Mainland

Pros: [list][*]This game has an old school text game feel to it. [*]I like the visual of the parchment colored background with ink script (and a script like font here and there), as it adds to the theme/feel of the game [*]The game helps with some prompts for actions. e.g. Type "a", and you'll see "ascend" come up as an option for a command. When you are stuck (and in my 30 minutes I spent more time stuck than not), you can at least cycle through the alphabet to see what commands are available to try to figure out your next move. [*]Similar to above, it will also only provide viable options for items that you can do actions on.[/list] Cons: [list][*]The terminology is very restrictive and specific (e.g., [spoiler]I couldn't "throw" the rope to get to the crow's nest, I had to "swing" it[/spoiler]). [*]"Use", which is always a staple of text games is unusable in this game. This could have drastically slimmed down the list of commands needed (so many of the actions that I performed so far could have just as easily been summed up with just use, move, look at, and take) [/list] Game looks promising, though is already living up to the old text game standards of frustration as you can't figure out just which combination of commands you need to do in order to achieve what you're going for, and so far, no amusing text as a result of failed commands.

This was a pretty good text adventure and anyone who likes retro-gaming that far back a genre should give this a try. It's got a good story and a pretty interesting premise. My only issue was that it wasn't long enough and I was surprised at ending it so quickly. I'm not looking to spoil anything, but abrupt endings were always an issue as far back as I've been gaming. I thought I had died and then saw the credits roll and realized an epilogue and closure weren't on the menu. All in all though, I still enjoyed the hell out of it and hope that the ending is just a stopping point for the plot to continue from if they're taking an episodic approach with it. If that's the case, I'll certainly play any sequels that are released.

сильно. лабиринт мне все еще снится

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On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this game around 4-5/10. The play time is relatively short-- I took about three hours to finish it, but if you're decent at putting words together and/or is a fast reader, you may be able to finish it in an hour or two, maybe even less. Good if you're planning on mad-dashing your way through a bunch of games on a slow afternoon. I do have some complaints. To people scrolling through the reviews to see if the game's worth your time, beyond this point there will be spoilers. I will still be hiding them, but there's gonna be a lot of them so you might as well not look. You have been warned. First: the game can be a bit vague at times. A prime example of this is the second "chapter": [spoiler]the one where you explore the island. When you examine the distant island, the MC notes that you can reach the island with a dinghy. This got me thinking, "Oh, well, then I have to take the dinghy on the boat to the island, right?" [b]Wrong[/b]. Whenever I tried to get on the ship, it says, "No time for that, I need to explore the island." I [b][i]am[/i][/b] trying to explore the island, though! You said we could get there in a dinghy and we have to explore the island, so why won't you let me get onto the boat where the dinghy is located?![/spoiler] I walked around lost for a long while before I gave up and pulled up a walk-through. [spoiler]Apparently, by "the island" the game meant the one I'm currently on. The game never specified it, though, and with the dinghy comment and an earlier comment at the footstep bush that said "I need to stay hidden" made it seem like I'm not supposed to be on the island and needed to go to the other one.[/spoiler] This is part of the reason why it took me three hours to get through the game: I spent nearly an hour walking around aimlessly, lost and frustrated. Thankfully, this wasn't as much a problem in the later segments of the game as it was in the earlier segments of the game. Another thing that bugs me is the sheer amount of commands available for the player. Choice is great, but having too many choices bring about its own problems. In the third-to-last "chapter" of the game, [spoiler]the MC finally tries to use the dinghy to get to the island. He can't move the dinghy, though, because there are crates weighing it down. I tried the "take crates" command, because I thought I needed to [i]take[/i] them out of the dinghy, but it turns out no, I needed to [i]move[/i] them out of the dinghy instead.[/spoiler] It's all semantics, but having to fiddle around with commands is frustrating and unnecessarily time-consuming. As for the writing and story, they aren't anything special. It seems to me the developers were trying to portray the slow descent into hopelessness when one is feeling figuratively or, in the case of this game, literally stranded. If the story was meant to invoke an emotional reaction in the player, it failed; for most of the story, I was mostly just annoyed due to the aforementioned vagueness and commands. While the ending and the immediate parts leading up to it did make me feel something, it was mostly discomfort I felt for myself, brought on by the [i]topic[/i] the story was delving into, rather than by its own merit. The overall writing and story neither compelled me to feel anything for nor form a sympathetic bond with the protagonist. [strike]Also, I find it hard to sympathize with [spoiler]a colonizer[/spoiler]. I understand that it's appropriate to the time setting, but if the developers were trying to make as many people as possible emotional, maybe try having an MC who [spoiler]doesn't casually mentions slaves like it's just another day, doesn't make racist remarks towards "the natives", and doesn't have a father who treats the aforementioned natives like they're test subjects[/spoiler]. The insensitivity undercuts the delivery.[/strike] I'd like to redact this part of my review, since my opinions have changed since then. It was within the developer's rights to make a game with such a protagonist. However, this doesn't change the fact that [i]I[/i] think the protagonist is kind of a racist. His racism is detailed in the above struck-out part, but if that's no longer readable, they were casual, offhand remarks. If you can't stomach racism, then it might be best for you to skip this game entirely. Overall, while not horrible, it isn't great either. Personally, it's a meh game leaning towards the lower end.

As many reviews state, even for a free game it is just far too short. The game is completely linear, there doesn't seem to be any room for error, as in, you can't lose. As far as I could tell, at least. But you can get hopelessly stuck and require a walkthrough. Logical actions seem to be completely ignored by the author. I just wish this was more; the soundtrack really held me in, if anything.

Игра 'Mainland' - это интересная, хотя и несколько недоработанная, попытка создать захватывающий мир с элементами выживания и крафта. Графика приятная, особенно радуют пейзажи, но оптимизация оставляет желать лучшего, даже на мощном железе бывают просадки FPS. Система крафта довольно обширная, есть множество рецептов и ресурсов для сбора, что позволяет игроку ощутить себя настоящим выживальщиком. Однако, сюжетная линия кажется слабоватой и оставляет много вопросов без ответов. Квесты часто однообразны и сводятся к "пойди - принеси - убей". Искусственный интеллект противников не отличается особой хитростью, что снижает сложность сражений. Несмотря на недостатки, в 'Mainland' есть потенциал. Игра может заинтересовать любителей жанра, если разработчики продолжат её улучшать и добавлять контент. В текущем состоянии - это крепкий середнячок, которому не хватает полировки и более проработанной истории. Рекомендую подождать скидок или обновлений перед покупкой.