Babel

This page is about the TADS game by Ian Finley. For other meanings of Babel, see Babel (disambiguation).

Science
Fiction

Horror

Drama

Building

Underground

IF Comp 1997
2nd of 34

XYZZY Awards 1997
Best Story

XYZZY Awards 1997
Finalist - Best Individual PC, Best Puzzles, Best Writing, Best Game

Babel

Author(s)	Ian Finley
Publisher(s)	n/a
Release date(s)	Oct-1997
Authoring system	TADS 2
Platform(s)	TADS 2
Language(s)	English
License(s)	Freeware
Multimedia
Color effects	none
Graphics	none
Sound/Music	none
Ratings
Cruelty scale	Merciful

How It Begins

Your mind is cold and torpid. Slowly your senses come to you: you're lying on a hard surface; the air is tinged with disinfectant; it's dark around. You're clothed in a thin gown. You don't know who or where you are.

You get up and find yourself at the north end of a dimly lit hall. As you approach a feeble light at the other end of the hall, an eery blue glow arrests your attention, which you touch, as if by impulse. You feel a jolt of static electrity and then suddenly the sound of a terrified scream reaches you.

Notable Features

The player character suffers from retrograde amnesia and will recover their memory during the course of the game.
The protagonist is able to experience brief, emotionally-laden visions from the past just by touching objects.
The protagonist maintains a calendar with a chronological list of past events as they are revealed.

Trivia and Comments

The game takes place in an underground research facility in the Arctic region, presumably along latitude 74° N.

Versions

Competition version

Babel (Ian Finley; Oct-1997; TADS 2).
- IFID wanted. (Please replace this line with a babel template.)
- IF Comp 1997: 2nd place of 34 entries.
- XYZZY Awards 1997: Winner of Best Story. Finalist for Best Game, Best Individual PC (David), Best Puzzles, Best Writing.
- Files in the tads/babel/ directory:
  - babel.gam (435 KB; story file; download).
  - hints.txt (4.8 KB; hints; download).
  - walk1.in (4.8 KB; walkthrough; download).

Version 3.1

Babel (Ian Finley; 11-Feb-2000; TADS 2).
- IFID wanted. (Please replace this line with a babel template.)
- Files:
  - Babel31.gam (455 KB; story file; download).
  - Babel.exe (691 KB; Windows executable; download)
  - babel-31.hqx (699 KB; Macintosh executable; download).

Links

General Info

Babel feelies (archive)
Babel (archived) - at Baf's Guide
Babel - at IFDB.
Babel - at ifwizz interactive fiction (in German).
Babel - at Home of the Underdogs

Reviews

Babel - at IF Ratings.
Babel - at IFReviews.org
Babel - at SPAG - reviewed by Laurel Halbany, Duncan Stevens and Paul O'Brian.
Review - by Paul O'Brian.
IFReview by Andrew Plotkin.
Review (archive) - by Duncan Stevens.

Spoilers