Constraints
Author: Martin Bays
Language: z-code
Genre: Experimental
Score: 7
"Constraints" certainly is well-written. It's also the least interactive
piece of interactive fiction I've ever played. Games like "Photopia" are
very linear and present few choices, but this game goes well beyond that.
For most of it, you can't make any choices because it is more a literary
exercise than anything else. The first two portions of it, in fact, have
you playing an inanimate object, so you can imagine just how much freedom
you have. The third part only pretends to give you choices, since no
matter what you do, the game informs you it was wrong. The only choice,
perversely, is to do nothing. That's not to say I had a bad time playing.
It was captivating for its brief length, with an absorbing narrative and
stimulating responses to attempted actions. Its tone of hopelessness and
futility were a little disconcerting though, and it's only good for a
brief distraction. An enjoyable experience, but not the best game of the
competition by a long shot.
(View this game on Baf's Guide to IF or The IF Ratings Site)
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