20 Exchange Place by Sol FC
So, you’re apparently the least competent hostage negotiator ever – at least, you don’t seem very competent in the game, constantly battling your nerves – and yet they let you plan the assault on the building, which is surely not your job. And then everything goes wrong… but is it your fault? Not really. It’s just the newspapers that will say it’s your fault. Tough luck, man, but who said life was fair?
This piece is a bit rough around the edges when it comes to things like prose polish, but I nevertheless enjoyed it for its chutzpah. Wanna smash up the report? Okay, smash up the reporter. Wanna go in through the roof guns blazing? Sure, that’s what we’ll do. Of course, most of it ends terribly… and that is where the trouble begins. This is a game that requires you to walk a very narrow path. That can be fine, but (a) with only save slot its a little harsh that you can lock yourself out of the good ending without noticing, and (b) finding the right path seems mostly a matter of luck. It’s not that careful thought and reading will show you why you have to do what you have to do. In fact, the best ending would be reached if you did absolutely nothing. Because it’s only when you act too soon that things are blown up and people die. Also, smoking a cigarette is essential to victory, something you can’t possibly know.
But I persevered, and I enjoyed going in Die Hard style… and then the ending was a bit disappointing (the robbers get away), but it also seemed to hint at more. It seems to hint at a greater mystery to unravel! How did they get away? Is there something I should have noticed? Did they [drum roll] exchange place with someone else? Is there a way to catch them? But I can’t come up with anything that makes sense. The bomb squad? (No.) The old lady? (No.) Or maybe they’re already gone by the time you arrive? (But no, someone opens the door for pizza, somebody kills a hostage if you phone.) Maybe they disguise themselves as hostages? (But surely those are all screened and their loot would be found.) Maybe you can phone them at the wrong moment, and then somebody’s phone goes off, and you know they are secretly the perpetrator? (No, you can’t actually do that.)
In the end, I just checked out the contents of the Javascript file. Friends, there is no better ending. You can pain your brains as much as you want, this game is always going to end sniggering at your incompetence. Which… okay, nobody said life was fair, but I suppose I’d like a little more fairness in my games?