I’ve just finished reading-playing Photopia, a truly brilliant work of interactive fiction. It literally brought tears to my eyes the first time I played-read it.
For those who’ve not heard of it, interactive fiction is something which grew up out of the old text-based adventure games of the 70s & 80s. It’s long since outgrown those roots, though. While there are those which are still puzzle-based, hair-uprooting, goofy games, there are also those which are much more like interactive novels in which the reader-player participates with the author.
Photopia is actually much more like a traditional story. There are a few easy puzzles, but really it’s a story told by the author and experienced by the player-reader. What is unique about it is that it would be impossible in any other medium. It could not be a short story on paper—not without losing its emotional punch. It could not be a visual game. It is what it is: a work of fiction which is interactive. Download a Z-code interpreter and check it out. It will blow you away.
