CWs for What Heart Heard Of, Ghost Guessed: descriptions of violence, child abuse, depictions of ableism, burning alive.

A parser adventure ghost story about unraveling some recent events surrounding a Victorian-ish estate as the ghost. This game is really clever in how it economizes the usual lock and key puzzles of parser games. You receive non-standard verbs in the form of remembered emotions and memories, which neatly resolves the issue many adventure games have of the puzzles being complete non-sequitur. Because of the genre space the game is working in, it's capability to do something more with discussing child abuse and disability is really not that sophisticated, but the game contextualizes the tropes it does go for with sympathy. The mounting pace, the modest length, and a carefully measured hint resource make for a really killer experience.

A fantastic mixture of text parser gameplay and plot that renewed my enthusiasm for interactive fiction. The designer reimagines the use of verbs in this style of game - think "examine," or "look" - to correspond with the player character as a ghost. The more you find as you move through the family mansion, the more you are able to remember and do. The twist is that most verbs are related to emotion, manifesting in kinetic projection, possession, and more. The all-text presentation is a benefit as it also muffled the experience of the house, its objects, and my actions, making them live in my imagination. That seems appropriate for a disembodied spirit. All along the way, plot is conveyed through exploration and is often accompanied by the strong emotions that it takes to manipulate the house and its objects. While the plot is, ultimately, a bit predictable, this is a very well-told story. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy interactive fiction and those who are curious about the style.