IF Comp '08 Review - Mark Hatfield's Berrost's Challenge!
I started playing this game nearly a month ago, then stopped for reasons I can no longer remember. It wasn’t a bad game, but I don’t feel like picking it back up - it’s the sort of game that has a hunger system, and you have to find food, and sometimes I just get so tired, you know? Also it is free burrito day at Qdoba, not that that has anything to do with anything but it is.
I don’t feel it deserves a low score, but I haven’t played enough of it to fairly give it a high score, so in the interest of laziness I’m going to pass on scoring it altogether. I’m not even going to finish this review. So there!
[this is the part I wrote a month ago - it could be a lot more exciting but such is life]
The challenge belongs to the Berrost who belongs to the Hatfield who is of the persuasion Mark. This is all very complicated but you are not to worry as I am absolutely brilliant and have worked the whole thing out with diagrams and spreadsheets that you do not need to see.
Anyway. Berrost’s Challenge. This game holds the distinction of being the second non-z-code game I was able to coax Splattergroit into running. Swiss army knife of Mac interpreters my big black dick, Splattergroit, and for those of you now thinking “wait, what big black dick, isn’t she white and female?” that is exactly my point.
Let’s kick this bitch on out.
[spoilers begin here after this very important message about how the spoilers begin here]
Classic scenario: I’m a wizard’s apprentice and I am going to learn some new spells. There are five scrolls hidden somewhere; my job is to find them. Excellent. Clearly-defined task. Writing so far is solid, if not particularly exciting. This looks like it’s going to be a good game.
The entry chamber of the tower is adorned with oversized murals, marble surfaces, a fountain, pillows, and other pompous crap.
I like it already.
Hmm. Everything in this room shares a description. I hope that’s energy being saved to make a different part of this game superawesome.
Huh. There’s a conversation system, but right now it’s not getting me very far. The herbalist and I have established that we both say hi and it’s very hot. Thinking things will perk up in this department later on.
Oh dear, I seem to have stats. That always makes me nervous.
I don’t think you can dye a red shirt blue. I don’t think that’s how colors work.
Well, poop deck, got all killed. Let’s try this again.
Oh, I have a list of clues! A list of clues that just called me fat. Well, better than a handful of scorpions, I guess.
I should be able to throw the broom down to the golem. This should work. Perhaps it does work and I haven’t figured out proper syntax. If it doesn’t work, I am annoyed.
Hunger and fatigue can be turned off in curmudgeon mode. Consider me curmudgeonly.
1 year ago