Game Chef Review 34: Dear Deliverance by Larry Spiel
Dear Deliverance
Ingredients: 5 [Abandonment (3), Stillness (2)]
I can see how a good attempt has been made to consider the notion of "abandonment" in the context of this game. It works on a a number of levels including the abandonment of inhibitions, and the chance that your confidante may abandon you in your hour of need. Stillness also works but it feels like a bit more of a stretch,
Theme: 6
I think it's really brave of someone to put out a game that they wouldn't play, publicly admitting that they are not the target audience for the game they have created. I don;t think this means that the design has failed, I think it means that the designer is mature enough to realise that there might be something in the design, it's just something that needs other people to run with it.
Would I Play This?: 2
Probably not. There's a couple of ideas in it that I might consider stripping out, to attach to other concepts in the development of a game, But I don't have a twitter account and I don't think that game really persuades me to go out and create one. This game seems to fall into the open-ended-angst-and-catharsis style of game that just doesn't do anything for me.
Completeness: 4
This game is heavily "fruitful void", it says come up with a scene, play through it. There may be players who like this sort of thing, but it doesn't really hold up as a full game system. It's a tool that assists in the facilitation of play, but in my mind that really doesn't make it a complete game at all.
Innovation: 3
I can't really say that there's a lot of innovation in a game that admits that it has "no other solid rules for play", freeform gaming has been around for a while. I;m giving points here for the use of Twitter as a gaming medium, because I think that;s still new and fresh, and there are untapped resources in this field.
Output Quality: 4 [Language (2), Layout (2), Imagery (0)]
The language is a bit disjointed, but generally fine. The layout is pretty pedestrian, and doesn't really catch my eye in any way, with imagery non-existent.
Overall: 46% Needs Work [15+12+4+8+3+4]
Like I said, a brave choice to enter a game that you don't think is for you, but sometimes you need to be passionate about playing a game to put your heart and soul into it and push it to the next level.
Ingredients: 5 [Abandonment (3), Stillness (2)]
I can see how a good attempt has been made to consider the notion of "abandonment" in the context of this game. It works on a a number of levels including the abandonment of inhibitions, and the chance that your confidante may abandon you in your hour of need. Stillness also works but it feels like a bit more of a stretch,
Theme: 6
I think it's really brave of someone to put out a game that they wouldn't play, publicly admitting that they are not the target audience for the game they have created. I don;t think this means that the design has failed, I think it means that the designer is mature enough to realise that there might be something in the design, it's just something that needs other people to run with it.
Would I Play This?: 2
Probably not. There's a couple of ideas in it that I might consider stripping out, to attach to other concepts in the development of a game, But I don't have a twitter account and I don't think that game really persuades me to go out and create one. This game seems to fall into the open-ended-angst-and-catharsis style of game that just doesn't do anything for me.
Completeness: 4
This game is heavily "fruitful void", it says come up with a scene, play through it. There may be players who like this sort of thing, but it doesn't really hold up as a full game system. It's a tool that assists in the facilitation of play, but in my mind that really doesn't make it a complete game at all.
Innovation: 3
I can't really say that there's a lot of innovation in a game that admits that it has "no other solid rules for play", freeform gaming has been around for a while. I;m giving points here for the use of Twitter as a gaming medium, because I think that;s still new and fresh, and there are untapped resources in this field.
Output Quality: 4 [Language (2), Layout (2), Imagery (0)]
The language is a bit disjointed, but generally fine. The layout is pretty pedestrian, and doesn't really catch my eye in any way, with imagery non-existent.
Overall: 46% Needs Work [15+12+4+8+3+4]
Like I said, a brave choice to enter a game that you don't think is for you, but sometimes you need to be passionate about playing a game to put your heart and soul into it and push it to the next level.
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