I.A.G. Alpha

Now this is interesting. We're the protagonist of an unfinished game, but we have access to a debugger that allows us to change the printed name of various objects, as well as to examine their code to see what triggers various effects on them, and how. So that's the game, and of course it needs an "inner game" on which to apply this gimmick.

I don't know if the plot of the inner game is so important. The author explains it in cutscenes: all you need to know is that there's a climactic battle at the end and how the endgame scripted. Naturally, you've got to manipulate objects and use them to trigger that ending ... possibly with a subversion if you're so inclined.

But then, the setting appears to be an old Soviet research complex, so maybe subversion is exactly what we want.

On the whole, I found this to be an intriguing little gem of a puzzle. The writing was fairly terse, which I found to be a relief after some of the wordier offerings so far. It felt to be just right for what the game was. And the Soviet complex setting did seem very suitable to the mechanics of the game, though of course they're technically unrelated; so did the general visual presentation of the yellowed drafting paper background. Very nice. As a breakfast, I'd call this a pair of croissants with liver paté and cheese, accompanied by an Italian espresso. (The paté and cheese are actually leftovers from last night's wine-and-cheese, not that it matters when they're so delicious.)