A very brief review. Spoilers past the link.

Some people say philosophy degrees are useless. Some people say a degree in philosophy leads inexorably to a life of serving coffee and wiping tables. Nuts to them, I say! If it weren’t for philosophy degrees we wouldn’t have The Chinese Room.

A puzzle game based on philosophical thought experiments is something new. These puzzles are thought provoking in a way that fix-the-widget and optimize-the-command-sequence puzzles aren’t. And I feel like I can explore without getting bored, or screwing something up, or hitting a time limit.

That said… by the point I reached The Chinese Room I had IFComp fatigue, and the authors warn that it’s a long one. So I must admit I didn’t play through the whole thing–hence this very short review. That might be for the best; I’ve heard there are still a few bugs to be worked out, and this is a game I’d like to enjoy at leisure.

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