jaclynhyde

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Favorites

Choice

The Absence of Miriam Lane: A wife and mother has disappeared from memory and reality; tell her story to bring her back. An amazing premise that makes for fascinating gameplay while telling the story of a life that will stick with you. I loved searching for clues to who the woman who gave so much to everyone else really was. Just fantastic.
One Way Ticket: A surreal, charming adventure that reminds me of The Little Prince. Brave jackals, corn, a chess-obsessed priest, corn, a man with four right hands, corn, and more to get to whatever your destination was. Clunky and weird and probably my favorite IFComp game this year.
Prism: You're a downtrodden courier in a fantastical city, and you've found the tools to make a difference. Thoughtful and atmospheric with very compelling worldbuilding. The Spotify soundtrack really adds to it too.

Parser

The Only Possible Prom Dress: An extremely long and even more detailed game about acquiring your daughter's perfect prom dress in a closed mall. I cannot emphasize enough how involved this is--dozens of shops and puzzles and items and some really asshole puzzles. The puzzles were a bit too old-school hard for me, but I had a blast just exploring and examining and solving what I could, supplemented with the hint system and walkthrough. Download the map unless you really love mapping! I'm about a bajillion hours in and haven't even discovered all the rooms!
Trouble in Sector 471: Basically a parser Metroidvania--get upgrades and solve puzzles to destroy bugs. Seems overly simple at first, but gets more complex (especially the optional puzzles). Addictive and super enjoyable!

Other Recommendations

Choice

Admiration Point: An "anti-romance" about not having an affair (but not in an anti-dating sim way). Most importantly really cool worldbuilding and digital museum exhibits that I really want to visit.
Am I My Brother's Keeper?: A short, dreamy horror game about saving your sister. Uses an uncommon IF engine really well.
The Archivist and the Revolution: A harrowing look at a trans woman archivist surviving the dystopia after the revolution fails. An extremely transphobic society building off modern-day transphobia is the main focus, but there is hope. I want to read all the decoded messages I'm archiving!
January: A man, a cat, and the zombie apocalypse. Absolutely stunning stylization and beautiful prose. Be warned, it's very emotionally and viscerally upsetting (even though the cat is fine).
Lucid: You try to escape the dark as a surreal, poetic narrative traps you in a loop. Gorgeous and unsettling writing--definitely mind the content warnings.
Under the Bridge: A short, atmospheric game of being the monster under the bridge. The sound and illustrations lead to a dark fairytale vibe, and the multiple endings give replayability.
You Feel Like You've Read This in a Book: Explore a town finding references to famous books. Oh, and there's that little matter of the neurotoxin in your head that will kill you if you don't bring $50k to a dark alley within the day. Clever & replayable.

Parser

According to Cain: An alchemist travels to a young and lonely earth to learn the true story of Cain. A really cool premise: discovering the proper resources and mixes to coax memories from objects important to him. The reference book is frustrating to use, and the nuance given to Cain is taken from the rest of his family. The atmosphere is great, though. You can't heal yourself.
The Alchemist: A fun puzzler of an alchemist's mansion, with a clunky but delightfully nostalgic interface. You cannot pet the cat.
Low-Key Learny Jokey Journey: A barrage of wordplay that will have you thinking in rhymes for days. Some of the puzzles are a tad obscure, but there's tons of hint systems charged by incorrect guesses (which also give amusing responses)..
Thanatophobia: A psychotherapy session to find the cause of your patient's fears. Unique implementation (chatbot-based IF!) makes this fascinating to puzzle out.
A Walk Around the Neighborhood: I tried to go for a walk and instead spent the day fucking around on the couch in no pants, making this the most relatable game in the comp. Entertaining help system and endings. Don't be like me, examine the couch after standing up.
You May Not Escape!: You're trapped in a maze because of who you are--now can you escape? Enjoyable mapping gameplay with undertones many, many people will find relatable. Really nice optional puzzles. Cannot pet the lizard.

IFComp 2022 Recommendations