Poisonous Rainbow: The Power of Memories by Roy Wong

Review by BeautyvsAshes

I found this a really clever game, even though it was about a very sensitive subject. I liked the remembering twist and the fact that you could interact with inanimate objects. This is not for the easily offended or children. So be aware of that before you start. Great job Mr Roy Wong!

Review by Matthew Patten

A haunting, mesmerizing, beautifully-designed story that suffers slightly from the occasional poor grammar and frustrating puzzles (though this second issue is thankfully alleviated by conversations with a reproving bottle of poison!). I found some of the plot resolutions a bit murky as well: for example, was Rose simply a stereotypical insanely jealous girfriend and Andrew a sincere, sympathetic man who fell in love with a "sinner" (I hope not, because that would negate the entire character development for both individuals leading up to the game's uncertain climax)? Many people may have trouble, too, sympathizing with the story's ultimate protagonist (as revealed in the epilogue).

Despite these quibbles, the game held me fascinated from start to finish, and was by turns inspiring, disturbing, and heart-breaking. Prepare yourself for a tragic tale full of gray moral areas in which there is no true happy ever after, but please do play it. Congratulations on a definite achievement to be proud of, Mr. Wong.

Review by Anna3

finsihed it :) great story line, a little disturbing at times but it was fun overall

Review by Matthew Notch

This is the very first game I played on this site. I found the story very engrossing and I imagine it will stay with me for a while. YES it definitely is not for kids. Nothing in the gameplay was so complicated that it couldn't be figured out with a little trial and error, and I finished this in less than a day. I worry that the tone is a little partisan and heavy-handed, and the ending was maybe disappointing (no spoilers, but I was really enjoying being who I was), but did wrap things up fairly succinctly (at any rate, I got "The Sinner"'s ending). I might go back over it quickly to see if a different ending satisfies more, but by and large I have no major complaints. Very sad, but very good :).

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Review by stella1

This game gets a five stars for its uniqueness, as the condescending narration is part of the storyline that tortures the player, who has forgotten everything and is later revealed, has been verbally abused and made fun of.

I would definitely put up a warning on this because it involves violence and sensitive topics that may be emotionally charging for many.

I'm stuck on the blue room (Room of Blues... please help me out!), so I'm basing off of what I have played so far. The playing experience is in a sense, enhanced by its graphicness. It's extremely torturous because the player/main character is placed in a position of choosing between killing himself and not wanting to know about the atrocious events that had occurred, or finding out about these events, piecing them together, and realizing that he was partly responsible himself.

On a personal level, I'm also highly bothered by the events that occur in the story, and am also tortured by it as well. I feel that others may find this offensive and highly controversial because of these events. However, the game itself has merit because the narration is not clean and objective; the "voice" cannot necessarily be trusted or listened to and the player is forced to navigate within his own conscience and navigate the past that he forgot. This game really effectively pulls me into the character's place.

Review by Dani2

I was really enjoying it until about 3 hours ago - please GOD someone tell me how to remember how to play chess because I am this close to drinking the contents of that damn bottle. Cheers :)

Review by Melodie

I completely enjoyed this game. It was, I'll admit, extremely difficult; I did have a bit of help from my friends and even the creator himself. I can see why some may find it offensive and some may want a trigger warning. Yes you are a little humiliated in the beginning but I find that a crucial part to this game play. This is my first textadventure game and I enjoyed every bit of it! I wasn't very satisfied with the Pink Princess ending, but I will keep trying to achieve every ending possible. Thank you for such a wonderful game, despite the controversial topics!

Review by Sarah Conder

I think it's obvious that a lot of thought and time was put into this game. The gameplay is very different from most text adventures, and though there were some areas where I was really stuck, I always managed to solve the puzzles and figure out what to do in the end. The story is phenomenal and I have been completely absorbed in it all day. It can be very complicated and hard to put together, but I believe that's the idea (it's all about "remembering"). In my opinion you deserve a much higher rating for the work you've put into this, as it is very psychological and truly fascinating, and it is the kind of story that few can create. My only criticism is the ending (although there seems to be multiple). I got the Pink Princess ending, and I felt it was unredeeming and actually took away from the depth of the story. The mother shows very little guilt or understanding of the gravity of what she had done to her children (This is realistic for her character, however, because she is radically religious.) and it is frustrating to the player to see that she hasn't realized very much, after seemingly coming so far.

I will be playing through it again though, to see what other endings are in store! And I would to see more text adventures from you. (:

Review by sarah4

I've finished this now and feel my concerns were justified. I feel this should be in the 'adult' section (or at least carry a trigger warning) as I don't feel that rape, kidnapping, murder and homophobic violence (especially when the game doesn't seem to be dealing with any of this with even a smidgeon of tact or sensitivity) are suitable topics for a generally available game. The ending is offensive on multiple levels and shows a total lack of understanding of the horrifying issues the author is trying to deal with, I'm not saying people should never tackle upsetting or contraversial subjects just that they should be done better than this. On a more positive note, the gameplay has some interesting features I've not seen done before, but it's almost impossible to solve without cheating and huge chunks of the game can't be solved by logic or trial and error, there are also far too many tricks played on the player.

Review by Fiona1

... Do not play this game unless you want to be ridiculed at every step.