IFCOMP 2005 - On Optimism

     It’s still difficult to review. The game isn’t much changed from the beta I played, but I can see where the author has improved some of the clueing that had me confused back when I played the beta. I made it through without hints this time, but that may be due as much to remembering how it all works than to the improved clues. I seem to remember, though, that nothing obvious happened after dealing with the first frame. Now, it makes more sense that something has changed after the task is performed. The port is now inaccessible until later in the game – this was confusing before, since it seemed to hint at a host of possibilities that only drew attention away from what was really important. The blank piece of paper is clued a little better now, too.

     A few problems with the puzzles remain, ranging from a minor disambiguation oddity with the sheets of paper, to a new bit in the underwater cage that seemed (if I recall) to have a slightly different solution before. The hole that opens in one of the rooms (not the one filled with blood) can’t be “entered”, yet it’s important to go in that direction (effectively entering it anyway). The deal with the three statues might be a little better now, but it still seems pretty obscure. I brought this up, as did at least one other tester, but ultimately the author decided (I guess) that it was okay. Drop me an email if you solved the room with the statues without hints. I still don’t think it’s possible.

     The text is still overly sentimental. It’s meant to be a surreal but touching story, but it’s written in a way that makes the PC sound pitiful and hopeless. To fully enjoy it, I think a player would have to be in that frame of mind… rejected, full of despair, pining away for a girl that might not even be worth the attention. Yeah, years ago, that was definitely me. Now, though, it’s harder to identify with, and the too-forced prose (written in first person, I should add) just left me disconnected from the protagonist. I hope this wasn’t inspired by a real situation in the author’s life. If so, I might be insulting the author’s honesty and open emotional display, which isn’t my intent. It feels like the kind of trippy, emotional outpouring that might come from a break-up, but only the author knows for sure.

     Tim Lane entered the competition last year. That’s not his real name, so I won’t point to last year’s entry in case he intends to remain anonymous. I will say that On Optimism is an improvement over his previous entry. I liked the option at the end to go back to the fork in the road, and this game seems more thought out overall. I think, though, that On Optimism is meant to be so deeply personal that it’s hard to share in the protagonist’s emotional invasion of his ex girlfriend’s private thoughts and memories.

     It’s a good game, even though I didn’t find it effective in an emotional way. The built-in hints should be enough to get anyone unstuck at the harder parts. Even so, the strained writing and some iffy puzzles keep it from going higher than 5.0 on my scale.