I picked this up yesterday after reading RPS’s glowing review and finished it the same day. Definitely one of the best games I’ve played this year and one of the few that successfully manages to tell a story via a game. Although I hesitate a bit calling it a game, it is a point and click adventure game with limited interactivity and no branching. Its success rest squarely on its story, excellent plotting, and characters.
Two scientists travel backwards through a dying man’s memories to grant him his dying wish. Its a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Inception meets Citizen Kane. At its core, it is a love story with moments of humor, beauty, and profound sadness. The game doesn’t treat the player like a moron spelling every little detail out. Most of the ‘gameplay’ involves piecing the story together.
If that sounds interesting, I wouldn’t read too much of the RPS review because it gets rather spoilerly. There is a one hour demo which lets you play about 20% of the game. The full game is 12 bucks.
I am busy playing the game after reading the same RPS article (but too busy to finish it in a day) and am really enjoying the story and characters. The reverse timeline storytelling is handled very clearly and the writing is excellent. It’s true that there isn’t much gaming in this game beyond clicking on objects and exploring, but it hasn’t mattered to me one bit. I want to keep learning more about the chars and finding out what’s going on.
This will not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for those who get hooked by the story, what an enjoyable ride.
Adam:: Agreed. We could probably find ways to disagree about things, plenty, but shall we just agree that we were both moved by its music, its writing and its intelligence?
John: Yes we shall. I want to have my memory wiped so I can play it again.
I’m about 1/4 through and I agree with everyone here. An amazing experience.
I don’t think I’d necessarily call it a “game” though, as it’s mechanics are barely existent. And I fucking HATE the shoehorned-in Seventh Guest logic puzzle you have to solve to complete each memory, and that is unfortunately the only real “game” here.
That said, it is very well executed and definitely one of the most intriguing entertainment experiences I’ve had this year.
Music is great, story is compelling, gameplay is dull and dialogue varies between serviceable and completely obnoxious.
It’s a 5 dollar Steam sale game (pretending that it’s on Steam, which it isn’t yet) if I ever saw one. That’s not meant to be damning, it’s a fun little diversion that hits a few poignant notes thanks in large part to its fantastic score. I probably would have liked it more if it wasn’t so mired in its weirdo Nintendo/Japanese handheld game aesthetics.
It sounds like another “game” that doesn’t actually use the medium to deliver its message. The RPS circle jerk about how much the game made them cry is also just off-putting.
Oh, and I actually have to pay for it, unlike Digital: A Love Story, a game that manages to be a compelling tearjerker, but more importantly, actually a game at the same time.
Played the first little bit, looks great! Can someone tell me I don’t have to complete all the little flippy puzzles in the minimum moves to get the good ending? I’d like to play through, but I really don’t want to spend time perfecting those.
Haven’t played it yet but the very basic structure sounds a lot like Catherine. Very loosely “game” and more interactive story with a puzzle element to it. Bravo, I don’t see any reason why video games can’t heavily focus on story. Very much looking forward to getting a copy come payday.
Is there a good ending? I didn’t complete all the puzzles in the minimum number of moves but didn’t worry about that.
Also, I definitely wouldn’t read that RPS verdict before playing the game. It lays out all the things you are going to discover while playing it. It’s a good read afterwards.
I couldn’t disagree more with James Johnson with his “assessment” (without playing it) of the game either. It’s more an interactive storyline than a game. But it makes full use of the medium to deliver its message. And its characters and that delivery are complex and engrossing.
Haven’t checked this out yet, but I do sort of wonder–would watching a playthrough given you the same enjoyment as playing it? That would be my determination about whether or not it’s any good as a “game” (as opposed to an interactive story).
Very nearly, Alan. Assuming it was an adept playthrough, you’d miss nothing in the translation. I’d recommend it in either case. The dialogue can be painful at times but at other times it’s rather poignant and there’s a really good story there.
