I really knew nothing going into this aside from its FMV style and didn't quite know what to expect (having not played Barlow's previous works either), but I came out of it pleasantly surprised. Its just such a unique and....intriguing experience.
Now, I was very confused at the start. There's minimal instructions and the game really doesn't explain much, which works both for and against it. Figuring out what the game really is and the fucks going on is part of the charm and what made this game so interesting to me, but at the same time there's certain mechanics that aren't really explained that I discovered by chance messing around, which I can easily see people missing out on. And these lead to important scenes that are key to solving the overarching mystery.
The gameplay loop is simple, going through clips from three different movies and videos part of its production, observing certain people or background props and such frame-by-frame leading to more clips. An interesting way to go about with things and one that kept me engaged...for the most part. Through this you're able to peel back the layers and piece together the mystery pretty much all by yourself in an order and way unique to the individual. Speaking of the movies, I somewhat found myself becoming as interested in the stories being told in the movies as I was in the overarching mystery. Each movie sounds and looks pretty nice and are distinct, being from different eras and just felt quite authentic too.
Now earlier I mentioned being 'engaged for the most part.' There comes a point where you eventually have an idea of what the true story is. But the issue is, with the complete lack of directions my final few hours were spent aimlessly, mindnumbingly clicking back and forth to find annnny new clips to help fill in the few gaps left about the mystery and not just ending up on the same clip for the hundredth time. Furthermore, as I figured out more and more of the mystery, my interest in the films themselves dropped slightly as I spent my time solely trying to find the final few clips relevant to solving it.
But yeah I'm glad I went into this game blind, being like nothing else I've ever played. Will definitely check out some of Barlow's other works at some point.
Now, I was very confused at the start. There's minimal instructions and the game really doesn't explain much, which works both for and against it. Figuring out what the game really is and the fucks going on is part of the charm and what made this game so interesting to me, but at the same time there's certain mechanics that aren't really explained that I discovered by chance messing around, which I can easily see people missing out on. And these lead to important scenes that are key to solving the overarching mystery.
The gameplay loop is simple, going through clips from three different movies and videos part of its production, observing certain people or background props and such frame-by-frame leading to more clips. An interesting way to go about with things and one that kept me engaged...for the most part. Through this you're able to peel back the layers and piece together the mystery pretty much all by yourself in an order and way unique to the individual. Speaking of the movies, I somewhat found myself becoming as interested in the stories being told in the movies as I was in the overarching mystery. Each movie sounds and looks pretty nice and are distinct, being from different eras and just felt quite authentic too.
Now earlier I mentioned being 'engaged for the most part.' There comes a point where you eventually have an idea of what the true story is. But the issue is, with the complete lack of directions my final few hours were spent aimlessly, mindnumbingly clicking back and forth to find annnny new clips to help fill in the few gaps left about the mystery and not just ending up on the same clip for the hundredth time. Furthermore, as I figured out more and more of the mystery, my interest in the films themselves dropped slightly as I spent my time solely trying to find the final few clips relevant to solving it.
But yeah I'm glad I went into this game blind, being like nothing else I've ever played. Will definitely check out some of Barlow's other works at some point.