====== All Hands Abandon Ship ======

[[IFComp]] 2023

We're in the bathroom, on a spaceship. Neat! Let's find out who we are and what's going on.

> The only escape from this sterile, functional purgatory appears to be an exit to the aft.
>
> **> X ME**
> As good-looking as ever.

Okay, wrong first command. That’s on me.


> **> AFT**
> You might have an easier time if you stand up first.

Awww, c’mon game. That’s on you! Or is this a joke?

Expectations set: This might not be the most polished experience.

**What Worked For Me**

There's some great writing in this piece! The room descriptions are terse and clear, and manage to evoke a distinctive, sterile-yet-sloppy USS Icarus. And the standout is the alarm voice, which grows more urgent, and then more personal, over the course of the game, saying things like:

> The overhead voice continues. "I'm beginning to think you don't want to find your muster station. Have I said something to upset you?"

...and later:

> "All crew should proceed immediately to... You know what? Fine. Go down with the ship. See if I care. You always were a stubborn so-and-so."

It evokes Eddie the Shipboard Computer in a great way, which kept me entertained as I struggled with the central puzzle.

**What Worked Less Well**

This really should not have confused me, but the voice kept telling me to follow the chevrons to my muster station - *not* to actually get in the escape pod. And then I spent some time at the start poking around at what was implemented, hoovering up dozens of objects. As a result, enough in-game time passed that I'd hit the lose condition before I went looking for a way into engineering. Oops!
There are quite a few red herrings - it turns out the critical path is pretty short! But honestly I'm glad I was distracted because otherwise I might have missed the best dialogue as the timer runs down. There are also quite a few descriptions not implemented that seemed like they should have been, like the smelly gym socks you can't smell, or the holographic doctor that is "nothing special" upon examination.

**Overall** Some good writing, and a smart way of getting it into the game. I'd love to see more of the details implemented, and a few more puzzles. Thanks for sharing David!

{{tag>videogame played "interactive fiction" "played in 2023"}}