The Wedding is a charming and funny game that emphasizes character interaction over abstract puzzles. The plot: your friend Malcolm disappears just before his wedding, and you suspect foul play. It's of course up to you to make sure everything goes as planned, while coping with the bride's uncooperative nouveau riche family. The game takes place in a manor house with lots of well-described but otherwise useless scenery. The characters, the game's strongest point, are all interesting and well-coded, although unfortunately most puzzles effectively reduce them to props who react only to what you tell them, not what is actually happening in the world around them. Perhaps developing "smart" characters is still out of reach for today's IF languages, but I can't help but feel that characters in some games, such as Infocom's Shogun or Interstate Zero, are more lifelike than those in The Wedding despite serving the same purpose (i.e. being a puzzle element). Overall, though, there is much to like about The Wedding. The writing is solid, and there's plenty of humor, especially through your character's interaction with others, that will make you laugh out loud. There are also many clever puzzles challenging but fair. All in all, a solid game, and a worthy entrant into your IF library. Two thumbs up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |