First off; the text parser is terrible. Be prepared for that. This game definitely has some surprising moments that could have made a really great game, but sadly the heavy-handed writing / thematic elements really bring the story down - it's also one that relies on creating a feeling of powerlessness which is an unusual and difficult subject for something that's interactive - that was relatively successful but when you're already struggling with the poor text parser (for example, words that work in certain situations do not work later in situations that mirror the previous ones, even when the word that gives you the clue is right there on the screen) the overall effect is more one of contempt for the design than for the situation you're in. It probably didn't help that I initially played this on a machine that more than met the minimum specs, but was unable to get through the last session due to terrible drops in FPS. When I finally played this on a higher specced machine, having to play through the first 3 episodes again was rather dull - there really is no replayability value here - there are no randomisers for puzzles, for example (maybe one, I'm not sure) - and as the story had already been spelled out to me by that point, it was more an annoyed plod through the terrible text parser (they seriously made it more annoying during the last level, presumably in an attempt to convey impairment, but it felt like a bad choice to me at that point - I was already being very sarcastic with the game by then...) The 3 first scenarios are all very interesting, and I enjoyed how they were related while all being very different. I'd probably prefer it if they hadn't gone to the trouble of spelling everything out in the final chapter - though I did like the way they wove the first 3 into the 4th. The problem was, they spell everything out in the first few seconds of interaction in the 4th, and from that point on you're stuck waiting for the story to catch up, or to surprise you, and it really does neither. Worth it for the experience? Probably, but ideally for 50% off, to be honest. Look at it as an experiment rather than a fully-formed game and you'll see the ingenuity behind it. Look for a well-told story and you'll be left disappointed.
