Limen is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2021 by Elizabeth DeCoste. This interactive-fiction game was developed for Nuit Blanche Regina 2021.
This surreal dream-like game is about visiting mostly-empty liminal spaces, such as a subway station, a darkened shopping mall, fields, part of a hotel, and a multi-level parkade. It's not about puzzles or story. It's more about the experience of being in those places. Still, you must solve a few mild puzzles before you can reach the ending.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Do you need instructions?
>> no
Subway Station
In this game, the exits are listed in the status bar, but this initial location has no exits.
> x advertisements.
> x screen. x benches. x tile. x lights.
The train whooshes by and slows, but then there's a strong wind and you're elsewhere.
Expanse
> x board. ("WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?")
> n.
Field
> x board. ("TO MALL")
> n.
Shopping Mall
> x stores. x mannequins. x tile.
> x board. ("IN THE IN BETWEENS")
> n.
Darkened Store Fronts (north side)
Don't worry. It's not a maze.
> w.
Darkened Store Fronts (northwest corner)
> s.
Darkened Store Fronts (west side)
> s.
Darkened Store Fronts (southwest corner)
> ne. se.
Darkened Store Fronts (southeast corner)
> n.
Darkened Store Fronts (east corner)
> n.
Darkened Store Fronts (northeast corner)
> x machine. (gumball costs $1)
> x board. ("Going home?")
> sw. s. s. s.
Rising Ground
> x board. ("IN THE IN BETWEENS")
> e.
Hill top
> x text. ("TO LOBBY")
> n.
Playground
> x jungle. x carousel.
> x seats. sit on seats.
> s. e.
Hotel Lobby
> take pamphlet. x it.
> x table. x lights. x carpet. x furniture.
> x counter.
> n.
Behind Counter
> x pens. take pen.
> x note. ("XYZZY")
> x card. take it.
> x computer. x scanner.
> turn on computer.
>> XYZZY
> scan card. (It's now activated.)
> s. e.
First Floor Hallway
> n. (using the key card)
Room 237
> x dollar. take it.
> x bed. x furniture. x wallpaper.
> n.
Bathroom
> x toilet. x sinks. x mirrors.
> x lights. x bathtub. x curtain.
> open curtain.
*** You have been strangled to death. ***
> undo
> s. s. e.
Elevator
When you enter, the elevator rushes upward on its own.
> x buttons. push buttons.
> w.
Parkade (first level)
> x board. ("TO PLAYGROUND")
> x lights.
> d. d. d. d.
Parkade (fifth level)
> x car. x keys.
> d.
Parkade (sixth level)
Nothing here and it's a dead end.
> u.
Parkade (fifth level)
> enter car. take keys.
> start car. (The car drives itself to...)
Playground
> turn off car. out.
Return to the gumball machine:
> s. w. w. n. n. ne.
Darkened Store Fronts (northeast corner)
> put dollar in slot.
> x gumball. eat it.
*** The End ***
This is the response to CREDITS:
Welcome to Limen. This interactive-fiction game was developed for Nuit Blanche Regina 2021 by artist Elizabeth DeCoste.
This game was programmed with the software Inform 7 and powered by the interpreter Gargoyle. Thanks goes out to the folks behind the Interactive Data Base (ifdb.org) and the Interactive Fiction archive (ifarchive.org) for making the game accessible online. This project would not have been possible without the help of many people on The Interactive Fiction Community Forum. Specifically, thanks goes out to those who offered guidance on Inform 7 and those who test-played the game before its release: Michael Russo, Patrick Mooney, Christopher Merriner, Nils Fagerburg, Zed Lopez, Jade, and Edo Rajh. Additional thanks is also extended to those who helped set up the installation, Brie Treppel, as well as the Dunlop Art Gallery, who generously loaned out a projecctor for the festival, and to the organizers of Nuit Blanche 2021 for being interested in seeing this project come to fruition.
To learn more about the artist, visit elizabeth-decoste.format.com or find them on instagram @aquarigus.
Note: I couldn't find her in either location. The format.com link 404's, and if her instagram handle isn't a typo, it must be set to private.
I only found two endings:
This walkthrough is provided free of charge even though the work it's based on has fifteen or more locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
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