played in warm anticipation for C.H.A.I.N.G.E.D.
a game of telephone this large and across so many different people of varying storytelling talent and the nature of how the story continues i feel is something destined to fail, depending on how and where you might apply that term. to assume a coherent plot would be maintained across 20 individuals is extremely optimistic, and C.H.A.I.N. shines in its diversity. its an impressive organisational effort with a unique presentation, each game entry (or "specimen") stored within a nostalgic cd slip case with mock confidential governmental document included, complete with much beloved black bar redactions. unfortunately, a litany of concepts and a nifty launcher cannot carry this anthology on its back.
narrative, gameplay, and interface quality fluctuates wildly across the specimens, and i'm not afraid to admit i did end up skipping two of the most inaccessible and poorly controlled games. at the point i reached those particular specimens, the general theme or story was so out of control and formless that i felt little guilt in just moving forward. as you might as well now guess, the narrative lulls around the middle with creators struggling to adhere to the previous entry and take it somewhere meaningful, though i do understand the appeal that lies in the idea of looking back and saying "how did we end up here!?".
what punished the experience most for me however were specimens which featured extremely irritating visual effects for long periods of time, something i typically don't struggle with. if you experience light sensitivity i strongly suggest skipping specimens #3, #5, and #13.
while C.H.A.I.N. might fall flat as a whole, its spotlight on smaller developers is to be admired and celebrated, and i am actively seeking a few out upon finishing. a collaborative indie game development project of this scale is ultimately to be cherished, and its ambitious yet average execution simply excites me further for its upcoming counterpart following this learning experience.
my personal highlights were specimens #8 and #12 :)
a game of telephone this large and across so many different people of varying storytelling talent and the nature of how the story continues i feel is something destined to fail, depending on how and where you might apply that term. to assume a coherent plot would be maintained across 20 individuals is extremely optimistic, and C.H.A.I.N. shines in its diversity. its an impressive organisational effort with a unique presentation, each game entry (or "specimen") stored within a nostalgic cd slip case with mock confidential governmental document included, complete with much beloved black bar redactions. unfortunately, a litany of concepts and a nifty launcher cannot carry this anthology on its back.
narrative, gameplay, and interface quality fluctuates wildly across the specimens, and i'm not afraid to admit i did end up skipping two of the most inaccessible and poorly controlled games. at the point i reached those particular specimens, the general theme or story was so out of control and formless that i felt little guilt in just moving forward. as you might as well now guess, the narrative lulls around the middle with creators struggling to adhere to the previous entry and take it somewhere meaningful, though i do understand the appeal that lies in the idea of looking back and saying "how did we end up here!?".
what punished the experience most for me however were specimens which featured extremely irritating visual effects for long periods of time, something i typically don't struggle with. if you experience light sensitivity i strongly suggest skipping specimens #3, #5, and #13.
while C.H.A.I.N. might fall flat as a whole, its spotlight on smaller developers is to be admired and celebrated, and i am actively seeking a few out upon finishing. a collaborative indie game development project of this scale is ultimately to be cherished, and its ambitious yet average execution simply excites me further for its upcoming counterpart following this learning experience.
my personal highlights were specimens #8 and #12 :)