Tag Archives: reviews
IF Comp 2017: Transient Skies (dgtziea)
Transient Skies is a Twine game of space and planet exploration involving stat-tracking, some evidently procedural elements, and what looks like a number of endings. You travel from planet to planet, gathering resources and scanning the wildlife to add to … Continue reading
IF Comp 2017: The Unofficial Sea-Monkey(R) Simulation (B.J. Best)
The Unofficial Sea-Monkey(R) Simulation is a short replayable Twine game that’s maybe 20% raising sim, 80% chronicle of depressing home life. Perhaps that’s a miscategorization–the mechanics of the game are pretty much 100% raising sim, providing the player with a … Continue reading
2016 in Review
2016 has been a pretty calamitous year for a lot of people and arguably the world–personally, it’s been an eventful one for me. Not good, not bad. Just eventful. I relocated temporarily to the opposite coast, among other things, and … Continue reading
Niccolò Rising and Rogue One
I’m not going to bother to try and draw thin thematic parallels between Dorothy Dunnett’s Niccolò Rising and the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, except that they’re both media I consumed (or finished consuming, in the case of … Continue reading
IF Comp 2015: Scarlet Sails (Felicity Banks)
Scarlet Sails is a charming Choicescript game by Felicity Banks. I’ll say here that the oversaturation of the pirate tradition always wars with its enduring romance for me–agh, the endless merchandising! But the maps! But the colonialism! But the outfits! But … Continue reading
IF Comp 2015: Untold Riches (Jason Ermer)
General: Untold Riches is a straightforward, by-the-numbers treasure hunt that knows what it is and knows what it isn’t. You turn up stranded on a deserted island, missing the adventuring professor whose sidekick you are and whose hijinks have gotten you into … Continue reading
IF Comp 2015: Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
Hello! Dusting this thing off for some IF Comp 2015 reviews, starting with– Midnight. Swordfight. is a parser-based story and puzzle game. I should say right away that this is a game designed to cater to about 70% of my IF-playing … Continue reading
Recent stories and reviews + BioShock Infinite
Dusting off this poor neglected thing: I’ve had book reviews out recently of Emma Newman’s Between Two Thorns and Joyce Carol Oates’ The Accursed, both located over at Strange Horizons for your perusal. SH is currently up for a Best … Continue reading
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Roundabout Theater Company)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is that charming beast, a Broadway musical destined only for the stage. With so many blockbuster shows designed nearly more around the concept album, the chart-topping OLC/OBC, the inevitable movie musical, the touring production, and … Continue reading
IF Comp 2012: howling dogs (Porpentine)
howling dogs is a link-based story game made with Twine. Around the time I started writing this up, Emily Short did an interview with Porpentine, which you should read if you’ve played the game, but, really, also if you haven’t … Continue reading
Orestes Drunk and Pylades Fasting 