Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Cuckold's Egg, by Veronica Devon

This was my favorite game of the ones I didn't test by a good way, and the title alternately grabbed me and worried me at the same time. When I was a kid, I heard the word and wondered if it was some sort of bird. Then I found out later. I'm not big on sex and sexuality in games, except for cheap sex jokes that don't offend anyone, or making fun of people who think they are risque and talking about sex too much. So I'm grateful this didn't have any of that nonsense.

I in fact managed to enjoy this game without looking up important terms in a book I'd started with, the Book of Lies. I didn't even realize I had a book. Somehow, I managed just to muddle around and get interested enough in the game without taking inventory, which says a lot (good) about its immersiveness. There's the Book, along with your notebook (which lists the tasks you need,) and working through the game without looking them up adds a bit of mystery. Nothing is too complex. But your power as a member of the Apostasy, which is very anti-religion and law-and-order, comes through. People act differently once they know who you are.

Then there's a dream sequence at the end. It's a bit different based on what you did, and I was interested enough, I looked through. In fact, I found two ways to get housing, and both were--well--forceful. It paints the character as dark, but also worried about the darkness of the Apostasy and whatever it opposed. This is good writing, which goes beyond straight fiction, and if it doesn't consider a multitude of possibilities, it gives the reader enough what-ifs to keep looking through.

The main thing I could think of is, list the subject so read in the Book of Lies. This is already getting pretty small, though.

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