The White Bull
| The White Bull | |
|---|---|
| Game | |
 | |
| Main links | |
| Published | 7 April 2012 |
| Credits | |
| Author | Jim Aikin |
| Reception | |
| Events | |
| IFDB rating | 3.5 out of 5 (7 ratings) |
| Gameplay | |
| Interaction style |  Parser |
| Literary genre |  Adventure |
| Locations |  Island  Underground |
| Language | English |
| Accessibility | Colour: none. Graphics: optional. Sound: optional. |
| Technical details | |
| Authoring system | TADS 3 |
| Format | TADS 3 |
| License | Freeware |
| IFID | 830a39ac-2ac2-fcb1-9443-2f7771e08341 |
| Browse the games database • Edit this page | |
How it begins
The little fishing trawler putt-putts along through a low choppy swell, its engine grumbling, occasionally popping, and exhaling thin gray smoke. The sky overhead is a brilliant blue. A low, rocky island rises out of the Mediterranean, topped by an irregular ridge and a scatter of dark trees. The island itself is bleached nearly white by millennia of sunlight.
Julia has shown you photos of ancient, rotting scrolls that, she said, show the center of early Minoan culture was here on this gods-forsaken speck of rock, not on Crete. Since your knowledge of ancient languages is nil, you’re happy to take her word for it. This idea that she’ll discover the Labyrinth of King Minos on this obscure speck of an island, when the entire scholarly community is sure Minos ruled (if he ever lived at all) hundreds of miles from here, on Crete ... you sometimes wonder if her parents lulled her to sleep every night when she was little by reading to her about Schliemann’s discovery of Troy.
Mainly you’re curious what you may find on the island. Buried treasure? Probably not. And probably not Julia’s fabled ruins either, but maybe something that will make the trip worthwhile. Unless Julia comes up with some chores she needs you to do, you’re planning just to poke around and see what’s here. Archaeology being her passion, not yours.
Notable features
- The White Bull includes nine short music cues written and recorded by the game author.
Versions
Release 1
Date: 7 April 2012
- The White Bull (Jim Aikin; 07-Apr-2012; TADS 3).
- Beta-testing by Radical Al, Marco Alpert, Dacharya64, Michael Fransioli, and Hanon Ondricek.
- IFID: 830a39ac-2ac2-fcb1-9443-2f7771e08341
IFID links: IFDB, IFDB cover - Spring Thing 2012: 2nd place of 4 entries.
- Download options:
- Download TheWhiteBull.zip from the IF Archive.
- Download TheWhiteBull.zip from Spring Thing site.
Links
N.B. Many IF Archive games are temporarily unavailable in the UK.
General info
- The White Bull - at IFDB.
- The White Bull - at ifwizz interactive fiction (in German).
Reviews
- Review by Sam Kabo Ashwell.
- Review by Cobaltnine.
- Review by Marco Innocenti.
- Review by Jenni Polodna.
Date: 7 April 2012