The Warbler's Nest

From Orangepeel Softworks:

Surely the reed bank counts as a wild place. While it gives you so much, youve never tended it, not really, not like you do with your garden. And youve certainly seen birds there. Its something like the forest, then, but much safer to search without attracting attention. So here you are.THE WARBLERS NEST is an interactive short story about a troubled soul, searching for answers among the reeds. Originally written for the 2010 Interactive Fiction Competition, it would go on to win that years XYZZY Award for Best Story.Some kind words from critics:An interactive fiction about perception ... The Warblers Nest uses the textual nature of the medium to full advantage. Emily Short (author of Galatea), PlayThisThing.com reviewI would like to see more pieces that are as quiet and contemplative as The Warblers Nest. Victor Gijsbers (author of The Baron), IFDB.tads.org reviewMinimalist and atmospheric. The Warblers Nest is a great mood piece ... If you like story and interesting narrative over puzzles, The Warblers Nest is a must to play. Janos Honkonen, IFDB.tads.org reviewExperience the truly creepy and realistic dark side of a story you may have idly passed over in your Brothers Grimm collection. Joye, JayIsGames.com reviewThis new iOS edition of the game uses the beautiful and fluid text-adventure interface developed by Andrew Plotkin for his own work, The Dreamhold. Its many interface features, including a popup palette of common commands and full VoiceOver support, make exploring the game's textual world a pleasure on any iOS device.The Warblers Nest is short -- you can traverse it completely one play session, perhaps in a single lunch break or commute. But it might very well stay with you for far longer than that.WHAT IS INTERACTIVE FICTION?Interactive fiction, also known as IF or text adventures, describes a style of story-driven gameplay where the central medium is text. The player types out short commands for the game's protagonist to follow in plain English, and the computer describes what happens as a result. Graphics of any sort are rare, if they appear at all.While it hasn't had much mainstream attention since the 1980s (when text-adventure games like Zork and Deadline dominated the field of computer entertainment), IF has continued to develop as an artform through the efforts of dedicated hobbyist creators and players. The Warblers Nest represents one of many fine story-games emerging from this tradition, and its author is pleased to make it one of the first available in the iOS App Store.Those new to interactive fiction may also wish to download Andrew Plotkins The Dreamhold, available for free from the App Store. It is a longer adventure with an integrated tutorial, designed specifically as an introduction to this particular game style.

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