With the knowledge that the original prompt was to create a haunting scene, I am approaching these games with a different mindset that I am enjoying much more. I'm not necessarily looking for a fun, mechanically driven experience, more so just *an* interesting experience
December 3rd
I have now replayed this game, and I appreciate it a lot more.
I like the atmosphere, the first prompt I get to see being a way to commit suicide I still love, it perfectly sets the mood for the game.
I think the aimless wandering around the sea is the point, and it certainly had an effect on me, but I found handling the boat to be awkward. It was really hard to see out the window, the snow and it being night felt intended, but the personal light on the first person controller would glare and make it almost impossible to see out the window. The perspective was also completely different when standing up, that I'd see something in the distance, start driving, and get completely lost because now it's obscured.
I liked the story, I think circling back to the lighthouse is cool. Almost makes me feel like I'm just exploring the mind of this depressed person, clouded, disconnected thoughts with the one certain, clearest thing being a memory from childhood, that we always come back to. We can clearly remember everything before the incident, but the incident is foggy and we have to do searching to find it.
Or maybe I'm reading entirely too much into it. Death to the author I guess.
Artists of a Dead World
Oh I really like this one. I think this finally gave me that resolution that I was looking for. Of course, not everything was explained, but that's not really what I wanted, I wanted the interesting part of the experience to continue past the first drop.
At first I just explored every room I could, until I got caught by those guards and kicked out of the game. Then I go back in, intrigued, noticing areas I couldn't get into last time. I realize that I can jump really high, and make my way into that hidden room, with the girl who tells me that maybe I can get to other places.
This feels like a really subtle and hidden tutorial. I noticed that I probably *could* make it up there, and when I do the game tells me to do it some more.
I found the thing that speaks in that weird font, I took a screenshot, and continued on. I jump over the gate, get into the green room, do the parkour, and take a screenshot of the next font message.
I looked at the game credits, found the font, and decoded my screenshots. That part was so awesome. It really made an impact on me. I go back in the game and see its all corrupted.
Anyways, I won't just walk through my entire experience, but I am really happy that this game required multiple playthroughs, and the interesting parts kept going. I liked the idea behind this horribleness happening because of my own curiosity (very Undertaley). Even though I don't know what's going on with these districts and characters (maybe I missed something), I am still content with an experience that went beyond the very first interesting thing. Very well done!
And another thing, I think the art is really cute and I liked it a lot.
I will say, that my one issue is the parkour sequence in the room with the giant pit. Jumping on those lampposts is the most finnicky thing I've ever done, and it was really frustrating to miss a jump that I could barely tell I was making, or to make it and just slip off by a pixel.