Hey, everyone! My name’s Justin and I’m a writer with Final Arc, a publication that’s all about indie games and more. I’ve been into IF for awhile and started making my own games last year.
I covered IFComp starting up again for 2024 for the pub and thought it’d be cool to do short impressions of the games entered this year. This isn’t my first rodeo playing IFComp games and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to give authors some coverage. No promises on covering every game but I do aim to cover as many as I can.
I’ll post my coverage here on intfiction. For faster delivery, you can sign up for our free newsletter and get Final Arc’s latest posts right when they’re posted! Please let me know if y’all have any questions about the site.
I had the privilege of beta testing this one before the comp and I’m glad for the chance. This is one of the coolest parser games I’ve played yet. If you haven’t tried this game out, I highly recommend it.
This also one of the entries I beta tested and wow was it fun. Mysteries and detective fiction are near and dear to my heart so playing an Agatha Christie-ish game was fun. Also big props to Daniel for all the hard work they put in to making a hyperlink UI. Definitely try this one out!
Note: Incorrect pronouns used for Daniel were corrected.
This is another comp entry I beta tested (the last one, I swear!) and I’m so glad I did. I was blown away by According to Cain last year and I was just as impressed with this one. If you love mysteries and also understand the stress of being a writer then you’ll need to check this game out.
(For everyone else, I should add that, as a beta tester, Justin reported a game-breaking bug within 36 hours of the comp deadline. Not all heroes wear capes, but they do beta test.)
Thanks for being patient, folks. Here’s the next impression! You Can’t Save Her by Sarah Mak caught my eye almost immediately because of the cool artwork for it. But what made me stay was the great writing and the interesting techniques she used to tell it. Choice-game fans who haven’t played this yet are in for a fun ride, particularly those who enjoy Porpentine’s works.
Hey everyone! Back with another impression for the comp. This time it’s about The Bat by the one and only Chandler M. Groover. I had a blast playing this and an equally fun time writing the piece too.
It also has a special place in my heart because it takes inspiration from one of my favorite stories, The Bat (the 1926 silent film adaptation, specifically)! Parser fans and those too afraid to try them are going to have a good ol’ romp when they ATTEND TO guests.
Hey everyone, can you believe the comp’s almost over?! Don’t worry, Final Arc still has a few more impressions up its sleeve. Today’s piece is about Quest for the Teacup of Minor Sentimental Value by Damon L. Wakes!
A little fun fact about me: Some of the first games I ever made were done in RPG Maker, inspired by horror games such as Ib and The Witch’s House. The tool will always have a place in my heart, so I couldn’t resist trying Damon’s piece. It has that classic Damon charm and wit, so you’ll have more than one laugh while playing. See if you can help Jasmine find her teacup (of minor sentimental value)!
Times are rough at the moment but the Final Arc crew’s holding tight as best we can! Our output might slow down a bit and the comp may be over but we’re still committed to finishing up our IFComp 2024 coverage. That said, today’s piece in this series is about A Warm Reception by Joshua Hetzel!
Hetzel’s game was a pleasant surprise for me this year. It feels like an Infocom-style game but with a much more lenient difficulty level. It’s short, it’s sweet, and more importantly it’s not just another typical parser adventure. There’s a neat twist for how you can finish the game. Want to know what it is? Check out the piece!
(Also, if anyone knows how to reach Hetzel and can pass along the link to them, it’d appreciated!)
Aaaand we’re back! Congrats to all the authors, it was fun watching the results livestream on Twitch with everyone. Final Arc has two more impressions before we wrap up our coverage. So without further ado, here’s one of them: Bad Beer by Vivienne Dunstan!
I adore this game. Your character stumbles onto a mystery in their favorite pub with more layers than you might think. My favorite part of playing this one was really feeling cozy. A vague term, sure, but I don’t find many games which give me a true taste of this kind of experience.
When I finished playing my brain was drowning in a haze of everything I just witnessed. But the clearest thought in my head was that I needed to share this with everyone.
Who should play Bad Beer? Everyone. Period. It’s a shorter piece, sure, but it holds up well despite its length. And for those afraid of more headaches dealing with ridiculous parser puzzles, this game doesn’t use moon logic nor does it waste your time. But if you don’t believe me, why not read the article and see what’s up?
I love how you’ve described Bad Beer as cosy. That possible relevance hadn’t occurred to me until the other day, when I was reading the "Cozy" works thread here. And thought, hey, I think my game is cosy too! Yes some spooky and disturbing things happen. But it is very much in the vein of cosy mysteries. So thanks @Bruhstin! Much appreciated
Of course, thank you for making a great game and for providing a quote! I also appreciate you linking to the thread here. And yes, I thought of cozy mysteries while playing Bad Beer, too. Congrats again, Vivienne!
Hey all, long time no see! Apologies for not keeping up with IFComp updates sooner, there’s a lot that’s happened recently. But now Final Arc is starting to get back into the groove of things.
This was a game I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. Part of it is because of the awesome writing and polished implementation. The other part is that it’s a fun tribute to games the author enjoyed growing up. This kind of joy is infectious and you can feel it in the care she took with each character.
Who should play An Account of Your Visit…? For one, fans of Twine games will enjoy the well-implemented interface. Parser fans will definitely enjoy the parser-like experience this game has to offer. And of course, folks who love creepy houses with fun inhabitants will also get a kick out of it.
Still unsure about checking out the house for yourself? Then read the article to see why it’s worth a trip!
