The Alexandreview of "Blackbar" a Game on How to Stop Censorship

     Today I finished a mobile game called Blackbar, created by Nevin Mrgan.

     This puzzle-based word game is unlike so many of the other mobile games out there right now which in my opinion is definitely a good thing. 

     What I first liked about it is that it has a very straightforward aspect. There is no obnoxious pestering for in-game purchasing.  There are no ads to wait through while the next level loads.  It is simply a game, waiting to be played, level by level.  Ahhhh, be still my heart.

    Beyond those initial factors, the game itself is such an enjoyable play.  It's presented in a series of letters all written to you, "Vi Channi", from either your friend Kentery Jo Loaz (a.k.a. Kenty), her employers "The Department", or the mysterious rebel group simply called "friend".  "Kenty" has just gotten a job with the mysterious department of communication.  The letters you exchange are consistently reviewed and then censored by Kenty's bosses in the "Department".  As a player, it's your job to try to decipher what was redacted.

      In this game there is no home screen.  There is no tutorial.  There is no help option.  There is nothing beyond the game.  Instead, the creator made it so that you learned as you play.  The first level is easy enough to guess as long as you have a basic grasp on language skills.  From there though, it does get increasingly difficult, as most games tend to.
 
     I've got to admit, as fun as this game was, there were a few times that I just had absolutely no clue what the answer to the riddle at hand was.  In these instances, I....well.....I cheated.  I have a low threshold for frustration and sometimes I just want the answer to be given to me.

     It's the same as when I look at the big spoilers for shows that I'm behind in.  I just want to know what happens all right!  Patience is a virtue that I'm apparently lacking.

     Anyhow, I found a really handy site that had a walk-through to the game just by googling the title "Blackbar".  Anytime I was stuck for a bit I'd take a peek on that site to push me forward to the next puzzle.  Out of the 46 pages, I think I maybe had to do this 5 times.  The rest of it I was able to figure out through A LOT of trial and error.  The puzzles weren't impossible, but it definitely made you think outside of the box a lot of the time.

      Really though, I simply enjoyed this game's story.  For me, a game is worth playing once I get invested in the plot.  That happened here and it was evident to me because with each puzzle I completed my thought was always "But what happens next?".  The creator really did a good job of making the story one that you wanted to keep figuring out.

     The best part about this game though, was the fact that at the end I wanted more.  Many people wouldn't feel this way, and I've got to admit that it's super frustrating to want more of something like this when there's nothing more to take in.  But that's what makes it a good story.  It wrapped up in a way that felt complete, but still left you with that sense of "but what happens next?".

     All in all I really enjoyed this game.  The levels were varied, the plot was one worth getting invested in, and the game-play was easy to figure out while also being complex to work your way through.  I'll probably give this game another play in a month or two once I've forgotten most of the answers.  Let's just see if I can cheat less next time. 
 








    

The Alexandreview of Blogging

          This is not my first go-around in the blog-o-sphere.  Oh no.  I am a serial writer and deleter.  Because who doesn't love to over-analyze and destroy everything they create?

          Just ask my parents! *insert witty drum beat here*...Just kidding guys ;)

          Although I know that the likelihood of this post surviving the one week mark is slim, I'm going to put at least a little bit of effort into it because you know, nothing can come of it if I don't try.  That's pretty much my whole writing process in a nutshell.  I sit here, complain, and spit out all of the chaos that's going on in my head at the time.  The next step is to stew over the post for a short period of time and when I can't stand to think about it anymore without feeling the need to burn it all down I delete it.  So as is my pattern, I will probably delete this post sometime in the near future.  But in the meantime you out there get to read whatever is going to be transcribed into the fair internets.  Well that is, if you choose to anyway.

         I do have to say that for as much as I self critique and destroy all of my own work, writing is still my catharsis.  Where else do I have to sit and vent about every little thing that pops into my head without interruption?  I'd have to find an especially patient handless mute to befriend.  Handless obviously so that they could not sign their obvious distress at getting stuck listening to me babble endlessley.  I'm not sure how people that actually fit those qualifications are out there running around, so instead this blog and you as my captive audience are my preferred choice. I have chosen you to take on the role of handless mute in the ongoing drama of my life.  Aren't you the lucky one!  It's like a telenovela that you don't need to translate out of Spanish before you watch it.

         As far as a career goes, I think that this wouldn't be too bad of one.  In order to have a successful blog, I actually have to go out and have experiences in the world around me.  Then I get to come back here and write about them.  From the convenience of my own home if you would believe it!  How can it get plushier than that I ask you?  I suppose there is the aspect of it where your entire livelihood rests on the shoulders of people reading your work and finding you funny.  That is kind of a challenge in it's own right for most people.  Lucky for me, I happen to think that I'm hilarious.  Unfortunately, I've been told that my sense of humor is not one that is common throughout the land.  That just means that I have to search through the regular rabble to find the kind of people that will appreciate my wit.

        In general though to get back to my Alexandreview, I really do find blogging to be a challenge.  It's all well and good to sit down to write on a blank page, but finding the words can often be a struggle.  My first challenge is always deciding upon a topic.  Something may seem like a great and interesting choice one day, but the next it turns into crap.  Then once I have a topic that I feel strongly one way or another about, I actually have to write down what is in my brain while at the same time staying on topic.  It's like asking Leslie Knope to explain something.  There are always a million little offshoots that each topic can sprout and I can never stop myself from exploring as many of them as I can.  I suppose that's just part of the challenge of blogging.

        All in all I'd say blogging gets a pretty good review.  If you can succeed at it I'd say it's one of the best jobs that you can hope for.  It takes a lot of sincere work.  Any writing leaves you partially naked to your readers when you're done.  Blogging especially because it is just so easy to create and publish your work with one click.   So lets get a little naked together while I begin this new journey.