Zest

One of the things I like about IF is that I am not constrained by time: I can read things as slowly or as quickly as I want. Zest makes me wait while text is played one line at a time, with animation. That is annoying. And I didn't much like the graphics.

Anyway, the game seems to be basically resource management for drugged-up losers, though it is possible to transcend this. There are multiple endings, and a scoreboard to keep track of your achievements. For the most part, though, I did not find this terribly engaging, perhaps because I don't particularly identify with the hero. The attitude is relatively neutral, or at least it's subdued, and, given the situation, translates into something that's just mildly depressing.

I guess the parts I liked best were the endings in which our hero either finds a new job (there's a nice bit about the community of people who patronise his new workplace) and where our hero finds religion. In both cases, the tone feels a little more upbeat, which suggests to me that our hero really has found a better life. And thank goodness. Other endings seemed to involve rather too much grinding through an unpleasant interface.

I also note that while our hero is able to exercise, shower, or even pray before beginning his workday, he never has breakfast. What is he thinking? Let's see what we've got here. Maybe a couple of leftover lemon squares from that party last night, and a glass of milk -- just beginning to sour, but still drinkable.