IFComp 2024 Impressions is a series where must-play entries from the aforementioned jam are showcased for your convenience. Final Arc would like to give a disclaimer that it does not encourage readers to vote for any particular game mentioned in this series.
Anyone familiar with interactive fiction (IF) has, at some point or another, come across the name Infocom. In a nutshell, it was a company who specialized in creating IF games, with the Zork series and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy being some of its most popular titles. Even today when you play a parser game there's a good chance you'll feel its influence somewhere in there. Infocom's legacy has been discussed to the moon and back but don't worry, this isn't yet another article about the company. It's about one of its numerous descendants.
What is A Warm Reception?
You are a reporter for Feudalism Monthly. The princess of the land is being married today, and you were assigned to report on it. You're not sentimental, so you skipped the actual ceremony and showed up in time for the reception. Figured you'd take some pictures of the castle, get some dirt on the guests and be done.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
A Warm Reception by Joshua Hetzel is a parser text adventure game where you explore an abandoned castle. You play as a reporter who came late to the wedding of the kingdom's princess and discover that everyone's gone. At first you came to get a quick story on the happy occasion, but now you have the chance to uncover something far juicier.
>l
Castle Entrance
You see the entrance to the castle in the east, and it has been thrown open, with no one inside. The entryway is covered in soot and burn marks. Whatever caused this doesn't seem to be nearby anymore. At your feet is a small booklet with the heading "Instruction Booklet"
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
The game’s description "An old school style text adventure without the old school cruelty" is a perfect summary. The author's intention was to make a beginner-friendly text adventure game and they succeeded. Not only did they remove cumbersome features of the IF games of old such as unwinnable states, but they even took a modern approach to make sure the game's more playable. Cutting down the number of verbs needed in the style of the limited verb genre respects players' time. In a busy world such as that of the 2020's, games that don't beat around the bush work with our lives, not against them.
Welcome to "A Warm Reception." The adventure inside is sure to astound your friends and befuddle your enemies. There are only a few simple commands used in this adventure...
There are no other commands in the game that are not explained in context to you. If you get stuck, there is a text file of hints in the game's files for you.
Have fun!
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
But old school players shouldn't walk away just yet. A Warm Reception lacks the difficulty of the old Infocom titles, sure, but everything else about it screams the company’s style. The quirky and fantasy setting, unnamed protagonist stumbling onto strange events, and concise room descriptions all felt like the same things I'd come across in those games. Heck, even the overture text is short and sweet, a design choice due to memory constraints which stands the test of time.
>sw
Dining Room
The tables are set, you presume dinner has been canceled. Among the rows and rows of table sets, the only thing of interest you see is a pizza (probably for the kitchen staff). A door to the northeast goes to the Main Hall.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
One big thing A Warm Reception does well
...
A D20 die will decide your fate,
Your score determines what you must roll,
To save the day, and complete your goal."
With your current score of 0, you will have to roll above a 19
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
If there's anything A Warm Reception does well, it's making playtime interactive (no spoilers, as usual!). Soon after entering the castle to see what's wrong you find a place with the final level of the game. A little sudden, sure, but it's the catch of speeding towards the end of this tale that makes things interesting. Whether you progress past the final level depends on statistics. The game randomly determines if you succeed or fail based on a roll of a 20-sided die (a D20, to follow popular nomenclature).
>ne
Chapel
It looks like a tornado went through here! Chairs and pews are strewn about like there was a professional wrestling match. The only thing of interest seems to be a bulletin left behind. The Main Hall lies to the southwest.
You can see a bulletin here.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
Strange, right? I thought so too. Couldn't I just waltz right in and brute force my way to victory? The design here is clever in that exploring the castle top to bottom is incentivized; not only do you uncover what happened at the wedding via discovering lore drops, but you also find equipment to increase your odds of success. With such enticing rewards, I found it hard to argue against traversing the castle and finding secrets and tools.
Who should play A Warm Reception?
Game Room Entrance
You enter what looks like an underground amusement park. Most of the games seem to be in disrepair, but the lights and music make it seem like something must still work around here.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
Fans of the old Infocom games should give A Warm Reception a chance, there’s just no doubt about it. It's not going to replace Zork anytime soon, but it may just give you the nostalgia of playing Infocom's titles for the first time. Who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired to give one of them a spin again.
E/W Crawl
The shadows get larger as you approach their domain. They seem to live in the east, and your way back to safety is in the west.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
Of course, I can't forget about the newbies to parsers. As someone passionate about making the parser format accessible to a new generation of gamers, I'm thrilled to let you all know that this game won't make you tear your hair out. It has its fair share of bugs but I think A Warm Reception makes for a nice and short introduction to this style of gaming.
Before you hunt for your latest scoop...
>w
King Quarters
The King's bedroom looks very clean and orderly. There is a large, hard king sized bed. Next to the bed is a small nightstand. To help with your story, you should probably explore to get the dirt on what's going on. The door out is to your east.
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
Sorry to say but we couldn't track down Joshua Hetzel to ask for a quote. Instead I'll leave you with a bulletin for the wedding:
>x bulletin
The wedding of Princess Olivia and Ralph, August 4th 1680.
Maid of Honor: Bridget; Best Man: Dennis
- Text by Joshua Hetzel.
It's time to get going! You've got a major scoop to find for the paper. You can play A Warm Reception through the IFComp website or IFDB.
Justin's many things: Memer, designer, developer, game maker, Tarot reader, writer, and more. Now he's a keyboard monkey for Final Arc (don't tell them he said that). Website: heyjustinkim.com
