A lot of gamers have their villainous fave– a game they love because its hostility works on a profound level. With these games, the unfairness, obtuseness and/or frustration unfold unique artistic qualities.
I believe Gods Will Be Watching is that game for me.
The developers set out to make a stressful game and a stressful game they made. There were several times where I was late in a chapter, not sure how long I was to the finish line, and I would be worried that one small mishap would mean I would have to start over since there are not checkpoints mid-level. The game itself describes its normal difficulty as “Harsh, unforgiving, and evil”. Accurate.
The challenge level in Gods Will Be Watching is vorpal and you have to be vorpal in response. Although my inclination was to make sure everyone survived in every chapter, oftentimes I had to sacrifice people if not outright kill someone in cold blood. Chapter 1 has you commit outright terrorism and it was very chilling to have to play that. The tone of the story matches the ferocity of the gameplay.
The RNG cheapness and trial and error gameplay would normally be a detriment to a game but it feels appropriate for what the game is going for emotionally. I wasn’t just frustrated playing GWBW– I was disgusted with myself, stressed out, confused, feeling in the dark, and ultimately relieved when I won a chapter.
That said, the story could use some work. The emotional experience of doing these harsh scenarios does a lot more lifting than any of the overt narrative. The plot relies on the player caring about slavery they never see and there’s little work done in the dialogue to make me care about this world. It’s a big problem. In the final chapter they’re talking about complex histories that I only now am I getting context for.
This is a game I heard about when it came out and it’s stuck in the back of my mind for a long time, mostly because of the cool name. Maybe it was fate that I would play it a decade later and it would be one of the most affecting video game experiences of 2023. It’s harsh, but this experience is going to stick with me forever. And the good news is I never have to play it again.
I believe Gods Will Be Watching is that game for me.
The developers set out to make a stressful game and a stressful game they made. There were several times where I was late in a chapter, not sure how long I was to the finish line, and I would be worried that one small mishap would mean I would have to start over since there are not checkpoints mid-level. The game itself describes its normal difficulty as “Harsh, unforgiving, and evil”. Accurate.
The challenge level in Gods Will Be Watching is vorpal and you have to be vorpal in response. Although my inclination was to make sure everyone survived in every chapter, oftentimes I had to sacrifice people if not outright kill someone in cold blood. Chapter 1 has you commit outright terrorism and it was very chilling to have to play that. The tone of the story matches the ferocity of the gameplay.
The RNG cheapness and trial and error gameplay would normally be a detriment to a game but it feels appropriate for what the game is going for emotionally. I wasn’t just frustrated playing GWBW– I was disgusted with myself, stressed out, confused, feeling in the dark, and ultimately relieved when I won a chapter.
That said, the story could use some work. The emotional experience of doing these harsh scenarios does a lot more lifting than any of the overt narrative. The plot relies on the player caring about slavery they never see and there’s little work done in the dialogue to make me care about this world. It’s a big problem. In the final chapter they’re talking about complex histories that I only now am I getting context for.
This is a game I heard about when it came out and it’s stuck in the back of my mind for a long time, mostly because of the cool name. Maybe it was fate that I would play it a decade later and it would be one of the most affecting video game experiences of 2023. It’s harsh, but this experience is going to stick with me forever. And the good news is I never have to play it again.