LayoffMatch Three Snark | Submitted by costik on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 19:04. |
Layoff is developed by Tiltfactor Laboratory, which is run by Dr. Mary Flanagan, a well-regarded game studies academic, with funding from the NSF. Flanagan also runs Values at Play, which is devoted to studying how games are or can be expressive of social values.
Given these impressive facts, how interesting or successful is Layoff?
The Act of Misdirection is a short horror story. There are some interactions that might be called puzzles, but they don't feel like it -- at least, not in the conventional sense. Instead, the interaction feels like an improv routine, in which the game hints gently (and then more explicitly) at the player's role, and the player performs on cue.
