The Rocket Man From The Sea

On the old pilot station island, where you live with your parents, the war fought with Earth and Martian rocket-ships and Atomic Heat Rays exist only in the sonorous voice of the newscaster on the radio, and as food for your imagination. Today your parents have left you alone to mind the station while they head for the mainland for some supplies. A big job for a six year old, who is about to have an encounter that changes his life forever.

Type: Interactive Fiction, Glulx.
Version: Release 2 (7.5.2012, original release date 6.4.2012)

HOW TO PLAY:

1) Download an interactive fiction player software, instructions here.
2) Download and open the game file, The Rocket Man from the Sea.gblorb (Release 2, 1.8 MB)
3) Check out of the Interactive Fiction Database and remember to review the game!

AWARDS:

1st place – Spring Thing 2012

REVIEWS (containing spoilers):

This game in the Interactive Fiction Database – please rate and review!

I won’t forget this game. And I won’t forget the guy in the Rocket Man suit.
– Spring Thing 2012 – Review: The Rocket Man from the Sea by Janos Honkonen

There is some perfectly judged writing, especially in some of the descriptions of mundane everyday items during the martian invasion. The simple puzzles during this section are equally well-judged, neither insultingly easy nor too difficult to frustrate the young target audience.
– Interactive Friction: Spring Thing 2012: The Rocket Man from the Sea

Also, the game could’ve been a little more deeply implemented for my taste, but then again, that’s true of almost every game. And that real world/imaginary world business is always fun. The Rocket Man from the Sea didn’t grab me super hard, but it wasn’t too shabby.
– Pissy Little Sausages: Spring Thing ’12 – Janos Honkonen’s The Rocket Man from the Sea!

There is a lot to like about The Rocket Man from the Sea; the problems I have with it are all fairly high-level ones, stuff that assumes the author has accomplished basic competence and is worth judging against the good stuff. As a first game, it’s highly encouraging; this author has a solid handle on the basic skills, and is able to deliver some pretty good things.
– Maga

The tone of the story is a bit like having a nephew tell you a story, but that nephew’s been raised on Ray Bradbury and there’s a tinge all-over to this game that hits me somewhere in the sentiment gland.
– cobaltnine