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BlinkAuthor: Ian WaddellLanguage: z-code Score: 3
Summary:
A rather unsubtle anti-war piece with rigidly linear gameplay.
Writing:
This is a heavy-handed game written to convince you why war is bad.
If I didn't know the author was 15 year-old, I would probably be much
more harsh in this review. See, I think all right-minded people
recognize that war is evil. But they also recognize that it is
sometimes a necessary evil. So when someone fabricates an event during
World War II as a way to sermonize the wrongness of war, that's when I
start questioning the source. Because if you don't recgonize WWII as
one of history's most important struggles against tyranny and
oppression, then there's probably not much we can see eye-to-eye on.
And then I get to the part of the game where my PC, a WWII infantry
soldier, is carrying around a "M1A1 Abrams, currently loaded with 8
bullets", and I realize that the author probably just doesn't know any
better.
Technical:
I didn't encounter any serious technical issues. I did wonder why, in
the conversation trees, some options would vanish after chosen, while
others would remain, letting me ask them again with the same response.
Fun:
It's hard to get more transparently linear than Blink, a quality that
makes any game hard to enjoy. The dialog menus give you choices with no
appreciable difference most of the time. Even when they are
significantly distinct, your selection has no impact on the story
anyway. After a bit of railroading and a single puzzle, the game ends
with what I suppose was intended to be a contemplative air. I guess
some people will agree with the message of this game in light of the
ongoing war in Iraq. I, on the other hand, found it simplistic and
naïve.
Final score: 3
High point:
Examining my rifle during the World War II flashback.
Low point:
The same.
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