Take a trip back to the days of the early internet and fan forums, when the video game console "Kinmoku Shark" and its online social network "Videoverse" were still popular...
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Very very sweet game, and just such a nice experience. LOVED all the art for the feudal fantasy cutscenes!
Forumsimulator with the right amount of love
there is possibly no genre of narrative game I love more than anything that captures the beautiful, fleeting, meaningful, quirky, and chaotic portrait of communities that form in online spaces, often in spite of the businesses that created them
and for that portion of this game, I was in love. the characters, the communities, the bonds, and the style of its presentation was so cool. I would play 100 games in this format and feel refreshed by the experience, every time. I miss my friends from a long list of these communities, even if I can't remember their usernames and avatars. this captured that so well
but though I respect its intentions, I felt like the primary plot of this game was weak. without getting into spoilers, if you want to talk about a Topic, it is almost always better to center its related character as the subject, and not the object. and the glimpses we got of the object character here were so tropey, so common in a gendered way, that it was equal parts frustrating and hard to take seriously. I could go into greater detail, but I won't both because of spoilers and also because that doesn't feel great, as it's an otherwise lovely indie game with its heart in the right place
and for that portion of this game, I was in love. the characters, the communities, the bonds, and the style of its presentation was so cool. I would play 100 games in this format and feel refreshed by the experience, every time. I miss my friends from a long list of these communities, even if I can't remember their usernames and avatars. this captured that so well
but though I respect its intentions, I felt like the primary plot of this game was weak. without getting into spoilers, if you want to talk about a Topic, it is almost always better to center its related character as the subject, and not the object. and the glimpses we got of the object character here were so tropey, so common in a gendered way, that it was equal parts frustrating and hard to take seriously. I could go into greater detail, but I won't both because of spoilers and also because that doesn't feel great, as it's an otherwise lovely indie game with its heart in the right place
Videoverse is a beautifully written love letter to many things, the early 00’s, the Internet and Video Games themselves.
Taking place during a fictionalised version of 2003, similar to our own, we take some control and see the eyes through the world of 15 year old Emmett or eMMe-T_T as his name presents himself online in a fashion very much of the time.
Born in England but living in Germany, Emmett spends a lot of his time on his gaming machine the Kinmoku Shark - an dual screen, laptop come Wii U type console which he plays his favourite game Feudal Fantasy and engages through an online community via the titular Videoverse.
Although the Shark and the often very similar sounding video games people are playing are fictional, the world itself feels so real and gives a great sense of nostalgia. I’d have been a little older than Emmett in 2003 but I still had similar loves and concerns.
I was a nerd into anime and video games, I had friends online I speak to and see less often than I’d like, really the only difference between then and now is the tech and that I’ve had romantic relationships - something Emmett is clearly interested in and a large potential piece of his story.
The interface of the Shark feels so real, with its own start up theme, advertisement banners around Videoverse, liking, sharing and more with posts. Outside of the machine itself Emmett’s desk has a calendar, a couple of notepads (helpful for the player) and usually food wrappers and a magazine that gives you a greater impression of the greater gaming world outside of Emmett’s desk. I could go on about every little touch, graphic and animation but simply put Videoverse really sells itself as something that has happened and is lived in.
Nostalgia isn’t the only feeling Videoverse has strongly stirred up inside of my soul, at time of writing we’re all probably quite familiar with how Twitter is dying and for some of us, myself included, although not a perfect place - losing it would be a real upset and a hard adjustment to make.
Much like myself with Twitter in real life, Emmett has been on Videoverse for years.
They’re made many friendships there and it is quite possibly their main point of social interaction. This is where the drama comes in, as much like Twitter seems to be going the way of the Dodo the Videoverse site, which again is like a - twitter, discord, Wii U Miiverse-alike, is closing down.
Within the game’s universe, it isn’t because an idiot billionaire has taken it over and run it into the ground but much like the Wii U, a clear inspiration on the game, the Shark is being replaced by a new console - The Dolphin.
Alongside the new generation of console is the closing of Videoverse for “Ocean Online” and that uncertainty of the future, what may be lost with the change due to a whole manner of things, be it financial, general interest or whatever else causes some turmoil in Emmett’s life and many others.
Videoverse’s main view is a group of Miiverse looking communities that people can post words, pictures and which can be liked and replied to. There are four groups that Emmett interacts with, one off-topic and one general but a pair linked to his interests in Feudal Fantasy and art.
These community forums are very reminiscent of what you may see in real life, people clearly making friendships, others being antagonistic to straight up problematic, people airing their drama and people just wanting to have fun and having little idea about what else is going on.
Your control here is liking posts where you see fit, making new posts or replies based on a trio of choices and hitting that report button on what you would like to see less of.
To talk over every scenario would spoil the game, but the game deals extremely realistically with every possible Internet drama you could imagine and although you do not completely shape this world your interactions will directly push you into (or out) of specific scenarios with occasionally heart-wrenching and thought provoking outcomes.
Without spoiling every one of them, one of the other main points of interaction are between Emmett and the wonderfully realised characters from friends to regular posters.
Some of these Emmett will go away from the forum and privately chat, with the Shark having a personal messenger that uses text and a webcam.
Emmett will get conversational choices as the chats move on, sometimes with locked options depending on how your Emmett has acted.
These parts paint great amounts of colour into the world, his friends which you can be as warm or cold to as you like will act differently according to what you’ve said and how you’ve interacted with the public side of Videoverse.
Between these two parts of Videoverse and Emmett’s fandom of art and Feudal Fantasy, he discovers and befriends someone new named ViVi.
Much like any interaction with new people online this sees Emmett faced with many questions, of who they are, where they’re from, their gender, their age, profession and more.
As you’d expect most of these mysteries are quickly answered by befriending ViVi but that leads to the even more grounded feeling of showing yourself, maintaining a friendship, dealing with expectations, your own values and more.
Much like I said the world of Videoverse feels real and lived in, so do these interactions.
There’s a strange nostalgia as although these are Emmett’s experiences they feel much like ones that I have had and I imagine reflect things from the developer Lucy Blundell’s past too (something that could also be delved into more but I already know the word count here is going to be high).
Throughout the game there are twists and turns, all dramatic but realistic, at times I felt truly upset, annoyed, happy, gutted and more and this is all down to how well everyone is written and realised and how grounded this fictional world really is.
The only points where the game really threw some barriers between my connection with (or as) Emmett was when he would say things without choices that I would have left unsaid or not even thought about - an issue that is realistically impossible to fully get over, after all we are playing a role of this 15 year old lad, we are not actually them, but one that does not stop feeling bad when things don’t play out how we’d like.
It is easy to categorise Videoverse as a Visual Novel.
VN’s are a genre that I enjoy but have struggled with when it comes to lack of interaction but Videoverse absolutely nails its pacing and flow in story and gameplay.
Checking the forums each day, liking posts, making replies and responding to interactions feel engrossing in the way any social media platform does when it is at its best.
You gain some endorphins on the way not only from the responses the game gives you but the small themes you unlock on the way and all of this is just tasty filler between deeper private conversations with a whole game wrapped in small cutscenes from Feudal Fantasy that give Emmett’s life more realistic structure and also keeps involved in his universe just that little more.
Peaking at the game's trophies it is wonderful to see that so many decisions can branch off in very different ways. Once I was done however this did make me feel a little torn.
I don’t care so much about checking those lists off but much like looking at my own past it made me wonder about the “what ifs” and whether I would actually change decisions or not and because this is a video game and I can at least see those, I was very tempted to but - will I?
It’s a double edged sword having these types of narratives forks in the road. I love that my Emmett may not be the same as someone else’s, but the tease of the possibilities blocked by the time it would take to see them is a nasty cut to the heart.
In conclusion, I loved Videoverse. This truly deserved to be placed in many people’s top games of 2023. Looking at my own, the nearest thing was Paranormasight and whilst I prefer that game for its spooky themes and presentation, Videoverse made me feel more, kept my attention better and in general is an easier recommendation.
Taking place during a fictionalised version of 2003, similar to our own, we take some control and see the eyes through the world of 15 year old Emmett or eMMe-T_T as his name presents himself online in a fashion very much of the time.
Born in England but living in Germany, Emmett spends a lot of his time on his gaming machine the Kinmoku Shark - an dual screen, laptop come Wii U type console which he plays his favourite game Feudal Fantasy and engages through an online community via the titular Videoverse.
Although the Shark and the often very similar sounding video games people are playing are fictional, the world itself feels so real and gives a great sense of nostalgia. I’d have been a little older than Emmett in 2003 but I still had similar loves and concerns.
I was a nerd into anime and video games, I had friends online I speak to and see less often than I’d like, really the only difference between then and now is the tech and that I’ve had romantic relationships - something Emmett is clearly interested in and a large potential piece of his story.
The interface of the Shark feels so real, with its own start up theme, advertisement banners around Videoverse, liking, sharing and more with posts. Outside of the machine itself Emmett’s desk has a calendar, a couple of notepads (helpful for the player) and usually food wrappers and a magazine that gives you a greater impression of the greater gaming world outside of Emmett’s desk. I could go on about every little touch, graphic and animation but simply put Videoverse really sells itself as something that has happened and is lived in.
Nostalgia isn’t the only feeling Videoverse has strongly stirred up inside of my soul, at time of writing we’re all probably quite familiar with how Twitter is dying and for some of us, myself included, although not a perfect place - losing it would be a real upset and a hard adjustment to make.
Much like myself with Twitter in real life, Emmett has been on Videoverse for years.
They’re made many friendships there and it is quite possibly their main point of social interaction. This is where the drama comes in, as much like Twitter seems to be going the way of the Dodo the Videoverse site, which again is like a - twitter, discord, Wii U Miiverse-alike, is closing down.
Within the game’s universe, it isn’t because an idiot billionaire has taken it over and run it into the ground but much like the Wii U, a clear inspiration on the game, the Shark is being replaced by a new console - The Dolphin.
Alongside the new generation of console is the closing of Videoverse for “Ocean Online” and that uncertainty of the future, what may be lost with the change due to a whole manner of things, be it financial, general interest or whatever else causes some turmoil in Emmett’s life and many others.
Videoverse’s main view is a group of Miiverse looking communities that people can post words, pictures and which can be liked and replied to. There are four groups that Emmett interacts with, one off-topic and one general but a pair linked to his interests in Feudal Fantasy and art.
These community forums are very reminiscent of what you may see in real life, people clearly making friendships, others being antagonistic to straight up problematic, people airing their drama and people just wanting to have fun and having little idea about what else is going on.
Your control here is liking posts where you see fit, making new posts or replies based on a trio of choices and hitting that report button on what you would like to see less of.
To talk over every scenario would spoil the game, but the game deals extremely realistically with every possible Internet drama you could imagine and although you do not completely shape this world your interactions will directly push you into (or out) of specific scenarios with occasionally heart-wrenching and thought provoking outcomes.
Without spoiling every one of them, one of the other main points of interaction are between Emmett and the wonderfully realised characters from friends to regular posters.
Some of these Emmett will go away from the forum and privately chat, with the Shark having a personal messenger that uses text and a webcam.
Emmett will get conversational choices as the chats move on, sometimes with locked options depending on how your Emmett has acted.
These parts paint great amounts of colour into the world, his friends which you can be as warm or cold to as you like will act differently according to what you’ve said and how you’ve interacted with the public side of Videoverse.
Between these two parts of Videoverse and Emmett’s fandom of art and Feudal Fantasy, he discovers and befriends someone new named ViVi.
Much like any interaction with new people online this sees Emmett faced with many questions, of who they are, where they’re from, their gender, their age, profession and more.
As you’d expect most of these mysteries are quickly answered by befriending ViVi but that leads to the even more grounded feeling of showing yourself, maintaining a friendship, dealing with expectations, your own values and more.
Much like I said the world of Videoverse feels real and lived in, so do these interactions.
There’s a strange nostalgia as although these are Emmett’s experiences they feel much like ones that I have had and I imagine reflect things from the developer Lucy Blundell’s past too (something that could also be delved into more but I already know the word count here is going to be high).
Throughout the game there are twists and turns, all dramatic but realistic, at times I felt truly upset, annoyed, happy, gutted and more and this is all down to how well everyone is written and realised and how grounded this fictional world really is.
The only points where the game really threw some barriers between my connection with (or as) Emmett was when he would say things without choices that I would have left unsaid or not even thought about - an issue that is realistically impossible to fully get over, after all we are playing a role of this 15 year old lad, we are not actually them, but one that does not stop feeling bad when things don’t play out how we’d like.
It is easy to categorise Videoverse as a Visual Novel.
VN’s are a genre that I enjoy but have struggled with when it comes to lack of interaction but Videoverse absolutely nails its pacing and flow in story and gameplay.
Checking the forums each day, liking posts, making replies and responding to interactions feel engrossing in the way any social media platform does when it is at its best.
You gain some endorphins on the way not only from the responses the game gives you but the small themes you unlock on the way and all of this is just tasty filler between deeper private conversations with a whole game wrapped in small cutscenes from Feudal Fantasy that give Emmett’s life more realistic structure and also keeps involved in his universe just that little more.
Peaking at the game's trophies it is wonderful to see that so many decisions can branch off in very different ways. Once I was done however this did make me feel a little torn.
I don’t care so much about checking those lists off but much like looking at my own past it made me wonder about the “what ifs” and whether I would actually change decisions or not and because this is a video game and I can at least see those, I was very tempted to but - will I?
It’s a double edged sword having these types of narratives forks in the road. I love that my Emmett may not be the same as someone else’s, but the tease of the possibilities blocked by the time it would take to see them is a nasty cut to the heart.
In conclusion, I loved Videoverse. This truly deserved to be placed in many people’s top games of 2023. Looking at my own, the nearest thing was Paranormasight and whilst I prefer that game for its spooky themes and presentation, Videoverse made me feel more, kept my attention better and in general is an easier recommendation.
If Hypnospace Outlaw is early internet exploring then Videoverse is message board/Miiverse exploration. I loved this game as I grew up on GFAQs various anime boards, and SA. The feeling of making friends with people online back then felt different back then though that was probably due with age. This game captures a lot of feelings I felt back then even if Emmet can be a bit cringe but that's what makes it great as weren't most of us when we were younger? Earning new themes by interacting with the forums was cool and I liked all the different characters in the game.
Told through the lens of a dying, legally distinct Miiverse, Videoverse explores the weight of social media, and what it can mean to lose connections because a company values profits over all else. Hits close to home for anyone that's made close friends online, especially if they did so while growing up.