Starting a review thread now!
I can’t promise to review many games this year. I am extremely ill from my progressive neurological disease, and have limited time to play. But I’m excited by what I see and hope to play and review as many entries as possible.
I’ve drawn me up a starting target list of games to aim at. So fingers crossed I get through as many of them as possible!
Stowaway by Nicholas Covington
Starting with this one, a short Ink story, where you’re a stowaway on a ship, creeping around at night, seeing what you can discover and do.
I was surprised at the start that the game is set in the seventeenth century and the Caribbean. There isn’t much of a feel of the time and place in the story itself. There are also some anachronisms, such as a piano being played (too early). But these pale into insignificance against the creative leaps of imagination the game takes you to.
There are many endings to find. I tried to find as many of them as possible. One (performing the ritual) was particularly satisfying to find. Many of the endings come from the branching choice structure. But also from how you can use objects that you discover to further the plot and choice options. It’s a lot of fun.
On the downside the game needs some more polish in coding. It lets you repeat doing things over and over again, with exactly the same responses. Eg if in a given location you select option X which gives you a certain piece of text together with a new item, you get that exact same text and new item on repeated choices of that option.
But it is a lot of fun. A creative and imaginative piece of work. It almost feels like a parser game, in the way you find objects and get extra options to use them.
A fun start 
Three-Card Reading by Norbez Jones
Rather curious going into this one. It’s described as “kinetic” interactive fiction, which I think means no choice? I always want some kind of interaction and preferably agency, so will see how I feel trying this. I am keen to try it though, not least because I’ve recently been learning Tarot card reading! So here goes …
First up: the text on the opening splash credits screen is hard to read. White with a black outline against an autumnal/misty scene does not deliver readable words. I’m even struggling, for example, to read the word “Twitter” in there. As well as other words I know. Fortunately the text in game is much clearer visually.
Neat to have a save option. Oh and there are voice credits, so I’d better turn on my sound.
The main screen has the main text being read out in the middle, with character icons around the edge. Nothing seems interactable with. Different characters light up as the speaker changes. The character images also change at times. But the only options you have are to save (which does what???) and pause or play the story. Listening works, with multiple voice actors, but then makes reading (which I do at a different speed) superfluous. This would be blind reader friendly.
Because it’s spoken it appears that you can’t speed through the story. Basically you’re listening to an audio story. And I ended up doing other things while the audio played. But I found out later on that you can tap the rectangle item at the right in the bottom panel to move on between text sections. But that’s really all you can do apart from pause and play.
I expected and wanted some Tarot deck visuals going into the game. I know there will be copyright issues with some deck designs, but going in I had an image in my mind of cards appearing on screen. I was also hoping for random draws, maybe a Tarot simulator. But it’s totally fixed. Not seeing cards feels unsatisfying. The meanings given seem on point.
The story takes about 15 minutes to run through if you let it play through the audio. I think it maybe recaps some of the plot of “Yancy At The End Of The World” which I haven’t played? Or at least has a partial call back to that. But it wasn’t a problem. I liked the ending of the story. It felt satisfying.
I’m still not sure how I feel about kinetic interactive fiction. I was happy watching/listening/reading this. But I would have preferred more (any!) interaction and agency. And give me card visuals! Also the user interface needed to be clearer for the viewer. It took me ages to realise I could click that rectangle to step quickly through paragraphs appearing on screen.
So an interesting idea, but some issues that could be smoothed. And I really wanted some interaction.
Interview Interview by Ronynn
This is an episodic Twine game about interviews, and the choices you can make during them, and how you are perceived.
Initially I was thrown by the opening, not what I expected. But then the story runs through a sequence of chapters, each with an original take on the idea of an interview, while also moving the plot and your character’s story forward.
It’s nicely done, and the player has choices about whether to deliberately shape how they are presented, or to give perhaps more honest and personal answers.
The later parts of the game are interesting and unexpected, in a way that totally surprised me. But also made me think.
At the very end you can see statistics about the overall pattern of your choices and achievements you unlocked.
Note the game has ambient music for much of it, but I found listening to this very distracting as I was trying to read the text on screen. So I turned my sound off.
For the author I noticed some typos:
On the opening “Instructions” screen:
“Such a foul move to take me to instructions instead of starting the story already!!”, you shout.
You can switch the themes using the button below, you can restart if you are dissapointed with your choices
And in the opening of Chapter 1:
The other two, stare at you with a look of tiredness and dissapointment.
Elaine Marley and the Ghost Ship By Logan Delaney
This is a Monkey Island spinoff/tribute game, exploring the question “What was Governor Elaine Marley really doing when she was stuck on the Ghost Ship?” In a textual choice-based format.
It was interesting running this on a low-res screen (1024x665 pixel size equivalent). I use a low-res screen on my laptop as standard to get larger text to read. But in this game even though strictly speaking I was running in full screen mode it meant that I had too little game area, and had to zoom out some times in the web browser to see some things I needed to interact with. Which meant the font was too small for me to read comfortably (I got the same effect switching my Mac temporarily to 1800x1169 equivalent resolution, full screen again).
I can barely remember the first Monkey Island game. Thankfully this does a recap. Including some meta elements. Then it launches into a series of chapter-like “hour” segments - note they do not take an hour of real time to play, thankfully! These segments are choice based, though often not so much about choosing, as going through a series of options to examine the world around you. But there are some nice choices re how you handle dialogue. And I think occasionally some critical choices re what order you do things in.
There are puzzles, but the game guides you to the solutions. It is generally not difficult.
The writing is amusing, on point for a Monkey Island tribute.
On the downside you have to read every unlocked author’s note to unlock the next “hour” portion of the game. And then when you complete that next hour portion there’s another author’s note to read before you can play the next hour segment. The author notes are amusing but not very interactive, and playing them got a bit tiresome after a while. And woe betide if you accidentally click again on “hour one” when you meant to click on “hour two”. You can save the game during the game, but I couldn’t find any way to undo my mistake of stepping back bar full replaying.
Although I think this aspect has been toned down, there is still quite a lot of timed text in the game. Which I’m rather allergic to. I was particularly exasperated as a reader by
The door creaks open
slowly,
where the word “slowly” appeared incredibly slowly, and repeatedly if I am remember correctly. I’m afraid that I wasn’t in the right receptive mood for it!
In the end I made it through part of “hour three”, and possibly got near to an ending. But then I ran out of time. I’m assuming there was a better ending to get. I hope so!
I did enjoy this, and it should work even if you haven’t played Monkey Island. At least to an extent. Though it is probably more successful for players who know that franchise.
I did find the load/save game and my muddle repeating hour one frustrating. I couldn’t find a way to access the saved game once you’d clicked into an hour segment. Including when I clicked on the wrong one. Replaying was annoying.
It’s also why I haven’t had another go at “hour three”, because I’d need to replay all of the earlier portions.
But I was laughing a lot throughout. So that’s good.
Fragments of the Nile by Storyteller
I’m now starting on the collection As I Sat on a Sunny Bank by Senica Thing, a group of students from Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy. I plan to review each story separately. They are perfect for when I fancy playing something a bit more bite sized! Though when I’ve finished them all I will make a combined post here linking to all the reviews, and will then link to that combined post from the reviews spreadsheet.
First up this one, which intrigued me by the Egyptian sounding title. Curious to see what the 15-year-old author comes up with. I appreciate the information at the start about the author and what feedback they are looking for.
The game turns out to be an archaeological mystery, which can go in various directions, including from the very start. It’s a branching Twine piece, and I found the writing made me want to replay to experience the other options. I especially liked when the game took you into the past. Very imaginative, and not what I was expecting. The other main branch of the game explored the same ideas but from a different perspective. That branch (the radio/research one) absolutely did not go where I expected it to! An exciting read.
I liked the archaeological excavations especially. But something that I felt was lacking in that portion of the game was a real sense of place. It would be nice if the author created more of this in game, whether through descriptions that you read, or more interaction options for the player. What does it feel like in Egypt? What can the player see, hear and smell? You could put this information into the game text. But a better option might be to let the player interact more with the world and what they are seeing. For example when you start digging in the cave with other people around, maybe let the player choose to look more closely at the others nearby, and look around the cave. Maybe let the player optionally even smell the air? All of these little extra touches can be implemented by additional choice options in game. Which will engage the player more deeply than extra non-interactive text would do. None of these extra choices need to change the core plot, but all could help to create a richer sense of player immersion.
Basically though I liked it a lot, admired the storytelling, and was so engrossed that I replayed to see lots of different branches. Well done to the author!
Thank you dearly for the feedback.
Espresso Moka by Roberto Ceccarelli
My first parser game play of the competition! And this looks fun. I am a bit of a coffee nerd myself, daily enjoying freshly ground coffee brewed in a Hario Switch V60/immersion combo. But I have never used a moka pot. Though I have seen some YouTube clips using one. I can so get into the player character’s mindset. No problem!
Note I hadn’t played the author’s previous game. And I didn’t read the manual for this one before playing. I only went to the walkthrough when I got stuck - though more on that in a bit …
It’s a light parser game, where you buy a new coffee maker, and try to make coffee with it. Your girlfriend helps talk you through the process, and gives tips at times. And it’s satisfying getting to the end.
On the downside it was a bit fight the parser in places. And there was quite a lot of parser disambiguation, I think a little more playtesting might have helped smooth things. It’s also perhaps a little harder on the player than it needs to be. Eg the need to unfold a sheet before reading. And I absolutely could not manage to read the back of the sheet, no matter what I tried. That’s when I went to the walkthrough. But that didn’t help me figure out how to do this either.
However, I managed to make my coffee and I was smiling throughout. So well done to the author for a fun play experience, from one coffee nerd to another!
Must resist buying a moka pot …
Apologies to the author: I don’t have a play transcript.
P.S. Having a second go, to get a transcript to email Roberto. I managed to solve my problem! And transcript will be on the way soon.
Thank you very much for playing my game and sharing your impressions.
Don’t do it! I couldn’t live without the murmur of coffee in the morning. My son wanted to buy a capsule machine, I use it sometimes, but in the morning my wife and I use our old moka. It’s different.
10.000% concur and agree with Roberto. Viv, do yourself an huge favour and buy a good Moka !
the best place, by far, to buy one:
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.
I must add my voice to those urging you to stop resisting the call of the Moka Pot. The Moka Pot is good. The Moka Pot will grant you soothing, fragrant, gurgling deliciousness. The Moka Pot will stay with you for the rest of your life. You will never know bliss until you buy your own Moka Pot.
Oh, yes. This is THE moka, the one of the little man with the moustache, that in the advertising animation, instead of the mouth moving, it was replaced by the letters of the sentence.
By the way, the text of the sheet that Vivienne failed to flip contains the text of the Bialetti instructions.
In the game there is another man with moustache: the one seeking his Carmencita 
I wasn’t picturing you as so old… I got the impression that you are late 30s/ early 40s, not my (admittely older…) age..
(for the others: Roberto refers to 1970s Italian ads)
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio
Bottle by M.A.S.
Playing another in the anthology “As I Sat on a Sunny Bank” by Senica Thing, a group of student micro games. And this one is written by a 13-year-old author new to IF writing. It is a branching CYOA game, with short branches, each exploring what happens after you find a mysterious bottle on a beach.
This one went very dark in theme in places, I almost felt like I needed a content warning! But it was fun to explore the different branches, and the English language including spelling was good. I would have liked the individual branches to be a bit longer and deeper. They all finished quite abruptly. Maybe think about how to make more of each story? But I enjoyed playing, and it is a quick play. Thanks to the author.
Power Turtle by 3N
Another in the Senica Thing anthology, this micro CYOA game is a collaborative effort, written by 3 newcomers to IF writing.
In this one the player finds a turtle, and has to decide what to do with it. There are multiple possible branching endings to find and explore, and the writing is well judged, with a good length for each branch. I felt quite a high sense of jeopardy at times as I read, but the game is kind in its approach. I laughed an awful lot, especially when the turtle ate the goldfish!
A fun and light-hearted short game.
Succor by Loressa, Matthias Speksnijder and Dactorwatson
Now trying this collaborative piece where you’re haunted by the past, and uncovering old demons, as you explore your apartment, and try to find something to eat.
I liked the graphics, though turned off the sound, which distracted me too much from reading. Thanks to the authors for the ability to turn off text delays, and also for the comprehensive content warnings at the start of the game.
As you play through you uncover old takeaway food menus from the past, just as you are getting hungrier and hungrier ironically. I think the idea is to explore the various dishes on there, and revisit past memories as a result. I’m afraid that I didn’t really want to explore all the menu options. They were often too painful, and I just wanted to search the apartment for food (I can be extremely straight-line thinking at times!).
In the end although I found some rice and cleaned the kitchen and put some spiced water cooking on the hob, and something vanilla in the microwave oven (I also cleaned elsewhere) I still couldn’t find food to eat. So didn’t reach a totally satisfactory ending. Though my character was able to work through a lot of their demons.
I spotted a few typos. Here are notes for the authors.
You reluctantly drag yourself awake, rueful at your own body for its basic needs. It's dark and dim in here, blinds shut against the afternoon sun,, and your stomach is screaming for food. Your sleeping habits have been erratic, lately, ever since the incident.
Echoes of you mother's voice begin to creep into your mind, critiquing your cleaning techniques. You've picked the wrong tools, the wrong rags, the wrong solution - why even bother, with how terrible you're doing?
Nothing by Gooseberry
Next up, another Senica Thing micro game. And this one has a curious title. Intrigued to see what the 13-year-old author does with the concept. And it’s Twine/gamebook format again.
This time you find a mysterious book, that can take you to unexpected places. And there are various endings to explore.
I really liked the curious book, the core of the story. But I wish I could have explored more using it. In the game the player can use the book to go to one date in the past, but why not offer more options for them to follow up?
The story is quite linear. If you explore the book there’s more to uncover, but if you step away from the book, or ignore it, or other similar opt outs, the game ends abruptly. Maybe the author could offer other branches, investigating the book in different ways. What happens if you take the book to show a teacher at school, or a parent at home? Or what if you take the book to your local library and ask a librarian for advice?
I suppose the main thing is that I wanted more. I liked a lot that was there, and I wanted to be immersed more in the world containing this mysterious book. Thanks to the author!
Untitled by BB-Anon
And from “Nothing” to “Untitled”, and another Senica Thing micro Twine game. With another curious - or not! - title.
This one has lots of branches, as you explore a beach. There’s a strong sense of geography, and place, which is nice. I also found it made me want to clean the beach, and I was very happy when the game supported that option!
Structurally this game has merging branches, which is nice. It’s funny, but branches merging can sometimes feel more spacious for a player than branches all diverging. Or perhaps it’s that I feel that the story is reacting and moving around the choices I make, to an extent. And I like that. I may not be explaining this well!
One thing I found a bit confusing in one location was this text:
I could see three paths on the ground: one leading right towards a cliff, one leading stright ahead (with trash and candies) and one leading left towards the sea.
- Go left!
- Go right!
- Go straight!
Because the paragraph lists the directions in right, straight and left, I then had to do mental somersaults to choose from the differently ordered choice options below. It might be easier for the player if they’re all in the same matching order.
I’ve a couple of extra notes for the author I’ll put in a closed section at the end. But I had a lot of fun exploring the beach.
Was there a branch missing in this paragraph?
I didn't know what to ask for. I wished to go home, get to Europe or have the Earth with no trash.
- Go home.
- Clean the beach.
(I expected to see “Get to Europe” as a middle option)
And was this bit unfinished?
I followed the second one and found an axe and a shovel.
- What with an axe? [not a clickable option]
- Take the shovel
A Brand New World by Raiden
Continuing my current batch of Senica Thing game plays, and it’s on to this one.
The writing is detailed and descriptive, with excellent spelling throughout.
However there’s a very long intro, and other long portions aren’t very interactive either, with just a “next” type thing to click on to get another long chunk. Do remember the “interactive” in “interactive fiction” - it is important. And especially if you enter a future game into the Main Festival.
When I got into a magical world there was a really mind expanding description:
Amidst all the food stalls, you notice the bizarre objects placed on little displays - herbs, gems, typical goods one can find at a fair, and items you have never seen before. Golden, tear-shaped jewels laid out on a red pillow, vials filled with glittering liquids (some even formed into shapes).
I wonder if it might be possible for the author to let the player click on some of these items to see more. Because I wanted to interact with them.
There are lots of fun endings to explore (I like their handy abbreviations, like “Ignorance Is Bliss”). It’s a really nicely imagined world that the player can end up in. But maybe make the story a little more interactive in places, either breaking things up more, or adding more descriptive/expansive options to explore. Because great writing in an interactive fiction game needs to sit alongside interaction. So that’s my big tip.
I rarely comment on spelling in Senica Thing games. I think you’re all doing brilliantly, and it’s not the key focus.
But in this case the author wants to potentially enter the Main Festival with another game in future. Spelling typos are less welcome there. I only spotted a few (“colorfoul”, and “and a dozens of others,” - remove the “a”), including one at the very very start of the game unfortunately (“It’s a casual, Friday evening.” - should not have a comma there). It might be worth using a spell checker on text, if allowed by the tutor. Especially if aiming for the Main Festival. Generally though this game was superb on the spelling front. Well done!
Wonder of the Woods by Leontine (& Eudokimos)
On to my penultimate Senica Thing game. And this is a co-authored piece, by 7-year-old Leontine (well done! love your art!) and 48-year-old Eudokimos.
This micro game has a very stylised font design, and I’m afraid that I found the font a bit hard to read at times. But it does help conjure up a feeling of a fantastical world, which the list of characters at the start (Dramatis Personae!) then built on even more. Unicorns! I loved how I could click on each character name, and see a description and drawing.
One thing I liked a lot, and is unusual in this set of micro Twine games, is that the player can click on individual words in a larger paragraph to see more description. For example when you’re looking at River the unicorn you can tap on “mane” to see more information about their mane.
The story is nicely done, and a bit of a puzzle to solve. Which does involve understanding how the different characters - human and animal - feel about each other and interact. I particularly liked a replay option that I found (telling me to go back in time and do something differently). It was just charming, and I was very happy with the ending I got.
This feels like a well-rounded package. Nicely interactive, good visuals and differentiated characters. And a complex but involving interactive plot that builds on that foundation. This could easily have been in the Main Festival. So well done.
I did see one bug, but it didn’t stop the game playing for me.
