This game was really much more than i expected. It kept on giving. At first i was expecting a moderately predictable short story, so based on the introduction i built up the expectations in head for whats going to happen - and then each chapter i got humbled because the game kept surprising me, each communion was so unique and different. And by the point where i thought it would be the ending of the game, the story said "hold up, we arent even remotely done" and kept going. So for me the game overdelivered way more than i expected in every metric, there is so much in it, its so personal and human, so many themes, so many memorable moments, (so many phenomenal tracks in the OST, my god its 4.5 hours of OST). Also the way it blends interactivity and storytelling in some sequences is simply magical and unique. Good stuff.
Absolutely wonderul overview of the game. Just picked it up to play on the Deck. You've got an incredibly relaxing narration voice. I loved the pacing and calmness of this video, can tell you were very immersed in this game's offerings.
my main criticism of the game is like you said the Orchard as well but also the "translation" to video game. its almost like the video game equivalent of "outsider art" mainly because their strengths are just so clearly in performance art, visuals, writing, etc. so basically everywhere but making a video game with a satisfying gameplay loop. a lot of these visual novel/walking sim games are already like this even from studios that do know how to create games with a gameplay loop so im certainly not saying it should be more like a typical game but experience making games would have made things like the Orchard stand out more as needed development attention. A game that very much succeeded in this is Firewatch if you want an example of what i mean. So, my point being that the game is a masterpiece of storytelling and their next project should be even better now that they have these experience. I hope they continue on with game development because they have something very special.
@@nothingisawesome yeah. I don't think every game needs a loop, Kentucky Route Zero is one of my favourite games ever and it's very much an A-B journey :)
I think what sold me 100% on this game was the family communion. just in how it flips through time to give you just enough information to know 100% of whats going on through snippits
Oooh this would be great in VR. Terrifying, but great. I think art style ultimately matters more than engine (to me) when it comes to being visually interesting.
The interesting thing is that technically there is only one flashback (at the beginning) and that, after that, everything happens linearly in time. I have a personal interpretation of the story that even this is a fake flashback.
Technically true! But I would consider all of the communions "flashback" in nature, even if we are experiencing them as Watcher is. That's what I was referring to in mentioning multiple flashbacks. ✨
i genuinely do not have the words to describe the impact this game has had on me. everything about it is beautiful and meaningful in some way or another. i stayed up till 4am because after i picked this game back up i couldn't put it down until i was completely done and that is a massive deal for me. i didn't cry, but oh my stars am i feeling things. i cant be normal after experiencing something so utterly beautiful like i have with this game. experiences like this are the reason i live, and everyday i live after this one i spend thinking about this game i will be thanking the developers from the bottom of my heart for creating something so genuinely amazing, and i can guarantee this wont leave my mind for years to come. hekki grace. Edit: I was so caught up in the emotions I forgot to thank you for the video Thanks so much for the video and the interview! I've been dying for more content for this game
I found this game on gog just a day after it came out. I had never heard about it while it was in development nor had I heard of the game studio or publisher before. I still bought it, because the setting seemed interesting and I liked the artstyle it was done in. I'm glad I gave it a chance, because it's a real piece of art and well worth the price it is sold for. And that's something I can't say for a single tripple A game that came out within the last decade!
The publisher has some really good stuff to try out if you liked this game. Citizen Sleeper is a big recommendation, and there's lots more odd story-driven stuff like Paradise Killer. Great stuff!
@@GamingInTheWild I don't know. I'm usually very picky about the things I play. With this one, something spoke to me, just a feeling that I'd like it. I don't really feel this with the games you mentioned. Normally I fall more into the JRPG niche(but not the modern FF games). But I'll keep an eye on the developer just in case they make another one.
I would say no. I try to be very sensitive to spoilers on the channel generally. In this one I only talk about first chapter, plot-wise. I talk about themes, in a broad sense. I think you're pretty safe.
@GamingInTheWild I'm enjoying watching this review after playing the game. But there are definitely spoilers in this video. I think anyone interested in playing this game would be much better off playing the game first and coming back to watch this video when they're finished.
Just finished this game today, expecting to love it considering I'm a huge fan of games like Silent Hill, Signalis, everything by Yoko Taro, the Zero Escape series and a shitton of VNs, but... Just what the hekki is this game about?? I mean, what is the point it's trying to make, at all? I'm just confused and confused and confused (The entire final Chapter I read through at least 3 times, still got literally NOTHING out of it except word salad, am I just dumb)????
It's a complex game for sure. The narrative is nontraditional in terms of having a clear thrust, and is intentionally fractured for us to put the pieces back together. It's about many things - the straight sci-fi story of the end of society as we know it, Iris and her clones, why Iris is how he she is, the creepy new society that arose from the society of sisters, and what those characters experienced. I don't think there's a sole point it's trying to make - it's more of a tapestry of interconnected stuff? I will say, none of the words seemed like salad to me - everything was loaded with intention of one type or another.
@@GamingInTheWild Okay, an easy example would be the Occupant "explaining" things during chapter 10. I get that this part is *supposed* to finally reveal what they are, how they brought the disease, how they connect with Iris, their motivations, etc... And yet I've literally copied down their entire dialogue on paper and read through it a dozen times, and literally not a single sentence makes any sense whatsoever. It's like the script is trying to be Evangelion, except the latter at least conveys feelings and vibes, if not logical sense...
@@lylianx4209 interesting to hone in on that text! For me, they were unknowable, speaking in coded fragments of human experience to try and create "resonance". I'm not sure they're knowable-like trying to commune with an octopus. It was enough for me-I was able to accept that-but I respect the effort to parse it.
@@GamingInTheWild So you're saying... a huge chunk of the final chapter that's intended to finally give justification and context for the entire plot of the game is just octopus speak... yet it's still somehow a GOTY contender?
@@lylianx4209 I would remove the "just" from the question, and answer yes. Note: I'm not privy to the creative intentions, so nothing I'm saying is any truer than anyone else's take. I don't know that the Occupant encounter is meant to resolve anything. Not everything needs to be cleanly resolved for a story to be good, IMO. Also: octopuses are very cool.
I really tried, but unfortunately I didn't care about this game, I like bigger than life stories, interwoven narratives and such, but it was too convoluted for me to care or even understand half of what happened in this game. I think some of the dialogues are really well written, poetic and as you say, you sometimes don't even have to understand them to relate to them in some way, in that regard it was kinda cool. But the story was just sooo drawn out, so confusing when it really didn't need to be, I feel like. Some of the bigger scenes were beautifully presented, and music was great too. In the end, this game raised too many questions without answering them, and when it did, it was anti-climactic or irrelevant, and the pacing made me sleepy too many times lol
