IFCOMP 2005 - Vespers

     But maybe not. Jason’s entry last year, Sting of the Wasp, was generally a crowd-pleaser, ranking 4^th of 36 in the competition. It went on to win two XYZZY awards – Best NPCs and Best Individual PC. I’m probably not alone in starting Vespers with high expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s nothing like Jason’s first credited game, but it’s likely to prove that last year’s quick popularity was no fluke.

     The two games do share great writing. Both have unique and interesting settings. However, where last year’s Sting of the Wasp featured characters over story, Vespers is just the opposite. That’s not to say Cecilia, the five brothers, and the PC/father (the game is set in a monastery) are dull. I felt this was a bigger, better story, but even though each brother was characterized as uniquely as one would expect, I still found myself thinking of them interchangeably. At times, I even confused one for another. The “brothers” command was helpful, but for whatever reason, I kept thinking of them as names rather than people. I don’t think this is a problem in the game, though. I’ll be surprised if any other reviewers mention the same thing. I have been, unfortunately, a little distracted while I play this year’s games, and that certainly makes a difference.

     Vespers uses a gimmick that brought to mind 2003’s Slouching Towards Bedlam. It’s the only game I’ve played from that competition, and that was only a year ago while trying to get a feel for what the prior year’s winner did right to grab the top spot. It’s not the same gimmick, but it sure seems inspired. Late in the game, the purpose of the gimmick is explained through one brother’s journal pages. I haven’t attended church regularly in many years, but I do have vague memories of it. Only toward the end did it begin to make sense why some of the biblical quotations were clearly fictional.

     By the end, it even made sense why the plot had me doing odd things ranging from mildly sinful to completely blasphemous. I don’t think Jason has an expert’s grasp on the subject matter used in the game’s setting, but nor would I. Ultimately, it all worked fine. This seems to be one of his greatest strengths. Like last year, he manages a very convincing story in a setting he (probably) can’t draw from any real-life experience. We take this for granted in science fiction and fantasy, but Jason does it in less definable genres where it’s important to blend fact and accuracy with the fiction.

     Sudden death occurs in several places, but it’s usually fixed by an “undo” or two. In one of the first cases – getting some sleep – the abrupt ending seems necessary just to understand that something has to happen first. By IF canon, that’s bad. It didn’t bother me, perhaps because of the abrupt endings possible in my own competition entry. If this works for judges here, then it stands to reason it may work for them in mine.

     The game isn’t flawless, but it isn’t easy to find problems. The most obvious mistake I found was late in the game, when Ignatius appears in the calefactory even though I just left him in a completely different area. Going back there, he remains. I think the scene in the calefactory was meant for earlier. Once or twice, a blank spacer line was missing after prior text. Two logs, available at the author’s request, show a few other minor problems. I found nary a misspelling (of course, I’m no ace when it comes to spelling) and very few typos. Like I said before, Vespers shows off great writing.

     I gave this score more consideration than any so far. I’ve based it at 9.0 on my scale, but a +0.5 skew (for originality and great storytelling) puts it at 9.5. If anything tops it, this is going to be a great year for the IF Competition.