settling into dujanah after playing the honest and emotionally vulnerable beeswing, one might not be sure exactly what to expect from jack king-spooners follow-up kickstarter project; using this leverage and anticipation effectively he pulls a one-two punch on his audience
punch #1, the hitman's jab: players see king-spooner himself on a greenscreen in one of five randomized intros, where he coyly, maybe even smugly outright spells out one of five 'underlying meanings' of the whole game, ranging from catharsis, to death, to identity, existentialism, and so on and so forth. its an unexpected slice of metanarrative, but it foreshadows a great deal of the games tone and content
punch #2, the liver shot: players, not two minutes after, sit through one of the most incredibly grim and striking openings to a game ive ever seen, one that sets up the journey of muslim woman dujanah as her goal to find something takes her through arcades, dreams, punk bars, military bases, the lair of a technocrat, and caves full of spider people
it all makes for a fascinating tale. here's my issue: king-spooner's aesthetic tendencies are easily the titles strongest asset and simultaneously its undoing. king-spooner's vivid and living poetry, musings on death, his framing of little vignettes that reflect on the absurdities, mundanities, and quiet humanity inherent to life, the way the usage of clay is the fabric upon which all these elements are nestled...the way its a matryoshka doll of metatextual signals and messages - this, too, carries over from beeswing, in addition to the general structure, except this time you have to put up with some frankly not good metroidvania/shoot em up arcade games too
what i find less easy to stomach is the games general tone. i should have known from the moment the randomized intro kicked in, or perhaps when dujanahs steam description changed from an earnest description to 'apolitical' very suddenly, but this is a postmodern game that relishes in that metanarrative pool...a little too much. king-spooners randomized intros are telling the truth - the game is indeed about all those themes in fragments, allowing players to connect dots as they see fit, but its also a game with massive undercurrents of frustration, particularly artistic frustration but also frustrations with politics, the state of the world, this purgatory we all find ourselves trapped in, the ultimate questions awaiting us all at lifes end. this is where it loses me, because the game is let down by a few things for sure, but most particularly for me the level of absolute vitriolic bitterness on display here and the inclusion of dozens of author blemishes the game has is cynical to an absurdist extreme. in other words: there comes a point where something becomes a funnel purely for someones own frustration, someones own grievances. you might say, well that's all fiction, but dujanah crosses a line by moving away from beeswings brand of authenticity to a work that is not about reflecting the problems of a politically instable region, but about reflecting a westerners frustrations, sometimes particularly small-scale, petty, and insular...using the backdrop of such a conflict
this is such a difficult thing to articulate, so let me give you a couple of examples.
1.) enter a house in the games sprawling opening desert, and you'll find a console. interact with it, and video overlay of king-spooner playing a character operating the twitch stream as though they are playing dujanah begins to occupy the lower left-hand side of the screen. the character goes on a rambly, incoherent twitch-esque monologue, mispronouncing the games title, filling the void and dead air of your exploring with stream-of-consciousness musings on absolutely nothing ('what is this music...? ay that's quite a jammin' tune eh? palm tree...another palm tree...invisible wall...eh, what the fuck?! fuckin eh, fencepost...this is pure shite eh')
2.) for reasons, you have to spend about an hour, maybe an hour and a half playing through a very stiff and weakly designed metroidvania, taking you out the of the flow of dujanahs general exploration-based play and removing you from the strengths of its rich atmosphere and soundtrack. upon completion, talk to an npc in the arcade and he immediately waxes philosophic and pontificates on the possible meaning of everything in the game you played. king-spooner does well to guess at the player's mindstate in this case, but its an instance where he relishes in looking down on you
in his article for unwinnable, yussef cole points out that dujanah is marred by its treatment of the middle east as pastiche, and that it "chooses...to tell a story not about the middle east, but with it, and ultimately through it - leaving behind the personal, honest narratives that could have been far behind". this is a perspective that i fully endorse and find myself agreeing with, but its interesting that we have taken different routes to reach this conclusion. i would similarly agree with cole that beeswings greatest strength was its level of personality and intimacy, and in comparison dujanah bares its fangs at everything and nothing, which could be compelling if not for the degree to which the author blemishes the work with his own frustrations. textual transcript of a trump address plays, with audio of fuming, bellowing hogs permeating the event; an arcade game called pie or anus denotes some of king-spooners witty irreverence, to be sure, but can just as easily be interpreted as distaste if not disdain for the current games market; fake level-up screens give you fake skills like 'blame the left'
im stuck in a position where i will readily admit king-spooner is a fascinating creator, and the medium would be healthier with more artists like him, but i cannot so easily be a proponent for this title either. if i had to put everything i just wrote a different way, i would say this:
when dujanah, the muslim woman who experiences immense tragedy, voicelessly notes frustrations in her marriage relating to art and interpretation of said art at an art gallery, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
when dujanah vividly imagines what it would feel like to slaughter an entire american military base, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
when dujanah speaks for the last and can only with deep agony and through clenched teeth tell you that this mess of a world is a set-up, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
punch #1, the hitman's jab: players see king-spooner himself on a greenscreen in one of five randomized intros, where he coyly, maybe even smugly outright spells out one of five 'underlying meanings' of the whole game, ranging from catharsis, to death, to identity, existentialism, and so on and so forth. its an unexpected slice of metanarrative, but it foreshadows a great deal of the games tone and content
punch #2, the liver shot: players, not two minutes after, sit through one of the most incredibly grim and striking openings to a game ive ever seen, one that sets up the journey of muslim woman dujanah as her goal to find something takes her through arcades, dreams, punk bars, military bases, the lair of a technocrat, and caves full of spider people
it all makes for a fascinating tale. here's my issue: king-spooner's aesthetic tendencies are easily the titles strongest asset and simultaneously its undoing. king-spooner's vivid and living poetry, musings on death, his framing of little vignettes that reflect on the absurdities, mundanities, and quiet humanity inherent to life, the way the usage of clay is the fabric upon which all these elements are nestled...the way its a matryoshka doll of metatextual signals and messages - this, too, carries over from beeswing, in addition to the general structure, except this time you have to put up with some frankly not good metroidvania/shoot em up arcade games too
what i find less easy to stomach is the games general tone. i should have known from the moment the randomized intro kicked in, or perhaps when dujanahs steam description changed from an earnest description to 'apolitical' very suddenly, but this is a postmodern game that relishes in that metanarrative pool...a little too much. king-spooners randomized intros are telling the truth - the game is indeed about all those themes in fragments, allowing players to connect dots as they see fit, but its also a game with massive undercurrents of frustration, particularly artistic frustration but also frustrations with politics, the state of the world, this purgatory we all find ourselves trapped in, the ultimate questions awaiting us all at lifes end. this is where it loses me, because the game is let down by a few things for sure, but most particularly for me the level of absolute vitriolic bitterness on display here and the inclusion of dozens of author blemishes the game has is cynical to an absurdist extreme. in other words: there comes a point where something becomes a funnel purely for someones own frustration, someones own grievances. you might say, well that's all fiction, but dujanah crosses a line by moving away from beeswings brand of authenticity to a work that is not about reflecting the problems of a politically instable region, but about reflecting a westerners frustrations, sometimes particularly small-scale, petty, and insular...using the backdrop of such a conflict
this is such a difficult thing to articulate, so let me give you a couple of examples.
1.) enter a house in the games sprawling opening desert, and you'll find a console. interact with it, and video overlay of king-spooner playing a character operating the twitch stream as though they are playing dujanah begins to occupy the lower left-hand side of the screen. the character goes on a rambly, incoherent twitch-esque monologue, mispronouncing the games title, filling the void and dead air of your exploring with stream-of-consciousness musings on absolutely nothing ('what is this music...? ay that's quite a jammin' tune eh? palm tree...another palm tree...invisible wall...eh, what the fuck?! fuckin eh, fencepost...this is pure shite eh')
2.) for reasons, you have to spend about an hour, maybe an hour and a half playing through a very stiff and weakly designed metroidvania, taking you out the of the flow of dujanahs general exploration-based play and removing you from the strengths of its rich atmosphere and soundtrack. upon completion, talk to an npc in the arcade and he immediately waxes philosophic and pontificates on the possible meaning of everything in the game you played. king-spooner does well to guess at the player's mindstate in this case, but its an instance where he relishes in looking down on you
in his article for unwinnable, yussef cole points out that dujanah is marred by its treatment of the middle east as pastiche, and that it "chooses...to tell a story not about the middle east, but with it, and ultimately through it - leaving behind the personal, honest narratives that could have been far behind". this is a perspective that i fully endorse and find myself agreeing with, but its interesting that we have taken different routes to reach this conclusion. i would similarly agree with cole that beeswings greatest strength was its level of personality and intimacy, and in comparison dujanah bares its fangs at everything and nothing, which could be compelling if not for the degree to which the author blemishes the work with his own frustrations. textual transcript of a trump address plays, with audio of fuming, bellowing hogs permeating the event; an arcade game called pie or anus denotes some of king-spooners witty irreverence, to be sure, but can just as easily be interpreted as distaste if not disdain for the current games market; fake level-up screens give you fake skills like 'blame the left'
im stuck in a position where i will readily admit king-spooner is a fascinating creator, and the medium would be healthier with more artists like him, but i cannot so easily be a proponent for this title either. if i had to put everything i just wrote a different way, i would say this:
when dujanah, the muslim woman who experiences immense tragedy, voicelessly notes frustrations in her marriage relating to art and interpretation of said art at an art gallery, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
when dujanah vividly imagines what it would feel like to slaughter an entire american military base, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
when dujanah speaks for the last and can only with deep agony and through clenched teeth tell you that this mess of a world is a set-up, is that dujanah or king-spooner?
Da opressão à liberdade, e da vida à morte. A catarse que Dujanah propõe é inerente ao mundo, e portanto à experiência. No início o autor fala: “o tema recorrente da obra é a catarse”; vago: catarse pode ser compreendida sob uma perspectiva de purificação ou de tragédia, porém a grosso modo Dujanah de fato aborda sobre catarse. O começo é catártico; o súdito desaparecimento nos assola como um choque. E a partir daí começa a nossa tragédia em meio aos conflitos do Oriente Médio, provindos de um capitalismo predatório e desumano. O final, catártico; apenas restaram ossos. E assim termina a tragédia de Dujanah com um sentimento dessolador, que impregna todos àqueles que vivem naquele mundo em ruínas na mão de um sistema opressor.
A verdade é que tudo o que eu disse; toda a perspectiva, ou melhor, a porra da minha interpretação, foi simplesmente manipulada por uma das 5 openings randômicas de Dujanah acerca da principal temática da obra. Uma fala sobre existencialismo; outra de identidade; enquanto uma terceira (ou quarta?) diz que é sobre a morte. A real é que Dujanah aborda sobre todos esses temas. Porém essa metanarrativa - a qual eu costumo chamar de “gozo do autor” -, me leva a crer que Dujanah é uma obra sobre interpretação; sobre a subjetividade da arte, e por fim da morte da objetividade. O que vemos é uma obra autoconsciente do que ela é: um jogo. E, portanto, ela acaba extrapolando as próprias paredes; trazendo uma inconsistência para articular uma coerência: a subjetividade. Dujanah é um jogo que busca dialogar com o jogador utilizando todos os meios possíveis, e eu aprecio isso pra caralho. É também uma obra que faz parte de uma bolha de jogos metanarrativos, como as obras do Daniel Mullins (Inscryption e Pony Island).
Outro aspecto interessante de Dujanah é a pessoalidade que há nela. A obra emana esse sentimento de frustração e angústia em relação ao mundo; um senso que, sem dúvidas, todos nós compartilhamos. Dujanah, nessa perspectiva, torna-se uma obra do autor, ou melhor, um meio pelo qual o autor derrama todas as suas decepções e todo o seu ódio ao mundo. Algumas são acerca da indústria do entretenimento; outras, em larga escala, a respeito do cenário político atual. Em síntese, como posto em uma outra review, Dujanah é um funil do autor.
Honestamente, Dujanah é um jogo interpretativo; se quer conhece-lo, bem, jogue.
8/10
A verdade é que tudo o que eu disse; toda a perspectiva, ou melhor, a porra da minha interpretação, foi simplesmente manipulada por uma das 5 openings randômicas de Dujanah acerca da principal temática da obra. Uma fala sobre existencialismo; outra de identidade; enquanto uma terceira (ou quarta?) diz que é sobre a morte. A real é que Dujanah aborda sobre todos esses temas. Porém essa metanarrativa - a qual eu costumo chamar de “gozo do autor” -, me leva a crer que Dujanah é uma obra sobre interpretação; sobre a subjetividade da arte, e por fim da morte da objetividade. O que vemos é uma obra autoconsciente do que ela é: um jogo. E, portanto, ela acaba extrapolando as próprias paredes; trazendo uma inconsistência para articular uma coerência: a subjetividade. Dujanah é um jogo que busca dialogar com o jogador utilizando todos os meios possíveis, e eu aprecio isso pra caralho. É também uma obra que faz parte de uma bolha de jogos metanarrativos, como as obras do Daniel Mullins (Inscryption e Pony Island).
Outro aspecto interessante de Dujanah é a pessoalidade que há nela. A obra emana esse sentimento de frustração e angústia em relação ao mundo; um senso que, sem dúvidas, todos nós compartilhamos. Dujanah, nessa perspectiva, torna-se uma obra do autor, ou melhor, um meio pelo qual o autor derrama todas as suas decepções e todo o seu ódio ao mundo. Algumas são acerca da indústria do entretenimento; outras, em larga escala, a respeito do cenário político atual. Em síntese, como posto em uma outra review, Dujanah é um funil do autor.
Honestamente, Dujanah é um jogo interpretativo; se quer conhece-lo, bem, jogue.
8/10
i am the greatest Pie Or Anus player on the planet earth
Definitely isn't for everyone I feel like this game will invoke something different for everyone that plays it, but giving the game at least one playthrough you'll find an immensely creative game with wild and provocative graphics, with a soundtrack that not only has vibes, but bangers as well and a narrative that lets you soak in what it says and lets you come to a conclusion of what it all means
part of me wants to say this is a genuinely moving piece of art that i think influenced me as a person more than most games can ever dream of but also i think the game would want the review to just say something like "beanut putter"
A deeply affecting work of audiovisual art that washes over you and takes a part of you as tribute. The cynicism of its story manages to somehow not dismantle its emotional core, but strengthen it, showing the signs of a game that has been hurt by the world and screams that hurt, asking you to examine yourself in relation to it.
Nothing else looks, sounds, or feels like Dujanah. The half-star taken off my rating is owed to repeated issues with bugs during my more recent playthroughs - Maybe I will never get to play it in its purest form again. Maybe that's okay.
Nothing else looks, sounds, or feels like Dujanah. The half-star taken off my rating is owed to repeated issues with bugs during my more recent playthroughs - Maybe I will never get to play it in its purest form again. Maybe that's okay.
This review contains spoilers
The first word that comes to mind when thinking about Dujanah is: mess. Not that I would call the game messy, just confusing, like viewing it through a million different distorsion lenses. The (lovely) claymotion graphics, mixed with all the other aestethics, and especially the at times jarring and at times psychedelich sound give a total sense of disorientation, a simulation of mourning.
I loved the sections in which you just explore an area, the ideas it sends your way and the meditations on topics ranging from unlawful invasion of sovreign states, the bombing of civilians, how we experience works of art, what it takes to be a good lover, the stages of death. It feels like being immersed in 10 different cultures at once and those moments coalesce into some of my favourite I've seen in a game.
Had the game been just that I would have shamelessly loved it, yet this is where my enjoyment is hampered by the presence of more substantial gameplay, which I feel intrudes on the experience too much.
My favourite type of game is the one that marries its story and gameplay together through mechanics, but failing that a purely story or gameplay based experience is still great (Hell, DOOM is my favourite game of all time). The way Dujanah does it, it's just not it.
All that said, a shitty FMV/puzzle game involving pies and anuses cannot take away from me the most intense emotions I've felt playing a game in a long time
I loved the sections in which you just explore an area, the ideas it sends your way and the meditations on topics ranging from unlawful invasion of sovreign states, the bombing of civilians, how we experience works of art, what it takes to be a good lover, the stages of death. It feels like being immersed in 10 different cultures at once and those moments coalesce into some of my favourite I've seen in a game.
Had the game been just that I would have shamelessly loved it, yet this is where my enjoyment is hampered by the presence of more substantial gameplay, which I feel intrudes on the experience too much.
My favourite type of game is the one that marries its story and gameplay together through mechanics, but failing that a purely story or gameplay based experience is still great (Hell, DOOM is my favourite game of all time). The way Dujanah does it, it's just not it.
All that said, a shitty FMV/puzzle game involving pies and anuses cannot take away from me the most intense emotions I've felt playing a game in a long time
O primeiro jogo a contar com o personagem Tulinho do Matheus Canella
This review contains spoilers
5.5/10
A very effective and unique audiovisual style, and an interesting way of bouncing between wildly different gameplay styles, particularly in the arcade section, which includes, among other things, a space invaders style game, an metroidvania, an isometric shooter, and an F-Zero style racing game.
Unfortunately the game is brought down by some of the worst writing I've ever seen in a videogame. Simultaneously pretentious and incredibly childish, riddled with spelling and grammatical errors that make it clear the author didn't even bother to run it through spellcheck. I've never rolled my eyes harder. I guess if you're the kind of person who thinks a "pie or anus" minigame is funny, this is the game for you. Everyone else I would advise to stay far away.
A very effective and unique audiovisual style, and an interesting way of bouncing between wildly different gameplay styles, particularly in the arcade section, which includes, among other things, a space invaders style game, an metroidvania, an isometric shooter, and an F-Zero style racing game.
Unfortunately the game is brought down by some of the worst writing I've ever seen in a videogame. Simultaneously pretentious and incredibly childish, riddled with spelling and grammatical errors that make it clear the author didn't even bother to run it through spellcheck. I've never rolled my eyes harder. I guess if you're the kind of person who thinks a "pie or anus" minigame is funny, this is the game for you. Everyone else I would advise to stay far away.
How do you rate an ART GAME on a 5 star scale like this...well I liked it quite a lot. To quote a dude from the game “I want games to mean something but I don’t want to think”. I feel like this is about dealing with reality, and the struggle to do so through art. Both in terms of consuming art and creating it, how does that translate to the stark reality we actually find ourselves in?There’s a laugh track underscoring the whole game trying to give it context, you solve your problems by doing stupid gamey tasks which wind up doing, shocker, nothing of substance, there’s tons of people attending films and concerts and raves, a boy has trouble with emotions, makes a little puppet show, and feels just a little bit better. I think that’s what the game is all about. Very strange, lots and lots of very nice creative vignettes, beautiful music, and so odd and beautiful you just want to keep playing……but a bit unfocused, a little ugly and short, some very basic and on the nose stuff (Military base complete with literal pig noises hohoho GET IT BRO although I think part of that was the whole coping thing anyway
Relentlessly creative and unique, Dujanah is an unforgettable experience that I will never complete or go back to. This game is incredibly indulgent in every sense of the word- it has a story to tell and it doesn't care if you're engaged at all. Unfortunately, I do. Sorry Dujanah, I don't have the patience for an art film that forces me to actively participate.
Visivamente molto godibile, ottima ost, ma sono stato deluso su un fronte: i dialoghi. Non c'è nulla di particolarmente memorabile. Tantissime reference, tanta complessità è solo apparente. I messaggi sono chiari e semplici ma nascosti in rovi artificiali
I think the game was telling me to stop wasting my life playing video games.
A great idea for a game with lovely artistic direction and graphics. Unfortunately, the game itself is very boring and the themes/narrative being shown are executed in a really poor way.
This is the kind of game that makes you question your sanity as you try to poke at its corners. At least, at first, as that capital-W Weirdness soon gives way to a compassionate anti-war message borne amidst quirky prototypes for other games, seeded into the Dujanah's desolate world. Quite bit of... interesting FMV, too. It's overall a short experience, but one that feels consequential nonetheless.
Dujanah é uma visita ao cemitério; tanto que, o jogo começa e termina interagindo com um túmulo. É uma obra que está o tempo todo tentando desagradar, fazendo piadas com situações terríveis e colocando a diegese do jogo em xeque -- perceba que, 80% do texto se direciona ao jogador, por mais que ainda crie sentido com a jornada da protagonista.
Dujanah é um espantalho de si mesmo e experimenta diversos elementos de sua linguagem para contar uma história sobre morte; a morte de seu marido e filha, a morte daqueles que sofreram pela ocupação ocidental na região, e a morte de uma objetividade perversa que permeia as discussões sobre arte na cultura dos videogames.
Tudo está morto no jogo. Os NPCs são meras figuras de argila que representam seu passado vivido e contam suas histórias para Dujanah independente da noção metalinguística e da noção de que o player irá entender (ou não). Diversas telas e interações com o texto do jogo passaram em branco para mim -- simplesmente não precisamos entender tudo.
Várias e várias vezes eu me peguei pensando "O quão nonsense isso se apresenta? O quão absurdo, talvez pretensioso? E seu significado, qual seria?" e é muito ruim ter a sensação de que o jogo fala muito para dizer pouco; porém, essas sensações eram tão passageiras quanto as histórias daqueles que já foram. E de alguma forma, elas foram úteis para a manutenção da minha experiência, de que nada preciso entender, tudo preciso sentir. Um bom exemplo disso foi o minigame de metroidvania do jogo, no qual eu senti diversas coisas como catarse, angústia, nojo, ansiedade; e no fim, não consegui canalizar pensamentos o suficiente para tirar alguma coisa daquilo. Até que eu interagi com um NPC, uma aranha, o símbolo da luxúria no jogo, e ela me disse "e eu não sei 100% se essas escolhas interpretativas vão deixar o jogador mais informado de alguma forma", e bem, eu concordo completamente -- os temas islâmicos do jogo passaram em branco para mim, e mesmo assim, não senti que tive uma experiência incompleta.
Dujanah aproveita do "inútil" ao "desagradável" para juntar suas peças e formar essa grande colagem em forma de jogo -- os sons, os visuais, o texto, as interações -- tudo extremamente poluído e algumas vezes parecendo até um shitpost vazio ou creepypasta forçada, mas que de alguma forma, manteve meu interesse.
"É verdade que a audiência, fundamentalmente, busca se entreter, é sua natureza; portanto, ela irá encontrar entretenimento, mesmo que em lugares impróprios"
Dujanah é um espantalho de si mesmo e experimenta diversos elementos de sua linguagem para contar uma história sobre morte; a morte de seu marido e filha, a morte daqueles que sofreram pela ocupação ocidental na região, e a morte de uma objetividade perversa que permeia as discussões sobre arte na cultura dos videogames.
Tudo está morto no jogo. Os NPCs são meras figuras de argila que representam seu passado vivido e contam suas histórias para Dujanah independente da noção metalinguística e da noção de que o player irá entender (ou não). Diversas telas e interações com o texto do jogo passaram em branco para mim -- simplesmente não precisamos entender tudo.
Várias e várias vezes eu me peguei pensando "O quão nonsense isso se apresenta? O quão absurdo, talvez pretensioso? E seu significado, qual seria?" e é muito ruim ter a sensação de que o jogo fala muito para dizer pouco; porém, essas sensações eram tão passageiras quanto as histórias daqueles que já foram. E de alguma forma, elas foram úteis para a manutenção da minha experiência, de que nada preciso entender, tudo preciso sentir. Um bom exemplo disso foi o minigame de metroidvania do jogo, no qual eu senti diversas coisas como catarse, angústia, nojo, ansiedade; e no fim, não consegui canalizar pensamentos o suficiente para tirar alguma coisa daquilo. Até que eu interagi com um NPC, uma aranha, o símbolo da luxúria no jogo, e ela me disse "e eu não sei 100% se essas escolhas interpretativas vão deixar o jogador mais informado de alguma forma", e bem, eu concordo completamente -- os temas islâmicos do jogo passaram em branco para mim, e mesmo assim, não senti que tive uma experiência incompleta.
Dujanah aproveita do "inútil" ao "desagradável" para juntar suas peças e formar essa grande colagem em forma de jogo -- os sons, os visuais, o texto, as interações -- tudo extremamente poluído e algumas vezes parecendo até um shitpost vazio ou creepypasta forçada, mas que de alguma forma, manteve meu interesse.
"É verdade que a audiência, fundamentalmente, busca se entreter, é sua natureza; portanto, ela irá encontrar entretenimento, mesmo que em lugares impróprios"
sobre o Que é Dujanah?
É verdade que cada um vai ter uma interpretação diferente dele, o que é muito bom, afinal, não é sempre que a gente consegue discutir sobre um jogo o com diferentes interpretações. Não diferentes opiniões, isso tem em cheio, mas abrir a interpretações assim? isso é muito raro em jogos.
E isso só é possível graças a originalidsade e intimicidade desse game.
Mas um componente muito importante aqui é a forma de tratar seus temas.
ESSE JOGO É COMO ENTRAR EM UM MUSEU INTERATIVO.
Você não sabe o que encontrar em cada sala, isso te faz sempre querer ir para a próxima.
Algumas vão te satisfazer, outras vão ser esquecíveis enquanto algumas irão te marcar por talvez uma semana ou um ano ou para o resto da vida.
E quando chega o fim, toda aquela desconexão, toda aquela efemeridade artistica parece não fazer sentido, já passou. É quando você entra em cena com o seu maior poder: interpretar.
Eu poderia citar como esse jogo é meta, formalista e cínico, mas no fim isso não importa, pois seus temas são tão sutis que vira uma massa cinza, modelada ao prazer do interlocutor.
Então me pergunto, isso é bom?
É bom que uma obra fale tão pouco enquanto fala tanto, mas sem necessariamente fazer sentido? Seria o Avant-garde dos jogos?
No fim minha resposta é sim. Para todas as perguntas.
Quando vi que cada segundo valeu a pena, quando me vi conversando com a obra(quase que literalmente) percebi que era bom, que havia gostado.
E sobre minhas interpretações, quem sabe fale em outro lugar? Por enquanto fica minha recomendação se está a fim de jogar algo experimental.
É verdade que cada um vai ter uma interpretação diferente dele, o que é muito bom, afinal, não é sempre que a gente consegue discutir sobre um jogo o com diferentes interpretações. Não diferentes opiniões, isso tem em cheio, mas abrir a interpretações assim? isso é muito raro em jogos.
E isso só é possível graças a originalidsade e intimicidade desse game.
Mas um componente muito importante aqui é a forma de tratar seus temas.
ESSE JOGO É COMO ENTRAR EM UM MUSEU INTERATIVO.
Você não sabe o que encontrar em cada sala, isso te faz sempre querer ir para a próxima.
Algumas vão te satisfazer, outras vão ser esquecíveis enquanto algumas irão te marcar por talvez uma semana ou um ano ou para o resto da vida.
E quando chega o fim, toda aquela desconexão, toda aquela efemeridade artistica parece não fazer sentido, já passou. É quando você entra em cena com o seu maior poder: interpretar.
Eu poderia citar como esse jogo é meta, formalista e cínico, mas no fim isso não importa, pois seus temas são tão sutis que vira uma massa cinza, modelada ao prazer do interlocutor.
Então me pergunto, isso é bom?
É bom que uma obra fale tão pouco enquanto fala tanto, mas sem necessariamente fazer sentido? Seria o Avant-garde dos jogos?
No fim minha resposta é sim. Para todas as perguntas.
Quando vi que cada segundo valeu a pena, quando me vi conversando com a obra(quase que literalmente) percebi que era bom, que havia gostado.
E sobre minhas interpretações, quem sabe fale em outro lugar? Por enquanto fica minha recomendação se está a fim de jogar algo experimental.
Presenting a fractured reality through a multitude of artistic mediums and techniques that are staggering in their number and surprising in their delivery, Dujanah emerges as a rare dadaist work in the video game space. Greatly concerned with how we use art to process the tragedies of life, the game threatens to become entirely about itself, but is grounded by the presence of sharp political critiques. While it is disappointing that the Middle Eastern cultural signifiers are simply visual, and the game's philosophy and points of reference are more closely aligned with the West, (I am going to refrain from making assumptions about King Spooner's relation to the subject matter), the cold starkness of how it frames the imperialism of the anglosphere is what allows Dujanah to cohere into such a striking and pointed work.
feliz cumple francisco
Extremely erratic and experimental audio/visual experience done right. Bravo for the fuckin thrash scene - and Jack King-Spooner has done it all without mocap or raytracing.
I wouldn't say that this is a bad game, but I wouldn't say it was very enjoyable either. I have very mixed feelings regarding this game. I did like some aspects of it, and really wanted to like the game, but ultimately couldn't really.
For what I did love, I love the music the most. Jack Spooner's music is honestly incredible, and I still listen to this game's soundtrack today (especially the trailer song in particular). Another aspect I loved was the unique and visually compelling art style, which is a mix of miniatures, clay, and stop motion, capturing the bleakness of the world but also surprisingly utilises hypnotic and psychedelic visuals.
What I didn't like about the game was largely the narrative. Personally, I found the game's dialogue quite pretentious, purposefully seeming abstract and confusing. I don't necessarily dislike abstract dialogue, but I felt like it was done with little intention nor in a very compelling way. I feel like most of the game's dialogue just didn't click with me, and I never really felt super interested.
The gameplay also isn't the greatest, but this isn't that bad of an issue. There is variety in the mini-games/different areas you explore, but the game feels kind of janky/rigid, and is also very very buggy. I encountered quite alot of issues in the game where things would not work properly, like dialogue not showing up, or even getting softlocked in place.
I really think this game had alot of potential, and enjoyed it's experimental take on what a game can be, but should've used more time to polish up everything. To me, the game felt like a mess, and couldn't really enjoy most of the game unfortunately.
For what I did love, I love the music the most. Jack Spooner's music is honestly incredible, and I still listen to this game's soundtrack today (especially the trailer song in particular). Another aspect I loved was the unique and visually compelling art style, which is a mix of miniatures, clay, and stop motion, capturing the bleakness of the world but also surprisingly utilises hypnotic and psychedelic visuals.
What I didn't like about the game was largely the narrative. Personally, I found the game's dialogue quite pretentious, purposefully seeming abstract and confusing. I don't necessarily dislike abstract dialogue, but I felt like it was done with little intention nor in a very compelling way. I feel like most of the game's dialogue just didn't click with me, and I never really felt super interested.
The gameplay also isn't the greatest, but this isn't that bad of an issue. There is variety in the mini-games/different areas you explore, but the game feels kind of janky/rigid, and is also very very buggy. I encountered quite alot of issues in the game where things would not work properly, like dialogue not showing up, or even getting softlocked in place.
I really think this game had alot of potential, and enjoyed it's experimental take on what a game can be, but should've used more time to polish up everything. To me, the game felt like a mess, and couldn't really enjoy most of the game unfortunately.
This review contains spoilers
Lots of people say "oh it goes over my head" or "i'm not smart enough for this" wrt art games like this but honestly, this thing is a collage of lots of little pieces that come together to create a vibe. There's nothing so deep to "get," you just feel it. And the feeling this game creates is remarkable. It's unsettling, grim, funny, absurd. All the horrors of loss, death, uncertainty, pregnancy, social collapse. And you get to see a hijabi woman teleport around beheading US soldiers like a fucking anime character. I don't use the star system much but 10/10.
An...experience
First time I saw this game, I thought "this game has a similar vibe to Beeswing". It turned out they are by the same creator. Very unique visual and audio design and surprisingly straightforward story. One can argue the sudden swing of mood and theme is part of the charm and serves to break up the long philosophizing dialogue , but oh boy are some of the minigames complete dogshit. The tank control movement on the "world map" frustrated me in a way disproportionate to the size of the game. Also, this game seems to be as unstable as Beeswing, and glitches can affect save file, so I was forced to start from the beginning again. Overall Dujanah probably won't be a pleasant experience for most people, but it's not a bad thing to challenge oneself once in a while. Under the current geopolitical circumstances, especially the raging conflict in Gaza, this game has never been more relevant.
It's all about expectations, and my expectations of a serious piece on the politics and culture of such an under-represented group of people was incorrect. Don't misunderstand, Dujanah is more than poignant in exploring that exact topic - and layering existentialism beyond it - with genuinely memorable stretches of philosophical dialogue and symbolically dense abstract sequences. However, from the in-universe mandatory flash games, to the funny but meaningless songs and movies, Dujanah is filled with tone betraying content. In fact, it is so prevalent that it becomes clear that the expectation of any specific kind of experience was - not unfounded, as the itch.io descriptions clearly bait it - but incorrect. The clashing content simply IS Dujanah, and asking for it to be what I expected is simply wanting it to be something it's not.
mostly about the ambiance but still really neat-o
Uma viúva do passado, uma cicatriz do presente, uma escrava do futuro, mas antes de tudo, a catarse da eternidade.
suffers from always being incredibly unfocused, sometimes being incredibly cynical, sometimes being incredibly pretentious, sometimes being incredibly boring but i don't regret my time with this at all.
power plant, the shaking man and the metroidvania were the highlights (and the fucking music. Insane).
power plant, the shaking man and the metroidvania were the highlights (and the fucking music. Insane).
More games should borrow from Dujanah's style of narrative and art direction.