IFComp08: Red Moon
From the author's own FAQ:
Q: Your game lacks ambition.
A: I'm sorry, I had only three days free to do this (including The Great Disaster I Had[1] which took off half a day), and am writing for the first time. I don't think I could have done twenty rooms, five solid puzzles, and a couple of good npcs to boot under those circumstances. But those are just lame excuses. If I ever write IF again, the one thing I can promise is that I will definitely have more experience under my belt by then. If you guys write constructive reviews that help me learn from my mistakes, all the better.
So, from the point of view of the comp, this is basically a failure. It's not exactly the same sort of failure as most of the games, it's just odd, somewhat pointless, and unplayable without a walkthrough.
But, the author is asking for help, and while the comp is really the completely wrong way to get help (there's ifmud, there's the newsgroup, there's friends and family; those are right ways to get help) I might as well point out what's wrong with the IF itself.
First, there's no plot. I gather there's a story going on behind the scenes, but you don't actually see any of that until you finish the 'game' and then it is text-dumped on you.
Second, the 'game' itself is unplayable without the walkthrough. The only way to 'win' is to try an action, get a 'failed' message, try again and get the same failed message, repeat until the game suddenly lets the action succeed, and then the game's over. Don't do this without a hint that repeatedly trying something may yield different results.
Third, have puzzles or don't. Puzzles are not a requirement, but if you have them, have them. Work on them, make them interesting, and use them to pace the plot.
2/10. I'd give it a 1, but then I'd be diluting the other 1s, and this, while pointless, wasn't as horrible as some others.