As with IFComp and Seedcomp I’m going to post my reviews of the Revival Jam stuff.
I will also give some updates and a postmortem about my current work.
The format will be the same as previously, except there will be no bad and huh (I’m going to emphasize on the good stuff). There will also be no grade given.
List:
Kel (2024, words on screen) (done)
Tiny Ratopia (done)
Stomping Grounds (done)
Bradisson Rayburn’s Revenge (done)
FIA: The Vacuum Cleaner
Labyrinth
Sojourn (done)
Neapolitan
Malachi and the Quest for Attention
The Chosen Path **
Updates to come soon.
I thought that it will be a good way to contribute to the IF community and support the many authors who have given us their work for us to admire.
Made in: Inform 7
Throwback to: Big Trashy Twine Jam
What it is about: You’re on a game show. Can you win? But there’s a catch: unless you do something unexpected, you’ll lose for sure.
Evaluation: The author’s other works include Awkward Reunion and Sprinklepills, both for the Neo-Twiny Jam and Jimmie, Ari and Shush for Introcomp. There is a Sprinklepills reference here. You collect items in the various rooms of the studio, then go to the main floor of the game show and try to win various “challenge levels” using objects you found. Oftentimes these can be really unexpected, thus contributing to the humor. Who would have thought that you could ZAP a button and POUR Sprinklepills on some goo? Most of the stuff are implemented, but not all- the stuff in the canister are not described and are unbotainable by the player. And this was one of the few parser games I finished without peeking at the walkthrough. (At last!) I’m not sure what the winning ending is, if there was one. I just got the fact and ending that I was pissed off with Rayburn. And the title is misleading. Overall, a very good start.
What it is about: A day in the life of a pet rat. From the perspective of the rat, of course.
Evaluation: The author’s other works include Structural Integrity for Spring Thing, You’re A Time Agent, and various other works for comps and jams. Short, sweet and to the point. It focuses on what you need to focus on- the here and now, and the surreal yet minimalist description of the environment makes you want to draw closer. Character interaction is done just right. It starts and ends with “warm”, which is exactly how the author would want you, the reader, to feel. To the rats, it feels like heaven. The author’s works are heavy on the atmosphere and feelings of characters- as befits someone who is part of the Neo-Interactives webring, this is appropriate.
What it is about: A promise made is a promise kept. Remember all your memories, one day at a time.
Evaluation: The author’s other works include Sweetpea for Spring Thing and various other works for comps and jams. As with Tiny Ratopia, it is atmosphere heavy. However, each daily memory is detailed and is an abstract symbol of something far larger, something, according to the author, “larger than life, outrageously alive…”. Unlike After the Accident, where remembering incidents also forms a major part of the storyline, this one is more breath than depth when it comes to what incidents are involved. The breadth: different facets of the forest. The author channels their inner biology student in “The pump and flow of xylem and phloem, capillary pressure: thrumming like a heartbeat, veins and arteries beneath moss encrusted bark…” Unlike in Tiny Ratopia, the timescale seems to be broader, as seen in “present backsliding into past, hurtling into future…” In a way, this also ties back to the author’s rationale: a love poem for Dan. Both this and Tiny Ratopia want you to feel refreshed. They just do it through different ways- the fomer does a macro approach, the latter a micro approach. Both ways work well.
Made in: Twine
Throwback to: IF Art Show (Portrait category)
What it is about: A detailed description of Kel, one of the supporting characters of Tabitha’s novel Structural Integrity (and the Seedcomp entry A Collegial Conversation).
Evaluation: If you are going for a portrait picture, might as well give detailed descriptions of the facial and bodily features. This was pulled off well. It was also nice to go from one body part to another (cheeks to skin not withstanding). Once again, short, sweet and to the point. The micro aspect was done well. At the end, you get the macro view, and this ties the entire portrait together. It’s like a camera that zooms in initially and then gradually zooms out. The author’s other entry was a zoomed-in perspective; this one has both, and well-balanced too. As for adhering to the rules of the IF Art Show, while there was a lack of conversation options like in Galatea, the focus was on character description, and given that this was probably written in a short amount of time, it’s still good enough.
Made in: Twine
Throwback to: Neo-Twiny Jam (500 words)
What it is about: A reflection on various important things in the author’s life.
Evaluation: The author’s other works include Protocol for Spring Thing. This is mainly a reflection and love letter on many things that the author holds dear in their life. These include: vast empty spaces devoid of sound, journeys, the author’s love life (and lack thereof), the forces and cycles of nature, and the essence of poetry, In fact, this could be a gigantic poem in itself. Now one of the themes used here was cycles of nature- and the author chooses to use the seasons and the up/down cycle as part of the backdrop. Indeed, this is reflected in the fact that this is meant to have no end- yes, it’s a circular poem! Since the environment and the author’s passage through said environment is front and center of this piece, the description of said environment is rich, detailed and vivid. Can we pretend that the lights of the refinery are like shooting stars? The author has a better grasp on poetry than you think, by the way. This reflection may be short, but it encapsulates the author’s feelings, lying just beyond the horizon. In a way that is unexpected, but hits the right notes.
The goal of the Neo-Interactives is to provide an inclusive and encouraging hub for IF creators and players, not to define an appropriate creative style or atmosphere. Our jams aim to foster communication and creative flow in the IF community, so while any participants are welcome for membership, the Neo-Interactives as a group does not have any affiliation with individual creators who submit to Neo jams.
As organizers, we request that reviewers keep this and our mission in mind while reviewing to avoid misunderstandings.
Thanks for playing! I remember designing the game so it’d be hard to get stuck, every puzzle has either multiple hints or multiple solutions. I wanted to implement a hint feature, but I ran out of time, so I put more in the actual game text itself. The medical implements are just set dressing, the protagonist is too uncomfortable to use any of them. There is only one ending, I was on a time crunch and really tired so I had to wrap it up quickly.
Can verify. Definitely “not available” in any sense and can also confirm the sibling vibes run both ways. To give context, Sophia wrote this game the same day our cat of 20 years died. It’s a show of support and caring from a friend and it was greatly appreciated.
