Review of "TRUDGE" Review of "TRUDGE"TRUDGE: An Interactive Hike is a TADS 2 interactive fiction game and is © 1999 by Neil deMause. It was an entry in the Speed-IF 6 event.
Review by David Welbourn (originally posted at Baf's Guide)
A bizarre and frustrating trek up an "iceburg". Although the game technically fulfils the requirements of the speed-IF for which it was written, it is not cohesive and it fails to provide any guidance for the poor player as to what they are supposed to do next. Except to go up, and you'll do that a lot.
TRUDGE also features one of the worst read-author's-mind puzzles ever. At one point, you must ask a character about roller coasters, even though roller coasters are never referred to elsewhere in the game, and the character is unresponsive to all other topics or actions.
Rating: ⭐️