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Square CircleAuthor: Eric EveLanguage: TADS3 Score: 8
Summary:
In a dark, dystopian future, convicted of a crime you cannot remember,
you need only solve a simple riddle to gain your freedom. Or is it
really quite as simple as that? Well, no, of course not!
Writing:
Certainly the beginning appears to set up Square Circle as yet another
one-puzzle competition game. However, once you get passed the initial
quandry, the real meat of the game presents itself. And while I was
pleasantly surprised to find that it had more depth than I first
surmised, something about the game left me feeling disconnected. It
lacked a certain verisimilitude that would have let me become truly
immersed in the game.
Technical:
The only minor problem I encountered was a few issues with the
context-sensitive hint system. Occasionally there were hints that
wouldn't show up and alternatively, some that didn't disappear after the
puzzle was solved.
Fun:
A few of the puzzles came off a tad obscure to me, leading me to
resort to the hints and walkthrough on more than one occasion.
Something about the overall game felt a little hollow to me. I think it
was the sense of emptiness I got traveling the map, as if this would
wasn't really inhabited. The inventory limit became frustrating at the
end, making me wish that the author had implemented an automatic sack
object. However, it was an interesting story with a nice twist.
Final score: 8
High point:
Getting to the twist. It probably won't be too hard to figure out
beforehand, but it did surprise me.
Low point:
My own particular solution to the introductory puzzle, while being
visually indistinguishable from the "correct" solution, was not
accepted.
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