Part 2, "The Foundation", is in development.
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"Cold, naked and confused, you open your eyes to a place you don't recognise..."
The Shack v1.8 (c) System Masters 2020-2021
https://systemmastersgames.wordpress.com
[email protected]
PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE GAME AND PLAY THROUGH THE QUEST APP, AVAILABLE HERE:
https://textadventures.co.uk/quest/desktop
Web and mobile play are not recommended.
Optimal resolution is 1920x1080 (1080p, or Full HD). Resolutions lower than this may cut off part of the display causing text and commands to be unreadable.
Latest release:
v1.8 (06/10/2021) - Minor update to fix a spelling error, a grammatical error and to fix a specific description which now updates correctly when certain conditions are met. As always, thanks for the feedback!
Previous patches:
v1.7 (27/05/2021) - updated title image and cover art. Fixed a typo in the ending. Slightly altered help text screen and help command. Changed the default message which appears when trying to use a verb without a noun, to make it clearer that you need to be more specific. Added an extra hint about unlocking, using keys, and added more interactions in a certain location to better signpost the player's required actions in that location.
v1.61 (13/05/2021) - Small adjustment; made the parser more acquiescent when using keys.
v1.6 (05/05/2021) - a few typos and grammatical errors fixed. Fix for two situations not updating their descriptions after solving. Updated a few descriptions to read better.
v1.5 (02/05/2021) - small bug fix to stop the player taking an item they're not supposed to be able to.
v1.4 (22/11/2020) - community tested stable release
v1.0 to 1.3 (2020) - closed testing on finished game for polishing
A classic text adventure. This means typing and drawing your own map! System Masters games never insta-kill you or put you in unwinnable situations. You are encouraged to explore and experiment. No adult themes, no bad language. Lots of intrigue, lots to do.
Great game! Puzzles are challenging enough for experienced players but easy enough for newer players to grasp. Part of the challenge is figuring out how to interact with the scenery, not always "use x on y" and "look at z" in order to solve everything. I was able to complete the game at a leisurely pace in a matter of hours without unnecessary backtracking but could see how it could take days for others trying to hunt things down if they looked over or missed a clue spelled out in the scenery and object descriptions. Keeping my own map and referencing areas and clues that still needed addressed definitely helped. Looking forward to part 2 once the creator is able to complete it!
It's taken a couple of days to complete after some slow hours in the office, but I loved every minute of it. Just the right level of difficulty for me so please don't change it for the next game :D
Got so hyper fixated on this game that I just finished it after four hours of laser focus and not eating or drinking. This was such an enjoyable experience and I'm so excited I finished it and revealed the ending! I can't wait for the sequel. Thanks Mat!
I love it so much, the map is not too big and make you wander aimlessly all around and get lost. The description is clear, the picture makes the game more immersive with soothing sound as well.
Puzzles are all tricky but wasy to figure out if you try to examine and move everything. Some of the commands are quite tricky though, have to try different simmilar commands on things to do what you want to do.
Hardest thing to figure out is to find the map to the last location, I stuck for days, but finally I emailed the admin and he replied within hours! So responsive! Thank you! Can't wait for the sequel!
I've loved text adventure games since playing The L-Shaped Room when I was about 13 at school (yes, I'm that old!), and The Shack was just brilliant! The graphics and sound really added to the atmosphere and helped me visualise where I was on the map (which wasn't ridiculously big and complex, like many other games), rather than the usual wandering around a million black screens totally lost! Some tasks took a while to work out the correct command and weren't immediately obvious why one command wouldn't work but another did (e.g. 'use key on X' didn't work, but 'open X' did, or why you couldn't 'use knife on X, but 'cut X' worked). Read all the descriptions carefully and search everything as there are clues everywhere. I got stuck a couple of times, but the developer responded to my emails straight away and was super helpful - thanks Mat! The puzzles were interesting and nicely tricky, making me feel pleased when I solved them one by one, with the story fitting into place throughout the game. Would highly recommend this game 5/5
I just completed this game, and it took me a while to get there! I got stuck twice, in pretty close succession toward the end. The first time I broke the mental block loose myself after stepping away and coming back to enjoy the atmosphere (the pictures and sounds are such a great addition). I have to admit that the second time I got stuck I emailed Mat - he was very kind to respond quickly and give me a simple nudge to get over the hump. Agreed with everyone that what you need is clued, even that thing I missed!
Fantastic game! I love a game that presents logical puzzles but doesn't penalize you for throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Average rating
(4.93)
Written by System Masters
Plays 19359
Downloads 9381 Download file
Written for Quest 5.8
Published 22 Nov 2020
Updated 11 Apr 2023
Fantasy
Comedy
Horror
Educational
Sci-Fi
Mystery
Puzzle
Simulation
Surreal
RPG
Slice of Life
Historical
Literature
Romance
Seasonal
