it does gently guide you along, allowing you to discover the world without smothering you or hanging you out to dry. All in all, it is pretty easy to see why this game has such high merits.
The Shadow in the Cathedral is a loving homage to steampunk and science fantasy. A lovable protagonist. Plenty of comedy relief with the bumbling Drake and Calvin. A mysterious villain and a mystery that only Wren can solve. The first thing that struck me when playing Shadow was that the dialogue, the descriptions, and the setting are an amazing bit of world-building that really pulls you into the rich tapestry that the authors have woven for their own unique take on steampunk. It just feels like an alternative history Victoria where science IS religion. The saints are Sir Isaac Newton, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and Charles Babbage, the fathers of modern physics, clockwork, and computing respectively. The characters of Shadows revere these men as religious saints instead of the Apostles of Christ. They make a lever sign instead of a cross for good luck. Their holy rites involve gears and levers and pully systems, not crucifixes and prayer beads. Shadows oozes this atmosphere with grace and ease, never forcing the player through tedious info-dumps but instead revealing it through the clever inner dialogue of the protagonist, well-timed character interactions, and richly described scenery. Despite having strong themes about clocks and time, Shadows doesn’t rush the player along without giving opportunities to stop and smell the gear oil.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 11:
Chlorophyll vs. Worldsmith
Chlorophyll starts off really fun. I love playing the younger protagonist. Loved that it’s science fiction. That there is a real and scary danger and puzzle to solve and that you have “limited time limits”. I love the way this game prevents the “wandering around aimlessly” problem that some (early anyway) IF has, so you stay focused on solving the puzzles in the required order. I’m very curious to see where this goes.
Worldsmith literally lets you play God. I liked Populous (1989 computer game) and Worldsmith feels a bit like an interactive fiction version of that. It includes a wealth of help and clearly defined goals. The interface for it is pretty amazing, and it deserves a special award for that alone. You can tell that the developers lovingly crafted this game to be a full visual and cerebral experience: easy on the eyes, but with challenges to keep the brain active and engaged.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 12:
According to Cain vs. A Beauty Cold and Austere
I am playing the full multimedia version of According to Cain, in QTads for Windows, and I suspect that the experience for this game could vary quite a bit depending on what platform and interpreter you use. There is a strong story here, for sure. It is a “re-imagining” of the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis. I loved the art, which is complementary to the descriptive and imaginative scenes. The music evokes a feeling of primordial times. There are some interesting “alchemical” puzzles in it, based on the Four Humors of Hippocrates (Humorism - Wikipedia), as this tale’s protagonist is a time traveler from the middle-ages. So you got a twist on a Biblical tale AND ancient alchemical magic? Sign me up. The story just oozes atmosphere at every turn. A sense of foreboding and dread never leaves you as the game hurries you along. I don’t know if it has a time limit or not, but it at least makes you feel like there is one, which works for dramatic story telling. There are some really cool new verbs to get help without resorting to “hint”. This made me really appreciate Tads 3 also, the multimedia features like hypertext (lazy-typing) and the music and imagery was a nice bonus. I really want to deep dive into this, but it will have to wait until the end of FIFP.
A Beauty Cold and Austere proves that mathematics can be fun, and exciting to “look at” in the mind’s eye. So many great visualizations in text form of mathematical concepts here. It feels like this could be a cool way to teach math? I didn’t get very far into this, because, well it’s a lot of puzzles, and this “tournament” is a very tight deadline. But this game definitely has some potential here.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 13:
Beautiful Dreamer vs. Turandot
Beautiful Dreamer has some really great imagery. Love the writing. Love how the story keeps shifting tones and sort of almost making sense, but then not, like a dream. I loved the unique characters. The ending came too soon, I was left wanting more. I think I missed some things, possibly, I feel like there might have been some different choices that would have at least a slightly different ending. But I didn’t get a chance to replay it, unfortunately, perhaps I will after FIFP.
Turandot. Oh! Turandot! What is not to love about thee? Your delicate prose dances across the page like a world-class ballerina. Your enormous… adjectives, tempt even the most chaste of readers. Your delicious humor tastes as sweet as cotton candy! No, wait, that would be all sugar and no substance! Your humor is more like chocolate, a bit bitter at first, but a love affair guaranteed to end in tragic over-indulgence! Turandot. My time with you was short, but oh, so sweet. Dearest fans of IF, if you cannot tell, I am smitten by this lovely work of fiction. I dare say, it might stay on my mind for weeks, months, even years? Such a story of love, hate, death, redemption… I shall not reveal more, a gentleman never tells.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 14:
Weird City Interloper vs. Eat Me
Weird City Interloper feels like a fun fantasy romp in a dark and mysterious setting. I liked how it skipped over travel and just got to the nitty gritty - the imaginative characters and engaging conversations. There was definitely an intriguing plot starting to form, and seemingly, it looks like there are different factions that you could interact with and possibly change the outcome? I need to spend more time with this for sure.
Eat Me is just strange enough to feel like something new and exciting, and just familiar enough to be inviting and homey. The food imagery is astounding. I never wanted to eat my parser before, but hey, it was very tempting. Fortunately when I played this game I had just had breakfast, otherwise I would definitely have been forced to take a snack break. The humor is just the way I like it - dark and twisted. The puzzles are fair. There’s a fun story here, at least in the time I was able to enjoy it. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get enough time to do a complete run-through, but it’s for sure on my “to eat later” list.
Match 14 for me was difficult because I could tell both games were up my alley, but I didn’t finish either game so just voted for the one that felt like I would like it the most based on first impressions alone.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 15:
Counterfeit Monkey vs. The Lurking Horror II: The Lurkening 2
Counterfeit Monkey has one of the most interesting “gimmicks” I’ve seen in an IF game yet. Gimmick sounds harsh, but I mean it in the most adored manner possible. The ability for the player to change objects feels kind of new to me, and while I didn’t get very far into the game, it is just so FUN to be able to try different combinations to see what will happen. I could see myself spending hours with this, replaying it multiple times just to find out what kind of mischief I could get in with object manipulation.
The Lurking Horror is one of my favorite Infocom games that I never quite managed to win but loved the time I did manage to play. I am so down with HP Lovecraft and the Mythos. I have enjoyed nearly all of Lovecraft’s works and quite a few works by others in the “eldritch horror” genre. The idea of a horror so unspeakable that it is maddening to even see it, well that’s just cool. I’m into RPG games, and naturally Call of Cthulhu was one of the early games I spent hours played at the student center at university instead of, you know, studying important stuff, like my class textbooks. So Lurking Horror II: The Lurkening 2, well it’s just right up my alley, and especially the tongue in cheek style it is delivered in. What is not to love about it? It’s a gravy train of delicious nostalgia. A thousand deaths might not be enough to solve this delicious eldritch time-bender, but I will enjoy trying!
Unfortunately I had to vote for one of these two great games, and Counterfeit Monkey is a fresh breeze of awesome that usually trumps even the tastiest nostalgia, but only by a smidge.
FIFP Round 1, Division 2 Match 16:
Foo Foo vs. Blue Lacuna
Foo Foo, based on the “Little Bunny Foo Foo” nursery rhyme, has a noir-comedy vibe, similar to Zootopia (2016 film) or Sam & Max (the dog and rabbit comics/cartoon detectives). Foo Foo has some funny and engaging dialogue and an interesting plot. The comedy of the setting seeps through with little tidbits with every interaction, much in the way that the Sam & Max Telltale point and click adventures do. The writing is well done and the characters all feel familiar and fun. I didn’t get enough time with it to really review, but I definitely got enough time with it to put it on my wish list.
Blue Lacuna has a lot of text. This can be good or bad depending on the type of work you’re interested in. This really does feel like “an interactive novel” as the author describes it, in the early portion of the game. It feels as if your choices actually do matter, and that playing this game to try to see all the endings will require multiple trips through from the beginning. It also feels like I can’t really do this game justice with a ‘first look’ type analysis, other than to say, yes, please! This feels like a game that is right up my alley, a game that has a deep and involving and emotionally engaging story but is also a GAME, so that there will be parts of it that are for playing / exploring, and other parts that are the story part of it. At least I think it feels like that, hopefully it delivers on its tremendous potential. Looking forward to a deep dive into Blue Lacuna after the FIFP.
That’s it for the “old newb”. Looking forward for division 3.
