Foreign Soil is a text adventure from Olaf Nowacki that was entered into ParserComp 2021.
This entry starts strong, with effective writing that clearly
establishes the main character’s situation and how they feel about it. Narrative
details provide hints about a backstory, and environmental threats offer a
sense of danger.
A substantial part of the gameplay involves figuring out
what to do next, which makes it tricky to discuss Foreign Soil in a way that
doesn’t ruin the experience. I liked how the environment changed around me,
creating new locations and updating descriptions as various objectives were completed.
I also appreciated how in-game deaths were handled — the
setting is supposed to be harsh and unforgiving, so it needs to
show appropriate consequences for risky decisions. The game struck a nice
balance that encouraged experimentation while showing how dumb choices will
get you killed.
Unfortunately, I got stuck in the middle of the story
because I wasn’t willing to take enough
risk. I knew where I was supposed to advance the story, but I was reluctant to try different
commands that might move things along. After overcoming that hurdle, things
flowed logically through the endgame.
Foreign Soil was fun, and my only complaint is that I wish
it was a longer experience.
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