Meanwhile: Interactive Comic
| Category | Price | Seller | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book | $4.99 | Andrew Plotkin | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
On the way home from the ice cream store, little Jimmy discovers a mad scientist’s wonderland: an experimental mind-reading helmet, a time machine, and a doomsday device that can annihilate the human race. Which one would you like to test out first?
MEANWHILE is not an ordinary comic. YOU make the choices that determine how the story unfolds. MEANWHILE splits off into thousands of different adventures. Most will end in DOOM and DISASTER. Only one path will lead you to happiness and success.
- A thrilling adventure of quantum physics, self-discovery, and kids getting into trouble. (We mentioned the doomsday device, right?)
- Completely redesigned by the author for an infinite scrollable canvas.
- Full audio accessibility with VoiceOver; every panel and choice can be spoken.
Reviews
I loved the book as a kid
loss of balance
I can't believe I payed for this, it wasn't as great as I remember. I passed it a lot faster than last time.
Brilliant! Love it!
MeatyPants
I own the hardcover book this app is derived from. Awesomes: This is a fantastic implementation of the interactive comic. I dig that it's not just jammed into an app, but that the flow and structure have been re-thought so that it's a block instead of pages. The controls are intuitive, worked right off the bat. It's also cool that you let players just browse the whole shebang; that was possible in book form (obviously) and could have easily been "restricted" in digital form in some misguided attempt to make it more game-like, or challenging. Kudos! Complaints: on a retina device the images are a little aliased/blocky. I assume the whole thing is half resolution for memory reasons. Maybe an HD release in the future? I'm playing on a 4S. My only other gripe is the icon. Edit the plist file and turn off the automatic shine! Also maybe a thin, dark border around it. I know, I'm picky. :) Awesome job! ---- PS - As a side note, I'm just a fan. It appears to me that I am the first reviewer. The game has been out for a few days at this point and I'm super impressed that there aren't 20 obvious shill reviews. I wish I could give a 6th star for that. It's a beautiful thing. :)
So a Shiga and a Plotkin walk into a bar...
ZiZ Productions
…and the bartender says, "Hey, guys, I've been playing Meanwhile on my iPhone, it's *really great*. Drinks are on me." This is a joyous rendition of the choose-your-own-adventure style graphic novel…thing, Meanwhile, which I had never had the pleasure of playing with until I tried this app. The art is whimsical and detailed, the story intriguing, the puzzles logical, and the controls smooth and responsive. Try it, but make sure you have some free time. SQUID. Full disclosure: I know Andrew Plotkin in a vaguely social context, but the only thing that did was let me know about Meanwhile a bit sooner. Your mileage may vary. Do not lick the Killotron.
Clever interactive story!
User24601
I got so sucked into exploring this that I completely lost track of time and was late to a lunch appointment. I love the way the print version was adapted into an interactive format! This has been a lot of fun to explore--both through the branching storyline and browsing the whole chart--and I'm totally charmed by the art, the story, and some of the funny little loops and choices along the way. My only complaint is that in the smallest panels, the text is a little pixelated and hard to read (I'm using a 4S), but I suspect that's just an issue of compression. Major kudos for making this accessible with audio reading!
Good, but it has problems
chriscomet521
I would have rated it 5 stars but I found lots of differences from the app and the book. Overall it's a great app, but the differences really bug me.
Meanwhile
Bennlich
I can't imagine reading Meanwhile on anything other than a touch-navigable device--the adaptation is so fitting. The comic is fantastic, and the experience of reading it is something that I'm sure will stick with me. I've never had a reading experience like this before. I sincerely hope we see more literature that, like Meanwhile, takes advantage of this new medium.
How did I miss this?
Nathan and Amy
I've already shared lots of laughs with my son. This is perfect. I would love to see more like this. If you aren't sure, buy this app. Great art and a fun story. Perfect if you have a young reader in the house.
Awesome hypercomic
Foxyshadis
Definitely an expansion into new territory for the iOS, this "hypercomic" is simple yet engrossing. The art is really awesome and not pixelated at all since the last update, the story is silly and well-told, and the implications are pretty crazy. Best of all, it flows so naturally, and going back only takes a quick touch. I never read the book, but I might pick it up after this, even if it's not quite as convenient.
