by Utkonos

Played for IFComp 2009: https://www.bradleycbuchanan.com/b/ifcomp-2009/

Grade: A

This was strange. I enjoyed the writing, but I can’t say I enjoyed the game. There is essentially one puzzle in the game, and it’s pretty much unhinted… even anti-hinted, in some ways. The in-game hints were useless, so I had to turn to the walkthrough. I have a feeling this game’s strength is in its atmosphere and its subtlety – the book of poetry seemed to explain the protagonist’s life as quietly as possible. The funny thing is, once I’d walkthru’d to the “good” ending, I felt like it wasn’t any better than the “bad” ending. Maybe this game’s hidden message is that without love, life isn’t worth living?