boilermaker1972

Review for The Lunastone

I found this game (and site) quite by accident, after looking to revisit the old text adventure game Zork (in my youth, I was a bit too young to fully appreciate the game). Little did I know that text adventures were still being developed in 2014. Lunastone was the first game I tried on the site, as the cover art reminded me of the Myst series. Immediately, I was hooked. I found the game to be quite more elaborate than I had anticipated, which was a welcome surprise. I found that once I became accustomed to the syntax, navigation became easier, especially after I had solved some of the game's initial puzzles. I must admit to getting stuck in multiple places, sometimes in locations that ultimately proved to be "red herrings". The comments were both a blessing and a curse, as I had misinterpreted what some of the other players had been saying. The syntax required to solve some of the puzzles was exacting, which led to some frustration. However, there was ultimately enough hints so that the player could intuit solutions (often after multiple attempts), and the puzzles were challenging (but not nearly as fiendish as those I had encountered in prior games). For what this was, it was excellently designed and executed. The hints in the comments section make the game ultimately soluble (thanks to everyone who posted), but even with the hints the game was sufficiently challenging so as to be enjoyable. I cannot wait to try some more, especially by this author,