Anyone else playing/getting this? It's an independent point and click adventure that's lookin' pretty hot. I got some strong Blade Runner (the game) vibes from the demo. Love the art and the music, not loving the voice acting quite as much but it's tolerable. Downloading the full version now but their servers are draggin'. Seems like a worthwhile throwback to early-mid 90's adventure gaming.
Link.
It's by Wadjet Eye who did the great Emerald City Confidential. This looks really good.
I just finished this, and my first warning is to avoid reviews. I haven't seen a spoiler in one, but alas it's the kind of game where you're best coming in fresh and, alas, I didn't. All I can say is that if you're a fan of story without particularly tricky puzzles barring your advancement, this is a must-have game.
As for the length, I didn't time myself, but I would guess this is a six hour game. However, it also comes with a director commentary which I have yet to try, but these always rocked in the Yahtzee games so I'm hoping the same is true here.
It's a combination of Beneath a Steel Sky and 1213 without being quite as good as either. I would have to rate this game a good, falling just short of great. The story is good, but it desperately needs more gameplay time in which to breath and develop. Also, the puzzles were pushovers and I want a little more challenge in getting from A to B, plus a bit more variation in the type of puzzle would have helped (and I don't mean more irritating mini-puzzles or out-of-place combat sequences).
The last act of the game is definately the weakest. The author is in such a desperate rush to bring things to a conclusion that puzzles seem to leave the game and you're left just ferrying objects back and forth, or sometimes just people, all the while I don't feel I'm seeing enough of what's happening behind the curtain. There was the shoehorning of the name into the last bit too.
The voice director needs a slap too. The voice acting was pretty good (there's that word again) throughout, but sometimes you can see the line isn't being delivered properly within the context it's spoken, and the voice director should have been fixing that.
On the positive the atmosphere is excellent and you constantly want to find out what's going to happen next. The ability to switch between characters could also reduce frustration if you get stuck, though I don't see that being an issue in this game.
All in all, I feel it's money well spent but I wish they had spent more time working the concept and then charged me a higher price. The story needed the scope to be a little more epic than it was to really work I think, which means a longer game with more diverse environments.
Last edited by Quitch; 02-27-2011 at 02:27 PM.
No, it wasn't. And I kind of doubt there was even a voice director. Pretty much every voice outside of Azriel sounds like it was voiced by the developers themselves.Originally Posted by Quitch
Anyways, besides the voice acting, I really enjoyed this. Felt like I was playing a lost classic, like BaSS. In fact, I think I enjoyed it more than BaSS.
I really didn't have a problem with the VO, I thought it fit well across the board. Perhaps some minor characters could have been better, but nothing jumped out at me as being overly bad.
Certainly someone was directing the voice acting (as shown by bloopers) and I don't recall the voice actors in the credits matching the names of the developers (though I wasn't looking for them). Anyway, whoever it was in the room with them needs a smack, especially as in the bloopers he IS telling them how to voice the line. Apparently he took regular naps or something.
Your BaSS remark is just blasphemy though.
I played BaSS for the first time recently, last year I think, so I don't have nostalgia making me think it was better than it was. Of course, it's just my opinion and I could be horribly wrong. :)
And while I didn't like the VO of this game, the rest of the game was enjoyable enough that it didn't matter to me. After a while I just turned it to text only, which fit the retro vibe quite well.
And apparently we're the only two interested in this game? That's too bad.
I'll get it eventually but I'm on a backlog-cleaning frenzy now. Plus, Gemini Rue sounds like a porn star.
Just went through the ending again. There were definitely at least a few developers doubling as voice actors.
You guys should put this to the front of your backlog, it's not a particularly long game and I want to discuss the story and its flaws damnit!
Oh sweet I remember seeing a trailer for this. I'll pick it up as soon as I get paid (which should be this week)
I'm working through this now, as a break from Dead Space 2. It's pretty nice; a real throwback to the days of VGA graphics and point-and-click adventure games.
The voice acting ranges from acceptable to poor. One thing which is bugging the shit out of me is the consistent mispronunciation of "bouryokudan". It probably shouldn't--it's not like the average white guy pronounces "karate" or "karaoke" correctly--but it still does. (Bou-ryoku-dan, FWIW. Not Bou-ryo-kudan.)
Anyone else discover Ed and Ein from Cowboy Bebop? That was a fun little Easter egg.
Planning to get it when it hits Steam, which the devs said would be sometime after GDC.
Wasn't aware it was out yet but this is definitely a game I'm interested in.
I'm lazy so I'm watching a playthrough on youtube and I like what I see. Even though I love the retro graphics, I kinda wish that I can see it full 3-D and make it similar to Dreamfall in gameplay.
Appears Valve rejected the game and it won't be on Steam. Was hoping it would make it and at least gain a little more recognition for those who don't know about it yet.
http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/forum/...sg4345#msg4345
Enjoying the soundtrack from this btw, but I enjoy that style of music in general. Some quality stuff overall.
They rejected based on it being too low resolution? That is very weird.
giantbomb just made a quicklook for this, and it looks really good. I think I'll have to get this.
Valve/Steam rejected this? Weak sauce.
So, I really, really liked this. Are there any independent adventure games as good out there that someone can recommend?
Well I rather liked Yahtzee's point & click games starting from 5 Days a Stranger (the first of a series of four). He has released the special editions (with commentary) for free - http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/games.htm (both game one and game two suffer from a single incredibly stupid puzzle each... maybe two in game one)
The Trials of Odysseus Kent, also by him, felt very LucasArts to me. Also, complete with stupid puzzle.
However, some real gems are the Samorost games by the team that later brought you Machinarium. The first one is available free online and their other free one-offs are all worth checking out - http://amanita-design.net/
Finally, Ben There, Dan That and its sequel are without VO but really well written and genuinely funny. The original developer page is offline so here's the very reasonably priced copy on Steam - http://store.steampowered.com/app/37400/
A few months back I downloaded some of the more highly rated AGS games, including Wadjet Eye's own Blackwell games, Apprentice and a few others I can't recall. Didn't get a lot out of most of them, sadly - maybe I'm just too picky? So far I've really dug Gemini Rue, The Journey Down, Heed (REALLY loved the art on Heed) and Ben There, Dan That. The others just seemed to be missing some component - maybe the story was good, but the art was boring or vice versa. I do think art is really important for these kinds of games and I have a great admiration for people who can do pixel art really well.
I now see that the guy who did the art on Heed has done a TON of other games, so I think I'm going to nab a bunch of those tonight and explore. Would really appreciate more recommendations if people have them. I feel like there has to be plenty of gems out there that I haven't discovered yet.
This is now on Steam, for $8.50
Fantastic adventure game. No excuse not to pick it up if you're a fan of the genre.
Also, this.
It's $2 now, no reason not to pick it up.
Completed this last night and really enjoyed it. There was one twist I really liked and a couple that fell sort of flat, but the story kept me engaged throughout. I did not dig the ending though.Spoiler: Ending
I found the Ed and Ein easter egg. I heard there are three other easter eggs with the other Cowboy Bebop characters.
Any recommendations for another game in a similar vein? Not necessarily ones in the same genre, but ones with a thoroughly engaging story. I was looking at some reviews of the Blackwell games earlier, but the concept seems a bit hokey to me. I also have yet to play BaSS, so I may give that a shot next, though I'd like to hear some others.
BaSS is the way to go I think.
BaSS is great.
How about Digital : A Love Story ? It's a good gateway to interactive fiction, and it's a pretty well written retro-cyberpunk game. It's free.
I really liked Wadjet Eye's the Shivah... It's not the best game ever, but the fact that you play a bitter Rabbi makes it an interesting experience.
As a counter-point, I thought it was a good story wrapped in a terrible interface. It lacks adequate build-up for the story it wants to tell and has approximately one puzzle throughout the "game". I much preferred her follow-up work, "Don't take it personally babe, it just ain't your story", even if the message was poorly handled.
I just tried out Digital and really liked it. It really spoke directly to my 80's BBS nostalgia, which is what she obviously was aiming for. The C64/Amiga style interface really helped that along as well.
Well it's on Steam now.
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