When I began to play A Mind Forever Voyaging, I thought it was going to be like other regular IFs. It wasn’t.  I started out with a list of rooms I could enter, so I went to the first one on the list. After I had done whatever I could in that room, I realized I couldn’t remember the names or abbreviations of any other rooms and also couldn’t summon up the list. I was trapped after only 5 minutes in the game. So of course I tried googling the list online, only to discover there are maps and decoders and hints and everything, all in the form of feelies, which came with the game when it was released.

Anyway, eventually I end up in my creator’s office, and he puts me back in simulation mode (in my feelies research I find out I’m really a computer who has been in simulation mode my whole life and I’m just now finding out I’m a machine and not human.) However, I need to enter a code to get into simulation mode. Thank god someone made a chart of the codes that are on that decoder that comes with the game, otherwise I would not be able to advance further.

I’m given a list of things to do, which are everyday things like see a movie, ride the public transportation, talk to a government official. After that I’m dropped into the simulated world, and now the controls are exactly like a normal IF, thankfully.

I have yet to complete all the tasks. I feel like the game allows for as much time as you want to complete everything on the list, then maybe you get other lists. The story for the game is really interesting. It reminds me of The Matrix… meets 1984.. and the Dharma Initiative. Of course I knew more of the story after looking up feelies, which are just really amazing.

As you can see, the feelies would really help me out in this game, and are probably essential. One of my tasks is to eat at a restaurant. That ad up there tells me exactly where to go. Included in the feelies is a map, which would help immensely. The pen itself is just cool. I wonder what use it ends up having.

Feelies also offer a great form of copy protection since the game is literally impossible to finish without them, although obviously the internet has defeated the purpose. Still, this game would be so cool to play with the actual objects themselves. They are also great collectors items, and create that culture outside the game.