Shade follows a less linear structure compared to other text games we’ve played for class. This is a marked departure from other IF games and text adventures, which often have an ultimate goal and objective. Further, as Jeremy Douglass mentions in his article, “Enlightening Interactive Fiction: Andrew Plotkin’s Shade”, rather than a sprawling dungeon or map to explore, Shade entirely takes place in one room (Douglass, 132). The already small space of the apartment is not divided into rooms, only nooks from which the player can still see the rest of the space. The player is actively discouraged from leaving or even looking out the window. The map is big enough initially to promote exploration, but it quickly becomes confining and repetitive to interact with the same objects.
The game also initially appears to have a set of objectives, pointed out in the description through your to-do list. It begins with you looking for the plane tickets which you have misplaced. However, the tasks on the to-do list quickly become unimportant and you are left to your own devices in the apartment. Because of the lack of structure and goals, the game can become frustrating. There are times where the player will become stuck and be unable to forward the story. Only through ransacking the apartment and interacting with every object multiple times can the player progress. Even nonlinear IF games such as Galatea have an objective- learning about the art exhibit Galatea through asking questions. In Shade, there comes a point where there is no objective left to complete.
These unique features of Shade work to create the atmosphere inside the apartment for the player. Being unable to progress mimics the feeling of the character losing their mind, repeating commands ad nauseam. Further, by confining the entire gameplay to a small space and then drastically changing it, the game is able to further the shock that the player and the character feel about realizing they are really in the desert. Both of these mechanics function to parallel the experience of the player and the character.