IFReviewed by
Andrew Plotkin on 2006-07-01 04:52
You know something's wrong when I can't get out of the machine in the very first scene, without looking at the walkthrough. It turns out there's an object which isn't mentioned anywhere in the first room -- only in the introduction. C'mon, this is easy to fix. "Open machine" should work, unless you make it entirely automatic. Work with the player, not against him.
And the second problem is a flashlight that runs out. The authors say this game was directly inspired by Adventure, and you can tell; Things Have Changed since those days. But in fairness, I'll try to view the game with early eyes.
...Well, it was worth a try. Just about everything in here is kind of annoying. No synonyms. Inappropriate examining and searching necessary. Unclear descriptions of exits. A maze, or what winds up being a maze -- I can't tell if it's deliberate.
Now, be clear, Adventure would be annoying too, by current standards. But my current standards are what I've got. Oh well.