For those not familiar, maybe you remember the game "Zork"? Where the game world and the events in it are described as text, and you type your "moves" in using regular text.
At one time, this "genre" of games was commercially viable on early home computers. There were lots of commercial titles of that type, up into the early 90s. I had a collection of the best Infocom published games of those type on the big 5.25 inch floppy discs back in the day.
Anyways, there has been a kind of underground clique of talented amateurs making free games of this genre for years. Tons of amazing (and free) experimental interactive stories have been developed and shared by this community for decades now. (You can get them from the IFDB site, and play them on a variety of interpreters on a ton of platforms - I use Frotz app on iOS.)
The thing is, as a medium, it has some distinct advantages over modern graphical games just by nature of being pure text. Some experiences work better in text. Which is why people still read books instead of books being replaced by movies.
And Plotkin has been like a granddaddy of is fan-led niche of gaming. He's got a trove of great free games he offers. He is a deep thinker of the genre, a pioneer, and a purist at the same time.
Anyways. A long time back, he put up a kickstarter to basically pay him enough to quit his job and develop new IF games full time. He pulled it off by promising this game called Hadean Lands, set aboard an alchemical starship. It's a very unique setting, of which I don't want to give too much away...
You just have to trust me that as bizarre as it may sound, Plotkin is good enough to immerse you into his extremely singular and detailed world with small enough steps to help you make your way. It's all explained as you go.
Thing is, it took him a LOOONG time to deliver the game. Some people doubted he ever would finish it. But he did, and like I said, it's a masterpiece of the form. It retains the classic feel of old gems, and innovates as an iPad app to fill in the weaker spots. Navigation and user interface are drastically improved. Dying and complicated repetitions of steps (frustrations normally inherent in the genre) are also conquered in a unique, setting/plot specific way.
I really don't want to give too much of the game away, because the discovery and exploration really is part of the thrill. If you want to get it, here is a link to the iOS version on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hadean-lands-interactive-alchemical/id918958300?mt=8
Below is the review I left on iTunes for the game, for what that is worth. In summary, I loved it and if the genre appeals to you, you should try it.
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I've played a lot of interactive fiction games, but I've rarely beaten them. Usually, I get stuck on a difficult puzzle and I am not interested in the fiction enough to stick with it. This game haunted me for several days until I beat it.
On the puzzles - they are very challenging, and the game rewards you for exploring and does a good job of giving you hints through the game world itself. You feel really smart when you figure out the little twists you can do with some rituals. I did need a couple of hints, but once I got them they were head-slappers I could have figured out myself.
I think a lot of the reason this game was enjoyable all the way through for me was the unique and interesting setting (a wrecked alchemical starship stuck in some kind of time loop). It made all the room locations and equipment overall locale very interesting all by itself, even without interaction.
On the writing, part of what makes the game great is that it really plays to the strength of the format - if this game had graphics, it wouldn't be as good. The text works in the brain in a way that is much more immersive and moving than a graphical game can be, IMO. Stylistically, it's sharp and concise, without lacking detail. It also is playful to interact with the world and your inventory and the game feels very responsive.
On game design and coding - the "flow" of the game comes across at a very enjoyable pace. I found myself making many sections of great strides, punctuated by short gaps of having to dig deeper to discover what to do next. Every discovery leads to the next, and there are many tidbits that you can see but not use right away that make it intriguing to puzzle through.
I also liked how the reset mechanism worked as a game mechanic AND a literary plot device. And it's great to see many people furiously discussing the ending and debating what REALLY happened aboard the Retort. And I love that there IS no set answer for it - the plot itself is a puzzle and it changes as you play.
The technical innovations for this type of game - with the short cutting of known rituals and being able to jump around using the map were big pluses for me, having been a longtime fan of IF - it's neat to see an old dog doing new tricks, as it were.
I could go on and on - it's a great game. If you've loved IF in the past, this game will make you love it again. If you've never played IF, this game will make you love it (or hate it) but it will spoil you, as it might well be the best IF adventure game yet made.
Super great work, Zarf. Make more like this and I hope people buy them enough to support you to keep making them. Your love of the format and skill at it, through years of previous games, really shine through. I think it's a kind of masterpiece.
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