Out is a Z-machine interactive fiction story written with Inform 7 and is © 2019 by Viktor Sobol. It was an entry at IF Comp 2019 where it took 38th place. At the 2019 XYZZY Awards, it was a finalist in two categories (Best Writing and Best Story).
In this short puzzleless story, you are taking a walking tour outward, ever outward, starting from your room in your house. How far out can you and your dog, Alpha, go?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the story.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction story. Please make an honest effort to play the story before reading this walkthrough.
This work strongly reminds me of a film called Powers of Ten by the Eames Office which likewise takes the viewer on a journey starting with a man on Earth and heading outward, in steps, to the outermost regions of the known universe.
Note that in this work, you will never retrace your steps to go back to a previous location or go sideways anywhere. The only valid direction is OUT.
Your room
> x me. i.
> x window. x posters. x desk. x computer. x door.
> open door. out.
Your house
> x embroideries. x carpets. x mother. x TV.
> talk to mother.
Your mother asks you to take Alpha out for a walk.
> x Alpha. pet Alpha. take Alpha. (She'll follow.)
> out.
Your town
> x jogger. x houses. x trees. x bird. x sun.
> x lawns. x road. x grass.
> out.
Countryside
> x brooks. x fields. x meadows. x clouds.
> out.
Planet Earth
> x Earth. x continents. x Europe. x Antarctica. x Moon.
> out.
Solar System
If you THINK, you'll remember a planet's or dwarf planet's name.
> x Mercury. x Venus. x Mars. x Ceres. x Eris.
> x Jupiter. x Saturn. x Neptune. x Makemake.
> x Uranus. x Pluto. x comet. x Haumea.
> dance.
> out.
Milky Way
> x stars. x Aldebaran. x Barnard's Star.
> x Alpha Centauri. x Proxima B. x life form.
> x Spica. x Eta Carinae. x Antares. x black hole. x Algol.
> x Betelgeuse. x galaxy. x Deneb. x Sirius. x Arcturus. x Vega.
> out.
Local Group
> x Way. x bulge. x Andromeda. x Triangulum.
> x Large. x Small. x supernova.
> out.
Virgo Superclaster
> x galaxies. x dark matter. x background. listen.
> out.
Laniakea
> x rogue planets. x nebulae. x dust. x Attractor.
> out.
Pisces-Cetus Complex
> x voids. x filaments. sing. x Complex.
> x me. pet Alpha. hug Alpha. kiss Alpha.
> out.
Universe
*** OUT ***
> amusing
The response to AMUSING at game's end is:
Did you try...
- ...dancing in the Solar System?
- ...singing in the Pisces-Cetus Complex?
- ...finding an alien life form?
- ...petting Alpha? hugging Alpha? kissing Alpha?
P. S. The game is dedicated to the memory of Zvyozdochka the space dog (Vostok 3KA-2, March 25, 1961).
The response to ABOUT or CREDITS is:
Out is a short puzzleless story made for IFComp 2019 by Viktor Sobol (
email redacted).
There is no inventory in this game, but your dog Alpha follows you. Feel free to pet her!
This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.
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