Pro tip: Don't stop playing this for a week, and come back to it. You'll regret it :)
To think that a game solely based on walking around, and clicking things would be so riveting. Lucas Pope has created something incredibly special, artistically and mechanically. My first play session was practically perfect. Those first few hours as the game unwinds are video game magic. It's like you stepped into a storybook, and you need to identify the characters and the plot. With each page uncovered, the picture becomes clearer and clearer. And each step of unmasking this picture is more satisfying than the last. It can be quite cryptic at times, but never impossible. But, I'm also kinda dumb, so some solutions and conclusions seemed so out of reach. The context clues are there if you are aware, but if you don't care, it might be a lot to bear. However, this game is meant to be brute-forced in a few back-to-back play sessions. Trying to remember scenes from hour 2 or 3 to piece together something from hour 8 was nearly impossible with such a big gap in playtime, which resulted in a lot of frustration and backtracking. In addition, it motivated far more guesswork rather than deduction on my part. The game never punishes you for guessing, so near the end of the game, I sat at the picture page and started taking educated guesses, eliminating names and roles that didn't seem "right" and going from there. It kinda killed the momentum for me, but it did not ruin my experience at all. I wish the game was a tad bit more punishing with its investigative work and had a quicker way to recap what you already know. But that's just wishful thinking. Return of the Obra Dinn is a very unique experience using the advantages of the medium. It's brought together by a beautifully retro aesthetic, a great soundtrack, and a near-perfect Who Done It/Clue mechanical design. Just take your time with it.
9/10 :)
To think that a game solely based on walking around, and clicking things would be so riveting. Lucas Pope has created something incredibly special, artistically and mechanically. My first play session was practically perfect. Those first few hours as the game unwinds are video game magic. It's like you stepped into a storybook, and you need to identify the characters and the plot. With each page uncovered, the picture becomes clearer and clearer. And each step of unmasking this picture is more satisfying than the last. It can be quite cryptic at times, but never impossible. But, I'm also kinda dumb, so some solutions and conclusions seemed so out of reach. The context clues are there if you are aware, but if you don't care, it might be a lot to bear. However, this game is meant to be brute-forced in a few back-to-back play sessions. Trying to remember scenes from hour 2 or 3 to piece together something from hour 8 was nearly impossible with such a big gap in playtime, which resulted in a lot of frustration and backtracking. In addition, it motivated far more guesswork rather than deduction on my part. The game never punishes you for guessing, so near the end of the game, I sat at the picture page and started taking educated guesses, eliminating names and roles that didn't seem "right" and going from there. It kinda killed the momentum for me, but it did not ruin my experience at all. I wish the game was a tad bit more punishing with its investigative work and had a quicker way to recap what you already know. But that's just wishful thinking. Return of the Obra Dinn is a very unique experience using the advantages of the medium. It's brought together by a beautifully retro aesthetic, a great soundtrack, and a near-perfect Who Done It/Clue mechanical design. Just take your time with it.
9/10 :)