Gun Mute

By: Derek Yu

On: March 13th, 2008

The desert sand squirms beneath your feet, alive with mutant nanomachines. Sheriff Clayton has Elias. He’s hanging him at noon.

It looks like you’re going to have to shoot some people.

So begins Gun Mute, a new interactive fiction game from Pacian, the developer of Snowblind Aces, a Text the Halls favorite.

And yeah, you’re definitely going to do a lot of shooting in this game, which may seem out of place for a text adventure. Non-linear exploration and item collection/usage are kind of the hallmarks of your “typical” IF, but in Gun Mute there are only two directions – forward and backward – and the only item you’ll ever need is your trusty six-shooter (ain’t that the truth!).

That Pacian can craft some tricky puzzles around such a limited set of actions is a testament to his abilities as a game designer. But it’s the narrative, set in a far-out futuristic Western, that keeps you hooked until the final, climactic showdown. Games like this really show off why interactive fiction is such a unique and exciting genre. Superb work!

EDIT: And if you’re stuck anywhere, you can type ‘HINT’ for hints.

Posted in Freeware, Highly Recommended, Interactive Fiction, Linux, Macintosh, Windows | Tags: Pacian

moi

Oh it’s from Pacian, the developer of Snowblind Aces?

I’m going to give it a try then.
MrBig

It’s a blatant Max Payne Rip!!!
Cojonciano

I remember playing Snowblind Aces when I was a kid.

Sweet 80s…
moi

I remember the christmas commercials for Snowblind aces when I was a kid.
Mr. Mr.

Man, even typing “reload” is exciting.
Fishy Boy

This game makes text adventure EXCITING.
Mischief Maker

You are standing on the curb west of a cream-colored house. There are two garbage cans here.

> pick up garbagecan

I don’t know the word garbagecan.

>pick up can

As you pick up the garbage can, you notice a man standing in the middle of the road staring at you.

>Look at man

He is a heavily built man in a blue sweater. His eyes are wide and his eyebrows are waggling.

The man says, “Garbage Day!”

>huh?

The man says, “Garbage Day!”

The man pulls a gun on you.

>block with can

You raise the can to shield yourself.

The man shoots you. The bullet goes clean through the can.

>NO!!!!

You fall to the ground. The man laughs manaically, blows smoke from the barrel, and twirls the gun.
YOU HAVE DIED.
http://www.alexandershen.com Mr. Shen

An excellent IF game, if I may say so myself… and yes, I am thusly saying so.
Joseph

Pretty fuckin awesome! I’d love to see this illustrated…
Albert

Spoilers ahead

When reassuring Gertrude that Fiona’s alive, you can nod repeatedly for a point every time.

End spoilers
Joseph

WOW I just finished the game. Really special…
Pita

Brilliant game. :O
Tenth

Quirky characters, great writing, lots of action, and a nicely done hint system. Combat does rely a lot on noticing minor details in the descriptions, but it really fits the theme well.

The streamlined movement definitely helps to emphasize the combat scenes, and there’s no question about where to go next to advance the story. (is there such a thing as a “casual text based shooter”? I guess there is now!) But the setting and characters were interesting enough that I wanted to wander around and explore more of it.

I did run into a bug during my second playthrough… I entered the exact sequence of moves to beat the “Reactor” scene, and at the end my gun was already full when I went to reload it. (As bugs go, really not a big deal. Kind of convenient, actually! ;-)
http://gnomeslair.blogspot.com/ gnome

An absolutely fantastic game that would have made a fantastic Crash cover-disk…
Ok

So, is Mute female?
Oob

I shot the sheriff.
Sigh

Mute’s a guy. Note the reference to his stubble.
George-Duckling Manburger

Ok, I am aware of that I am incredibly stupid, but I seem to be having some trouble with [SPOILER]
April, I shoot the jar until it shatters, but she smashes me anyway. Bug?
Derek

Nope! There’s more you need to do.
George-Duckling Manburger

Uh, nevermind. I figured it out.
The simplest of tasks prove to be difficult when you’re tired.
My mind-bogling stupidity aside,
I really enjoyed the game! I’m not a big text-adventure nut (o rly) but this was fairly awesome.
Ok

So, basically this tricks you into playing homosexual. Not saying that’s good or bad, but I am saying it’s a trick.
http://www.distractionware.com Terry

ok: I replayed the game and kissed Elias over and over again just to make you feel uncomfortable
Derek

I really enjoyed kissing Elias! His lips so soft… :O
IndieJoJo

Wow, what a great little experience… any tips for getting all *20* points?

SPOILERS

(I only saw one opportunity to nod to Gertrude)

/SPOILERS