Bad Beer by Vivienne Dunstant
You order a Stinky Ferret beer, and then you’re surprised when it tastes bad? I call that truth in advertising! Also, I can totally see a small British craft brewery choosing this very name. You’re not really in the business if there isn’t some loathsome goblin or hag on your cans! Let me add that I love it.
Bad Beer is a charming little parser game from Scottish author Vivienne Dunstan. The beer in the local brewery has gone bad. Early signs are that the pub is being haunted. We never learn why the haunting has gotten worse recently, but it has, and it’s up to us to deal with the restless spirit. What follows is a benign time loop in the past where we actually ensure that the accident never happens. Nice.
This game wants us to have a good time, smile a bit, and then move on with our life. In that respect it’s just like a good pint of beer. Not one of those really hoppy ones, I think; more a blonde. Served well chilled. Nothing bad about it.