''Violet'' is a work of
interactive fiction by American author
Jeremy Freese.
It is a one-room puzzle game.
Plot
The protagonist of ''Violet'' is a graduate student trying to write 1,000 words for his dissertation.
The protagonist's girlfriend, Violet, threatens to leave otherwise.
The protagonist faces a stream of distractions,
including a window with a view of the campus, and a computer with access to
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
s and
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be c ...
s.
In the course of the game, the protagonist must "reconsider—and risk wrecking—" his career and relationship.
Reception
A reviewer for ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' described the puzzles as "smart but logical" and "fit
ing
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
thematically into the story."
The reviewer also called out the ability to disable "'heteronormativity,' so you can play as Violet’s girlfriend" as something that makes the game "Worth playing for".
A second review also observes this option, noting that at least one puzzle changes based on the choice.
A writer for
Jay Is Games called out ''Violet'' for "succeed
ngin the difficult task of capturing the intricacies of a dynamic relationship."
The writer also praised the game for succeeding at engaging the player at "the core emotional level", again noting how difficult this is.
Emily Short
Emily Short is an interactive fiction (IF) writer.
She is perhaps best known for her debut game ''Galatea'' and her use of psychologically complex non-player characters (NPCs).
Short has been called "a visionary in the world of text-based ga ...
, in a review on Jay Is Games, noted the strength of the implementation, pointing to the breadth of "interesting responses even to silly or unexpected actions."
Short felt that the characters were "seemingly-real" and "their problem is plausible and serious."
Wins and awards
It took first place in the 2008
Interactive Fiction Competition
The Interactive Fiction Competition (also known as IFComp) is one of several annual competitions for works of interactive fiction. It has been held since 1995. It is intended for fairly short games, as judges are only allowed to spend two hours pla ...
with an average score of 8.53.
That score is the highest of any Interactive Fiction Competition entry from 1999 through 2012.
1999
, an
''Violet'' was selected as the best interactive fiction game for 2008 by both the Jay Is Games staff and audience.[
]
''Violet'' took 35.1% of the vote in the Jay Is Games audience award, compared to 18.7% for the second-place winner, ''Lost Pig
''Lost Pig'' is a comedic work of interactive fiction about an orc retrieving an escaped pig. It was created by Admiral Jota and released as freeware.
It took first place in the 2007 Interactive Fiction Competition with an average score of 8.2 ...
''.XYZZY Award The XYZZY Awards are the annual awards given to works of interactive fiction, serving a similar role to the Academy Awards for film. The awards were inaugurated in 1997 by Eileen Mullin, the editor of ''XYZZYnews''. Any game released during the yea ...
s: Best game, writing, individual puzzle ("Disconnecting the Internet in Violet/Getting rid of the key in Violet"), and individual NPC (Violet, the eponymous character).[ ]
References
{{reflist
External links
Violet entry at the Interactive Fiction DataBase
— includes link to download the game, walkthrough, and reviews
IPlayIF
— Play online with Parchment.
Violet
— Play online at Jay Is Games (requires Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich web applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players. Fla ...
)
2008 video games
2000s interactive fiction
LGBT-related video games
Romance video games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender