"Let's imagine you say blue and there are three individuals. The first one, who lives by the sea, reckons you're talking about water. The second one, who lives on a mountain peak, thinks of the sky. And the third one becomes sad. Just because."
You are a soothsayer, a silent sage with the power to read stars and give constellations to those who ask for their guidance. Each one has its own meaning, but the way people are going to interpret it is entirely up to them. You'll interact with a variety of individuals and get directly - and indirectly - mixed up in affairs ranging from trivial (such as the color of someone's scarf) to life-defining ones.
You can get as involved as you want in these choices - which the game will make sure to remember you of - but if you want, you can very much play as an actual diviner. What if instead of picking the options you personally feel are better, you let fate pick them for you?
That's precisely what I did. I tried guessing constellations based entirely on abstract concepts, or feelings I was experiencing at the moment. I let the stars speak through my fingers. I cast away the mantle of the main character.
And boy if it wasn't one of my most memorable gaming experiences. By willfully relinquishing agency, you become quite literally another character inserted into that world, being at the mercy of the stars themselves and adding another layer of complexity to the narrative: now you, the player, must also struggle through the subjectivity of language and its meaning. And live through its consequences.
Without getting into spoilers, but playing the game that way makes some of the latter parts of Grotto truly special. The game continuously wrestles agency from and back to you in some shocking turn of events that left me reluctant to advance the plot, because it would mean I'd have to bear witness to the consequences of my actions... or inactions.
On the background, a disembodied voice talks with the seer, but might as well be talking to the player. It operates as some entity beyond the fourth wall, someone who sees through the charade. And as it says in the beginning of the game: make no mistake - this is a story about failure.
Last but not least importantly, Brainwash Gang deserves praise for their completely unique take on a fictional culture. Much of the game takes place with you interacting with individuals of a society known as the Brutes, genderless and anthropomorphic animals with a completely warped sense of community, justice and parenthood. Although it bears some similarities to our real world counterparts, it feels completely alien at the same time, enriching the experience.
You are a soothsayer, a silent sage with the power to read stars and give constellations to those who ask for their guidance. Each one has its own meaning, but the way people are going to interpret it is entirely up to them. You'll interact with a variety of individuals and get directly - and indirectly - mixed up in affairs ranging from trivial (such as the color of someone's scarf) to life-defining ones.
You can get as involved as you want in these choices - which the game will make sure to remember you of - but if you want, you can very much play as an actual diviner. What if instead of picking the options you personally feel are better, you let fate pick them for you?
That's precisely what I did. I tried guessing constellations based entirely on abstract concepts, or feelings I was experiencing at the moment. I let the stars speak through my fingers. I cast away the mantle of the main character.
And boy if it wasn't one of my most memorable gaming experiences. By willfully relinquishing agency, you become quite literally another character inserted into that world, being at the mercy of the stars themselves and adding another layer of complexity to the narrative: now you, the player, must also struggle through the subjectivity of language and its meaning. And live through its consequences.
Without getting into spoilers, but playing the game that way makes some of the latter parts of Grotto truly special. The game continuously wrestles agency from and back to you in some shocking turn of events that left me reluctant to advance the plot, because it would mean I'd have to bear witness to the consequences of my actions... or inactions.
On the background, a disembodied voice talks with the seer, but might as well be talking to the player. It operates as some entity beyond the fourth wall, someone who sees through the charade. And as it says in the beginning of the game: make no mistake - this is a story about failure.
Last but not least importantly, Brainwash Gang deserves praise for their completely unique take on a fictional culture. Much of the game takes place with you interacting with individuals of a society known as the Brutes, genderless and anthropomorphic animals with a completely warped sense of community, justice and parenthood. Although it bears some similarities to our real world counterparts, it feels completely alien at the same time, enriching the experience.