Pytho's Mask
| Pytho's Mask | |
|---|---|
| Game | |
 | |
| Main links | |
| Published | February 2001 |
| Credits | |
| Author | Emily Short |
| Reception | |
| Events |  Finalist: Best Game, Best Individual Puzzle, Best Setting, Best Story, Best Writing |
| IFDB rating | 4 out of 5 (71 ratings) |
| Gameplay | |
| Interaction style |  Parser-choice hybrid |
| Literary genres |  Fantasy  Romance |
| Language | English |
| IFDB play time | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| Accessibility | Colour: none. Graphics: none. Sound: none. |
| Technical details | |
| Authoring system | Inform 6 |
| Formats | Z-code 8, Glulx |
| License | Freeware |
| IFID | ZCODE-1-010201-BC38, ZCODE-3-020223-8099, GLULX-4-020223-848CB0F8 |
| Browse the games database • Edit this page | |
Emily Short described this game as "Another take on the possibilities of broad puzzle design. Pytho's Mask tries to provide as many routes to success as possible, leaving it to the player to determine when she has acquired enough information to act -- and what to do. It also demonstrates a conversation system evolved from the one used in Galatea, but adapted into a semi-menu format and allowing for conversation with multiple NPCs."
How it begins
A Mysterious Man invites you to a party, The Order of the Phoenix, of which you're a member, orders you to attend and gather information from one of their men on the inside, the Court Physician.
Notable features
Multiple-Choice Conversation System
Known bugs
- The commands "get [book title]" and "read [book title]" (if you are not already holding that book) will have you get/read a different book than the one you've referred to (documented here).
- It is impossible to trigger the ending if you bring up alternate topics after a certain point during the final conversation (documented here; contains spoilers).
Versions
Release 1
Date: February 2001
- Pytho's Mask (Emily Short; Feb-2001; Z-code 8).
- Release 1 / Serial number 010201 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/10
- IFID: ZCODE-1-010201-BC38
IFID links: IFDB - SmoochieComp entry. (This competition did not rank their entries.)
- XYZZY Awards 2001: Winner of Best NPCs.
Also finalist for Best Game, Best Individual Puzzle (switching the glasses), Best Setting, Best Story, and Best Writing. - Download smoochie.zip from the IF Archive - All the games from SmoochieComp. The story file for this game is pytho.z8.
Release 3
Date: 2002
- Pytho's Mask (Emily Short; 2002; Z-code 8).
- Release 3 / Serial number 020223 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/10
- IFID: ZCODE-3-020223-8099
IFID links: IFDB - Download pytho.z8 from the IF Archive
Glulx Release 4
Date: 2002
- Pytho's Mask (Emily Short; 2002; Glulx).
- Release 4 / Serial number 020223 / Inform v6.21(G0.36) Library 6/10
- IFID: GLULX-4-020223-848CB0F8
IFID links: IFDB - This has identical content to the .z8 release 3. It uses Glulx windowing to move conversation menus to the bottom of the screen rather than using the status window, so it may be more attractive to most players; the .z8 version may be more accessible with a screen reader.
- Download pytho.blb from the IF Archive
Release
Date: July 2005
Pytho's Mask is also included on the IF Promotional CD, July 2005 Edition.
Links
N.B. Many IF Archive games are temporarily unavailable in the UK.
General info
- Pytho's Mask homepage (archive).
- The Making of Pytho's Mask (archive) by Emily Short.
- Pytho's Mask (archived) - at Baf's Guide.
Reviews
- Review - at rgif by Lucian P. Smith, February 2001.
- Review - at IF-Review by Jonathan Rosebaugh, March 2001.
- Pytho's Mask - at SPAG by Thomas Smith, March 20, 2002.
- Review by J. Robinson Wheeler.
- Review (with spoilers) - at IF-Review by Victor Gijsbers, September 2005.
- Review at Girl Game Review, September 2012.
- Pytho's Mask - at IF Ratings.
- Pytho's Mask - at IFReviews.org.
Spoilers
- Walkthrough by Emily Short.
- Transcript by Lucian Smith.
- Discussion thread on rgif.
Date: February 2001
Date: 2002
Date: 2002
Date: July 2005