Saturday, October 3, 2020

A Murder In Fairyland: IFcomp 2020

A Murder In Fairyland is a choice-based fantasy mystery by Abigail Corfman.

This entry takes place in Open Sorcery's unique fantasy world, blending spells and magical creatures with code and computer protocols. It's a rich experience with carefully selected fonts, colors, and backgrounds that tell a detailed story.

Every IFComp entry has players interact with text, but A Murder In Fairyland structures those interactions in unusual ways. Moving past obstacles can involve selecting letters, moving words, and changing passages to perform actions that look like writing code or casting spells — sometimes, it's both.

At times, things were a bit too detailed. It took me while to I realize that I had an accessible inventory, and then I didn't notice that spells were a separate inventory screen, which meant it took longer than normal before I began the murder investigation at the center of the story. However, I enjoyed the detours.

I also enjoyed this entry's sense of humor, which employed puns (you fly a Steam-powered webship, fueled by frustration derived from playing video games) and clever design choices (you can try to refuse the queen's request, but "This is one of those situations where you don't say no").

Fairyland is strange and full of wonders. I'm still wondering who killed Prince Blacktree, and it may be a while yet before I figure it out.

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