I was pondering what game to write about for my 100th review on this website, and it recently occurred to me that I haven't discussed this title yet. Feels like a good time.
Lets open with this: I have never, in all the games I have played, felt anything like the way I did with this one: it strings you along thinking the entire game is utter nonsense: the tone is all over the place, it has almost no cohesion or flow. The dialogue is hard to follow. It feels like a parody at times.
Then you get to the ending. Those final few hours. After you're 95% done with the game. And it explains EVERYTHING. You realize every singular moment that didn't make sense was all building to the last few moments. And what's even more, the actual explanation you're given is impactful and heavy.
This is a special game. One that took a really special kind of craft to make. And it's a game that rewards patience more than others. You have to be willing to put up with all the tedious moments. The bugs, the jank, the poor performance.
Because on a technical level it is a rough game, even with this version being one of the better ones. But in this one instance it dosent matter. The story and characters are what keep you playing.
We really need to do emphasize characters. York is so zany, so wacky, so out there that you can't help but like how quirky and odd he is. He's probably one of my favorite gaming characters next to Travis Touchdown.
But the other characters are great too. Thomas, George, Emily, and the other odd ball residents. It's a very lived in kind of game and setting. And this feeling is magnified with the schedule system. You can follow characters on their daily routine around the map and the conversations can differ depending on where you are. It is not polished or done well at all, but the concept still works anyways. It's a detail that most games wouldn't bother with
And that's the key: attention to detail. If you stop and observe everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and you're really paying attention, the story and the twists it take are actually in front of you the entire time. It's hard to believe but the game is subtle: it dosent draw attention to any of it and just leaves it to the player to see if they can spot it early.
Let's discuss it as a game briefly because the actual mechanics are pretty surface level: you run around, you pick things up, you shoot. Etc. it's a very basic game in terms of combat. But it's serviceable and it keeps your attention.
Normally a game like this should be scored lower, like a 2.5 or a 3. But the experience is unlike any other. It transcends any issues it has.
It's been burned in my mind for the past 4 years since I've played it and it's not going away anytime soon.
Lets open with this: I have never, in all the games I have played, felt anything like the way I did with this one: it strings you along thinking the entire game is utter nonsense: the tone is all over the place, it has almost no cohesion or flow. The dialogue is hard to follow. It feels like a parody at times.
Then you get to the ending. Those final few hours. After you're 95% done with the game. And it explains EVERYTHING. You realize every singular moment that didn't make sense was all building to the last few moments. And what's even more, the actual explanation you're given is impactful and heavy.
This is a special game. One that took a really special kind of craft to make. And it's a game that rewards patience more than others. You have to be willing to put up with all the tedious moments. The bugs, the jank, the poor performance.
Because on a technical level it is a rough game, even with this version being one of the better ones. But in this one instance it dosent matter. The story and characters are what keep you playing.
We really need to do emphasize characters. York is so zany, so wacky, so out there that you can't help but like how quirky and odd he is. He's probably one of my favorite gaming characters next to Travis Touchdown.
But the other characters are great too. Thomas, George, Emily, and the other odd ball residents. It's a very lived in kind of game and setting. And this feeling is magnified with the schedule system. You can follow characters on their daily routine around the map and the conversations can differ depending on where you are. It is not polished or done well at all, but the concept still works anyways. It's a detail that most games wouldn't bother with
And that's the key: attention to detail. If you stop and observe everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and you're really paying attention, the story and the twists it take are actually in front of you the entire time. It's hard to believe but the game is subtle: it dosent draw attention to any of it and just leaves it to the player to see if they can spot it early.
Let's discuss it as a game briefly because the actual mechanics are pretty surface level: you run around, you pick things up, you shoot. Etc. it's a very basic game in terms of combat. But it's serviceable and it keeps your attention.
Normally a game like this should be scored lower, like a 2.5 or a 3. But the experience is unlike any other. It transcends any issues it has.
It's been burned in my mind for the past 4 years since I've played it and it's not going away anytime soon.