arven
4 reviews liked by arven
Hypnospace Outlaw
2019
bashes my head into a wall violently
Spoiler Warning
This game is only 3 months old at the time of this review and is very much something you should experience blind. I would use the Spoiler function, but honestly I hate that it covers the entire review up and that's just not something I'm a fan of so instead I'm putting this spoiler warning here.
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It's time to get into the fourth game I chose to play from my Obscure Games Recommendation List, recommended to me by MrPixelton, who was one of the many playtesters for it. Thank you very much for the recommendation.
Flesh, Blood & Concrete is, in my honest opinion, more of an experience than a typical game. If I had to compare it to something, I'd probably say it was akin to a game like Journey. It's very much about how the world around you builds up to the crescendo of themes and atmosphere, leaving you possibly a bit confused and puzzled, but ultimately leaves a lasting impression.
You take on the role of Lera, an (and this is just from my perspective, I believe this game is meant to be interpreted in many ways) androgynous individual who suffers from a severe case of depression and anxiety.
When Lera's car breaks down, they find themselves entering what appears to be an abandoned apartment complex, with only a little girl named Nika for company.
As soon as Lera enters however, they realize that nothing is as it seems. Hair is strewn throughout the building, rotting corpses and flesh fill up various rooms, and ominous VHS Tapes show haunting images of bodies morphing and merging in inhuman ways.
Along the way, various places that Lera had been to in their past appear within the building, leading them down a slight nostalgia trip, as if the building itself was attempting to distract them from the horror.
This game is loaded not only with cosmic horror, but existential horror and dread as well. Throughout the game, Lera, or rather you, are asked why you still struggle. Why you want to live. As someone who suffers from Persistent Depressive Disorder, the themes of suicidal ideation and lacking a reason for living hit very hard for me. It's something I've been dealing with since before I was even an adult, and has only grown more painful with time.
The "Bad" Ending, or rather the Happy Ending is basically your character giving up their sense of self, their individuality, the freedom of their flesh, over to the cosmic beings who control the abandoned apartment. This was the initial ending I got, and at first I was more confused as to what it meant, but it represents in my mind one of my biggest fears: The Death of Personality.
This trope refers to when one's personality is permanently killed, either psychologically or supernaturally. They become an entirely different person. One of my biggest fears in life, as unrealistic as it may be, is suffering this due to this disease. Losing my sense of self and just becoming a pure, depressive being with no interests or soul. The "Happy" Ending is essentially Personality Suicide as you become one of many in a system compared to in game to an ant colony.
It's not all doom and gloom though, the ultimate message of the game is that your life and individuality are worth living for. The True Ending ultimately having you at least attempt to escape the cosmic concrete jungle and continuing to live for the sake of living, which if nothing else, is an inspiring end to go out on.
It is implied however that neither end matters, and that Lera is dead before the game even begins, which means the entire game could be interpreted as their death trance. Seeing their life flash before their eyes while being guided by a hallucination.
Either way, I think the story is meant to be interpreted in many ways and I hope that more people take the time to find their own answers to the questions the game puts out.
In regards to the gameplay, it is rather simplistic, you just walk around, grab items, etc. But this is a game where the experience outweighs the need for complex game mechanics.
Try Flesh, Blood, & Concrete. It's relatively short, and I think it's an excellent portrayal of existential nihilism as well as an argument against it. Definitely something worth experiencing at least once.
This game is only 3 months old at the time of this review and is very much something you should experience blind. I would use the Spoiler function, but honestly I hate that it covers the entire review up and that's just not something I'm a fan of so instead I'm putting this spoiler warning here.
============================================
It's time to get into the fourth game I chose to play from my Obscure Games Recommendation List, recommended to me by MrPixelton, who was one of the many playtesters for it. Thank you very much for the recommendation.
Flesh, Blood & Concrete is, in my honest opinion, more of an experience than a typical game. If I had to compare it to something, I'd probably say it was akin to a game like Journey. It's very much about how the world around you builds up to the crescendo of themes and atmosphere, leaving you possibly a bit confused and puzzled, but ultimately leaves a lasting impression.
You take on the role of Lera, an (and this is just from my perspective, I believe this game is meant to be interpreted in many ways) androgynous individual who suffers from a severe case of depression and anxiety.
When Lera's car breaks down, they find themselves entering what appears to be an abandoned apartment complex, with only a little girl named Nika for company.
As soon as Lera enters however, they realize that nothing is as it seems. Hair is strewn throughout the building, rotting corpses and flesh fill up various rooms, and ominous VHS Tapes show haunting images of bodies morphing and merging in inhuman ways.
Along the way, various places that Lera had been to in their past appear within the building, leading them down a slight nostalgia trip, as if the building itself was attempting to distract them from the horror.
This game is loaded not only with cosmic horror, but existential horror and dread as well. Throughout the game, Lera, or rather you, are asked why you still struggle. Why you want to live. As someone who suffers from Persistent Depressive Disorder, the themes of suicidal ideation and lacking a reason for living hit very hard for me. It's something I've been dealing with since before I was even an adult, and has only grown more painful with time.
The "Bad" Ending, or rather the Happy Ending is basically your character giving up their sense of self, their individuality, the freedom of their flesh, over to the cosmic beings who control the abandoned apartment. This was the initial ending I got, and at first I was more confused as to what it meant, but it represents in my mind one of my biggest fears: The Death of Personality.
This trope refers to when one's personality is permanently killed, either psychologically or supernaturally. They become an entirely different person. One of my biggest fears in life, as unrealistic as it may be, is suffering this due to this disease. Losing my sense of self and just becoming a pure, depressive being with no interests or soul. The "Happy" Ending is essentially Personality Suicide as you become one of many in a system compared to in game to an ant colony.
It's not all doom and gloom though, the ultimate message of the game is that your life and individuality are worth living for. The True Ending ultimately having you at least attempt to escape the cosmic concrete jungle and continuing to live for the sake of living, which if nothing else, is an inspiring end to go out on.
It is implied however that neither end matters, and that Lera is dead before the game even begins, which means the entire game could be interpreted as their death trance. Seeing their life flash before their eyes while being guided by a hallucination.
Either way, I think the story is meant to be interpreted in many ways and I hope that more people take the time to find their own answers to the questions the game puts out.
In regards to the gameplay, it is rather simplistic, you just walk around, grab items, etc. But this is a game where the experience outweighs the need for complex game mechanics.
Try Flesh, Blood, & Concrete. It's relatively short, and I think it's an excellent portrayal of existential nihilism as well as an argument against it. Definitely something worth experiencing at least once.
[Disclaimer: I was a beta tester for this game before it launched]
Wouldn't it be nice to escape the doldrums of life? Go back to the womb and not have to deal with the suffering existence entails? Stay in your happy place for the rest of your days?
Within the walls of a genius loci apartment complex located somewhere in Russia, our protagonist Lera explores a recreation of her own memories after leaving home and driving into the middle of a harsh snowstorm. While the influences on FBC are very apparent, calling to mind the original Silent Hill with it's snow, it's rust, it's ethereal ambient soundtrack and focus on psychological horror, it manages to set itself apart with it's distinctly European sensibilities and it's use of body horror and visceral bodily imagery a la Saya no Uta's weird meat dimension to unsettle the player and create this nauseating atmosphere that permeates the entire experience. It's themes of existentialism are heavy yet executed with tact and grace, and it's short runtime makes for an experience akin to a Twilight Zone episode or a Junji Ito one-shot. It's about half-an-hour to complete and it's perfect way to kick off the Halloween season if you love RPG Maker horror games.
Wouldn't it be nice to escape the doldrums of life? Go back to the womb and not have to deal with the suffering existence entails? Stay in your happy place for the rest of your days?
Within the walls of a genius loci apartment complex located somewhere in Russia, our protagonist Lera explores a recreation of her own memories after leaving home and driving into the middle of a harsh snowstorm. While the influences on FBC are very apparent, calling to mind the original Silent Hill with it's snow, it's rust, it's ethereal ambient soundtrack and focus on psychological horror, it manages to set itself apart with it's distinctly European sensibilities and it's use of body horror and visceral bodily imagery a la Saya no Uta's weird meat dimension to unsettle the player and create this nauseating atmosphere that permeates the entire experience. It's themes of existentialism are heavy yet executed with tact and grace, and it's short runtime makes for an experience akin to a Twilight Zone episode or a Junji Ito one-shot. It's about half-an-hour to complete and it's perfect way to kick off the Halloween season if you love RPG Maker horror games.
mournful meditation on suicidal ideation, collectivism, and decay. smartly juxtaposes brutalist architecture against warm flesh - the difference between rigid structure and the overflowing and organic. it's a short experience at around an hour or so but holds up as a specific tragedy that a lot of people could easily see themselves in; plays with doomer mentality and nostalgia in clever ways. it's impossible to return to our most innocent selves - the knowledge of life's malaise stalks us no matter where we go.