Ratings and Reviews by Rose
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Origami, Gnomes, and Caffeine Overdoses, July 15, 2010"Escape the locked room" games have been done so many times it's very difficult to write this genre in a way that feels original. Monday, 16:30 doesn't try. Instead, it shamelessly employs all the conventions and clichés, ignores the fourth wall, and generally refuses to take itself seriously in any way whatsoever. It works.
You play a bored intern trying to kill time until you can leave work. That's an over-simplistic description; the plot thickens quickly as you attempt to win the attention of the girl in the office block opposite without leaving the room. Depending on what you're doing, time passes at different rates; you have a time limit towards the end, but it's fairly flexible and if you think fast and don't waste your turns you're unlikely to run out. The writing is technically accurate most of the time, and will have you laughing out loud in many places. Since I usually abandon puzzly games early on, it says a lot about the quality of the writing that I was willing to persevere to the end just to read more of it. Unfortunately, some of the humorous passages get repeated often (particularly the message when you (Spoiler - click to show)drink too much coffee) and they began to annoy me after a while; it would have been nice to have the message be shorter and simpler after the first viewing.
Monday, 16:30 rewards patience. The opening, which is a railroaded menu based conversation, is extremely unpromising, and I'm still not sure why the dialogue is in italics. It's easy to get stuck close to the start without hints, since the game doesn't give you much of a clear direction. Give it ten minutes, however: the writing and the sheer silliness of some of the situations are well worth the effort.
The puzzles pretty much all involve the same thing: manipulating paper in different ways to achieve different ends. From origami cranes to giant A3 paper planes, it's amazing what it's actually possible to do. The programming must have been a nightmare, but it works well. The special disambiguation when you have too many pieces of paper is a nice touch. The one room of the game is split up into separate areas; this isn't really necessary but it gives a nice sense of where everything is placed. The built in hint system (a miming gnome) is brilliant, and challenging to use in itself. Unfortunately, it's actually impossible to complete the game without using the gnome hints. (Spoiler - click to show)You need to speak to the gnome at least once to learn a miming action you need. Even when it's theoretically possible to solve some of the puzzles without hints, you'd need to read the author's mind to be able to do it without the gnome. Since I was leaning on the hints anyway I didn't mind, but those who like to solve puzzles themselves may dislike this.
Overall, Monday, 16:30 is a fun puzzlefest that's really worth a play. It shouldn't take more than two hours to complete. I look forward to seeing more of this author's work!
Truly Interactive Fiction, July 14, 2010The words 'interactive fiction' imply a story you can truly influence - that you're part of the process of telling the story. Unfortunately, few titles actually accomplish this. Even when the game contains multiple paths, you're still essentially playing through a detailed puzzle box. Blue Lacuna is an outstanding piece due to its true interactivity.
You, as the PC, have the ability to Wayfare - to travel between worlds and places by creating art. When called by another of your kind, you rush to the rescue - only to find yourself on a near-deserted island with a crazy old man and some very creepy trees. Who called you here? And what do they want with you?
This game goes far beyond multiple paths: you genuinely do shape the story. The characterisation of the PC is entirely up to you and you're able to act in almost any way you feel fits. In turn, your actions shape the environment, the outcomes of the story, and the attitudes of the one main NPC in ways that frankly boggle the mind. Progue is an incredible NPC; your behaviour towards him influences his towards you, as well as what encounters you will have. He can be your mortal enemy, love interest, or anything in between. No two playthroughs will be the same. Sadly, the game is so huge and time-consuming that it's difficult to live up to the near-unlimited replay potential.
The setting - the island of Lacuna - is a character in itself. Complete with succinct but vivid descriptions, day-night and weather cycles, random environmental events and an expansive but intuitive map, it's the most detailed setting I've ever seen in a work of IF. Even on third and fourth playthroughs, I'm still discovering new treasures hidden away. Exploring Lacuna even without a plot to drive you would be well worth the effort. Speaking of the plot, it's one of the few things that don't replay so well. The main events of the plot (particularly the (Spoiler - click to show)dream sequences) are less adaptable than the rest of the game, so even the most haunting parts grow dry and familiar after you've read them once or twice.
Aside from the story itself, Blue Lacuna breaks ground in other ways. You may select between story and puzzle modes; this adds to the re-playability, and means the game will appeal to both fans of narrative (like me) and those who like a challenge. I loved this touch and wish more games would offer it. While not exactly a new idea, the (optional) compass-free movement commands heightened the realism and made it feel like you really were exploring the environment instead of a game map. (Spoiler - click to show)The backstage commands were a brilliant touch; they made it way easier to find new endings and to otherwise mess around with the game environment, which is always fun.
Unfortunately, with great interactivity comes great complexity, and with great complexity comes great bugginess. (Is that a word?) On my first playthrough, an essential plot event (the (Spoiler - click to show)tsunami, if you're wondering) never triggered and the game was rendered unwinnable. Though nothing that bad ever happened again, the interpreter kept crashing during one of the conversations and there were way too many bugs and minor inconsistencies to count. I understand that the huge scope of the game makes it impossible to debug completely, but I had so many issues dodging bugs it's enough to lower the game one star in my estimation.
Blue Lacuna is a groundbreaking game that is likely to take an important place in the history of IF. If you enjoy immersive games that reward persistence and patience, then I would definitely recommend giving it a play.
Fun, But Not Fine-Tuned Enough, July 13, 2010Right from the pun-filled title, Fine-Tuned promises a fun ride. You play Troy Sterling, a wannabe dashing hero who charges around the 1910 countryside in his trusty automobile - and Miss Melody Sweet, a struggling but talented opera singer. The point-of-view switches in each chapter as the plot continues.
The opening chapter as Troy is brilliant. The narrative voice is fun, it's fairly intuitive what actions to take, and I found myself becoming more and more sympathetic towards our dashing but not entirely bright hero. The second chapter, as Melody, is where the puzzles really begin, but also where it gets much less fun. You have no clear goal, so you're forced to blindly experiment, and Melody's point-of-view is much less interesting. Of course, I favour narrative over puzzles, so some may prefer the puzzly sections. The puzzles themselves were interesting, but not terribly complex. (Spoiler - click to show)Most involve utilising Melody's talent as an opera singer in some way; breaking the jars was the most amusing instance.
Fine-Tuned's biggest problem is the fact that it's unfinished. The game ends (Spoiler - click to show)right before the final showdown with a rather anticlimactic message, which is frustrating. If you don't like playing unfinished games, I'd recommend that you stay well clear until the final chapters are released.
The game could certainly use some polish on the later chapters (and an actual conclusion), but is otherwise very entertaining. I'm rating it only a four because it was incomplete, but it's still a piece of IF that will appeal to fans of both narrative and puzzles.
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