Cold Iron is a very short atmospheric piece centering on folk superstition and a ramble through the woods. More details follow the jump.
Category: Reviews
IF Comp 2011: Calm by Joey Jones and Melvin Rangasamy
It’s comp time, so I’m going to short summaries in my RSS feed in order to avoid dumping spoilers into the aggregators. And, as usual, I will be skipping games that have no evidence of beta-testing.
“Calm” is a post-apocalyptic survival game by Joey Jones and Melvin Rangasamy, with a fair amount of open-world freedom and multiple possible paths, somewhat reminiscent of Quintin Stone’s Scavenger.
In the review to follow, there are some comments on the gameplay experience to start with, then spoiler space, then more details about what did and didn’t work for me. If you want to experience the game free of all preconception, though, you’ll want to skip even the first portion.
Continue reading “IF Comp 2011: Calm by Joey Jones and Melvin Rangasamy”
IF Comp 2011: Keepsake
Keepsake describes itself as “a short interactive story about vengeance and its consequences.” As usual, commentary follows the jump.
IF Comp 2011: Cana According to Micah
“Cana According to Micah” tells the story of the wedding at which Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine. After the jump, there’s some general discussion of the design, then spoiler space, then a couple more particulars. As always, those who want to encounter the game in total innocence should avoid reading.
IF Comp 2011: PataNoir by Simon Christiansen
PataNoir is a detective noir-themed wordplay game in which the player is able to manipulate the objects that appear in similes (so “His teeth are like a row of tombstones” would make “tombstones” an interactive object). It’s probably most appealing to players who enjoyed Puddles on the Path or Earl Grey.
More detail follows the jump, though no specific spoilers.
Continue reading “IF Comp 2011: PataNoir by Simon Christiansen”
IF Comp 2011: The Play
It’s comp time, so I’m going to short summaries in my RSS feed in order to avoid dumping spoilers into the aggregators. And, as usual, I will be skipping games that have no evidence of beta-testing.
“The Play” is an Undum piece by Deirdra Kiai (Life Flashes By, Pigeons in the Park). “The Play” concerns the dress rehearsal of a play about a statue come to life, her artist, and an escaping gladiator. There’s a certain amount of slapstick humor, but mostly the story is about juggling the moods of the actors you’re overseeing in an attempt to get through the evening.
In the review to follow, there are some comments on thematic content at the beginning, then spoiler space, then a more detailed discussion of structure. That said, even the thematic comments give away a certain amount of what the game is about, so if you want to encounter it entirely fresh, don’t read on.
Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling 