My wife and I have both played Grayout, and now Blackbar. They were very enjoyable! I like how easy they were to pick up/put down. No menus, loading screens, time sensitive activities- it was as simple as checking your text messages, so I never felt tied to it. My suggestion would be making them longer, or possibly having them branch storylines in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure. That would allow for some replayability at least. Definitely worth your time and money, so pick it up if you haven’t!
Mostly fun and challenging puzzles, but some killed it for me.
A few of the puzzles, even after googling the answer, made very little sense and I can’t see how anyone would come to that conclusion as the answer had the vaguest connection. Developers, that is definitely not how a raven is like a writing desk. One literally has no clues or context whatsoever, you’re just guessing words until you find one that fits, only then do you have context for the rest. The game was great in concept, truly unique, but at times poorly executed. It killed the pacing of an already cliche, but well done, dystopian story. Unlike some I actually really liked that it was supposed to be a short game, if the developers would just get a few of the puzzles to make more sense this could be a very interesting brief experience. $3 for an hour or two of interesting entertainment is well worth it. This game could so easily be fixed to be the interesting experience it set out to be.
Excellent, but too short and a missed opportunity!
This game was delightful, and I’m glad for every moment I spent with it. But I finished the whole thing in a night! The creators did just enough with the censorship mechanism to keep it interesting and I definitely wanted more—maybe some DLC? The one mechanism I’m sad wasn’t explored more was *SPOILER ALERT* the single puzzle that had TWO possible correct answers for progression. Granted, one led to an immediate game over, but finding other ways to implement this would’ve been amazing. Thanks for the great game, looking forward to trying Grayout!
Great game, excellent use of text, tricky puzzles. But given the themes and plot, and the price, it needs to be three times as long. I did not need a walkthrough, I played it over several days and used a bit of trial and error for a couple pages. BTW, there are two endings, sort of: a "black ending" and a "yellow ending." If you got the black ending, go back one page and try again.
The concept of the game is fun and original. The game itself is pretty dull. Not a lot of clever; not a lot of fun. The cute little twists all leave something to be desired, I think because the medium itself—like a worse kind of crossword—is sorely lacking. The plot, which is really the only thing worth keeping on for, isn't worth keeping on for at all; it's a heavy-handed, childish take on a dystopian government, the sort of thing a teen comes up with after reading 1984. The characters are shallow, the Evil Government is boring, and the one attempt at tugging your heartstrings manages to be simultaneously melodramatic and boring. This is not a good game, for all it was created by a great guy.
GREAT game. Terrific story, good puzzles, quite challenging at times. I recommend playing with a friend so you can bounce ideas off each other. Some reviewers thought it was too hard. It can be difficult, but it just takes time and thought to figure it out- this is not a game for people who want to zip easily through puzzles. Well worth the price, and I just bought grayout too! Thanks for such a great experience- I hope there will be many more games like this to come!
I played Grayout before this one, which made the story more familiar to me and it probably helped me figure out quite a few of the answers. BUT, often the answers were difficult, sometimes ludicrously so. I ended up looking up answers many, MANY times, and more often than not my reaction when seeing the solution was “How the hell was I supposed to get THAT?” This was especially true with later puzzles that involved some kind of riddle or clue-most of the time, I found the “clue” to be too vague for me to ever get the answer on my own.
I really liked Blackbar, I thought it was a good mix of challenging puzzles and an interesting narrative. It is a very difficult game, and I had to resort to a walkthrough more times than I’d like to admit. The only problem with it is how short it is, I finished it in around an hour, which would be ok if the game was free, or maybe 1 or 2 dollars, but it’s 3 dollar price tag makes it a little costly. It’s a good game to get if you’re looking for a good puzzler, but don’t expect it to be a game you keep coming back too or spending much time on.
Very well-written game. Somewhat short, but well worth the price due to originality and inventiveness of both story and gameplay. No instructions/tutorial on how to play, but that's part of the point. Playing the game itself is initially a puzzle. I got stuck twice, so be warned. A couple spots are particularly cryptic. Hope they'll make a follow-up.
As other reviews mentioned, seems a tiny bit off on a few of the puzzles. The design itself is very ... if you don’t get it you’re just sort of flailing without recourse, and the back and forward buttons are super annoying to use to traverse prior puzzles. But I enjoyed it mostly. For $3? Yeah, get it. An interesting look at a different type of word/novel/puzzle game. :)
Overall, I really liked the game. Some reviewers had said you just guess words and numbers, but really, there is a pattern to it, and clues scattered throughout. At no time was I reduced to just typing random words. Fantastic story kept me interested. The only downside is the game was a little too short.
Short but fantastic game with a simple but satisfying concept.
This game is truly a puzzler at parts, and each riddle is quite satisfying to solve. It's a simple text-based game in the vein of a crossword puzzle with a story. But it is immersive and fun. It's short, I completed it in a handful of play sessions on a biz trip. But I highly recommend it for those looking for a fun challenge.
In this game you read correspondence between siblings that has been censored by an authoritarian government, and are tasked with filling in the missing words. The storytelling is decent but the puzzles are not. Expect to be stranded often without nearly enough information to find a solution, just plugging in every word of the right length that can vaguely fit into the sentence. The puzzles don’t really fit the theme either. Nine times out of ten it’s just blacking out random words.
I didn’t hate this game. But I didn’t really like it either. Pros: —I enjoyed stretching my brain a bit with the word play. There were two words that really stumped me. I admit I had to find a walk-through online to get past those levels. I appreciate that in a game. Cons: —It took me a little over two hours to complete it. If I’m paying to play, I expect some more playtime. —I can definitely understand how some could be confused at the start of the game. A brief explanation could help. Perhaps make it the start to the game, you could write vague instructions (not too vague), with blanks to make it part of the puzzle your starting. Would I recommend this game? Probably not. It’s a nice little game, but it just needs more.
What a cool new idea. The game is beyond hard, and most players will need at least a little help on the way through, but the story is really interesting, and challenging. The app is a little pricey for how short the game is. I hope there is a sequel, or similar game created soon so I can get my fix.
If you like puzzles and really don’t mind guessing and thinking and guessing some more and maybe sleeping on it, then you might like this game. I only had to google two things and they were both just quotes. Highly recommended!
It's a good game. It has a good story and a really unique form of gameplay. I was disappointed with the ending and its length. Really not worth the money for the small amount of game.
This game feels like a novel. I don't want to ruin it for any new players, but I would say this is one of my favorite games to come out on the App Store. The puzzles are clever and somewhat challenging, and the writing is 👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿
it was a very short, but fun and challenging game, I enjoyed the whole thing. It was interesting finding out what was going to happen next. I wonder if I should check out any of the other games...
This isn't really a puzzle. You're just guessing what words are in the black bars. The first page is a little tricky, but the rest were easy. And there was no system or reason to what words were behind the black bars. It got old quick, and I just quit. It's the start of a cool idea that just doesn't have enough layers to it.
You must pay attention to how each message is written as well as what is in it. This is the best text based game I have ever played. I've played a lot!
I'm only giving it one more star because of the initial dystopian intrigue. Otherwise, I found most of the puzzles way too easy, others completely without context and therefore impossible to solve, and holy hell is it short. Anticlimactic doesn't begin to cover the letdown. I really feel like it was a waste of my money. Don't do it.
It's a game of less is more, in every way. But if you enjoy light puzzling and a being a little stumped as you figure out what to do next, it's a great diversion.
I never thought such a simplistic, minimalist game could excite me so much. This game has way more story than it has coding. So if you love dystopian novels or stories of rebellion... Pick this up.
I downloaded the app after paying but the app does not work on Iphone 13 pro. It just come a first screen and nothing else - no button with “next” Or anything to move from that screen. I shut down, closed all apps, open again and nothing.
Blackbar makes a very powerful statement on free speech. The story told is incredibly powerful and well dictated, the puzzles are challenging as well. Excellent.
How does it work? I filled in the black space and the screen just stays the same? No buttons to push? The screen doesn’t slide up down back or forth? How do you move past the first page?
The game mechanic and presentation were sufficiently appealing to make me purchase the game. I had hoped for a contemplative journey through the ramifications of the censorship of ideas. Unfortunately, the authors seem have gotten so preoccupied with swear words that they forgot to tell a compelling story. Quite disappointing.
I've never bothered to write a bad review on an app before but the was just awful. You read through boring letters and figure out the redacted words. At one point it's a string of single digit numbers! I wish I could get my money back for this one.
I only get one page, the ability to type an answer and then nothing. That’s it. There is no enter key or ability to move forward to anything else. Crazy.
[SPOILERS] “I must inform you that I am not stupid...”
. . . but I cant solve puzzles with absolutely no context, writers. Subculturia?! Really? It just devolved into an exercise in futility and interrupted the story. Unsatisfied with a game I was so curious about for so long. I love a good dystopian story, but the gameplay was disappointing.
This was a fun little game and is clever but took me all of 20 mins to complete. And it did not take a lot to develop, so the price is really high for a glorified fill in the blank activity.
Pros: -The minimalist interface is clever. -The narrative is enjoyable -The concept is cool Cons: (unfortunately, it's a big one) For a pay-to-play game, the lack of content/levels is really disappointing. Didn't feel a sense of completion at the conclusion.
"Blackbar is a brilliant game." —Ron Gilbert "Its allegories are smart, and its approach to story-telling on touch-devices is just as well. 4.5/5" —TouchArcade "Taut and intelligent. 8/10" —Eurogamer "A political statement—a super fun one. I _______ love this _______ game." —Loren Brichter "Awesome and totally unexpected." —Shaun Inman Blackbar is a text game: a sci-fi story of a dystopian future told through the medium of word puzzles. Reminiscent of text adventures and interactive fiction, it has a unique mechanic centered around the concept of censorship. Censorship is frustrating, but the human spirit can beat that frustration by turning it into a game. You'll pick up Blackbar instantly; however, its challenges will keep you searching, thinking, and trying for days. "An ingenious puzzle game that critiques censorship" —Fast Company "The humor is black, the puzzles go from simple to truly challenging, and the story is top-notch." —Gamemoir "Playing Blackbar is Like High School English Class, And I Love It." —Kotaku "Wonderfully written and does a fantastic job of pulling you into a not entirely unrealistic tale." —Gizmodo "Well-written and entertaining, with just a touch of a deeper message to hit a few concepts home. Just plain awesome." —JayIsGames
