mzspivey

For a Place by the Putrid Sea

The word “putrid” screams at you in the title of this game. It sounds ugly, and the word means something repellent. Yet the cover art shows us a young girl, dressed in bright yellow, on the deck of a boat entering a harbor. The implied anticipation and hopefulness in that image contrast greatly with theContinue reading “For a Place by the Putrid Sea”

Doppeljobs

Doppeljobs has a very interesting premise: You’re a doppelganger, and people hire you to impersonate them so that they can avoid unpleasant experiences. For example, your first client thinks he’s about to be fired, and he wants you to attend the meeting with his boss in his stead. Over the course of the game you’llContinue reading “Doppeljobs”

Sage Sanctum Scramble

Arthur DiBianca has one of the most distinctive authorial styles I’ve seen in IF. His games tend to be limited-parser puzzlefests that are light on story and feature a whimsical tone. Not only that, the puzzles are really good — and players have come to recognize that — with the result that when IFComp rollsContinue reading “Sage Sanctum Scramble”

Captain Graybeard’s Plunder

“There is no Frigate like a BookTo take us Lands awayNor any Coursers like a PageOf prancing Poetry –This Traverse may the poorest takeWithout oppress of Toll –How frugal is the ChariotThat bears the Human Soul –” — Emily Dickinson “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island,Continue reading “Captain Graybeard’s Plunder”

Tangled Tales

In Tangled Tales you wake up as Prince Charming (*), hung over and lost in the forest after a wild bachelor party. With a grumpy Rumpelstiltskin as your companion, you’ll have to help, best, or manipulate several classic fairy tale characters in order to make it to the wedding on time.

High Jinnks

High Jinnks reminds me a lot of Jonathan Stroud’s Amulet of Samarkand. You play as a powerful and wisecracking jinn, scornful of the Scrawny Kid he’s thrown in with. The kid (actually a young man) seems easy to manipulate at first, but before long you may find yourself the one being manipulated.

Vampire Ltd

As I was starting Vampire Ltd I was afraid that it was going to use vampirism as a metaphor for business. That comparison feels rather tired to me; after all, Matt Taibbi was calling Goldman Sachs a “vampire squid” over a decade ago. And Vampire Ltd does go there. However, it’s just so funny —Continue reading “Vampire Ltd”

Ascension of Limbs

(This review is in two parts, since I didn’t discover the walkthrough/strategy guide until after I wrote the first part.) In Ascension of Limbs you play as the new proprietor of an antiques store, trying to keep the business going long enough to reach one of three goals. It’s a parser game, but it playsContinue reading “Ascension of Limbs”

Shadow Operative

This was fun. A smooth Vorple/Glulx game with a techno soundtrack, Shadow Operative begins with you on the run from goons after having botched your last cyberspace mission. After a race across the city skyline on a hoverbike, you’ll eventually find yourself hired to infiltrate the Nakamura corporation and uncover why their recent pharmaceutical trialsContinue reading “Shadow Operative”

Dr Ego and the Egg of Man-Toomba

Dr Ego and the Egg of Man-Toomba is an adventure game very much in the style of the Indiana Jones movies. Arriving in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, you’re on the hunt for a legendary golden egg. Armed with your fedora and trusty bullwhip, you’ll have to navigate several adventurous challenges — including outsmartingContinue reading “Dr Ego and the Egg of Man-Toomba”