I’m closing off here - these will be my only public reviews. Deepest thanks to the authors of this year’s comp for their hard work, and to the other judges (whose thoughtful reviews have helped and inspired me).
I do want to highlight Esther’s by Brad and Alleson Buchanan, which I intended to play a second time alongside a relative in the target audience but was never able to arrange. I played it near the beginning of the comp and found it to be basically perfect for what it is; an adorable and polished game that provides a great entry for children into the interactive fiction world.