The Cliff is a pre-stk adventure game in the setting of a town in a valley. The title screen shows a scene of car falling off a cliff. This is not an accident, but the work of a saboteur.
Our protagonist, Joshua Fury, goes about town, helping his fellow man on small or life-threatening occasions, trying to figure out who's responsible for the horrible carcrash.
The gameplay is standard zzt adventure game fare, collecting the necessary items in order to progress (often entering a new building will require some key). The town inhabitants make their requirements to help you quite clear, which means you're mostly there to fetching their belongings, or stuff they 'require', because they're too lazy to (or hospitalized) to do anything themselves.
There is not a great deal of reading involved. Joshua doesn't say a thing, but when spoken to, you get to pick his replies. This doesn't give a real sense of character, but it makes you feel involved with the game, because it's so direct. The same goes for the story. It's not huge and evolving (though there is a twist in the end), but it's hermetic and it gives you a sense of purpose.
The graphics are a bit basic. There is no stk (which actually has it's charm). The grass has a nice random pattern, exemplary to modern games, but the rest of the graphics are essentially functional.
It's a good game. I'd recommend all of John Shipley's games, if only for the sake of inspiration.
