Eaten By A Grue: Infocom, Text Adventures, and Interactive Fiction

What do you get when you mix difficult puzzles with intricate storytelling? A pair of defeated gamers, that's what. Kay and Carrington throw in the towel and admit they were bested by Hadean Lands. Then they replay Emily Short's recently remastered Bee, and tackle Jason Shiga's twisted tale of tentacles and truth. Bonus: Kay may or may not have sent Carrington some malware.

The guys from Grue tackle another pair of modern Interactive Fiction games, or at least try to. First up is Everybody Dies, by Jim Munroe, in which ... well, everybody dies. Until they don't. And maybe there are ghosts. Next is Bee, by Emily Short, about going to a spelling bee. Except the only version of the game available doesn't include the spelling bee. Infocom games were never this complicated.

Kay and Carrington get a double dose of IF when they play and discuss Twine games for the first time. First up is Their Angelical Understanding, by Porpentine, which comes with both music and warnings. Next is 16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonalds, by Abigail Corfman, a game about french fries and undeath.

It's time for pointin' and clicking' and piratin', oh my, as Kay and Carrington play one of LucasFilm's famously funny forays into adventure gaming. Will they become terrors of the high seas, or be stuffed into Davy Jones' locker? All we know for sure is, there will be grog.

The Grue Crew delves into a world of noisy elephants and silent Rs, as they discuss Graham Nelson's game The Meteor, The Stone And A Long Glass Of Sherbet. Just when they think they're out, Zork pulls them back in.

Kay and Carrington leave behind the world of Infocom and venture into the future! (By which we mean the 1990s.) In this episode they tackle the two winners of the First Annual IF Competition: A Change in the Weather by Andrew Plotkin, and Uncle Zebulon's Will by Magnus Olsson.

It's another game with a colon in the title, as Kay and Carrington tackle the ninth game in the increasingly inaccurately named Zork Trilogy. This one wraps up the entire Zork series, and (maybe) (kinda) explains everything. It all started long ago west of a white house, but how will it end? And what comes next?

Kay and Carrington take a midnight train going anywhere into a land of magic, but too few resources to play it any way they want it (that's the way they need it). Will the Grue Crew and this game go their separate ways, or will they embrace this capital-J Journey with open arms?

Kay and Carrington set sail on the virtual high seas to give a talk at this year's JoCo Cruise, an annual oceangoing event for technophiles, tabletop gamers, and creative-minded people. In other words, a bunch of nerds. The perfect venue to discuss all things Infocom.

Can Kay and Carrington defeat the usurper king and restore peace to a fabled land? And more importantly, can they do it while turning into badgers and turtles and eels, oh my. Some claim there is more to being a knight than just eating ham and jam and Spam a lot. Surely you joust.

You'll need swords, seamanship, political guile, but most of all inline hints to tackle Infocom's ill-conceived first foray into graphical adventures. Kay and Carrington find their patience tested in a game where, ironically, the most frequently used command is 'wait'.

You'll need swords, seamanship, political guile, but most of all inline hints to tackle Infocom's ill-conceived first foray into graphical adventures. Kay and Carrington find their patience tested in a game where, ironically, the most frequently used command is 'wait'.

Kay and Carrington take a victory lap after finishing all of the Infocom text-only adventures. Turn on verbose mode and light the brass lantern, it's time to take a look back at what they liked best, and least, from these classic games.

Kay and Carrington take a victory lap after finishing all of the Infocom text-only adventures. Turn on verbose mode and light the brass lantern, it's time to take a look back at what they liked best, and least, from these classic games.

A bone chilling blizzard at the window, a reanimated hand on your shoulder, and worst of all a term paper deadline. All the ingredients for a deliciously dreadful day at Boston's creepiest college, where Kay and Carrington delve deep into the tunnels and tombs of The Lurking Horror.

A bone chilling blizzard at the window, a reanimated hand on your shoulder, and worst of all a term paper deadline. All the ingredients for a deliciously dreadful day at Boston's creepiest college, where Kay and Carrington delve deep into the tunnels and tombs of The Lurking Horror.

In Wishbringer, a search for a lost cat leads Kay and Carrington into a dark fantasy land where their greatest concern isn't the witches, the eldritch tendrils, or even the grue. It's delivering the mail. Be careful what you wish for.

In Wishbringer, a search for a lost cat leads Kay and Carrington into a dark fantasy land where their greatest concern isn't the witches, the eldritch tendrils, or even the grue. It's delivering the mail. Be careful what you wish for.

What do you get when you combine a plucky little robot, an abandoned space station, and Cousin Oliver? To find out, complete form JZ-59-G then listen in as Kay and Carrington discuss Stationfall, Infocom's comedy horror space adventure mystery.

What do you get when you combine a plucky little robot, an abandoned space station, and Cousin Oliver? To find out, complete form JZ-59-G then listen in as Kay and Carrington discuss Stationfall, Infocom's comedy horror space adventure mystery.

The Gruesome Twosome take another vacation from Infocom to play a vintage text adventure written by none other than Kay himself back in the 1980s. From creative spellings to Playboy magazines, it's old school meets high school in Scavange! (Quack! Hiss!)

The Gruesome Twosome take another vacation from Infocom to play a vintage text adventure written by none other than Kay himself back in the 1980s. From creative spellings to Playboy magazines, it's old school meets high school in Scavange! (Quack! Hiss!)

Kay and Carrington foray into the future to face the mishaps and misspellings of Planetfall, Infocom's rib-tickling romp about a boy and his bot. Star Patrol: it's not just a job, it's an adventure game.

Kay and Carrington foray into the future to face the mishaps and misspellings of Planetfall, Infocom's rib-tickling romp about a boy and his bot. Star Patrol: it's not just a job, it's an adventure game.

What does it mean when Kay and Carrington discuss a game full of Christmas Tree Monsters and Cruel Puppets for over two hours, never once using the word "wacky" but often using the word "walkthrough"? It means it's time to load up on long-lasting snacks, and brace yourself for Beyond Zork.

What does it mean when Kay and Carrington discuss a game full of Christmas Tree Monsters and Cruel Puppets for over two hours, never once using the word "wacky" but often using the word "walkthrough"? It means it's time to load up on long-lasting snacks, and brace yourself for Beyond Zork.

It's turtles all the way down as Kevin and Carrington discuss Infocom's A Mind Forever Voyaging: a computer simulation about a dystopian future in which a computer simulation finds out it is a computer simulation simulating dystopian futures.

It's turtles all the way down as Kevin and Carrington discuss Infocom's A Mind Forever Voyaging: a computer simulation about a dystopian future in which a computer simulation finds out it is a computer simulation simulating dystopian futures.

Will the third sleuthing game from Infocom be the caper that finally steals Kevin's heart? Or will Carrington continue to be the only one who likes bungling through Infocom's burglary games? Find out as the lads tackle Infocom's Suspect.

Will the third sleuthing game from Infocom be the caper that finally steals Kevin's heart? Or will Carrington continue to be the only one who likes bungling through Infocom's burglary games? Find out as the lads tackle Infocom's Suspect.

Kevin and Carrington return to discuss the expert-rated final game in the Enchanter trilogy. Are you happy the lads are back, or is that just an eft in your tarn?

Kevin and Carrington return to discuss the expert-rated final game in the Enchanter trilogy. Are you happy the lads are back, or is that just an eft in your tarn?

Jetsetter Kevin Savetz flies to the GitHub lair on Skullcrusher Mountain to interview Steve Meretzky about what it was like to make games in the 80s.

Jetsetter Kevin Savetz flies to the GitHub lair on Skullcrusher Mountain to interview Steve Meretzky about what it was like to make games in the 80s.

A butterfly flaps its wings on the other side of the world, and suddenly Kevin and Carrington are discussing an obscure game that isn't on the usual list of Infocom titles. Also it happens to be April 1st, but that probably doesn't mean anything.

A butterfly flaps its wings on the other side of the world, and suddenly Kevin and Carrington are discussing an obscure game that isn't on the usual list of Infocom titles. Also it happens to be April 1st, but that probably doesn't mean anything.

Kevin and Carrington throw caution to the wind and spill the beans about Infocom's idiom-riddled game. Does it cut the mustard, or should you give this one the could shoulder? To make a long story short, the devil is in the details.

Kevin and Carrington throw caution to the wind and spill the beans about Infocom's idiom-riddled game. Does it cut the mustard, or should you give this one the could shoulder? To make a long story short, the devil is in the details.

Is playing The Witness a total gasser, or is it a trip for biscuits? Listen in as those hep cats Kevin and Carrington get on the Ameche to bushwa about Infocom's second gumshoe. If you give this rip-snorter the high hat, you're all wet.

Is playing The Witness a total gasser, or is it a trip for biscuits? Listen in as those hep cats Kevin and Carrington get on the Ameche to bushwa about Infocom's second gumshoe. If you give this rip-snorter the high hat, you're all wet.

Kevin and Carrington thrust into adventure (and Cleveland) to solve saucy puzzles and grapple bawdy baddies in spaaaaaaace! Something, possibly this very sentence, tells you things are going to get strange.

Kevin and Carrington thrust into adventure (and Cleveland) to solve saucy puzzles and grapple bawdy baddies in spaaaaaaace! Something, possibly this very sentence, tells you things are going to get strange.

Kevin and Carrington delve once again into the dungeons of the Great Underground Empire to complete Infocom's famous (and famously difficult) trilogy. Can they complete the game without cheating? The answer will not surprise you.

Kevin and Carrington delve once again into the dungeons of the Great Underground Empire to complete Infocom's famous (and famously difficult) trilogy. Can they complete the game without cheating? The answer will not surprise you.

Brave the baking sun with Kevin and Carrington as they scour the desert for pyramids plunder. And maybe, just maybe, they'll discover the greatest treasure of all: a macro to type the word 'hieroglyphs' for them.

Brave the baking sun with Kevin and Carrington as they scour the desert for pyramids plunder. And maybe, just maybe, they'll discover the greatest treasure of all: a macro to type the word 'hieroglyphs' for them.

Set sail for Hardscrabble Island, where sly divers vie for sunken treasure. Can Kevin and Carrington avoid the dangers of the deep long enough to enjoy the game? Don't hold your breath.