Review Rundown: The One With Games That Aren’t Always Fair
Game/theatre hybrid in Seattle, the latest from Hunt A Killer, and a taste of Polyarc’s Moss: Book II for VR (THREE REVIEWS)
Some weeks you just have a theme handed to you, and this week? Well it’s stated pretty clearly up above.
Last week’s Rundown, the one with more than a few mysteries? They’re right here.
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(F)UNFAIR — Dacha Theatre
Pay What You Can; Seattle, WA; through Aug. 7th
Walking into the carnival you already know things are not what they seem. Crawling with carnies, how much you can reveal about what is really happening is highly dependent on which layer of (F)UNFAIR you can get into.
(F)UNFAIR is a democracy and participants have the right to vote on items that impact the experience of the workers living there. While this feels a bit heavy handed, the first things participants get to vote on seem to be frivolous items — what the band plays and a reservation for balloon art — which helps everyone ease into the recurring mechanic. Participants can partner with the carnies to make suggestions that may be voted on in order to help make (F)UNFAIR a better (or worse) place. After a brief stint playing carnival games, some of the “real” problems are revealed, kicking off one of the plots for those who wish to solve the “why” or explore some side-quests. Fair warning: I didn’t catch wind of some of the deeper plots until half-way through the show but I did get my suggestion up for a vote and implemented (success!).
What Dacha gets really right is pulling participants into the experience early. The games themselves are fun and creative with limited space and roving performers come up and engage — making it a good show for those new to immersive.
I do wish Dacha had considered hiring an actual magician or allied artist to participate in the show to help make it a bit less one-toned. There were plenty of opportunities where a less campy approach to a couple of characters may have helped both drive plot and made a more nuanced show emotionally.
Overall (F)UNFAIR is worth the trek to North Seattle and exceptionally good for the immersive-curious.
— Rachel Stoll, Seattle Contributor
Dead on the Vine — Hunt A Killer
$69.99; Remote (At-Home Box); Available Now
Hunt A Killer makes puzzles that are grim, gritty, and grownup. That’s what I thought, at least, when I grabbed six puzzle-loving friends, cracked open the case files to Dead on the Vine, and found… an argyle notebook and some wine charms? This was the opposite of gritty. It was, in fact, quite cozy.
After switching our soundtrack from the Law & Order theme to Murder She Wrote, my friends and I had a good time playing detective. Dead on the Vine’s production value is fantastic — the box is packed with heavyweight papers, textured brochures, and locked baggies.
The puzzles are plentiful and varied; everyone in my group had lots to do and nobody was left twiddling their thumbs. The clue-to-red-herring ratio is satisfying; details that don’t relate to the murder still serve up juicy narrative tidbits that keep the story rolling. More than once, somebody in my group floated a wild theory, only to have it confirmed by somebody else’s clue a few minutes later. I was impressed by the level of trust Hunt A Killer seems to have for its players. Knowing that the clues we needed would make sense if we just kept working together made for great (and satisfying!) collaborative gameplay.
Of course, some bits worked better than others. The narrative attached to this game’s solution was beyond cheesy, which cheapened an otherwise sincere story. Play is well-paced, but consistent action means brain breaks aren’t baked in and three hours of nonstop puzzle-solving (even when it’s engaging and fun) is borderline exhausting. Finally, I would have preferred the box not include tchotchkes. Younger me would have been charmed, but grownup me doesn’t need another wine stopper for the junk-drawer.
All things considered, I recommend Dead on the Vine to families with precocious tweens and a few hours to kill, anyone who wants to live their own Agatha Christie fantasy, and to people who really love wine… and possibly murder.
— Leah Davis, New England Correspondent
Moss: Book II — Polyarc
$39.99; Remote (VR); Available Now
As an immersive experience, Moss: Book II shines bright thanks to its captivating lead Quill and how the player both witnesses and interacts with the many and varied realms of Moss. Part of this success is due to the original game. Like its predecessor, Moss: Book II has the player moving Quill through diorama-like landscapes, witnessing everything from a fixed and forced visual perspective. When Quill runs over a hill or through a door, there is the sound of a page turning, with another, different landscape appearing before the player.
In the original game, opportunities to interact with Quill were limited. She would provide hints through arm gestures and occasionally offer a paw for a high five. While those interactions return in Moss: Book II, there’s greater variety and depth. This is partially due to an expansion in the cast of characters (explaining further would broach several spoilers). Prompts to interact with other characters begin quite similarly, but quickly prove to be vastly different. This variety makes Quill and other characters feel alive, as if the player is interacting with live performers.
– Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator from his full-length review
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