Babel

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This page is about the TADS game by Ian Finley. For other meanings of Babel, see Babel (disambiguation).


Science Fiction
Science
Fiction
Horror
Horror
Drama
Drama
Building
Building
Under­ground
Under­ground
Red IF comp ribbon.png
IF Comp 1997
2nd of 34
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XYZZY Awards 1997
Finalist - Best Individual PC, Best Puzzles, Best Writing, Best Game
Babel
Author(s) Ian Finley
Publisher(s) n/a
Release date(s) Oct-1997
Authoring system TADS 2
Platform(s) TADS 2
Language(s) English
License(s) Freeware
Multimedia
Color effects none
Graphics none
Sound/Music none
Ratings
Cruelty scale Merciful

How It Begins

Your mind is cold and torpid. Slowly your senses come to you: you're lying on a hard surface; the air is tinged with disinfectant; it's dark around. You're clothed in a thin gown. You don't know who or where you are.

You get up and find yourself at the north end of a dimly lit hall. As you approach a feeble light at the other end of the hall, an eery blue glow arrests your attention, which you touch, as if by impulse. You feel a jolt of static electrity and then suddenly the sound of a terrified scream reaches you.

Notable Features

  • The player character suffers from retrograde amnesia and will recover their memory during the course of the game.
  • The protagonist is able to experience brief, emotionally-laden visions from the past just by touching objects.
  • The protagonist maintains a calendar with a chronological list of past events as they are revealed.

Trivia and Comments

  • The game takes place in an underground research facility in the Arctic region, presumably along latitude 74° N.

Versions

Competition version

  • Babel (Ian Finley; Oct-1997; TADS 2).
    • IFID wanted. (Please replace this line with a babel template.)
    • IF Comp 1997: 2nd place of 34 entries.
    • XYZZY Awards 1997: Winner of Best Story. Finalist for Best Game, Best Individual PC (David), Best Puzzles, Best Writing.
    • Files in the tads/babel/ directory:
      • babel.gam (435 KB; story file; download).
      • hints.txt (4.8 KB; hints; download).
      • walk1.in (4.8 KB; walkthrough; download).

Version 3.1

  • Babel (Ian Finley; 11-Feb-2000; TADS 2).
    • IFID wanted. (Please replace this line with a babel template.)
    • Files:
      • Babel31.gam (455 KB; story file; download).
      • Babel.exe (691 KB; Windows executable; download)
      • babel-31.hqx (699 KB; Macintosh executable; download).

Links

General Info

Reviews

Spoilers