Moon-Shaped

Fantasy

Wilderness

IF Comp 2006
5th of 43

XYZZY Awards 2006
Finalist - Best Story and Best NPCs

Moon-Shaped

Author(s)	Jason Ermer
Publisher(s)	n/a
Release date(s)	30-Sep-2006
Authoring system	Inform 7
Platform(s)	Z-code 8
Language(s)	English
License(s)	Freeware
Multimedia
Color effects	none
Graphics	none
Sound/Music	none
Ratings
Cruelty scale	Polite

How It Begins

You are Rosalind Wechsler, almost 13 years old and the daughter of Gretchen and Rolf, carrying your wicker basket. You stand in the main room of your home where you see the dining table and chairs, the stove, your clothes chest, and your bed. On the table is a jar of honey, a bottle of wine, and a loaf of bread. Your mother's room is north, and the front porch is east.

It's almost your birthday, but you can hear your mother crying behind her door like she does every year. (An accident involving your father and brother happened when you were very young.) Although you understand her grief, you are angry that you are ignored. Also, your grandmother promised to visit and didn't. You decide to check up on her, taking some goodies with you to her house in the woods, and leave your mother to her mourning.

Notable Features

The game is loosely based on the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" blended with another equally well-known story.
The first meeting of the PC and the wolf is done as a long cutscene, broken into digestable passages with pauses.
Internal help menus based on context. The help menu only lists topics about what you've seen so far.
Backstory is revealed mostly via flashbacks associated with particular items or locations. It is possible to learn the names of nine members of the PC's family tree.
Multiple endings. The endings are numbered from 1 to 8.

Trivia and Comments

License and copyright: Copyright © Jason Ermer 2006. Moon-Shaped may be downloaded, used, and distributed free of charge. Selling or including this work in any for-profit or commercial compilation without prior written consent of the author is prohibited. In all cases this copyright notice must remain intact.

Versions

Release 1

Moon-Shaped (Jason Ermer; 30-Sep-2006; Z-code 8).
- Release 1 / Serial number 060929 / Inform 7 build 3V01 (I6/v6.31 lib 6/11N)
- Beta-testing by Shawn Tyson, James Jolley, Mara Meijers, Marius Müller as Marius, Jason O. and Reiko Yukawa.
- IFID: 85DA0BBD-6E25-4AF1-88F3-7305AE4E1DE0
  IFID links: IFDB
- Room count: 30.
- IF Comp 2006: 5th place of 43 entries.
- XYZZY Awards 2006: Finalist for Best Story and Best NPCs.
- Download Moon-Shaped.z8 from the IF Archive - Story file.

Links