INTERACTIVE FICTION: Anchorhead

Posted on October 28, 2003 by Susan

Via various links—I don’t remember how I got there, just as in IF itself, I have neglected to write it down but downloaded and bookmarked the spot—I reached what I think will be a most enjoyable piece of IF called Anchorhead by ( ) (this is where I have forgotten to first get the author’s name before writing this entry, but in going back to the downloaded version to check have come up with a “text buffer overflow” so I shall attempt to correct this post later). It is supposedly more in the gothic genre, one of my favorites (Edgar is practically dancing atop my desk at this remark) and has offered some difficulty in maneuvering without being frustrating. I will report more as I go along, but would like to hear from others who may have entered Anchorhead themselves.

This entry was posted in INTERACTIVE FICTION. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to INTERACTIVE FICTION: Anchorhead

  1. Metro98k says:
    May 26, 2004 at 3:47 pm

    Boy, hope you stuck with Anchorhead. Man, is it worth it! The only text adv I’ve played that has topped this one is Hitchhiker’s Guide. It’s a bit overwhelming at first (there is a a lot of area to cover, with no specific direction to explore first), and you have to read everything very closely, but it is very rewarding when you start to piece together the unfolding story. You will need to take many notes and reread clues multiple times to figure this one out. You will also probably need the walkthrough at some point, although you can probably do the first full half without it.

    Enjoy, and try your best to do it referencing the walkthrough as little as possible. The little details you will stumble upon on your own are absolutely essential to setting the disturbing mood of this piece, and are eventually what will prevent you from being able to stop playing.

    ***SEMI-SPOILERS FOLLOW***

    If you like mystery OR horror, you get the best of both here. The first half is a great mystery – piecing together the family tree is a lot of fun, if you don’t mind taking detailed notes and organizing them. As you piece together the story, the big picture goes from mysterious to sinister to creepy to horrible to terrifying. And it’s a great ride.

  2. susan says:
    May 27, 2004 at 10:37 am

    Thanks for the kick to get back to it! I was scheduled to take an IF course this summer to learn how to write a game, but disappointed to see that it had to be cancelled. One of our writing group members was clever enough to compose a history piece, and I’m working my way through that right now.

Comments are closed.