IFComp12: Shuffling Around
A series of deeply contrived circumstances vaguely linked with a thin plot veneer and something about anagrams.
There are three hint mechanisms in-game and the walkthrough. You get two different devices that will tell you which letters need to move (in two different ways), but can only use one of them for the duration of the game. I suggest the slider, as the gadget was often completely useless. You also get a saltine which, when eaten, will give you the answer to one puzzle. I never did get the saltine to work, though. Perhaps I used it too late?
Chances are, if you're at all like me you'll need the walkthrough. It is extremely difficult to know when the problem you're facing is due to not guessing the right word, or because you haven't finished another room yet. It's also very difficult to know when you are done with a room.
That makes it solidly not my bag. There's not really a story save for a thin bit of silly plot to justify the absurd puzzles, it's not adequately clued to keep things moving, and the payoff for solving another puzzle is yet more absurd puzzle.
Maybe I'm a wimp about puzzles these days, but I'd much prefer the game kept the convention of capitalizing all of the magic-able words from the tutorial. I spent far too long trying to find the puzzles rather than actually solving them. And once solved, some puzzles were clever and some were just stupid.
Anyway, not really my thing.
5/10. Implementation not for my impatient melon. Word play's more for my wordy pals. An aimless plot is the lamest spoil. Just ask the rearrangement server, not I.
There are three hint mechanisms in-game and the walkthrough. You get two different devices that will tell you which letters need to move (in two different ways), but can only use one of them for the duration of the game. I suggest the slider, as the gadget was often completely useless. You also get a saltine which, when eaten, will give you the answer to one puzzle. I never did get the saltine to work, though. Perhaps I used it too late?
Chances are, if you're at all like me you'll need the walkthrough. It is extremely difficult to know when the problem you're facing is due to not guessing the right word, or because you haven't finished another room yet. It's also very difficult to know when you are done with a room.
That makes it solidly not my bag. There's not really a story save for a thin bit of silly plot to justify the absurd puzzles, it's not adequately clued to keep things moving, and the payoff for solving another puzzle is yet more absurd puzzle.
Maybe I'm a wimp about puzzles these days, but I'd much prefer the game kept the convention of capitalizing all of the magic-able words from the tutorial. I spent far too long trying to find the puzzles rather than actually solving them. And once solved, some puzzles were clever and some were just stupid.
Anyway, not really my thing.
5/10. Implementation not for my impatient melon. Word play's more for my wordy pals. An aimless plot is the lamest spoil. Just ask the rearrangement server, not I.