In this short episode we’re introducing our upcoming coverage of IFComp 2017 with an introduction to the competition and to interactive fiction for new players. We covered IFComp in both 2015 and 2016, and this year we’re preparing for the best and biggest year the competition has ever had. Join us on our next episode for reviews and reactions to some of the games of 2017.

Want to learn more? Here are a few of our past episodes on IF:

Guides for IF Beginners:

How to Play Interactive Fiction (An Entire Strategy on a Postcard)

Emily Short’s Guide to Interactive Fiction (PDF)

IFComp – About IF

History of the Festival

http://ifwiki.org/index.php/Mathbrush

The twine invasion of 2012 (most interesting moment in the recent history of the comp)

http://www.intfiction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=22855

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Your hosts this week were:

Nex Machina is an arcade shooter with an incredible pedigree. Super Stardust developer Housemarque teamed up with video game legend Eugene Jarvis, creator of games like Defender, Robotron 2048, and Smash TV to create a modern dual-stick shooter with obvious arcade influences.

Shane and Raygan discuss the game, their history with the dual stick shooter genre, and a few other notable games to check out if you like arcade shooters.

Nex Machina is available on Steam and PS4 for $19.99. It has an arcade structure designed around frequent re-plays and high scores. Expect it to take about two hours to complete a play through, though this will vary widely by difficulty level and ability.

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Your hosts this week were:

Gotta go fast! This episode we’re talking about Sonic Mania, the first Sonic the Hedgehog game in years to recapture the feeling of the original 2D Sonic games. We discuss our history as Sonic fans, the fascinating development story behind the game, and how Sonic Mania measures up as part of the Sonic series.

[00:00:00] The Short Game The Hedgehog

“___ the Hedgehog” Google Image Results:

Raygan the Hedgehog:

Shane the Hedgehog:

Nate the Hedgehog:

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Your hosts this week were:

• (00:00) - The Short Game The Hedgehog

Fullbright’s followup to Gone Home finally arrived last month, and we’re floating in to investigate. Tacoma is a sci-fi exploration/narrative storytelling game set aboard a moon-orbiting space station 70 years in the future. You play a contractor sent to investigate a disaster aboard the station, learning what happened through environmental detail and AR surveillance recordings. Uncover the events personal stories of the six crewmembers who made Tacoma home, and discover how they responded to the disaster that threatened their lives.

Tacoma is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux (via Itch.io, Steam, and GOG) and on the Xbox One. Expect it to take 2-4 hours to complete.

Our spoiler break for this episode is at [00:37:42]

Links for this episode:

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Your hosts this week were:

• (00:00) - Intro & Pre-Spoiler Discussion

Bithell Beyonce-ed us!

Mike Bithell, creator of Short Game favorites Thomas Was Alone and Volume, surprised us with an unexpected release, and it’s incredibly up our alley. Subsurface Circular is a two-hour text adventure game (with beautiful accompanying graphics) about a robot detective, solving a missing person’s case on the subsurface circular, a robots only subway system.

Before the (early) spoiler break at [00:13:50] we discuss the surprise release and what Mike Bithell’s new “Bithell Shorts” label means for short games. After the spoiler break we discuss some of our favorite moments from the game, and its shocking conclusion.

Subsurface Circular is available on Steam for $5.99. Expect it to take about 2-3 hours to complete, with a developer commentary available on a second play through.

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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Your hosts this week were:

• (00:00) - No Spoilers