Today’s newsletter is a grab bag! Think of it like a plastic jack-o’-lantern bucket full of Fun Size candy bars, only the candy is amusing content and none of it contains razor blades. Man, remember when parents thought their neighbors were putting drugs and disease-covered razors into chocolate bars? I wish that was the biggest problem we were facing as a nation this fall!!!
🔊 I’m the co-host of an actual play podcast called Worst Movies Ever Played. We improvise cheesy VHS movies using a tabletop roleplaying game. Season 3 finally launched this week after being in production for four years. Next week’s newsletter is all about why the season took so long to release. Until then, listen to our first new “movie”: Hard E’s Big Adventure, our spin on the out-of-this-world product placement in Mac and Me, wherever you get your podcasts. I play a school bully who trashes a spaceship!
🧩 Have you tried my new video puzzle game Motion Picture? If not, you can download and play for free on Mac or Windows. It’s a short game, less than 20 minutes to complete. If you have played it, I would love if you filled out this short five question player survey. I made the game as a gift for friends, but I want to learn from this project to become a better developer. One way developers grow is by reading feedback from playtesters. So, yeah, looking forward to your thoughts!
💾 We’re currently in the middle of IFComp, a long running competition for text game developers. I participated twice, and though I came away from the competition with mixed feelings, I still try to play and rate games every year as a judge. The two games I submitted got incisive, useful, and overall positive feedback. My feeling is that as a veteran narrative designer, I want to help game writers from around the world master their craft, and giving feedback is a great way to help that process. Anyone can be a judge for IFComp, as long as they play the games they’re rating. You have until October 15th to play a few games and give them your thoughts.
Here are a few of my highlights from this year’s IFComp. I played all the short games (15 minutes or less) and some 30 minute games. It’s rare I play an IFComp game that’s an hour or longer. Those are usually the winning entries, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out too much. I suspect the short games are made by newer developers who get fewer plays and can really use the feedback, and that’s mostly why I’m sticking around.
The Burger Meme Personality Test by Carlos Hernandez. I love the premise of a personality test administered by a fast food chain as a way to screen candidates applying to work at their bizarre dystopian corporation. Younger workers are having a harder time than ever landing jobs, and I think this game taps into that capitalist anxiety really well with screwball satire. When I ran Adventure Snack, we sometimes had guest developers, and I would’ve been excited to publish this. I hope the author continues making games. I’d love to play a follow-up.
The Olive Tree by Francesco Giovannangelo. Speaking of games that tie into important subjects, The Olive Tree is about the Israeli occupation of Gaza. The player character is a tree, so the mechanics are centered around keeping yourself alive, hydrated, and fruiting as you observe injustices perpetrated on your Palestinian caretakers. It’s a memorable game with a unique perspective. I thought my strategy for staying alive was pretty sound, but the game implied I could do better. Can you out-tree me?
Horse Whisperer by nucky. Unfortunately, this game was not finished in time for the comp. It’s really too bad, because the game writing is very funny and the premise is hilarious. The player is a renowned horse whisperer who is hired by the mob to manipulate an upcoming horse race through social manipulation. The majority of the game is the player having conversations with horses in a stable. I’m not sure the game is able to be completed – I ran into two dead branches that ended my game – but the game was galloping along at a fine pace until then.
These games were recommended by members of my IF playing group: Detritus, The Witch Girls, Violent Delight, and 3XXX. Some enjoyed Hen Ap Prat, but I don’t think I’ve played the games it’s parodying, so it went over my head. I prefer the more visceral first game in this silly series, Dick McButts. To each, their own!
This game I want to play because it’s an X-Men fan game and Arcade is the villain: Murderworld! (Though it’s a +2 hour parser game that I will almost certainly give up on after 10 minutes out of frustration, but I will try it in honor of Beast.)
This game I want to shout-out because it sounds cool and was made by Equip Story supporter Brett Witty: Anne of Green Cables, an interactive cyberpunk reimagining of L.M. Montgomery’s beloved novel. I like the idea of adapting literature to IF and finding a world of possibilities in classic stories. I’ve had the experience of building narrative branches into a linear story treatment and it ain’t easy, folks.
🎲 Your Turn: Have you played any games from this year’s IFComp? What were your highlights? Have you played any games recently you’d recommend… or recommend others stay away from? Reply directly to this email or leave a comment on the newsletter by hitting the orange button below.
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