PataNoir

An interesting premise; quite cute, actually. I must confess that I occasionally found the writing a little stilted: this is not quite the smooth bourbon of Chandler's voice. It is partly due to the central conceit, of course: the idea is that our hero is able to manipulate similes as though they were physically real: he is able to take, for example. the figurative razor out of something that is merely described as being "sharp as a razor"; he may then place that figurative razor on something else to give that second object the same quality. Because of this, similes abound, rather more than is actually seen in the pulp detective fiction from which the game draws its inspiration.

And there's an issue. Similes and metaphors, being figures of speech, are exceedingly mutable. If something is as tall as a tree, what is to keep it from being also as tall as a tower, or as a giant, or as a giraffe? Some figures work well -- when they fit the context, or when they are so much a cliche that alternatives do not present themselves -- but others may feel a little tacked-on. (In general, I think metaphors feel more natural than similes here, and therefore work better, but that may just be me.) And then, after that, there should really be lot more opportunity to use the figurative objects in various wrong places.

The story itself is not terribly well-developed. That's forgiveable: after all, we're here more to see how the mechanic affects the story than to see the story itself. There is a little twist, though, hinted at in the opening lines, which explains everything, including the slightly unconvincing faux-noir voice and the rather generic story.

In any case, I enjoyed the slightly unusual nature of the puzzles, and had fun with the game.

Three rashers of bacon, crisp as a starched uniform, accompanied by eggs, fresh and sunny-side-up as an Irish morning. Fried potatoes, a fried tomato, and toast soldiers lined up all in a row. The coffee is a little stale, but strong and sweetened with aspartame.