Ruby is a rabbit. She is trapped, and confronted with a series of puzzle-like challenges. Back in December, somebody calling himself “Weaver” started up a choose-your-own-adventure thread on 4chan‘s /tg/ board wherein the imageboard participants could suggest the little rabbit’s course of inquiry and action.
The first wave of puzzle challenges are resolved much as you would expect from a typical “you are stuck in a closet” point-and-click flash puzzle, but as it progresses we are exposed to the horrible imagination of Weaver, and Ruby is subjected to increasingly creepy or even horrifying situations. As one participant remarked: “Shit just got DOUBLE LOVECRAFTIAN.” By the time the second session of the Ruby story is under way, there is a seriously paranoid air to things, as shown to us through a rolling archive of message-board posts, with anonymous participants shouting each other down in exaggerated panic as to which button should be pushed next, which items should be examined in what order, and whether or not Ruby’s feminine physique is up to a particular task.
If you ever played games like Survival in New York City or the old Manhunter game by Sierra, I cannot recommend this game strongly enough. Go though the archives and agonize over the stupidity of the other players, revel in their genius, and be horribly horribly frustrated by the recommendations Weaver goes with. Also recommended if you like zombies, rabbits, or very crudely-drawn puzzles.
- 1d4chan.org article on Ruby Quest
- Sugtg’s archive of Ruby Quest (contains everything as of today)
