Saturday, May 24, 2014

The Peccary Myth, by Pergola Cavendish

I'm not a big fan of music + text adventures--I play text adventures to isolate on the writing--but with this game I really wanted to listen to the song while playing. I've never really paid attention to Zappa's work, but it's always been something I'd probably liked, if they inspire something like this, I should. From what I know of Zappa, this game fits with the overall oddness that made him a critical success.

As for the game, first, I like how the map is laid out--it's a great use of twine, simple and effective--and I still had to click on the RESTRICTED links just to see things. This allows for a pretty straightforward clickfest to find what nonsense word to create to invite the aliens, but it's just fun to unlock the industrial sector, the secret tunnels, and the posher area, and even the nonsense words are fun to scroll through. Your superiors are quickly but nicely drawn up, and the only thing I object to is the game overusing LOL...I mean, this was probably on purpose when people say it to grate a little, but it did its job too well, and I'd have liked to see other acronyms for variety.

I'm not sure if this game will get an ultimate best-of-show recommendation, but it looks like it's easily going to be in the top half. It feels like it should appeal to just about everyone, but it still saves plenty of its own quirks.

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