Player Comments on Hunting the Ripper

It seems that Will11 is not just the lead writer in the Edutainment category, he IS the Edutainment category.

He starts the player off with some light cases to get them used to the game, then sends them diving right into the Ripper murders. What gets me is that the first Ripper killing, while brutal, isn't that much more serious than the average bushwhacking on the streets of Victorian England. Between the apathetic, just another murder, stance of the police, and the way so many characters seem unrepentant about their woman beating, it's clear that this is a time when a lot more was accepted. Even nowadays, look at how many domestic violence cases occur in the US every year. Violence against women is still a powerful sentiment, and nobody gets it worse than the streetwalkers.

James Kelly stood out to me as a murder suspect. I didn't really think he was the Ripper, per se, but he should have been arrested after all that time looking for him. Even at the end, your character just lets him walk away instead of cuffing him.

Then, after all that work, clues found, suspects questioned, dead ends, you FINALLY find the killer! Only to find out that he has peacefully passed away in his sleep, a better death than his victims ever got. While his victims (and this is historically accurate) got their graves paved over. The whole thing just felt so hopeless and unsatisfying at the end. The storygame was of course amazing, and gave a very accurate critique of the state of the world, but at the same time, it left me feeling a little sad and frustrated. I admire the author's ability to reach readers in that aspect. It certainly is different from a lot of other stories, which either have good endings or screw over their characters. This ending was more bittersweet and introspective.

The only true complaint I have is the occasional typo, including in a link on your first case, where it uses the word 'ezactly.' A little proofreading would go a long way for this singular storygame that set the "Hunting" series on a very high note.

Once again, Will is tearing up any opposition in the Edutainment category. You just keep spewing them out; I don't know how you do it. This is an excellent storygame, and it is a personal favorite of mine. It has everything a good storygame needs, and is one of the more complete storygames, in my opinion.

The idea is captivating, and I love the fact that we can be the investigator. It's very similar to reality when it comes to solving the investigations, and there so many different cases, it's unbelievable. I really enjoy reading storygames where a lot of time and effort is put in, and this makes it among the best on the site. This is one of the most branching storygames I've read, and it's far from linear.

It's quite a long storygame as I said above because of the sheer number of cases, but that only adds to its greatness. The main character is introduced in a somewhat generic way, but is developed very nicely. There's a large number of static characters, but that's perfectly acceptable in my eyes.

There were very few grammar and spelling mistakes, but not one too away from this excellent storygame. Keep up the good work. 8/8

First off, thank you for writing this. I learned a whole lot here, having previously been aware of only the broad strokes of the case; the killings of course, the fact that the police were awful at their jobs, and that there was at least one other serial killer out there complicating matters further.

The criticism I had of one of your other games being kind of a dry historical retelling happily doesn't apply here. The detective we play feels much more proactive and involved with events, but not so much that his personality overshadows the narrative...which is probably for the best when inserting a fictional character into real, detailed historical events that their actions can't be allowed to dramatically change.

And there was SUCH an impressive amount of detail in this thing. Step by step, interviewing witnesses, searching for clues in the victims' belongings, chasing down leads and trying to figure out what was or wasn't useful information...and then the exhaustion after false witness after false witness kept piling up. (Most of them OBVIOUSLY not the Ripper, so I'm with you on really not understanding what the police were thinking...sounds like they would have happily tossed out all evidence and knowledge of his MO if they could pin the killings on any random lunatic or foreigner and be done with the whole thing...also getting James Kelly handed to them on a silver platter and just letting him stroll away lmao. Lewis Carroll being a suspected serial killer at one point was also news to me!)

Being such a realistic historical piece I did find the constant use of casual, modern language a little strange...more than anything I would have expected everyone to be talking like they were out of a Sherlock Holmes story. But with this being such a huge project already I can understand perfectly why you wouldn't want to add that extra difficulty onto writing it.

I feel like I have a pretty decent understanding of the events now thanks to this, but I'll definitely be grabbing one of the books you mentioned at the end and looking more into this. And I appreciate you putting so much emphasis on who the women were as well...it really is sad how in every situation like this the monster is remembered and obsessed over while his victims are almost instantly forgotten.

Good read on a macabre and interesting topic

very good, keep up the great work!

Probably the best thing I've seen on this site so far.

The only single complaint I have is that it's too easy for the reader to believe the murderer is one of the suspects in London, as so much time was spent on it, so much to the point that they easily just gloss over the last chapter and miss blatant details.

This was super detailed and engaging! Amazing work.

Good Shit

Amazing!

I really enjoyed this storygame. The writing was good, and I enjoyed the way the story was presented. The reputation stat was a nice touch, and I really liked how that affected the gameplay.

It was fun trying to make conclusions based upon the evidence we could uncover through reading various witness accounts. And I enjoyed that the narrator did not tell you what was important or not and left the reader to decide and evaluate.

Overall, very fun to read. Good experience. Recommended.

yo! amazing story dude, although acording to current research, jack the rippers real name was aaron kisminsky or something. who knows, but indeed he was a pretty brutal and roothless murderer. anyways, I give this a 7 for the amazing work

I don't know what to say. It's just really good.

As a huge fan of IF, and especially crime/murder mysteries themed stories, this piece was great. I was very pleasantly surprised by the engaging writing and spot-on pacing. While the ending was a little unsatisfying, I appreciate how true to life it stayed and the amount of research and care put into this work really shine. 6/8 to 7/8, would definetley

A very cerebral story with a LOT of suspects and some wild goose chases. Nonetheless, a story worth readying.

I can understand why this story is so long after reading about the research you made this is a very interesting story thanks for making it

This is the greatest story game I've ever seen in my life; it's a mystery, it's long, and, above all that, it's far from linear. Just perfect. 8/8. I need to learn from this guy. Edutainment at its best. Salute to thee, will11.

I've always been interested in the Jack the ripper story. It's one of the greatest unsolved cases of all time! This just dives farther down into the case I've researched so many times. I find it wonderfully chilling and I do adore it.

Very nice, really enjoyed it! Gave me the creeps from time to time I have to admit but in a good way! :D

its ass

Minor grammatical errors on pages 103 and in the 150s. I loved this story so much! I literally put everything on hiatus (including breathing) until I finished this, and I did. Woohoo!

This was a really thoughtful and wild ride - worth the time to read and clearly a large effort on the part of the author. Bravo!

I loved it, but Ive already studied a bit on jack the ripper so I didnt need to actually read most things.

This was a very long story game. It had a lot of information and was easy to get confused with all the clues if you didn't pay attention. It was very interesting.

Interesting. More like a research paper than a mystery story.

The good:
Wow. Some games on this site are fun. This is the first I couldn't put down, or couldn't wait to get back to. The author creates a deep sense of immersion using a real knowledge of geography and culture. The grinding emotions of the search for Jack the Ripper are conveyed in subtle ways. You're never hit over the head with the detail of the crime scene. What's more, the mystery is solvable. Careful attention to detail will reveal the killer. There's even some unexpected and well appreciated character development that I didn't expect.

The Bad:
Occasional grammar issues.

The Weird:
It's okay that not everyone will enjoy the story progression. The choices you make will allow you to be involved in cases, or not. Within those cases, choices allow you to see certain evidence, or not. At the end, you make your best guess at the killer. There are no items to collect. There's no combat, but that's not what this story is for. If you're okay with that, play this game. But set an alarm if you have to go get the kids. It's hard to put down.

brilliant story - very well written and a pleasure to read

Well that was interesting

While there may have been minor gramattical errors(we all do it),this story was truly facinating as well as entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and though that the options were quite plentiful and interesting. i give it a 10/10 and would recommend

a nice read

Good game, very in depth.

Wow. :D

I loved this story. I've had an interest in serial killers, as their minds are a mystery. You brought me into a story where I could hunt one of my favorite serial killers! I loved the detail of the cases and the detailed descriptions. I actually felt pissed that I couldn't catch this damn man! Love the story, just love it.

Great writing and gave me much more insight into the entire case than I ever had. Thanks

Well, it's a grand story with very much intricate details concerning the mysterious case. There's just one point I don't agree with your investigation into the case, and that would be how you consider that the royal family should not be blamed for the case. Now, if it were a member of the royal family (especially a prince or princesses) that were murdered, do you honestly think the case would still remain unsolved?

Its very good

The storyline was fantastic. I understand how you came up with who he really was, however, in the mid-late nineties they did some more research into the case and actually solved it. The real Jack the Ripper was a man named William Sickert. You can read up on it. Also, The man who harbored and gave John Kelly money then wouldn't give any info should've been arrested for obstruction of justice, As the lady and son who washed the blood off the cobblestones would've been for tampering with evidence.

I rarely rate a story an 8. But I had to here. I love historical settings. I love infamous cases. I love unsolved phenomena. And I love great story telling. Your cases up front were a bit tedious and showed little deviance. But they set up the tone of investigating perfectly. The writing was above average with just a few spelling errors. I recommed this story very much.

This story is amazing! Well written and thought out, I appreciate how much effort is put in.

Well-thought out, great detail, and beautifully executed. The story piqued my interest; I couldn't help but look at different pictures from wikipedia about the suspects and victims.

Great game and very interesting

This story kept me on edge, and had lots of different routes to take. I do wish, that reputation was more than just a score. Regardless, this story game was very lovely and compelling

Nice story loved it

Excellent. A little long-winded but quite enjoyable. I highly doubt you'll regret playing and learning. Great job!

It was very good. I loved the ending. I wasn't expecting Francis to be the Ripper.

It was interesting and very interactive. I like solving the case as its intriuging

I really enjoyed it, very engaging

This story is excellent! The level of detail is incredible. Would absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes sorting through all the details of a story like this. And to anyone who likes gore.

Fantastic. Absolutely thrilling!

Outstanding! You have recaptured my intrigue in the case of Jack the Ripper!

You can tell that a lot of research has gone in to this story, very nice, and I really enjoyed the puzzle-like aspect that this story has.

Very well written and thought out. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

one of te best i have read so far.

Great story. I've always been a fan of mysteries, be they fiction or true-crime. You did well on shedding light on some of the numerous suspects and on providing thoughts after the story was finished. Nicely done!

Cool!

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this. I enjoyed the deep and engaging cases.

This is a very good and amusing game. I like the strategy that makes it feel like the "Clue" board game. I liked it, although it got kind of long for a game like that.

I, to be honest, think this should be one of the very high rated story games.

I read this for like....3 days now. Whether I like it or not, I'm giving it a 100! You spent so MUCH time on this it's unbelievable. Thank you for making this and may Jack The Ripper stay away from your dreams. :3

Fun and very close to the real thing

Kept me on my toes and had me stretching my deduction skills.

This was an excellent story! It was very dark and I won't be going to sleep tonight, but it was amazing and very well thought out.

Enthralling

Apart from the often very bad grammar (most notably the lack of commas) I much enjoyed the story. It had some very clever hints hidden in it.

SPOILERS

Twice was it implied that the Ripper was a medical professional, and one of the letters states they "call him Doctor now". I liked seeing that pop up again.

Great game!

The story is not overwhelming with an interesting reputation system.
The pattern is bit repetitive, but overall, nice story!

This is AWESOME! I love the mystery!

Very good story. It's quite a long read so you guys better be prepared to memorize things, or at least jot them down because you're going to have to retrace some steps to figure out who the killer was. It's pretty well written but I have noticed some typos and grammatical errors, but they're not too abundant. In fact, I can't remember the last one I saw, but it is pretty clear and concise.

It was great

I really like this one. I've already played it twice.

Decent

That ending suspect wasn't confirmed to be the actual "Jack the Ripper"

Uninteresting, but well written

There were a couple pages near the beginning where my reputation score didn't go up, but other than that minor glitch I liked the story.

It was really good!

Quite impressive. I enjoyed the reputation tracking throughout and the huge final list of suspects. Very enjoyable story.

1st Try :D Though my first guess would be Abberline, he wasnt on the list so :P with him excluded from the choices I knew who it was haha. i wont spoil it for any new readers but a word of advice. READ

An amazing work, 7/8 only because of a few spelling errors and one incorr ct link.

A deep, in-depth look at JtR's killings in a way that forces the player to pay attention and notice the little details (and take notes) to get the best results. I was surprised at how many terrible theories the police kept putting forth-including people known to have been in other countries during the murders.

One small nit to pick at: page 142 says "slitting his throat and killing them." should probably say their, unless the Ripper spontaneously committed suicide.

This is quite possibly the most educational game I've ever read; it's clear a great deal of research went into its creation. The mystery aspect is also quite good, presenting a tremendous amount of information and clues, while allowing the player a good deal of latitude in interpreting what is or is not germane to the investigation. Minor quibble: the predominant piece of evidence alluding to Jack's identity is an addition of the author.

If I had to identify an area of improvement; like many educational works it lacks characterization. The player character is defined solely as "Private Detective" and even Abberline exists mainly as a vehicle of information distribution. It's much more a deduction game than a true story.

Overall, an amazing addition to the site.

Bravo, Will, this was excellent. I don't have the clarity of mind for a full, proper review, but I will try to come back and write one soon. In the meantime, anyone who appreciates murder mysteries should definitely give this a look. :D