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341 Reviews liked by Lewisisphat
Signalis
2022
really split here. the mechanics, the framing onto the animation, especially the immaculate first person puzzles, were engrossing to me. i love a good romp around spaces while micromanaging an inventory and avoiding enemies. however, the blatant, almost pandering references to other media coupled with an extremely abstracted storytelling structure just sort of punctured the work and deflated it. collapsed the narrative space entirely. i think you need a certain strength of theme to have the narrative economy to do things like "scene intentionally left out" -- and near the final boss fight i was begging for the game to end. it sincerely reminds me of bakemonogatari. no other way really to express it: the writing is amateur hour. an incredibly talented production taxed in this way. a shame.
Signalis
2022
This review contains spoilers
Can’t believe I went through the exact arc described by Sunbusting
So the experience of this- of puzzles spilling out into the real world as I scribbled solutions into a notebook, filling the pages with arcane glyphs and radio frequencies, of stepping away, thinking I’d finished it before realizing there was an additional third of the game to go- probably one my favorite things in a game this year. I’m cooler on the game itself, it feels like a RE-style limitations have been imposed on a Silent Hill framework, so you get a title with a strict item limit, ostensibly to force you to make interesting decision and dangerous trips, but in a game without the bite to make the limitations anything other than an annoyance, so there’s this hyper-awarness that creeps in- of finding to keys to find keys in the hopes of finding: more keys (A lot of the game hovers around the SH2 Apartment Block/Canned Juice territory).
I really appreciate the attempts to unnerve players and keep backtracking tense by having enemies resurrect if not disposed of properly, but it never manages to shock the way realizing some zombie in a far-off corner had transformed into a Crimson Head in the RE Remake, it's enemy roster too insubstantial a threat for one reanimating to send you scurrying to the nearest exit. And maybe this is beyond the scope of the game as is, but I wondered if having a few choice rooms break away from the fixed isometric perspective could’ve helped drive home some of the tension in the game’s final act- or maybe more appropriately, ditch the combat altogether and let the revelations and slow corruption of the world propel you to the finale, in much the same way Silent Hill 2 de-emphasized its combat towards the end, confident enough to drop the veneer of its survival-horror gameplay for a time.
Though I will say, I think Signalis might wear the otherworld imagery better, reality breaking down into flesh and steel and automatons- seeming like the natural reflection of the fascist mindset that’s spread throughout the stars.
So the experience of this- of puzzles spilling out into the real world as I scribbled solutions into a notebook, filling the pages with arcane glyphs and radio frequencies, of stepping away, thinking I’d finished it before realizing there was an additional third of the game to go- probably one my favorite things in a game this year. I’m cooler on the game itself, it feels like a RE-style limitations have been imposed on a Silent Hill framework, so you get a title with a strict item limit, ostensibly to force you to make interesting decision and dangerous trips, but in a game without the bite to make the limitations anything other than an annoyance, so there’s this hyper-awarness that creeps in- of finding to keys to find keys in the hopes of finding: more keys (A lot of the game hovers around the SH2 Apartment Block/Canned Juice territory).
I really appreciate the attempts to unnerve players and keep backtracking tense by having enemies resurrect if not disposed of properly, but it never manages to shock the way realizing some zombie in a far-off corner had transformed into a Crimson Head in the RE Remake, it's enemy roster too insubstantial a threat for one reanimating to send you scurrying to the nearest exit. And maybe this is beyond the scope of the game as is, but I wondered if having a few choice rooms break away from the fixed isometric perspective could’ve helped drive home some of the tension in the game’s final act- or maybe more appropriately, ditch the combat altogether and let the revelations and slow corruption of the world propel you to the finale, in much the same way Silent Hill 2 de-emphasized its combat towards the end, confident enough to drop the veneer of its survival-horror gameplay for a time.
Though I will say, I think Signalis might wear the otherworld imagery better, reality breaking down into flesh and steel and automatons- seeming like the natural reflection of the fascist mindset that’s spread throughout the stars.
Signalis
2022
Better remake than several of the contemporaries, basically because it is a remix that assimilates the false -or more widespread- history of "survival Horror" (the genre names are a bit silly) that the magazines sold us here in the West batter than the last "new" games of the last few years. Think of essential pillar works of the horror aesthetic in gaming And you probably don't think of Laplace No Ma or Twilight Syndrome, god, names like Sweet Home, Clock Tower and contemporaries are probably starting to sound, but surely most say Alone in the Dark and already jumps into the golden era of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, White Day, Project Zero and all that.
It is natural, understandable due to the lack of a consistent canon in gaming, incapable of being properly created even in the puberty of a medium that is forced to a maturity that it could already reach (in fact it has already touched it).
Advertising and the Ludic factor have screwed up video games in many ways, but the worst is that accidental and unavoidable ignorance due to the lack I mentioned of a properly documented historical canon leads to constant redundancy in design planning and game direction. many "new" games. And it's not that I care too much about this lack of originality, this redundancy, nah, there are pre-rendered games with landscape Screen Orientation where the only thing you do is walk that take my breath away more than any "mechanical revolution" a-la Mario64. I don't think that quality is measured by originality, besides, bro, literally less than 50% of the mechanics that exist or were today are used expressively, almost everything is immediate gratification, fast food style.
We need more Historians in gaming, ASAP.
The adorable and beautiful thing about experiencing first works and recognizing influences on new authors is lost when they approach aesthetics with structures as closed as "classic survival horror", which always seems to result in the same sagas, with the same redundancy as I write these thoughts.
Well this brings us to Signalis. I recently came across a video on Youtube titled: SIGNALIS THE NEW FACE OF MODERN SURVIVAL HORROR
or something like that.
Modern? What ? in what sense? It is a remix of the supposed pillars of survival horror; RE structure, evocative images a la Silent Hill, hand holding sections in the first person, like horror graphic adventures or something from the golden era like White day. A Sci fi setting.
Martian Gothic.
DeadSpace.
Bro. Perhaps the only modern thing is the second round that works as a continuation and begins to suggest ideas about cycles and emotional attachment. But even in that I recognize other works.
It's not a bad thing as such. Remake and give your take, your version. I prefer it a thousand times to any remake of Vicarious Visions or BluePoint (May Arceus punish the shareholder meetings as they deserve) but Regardless of the intrinsic quality of SIGNALIS, you can see where it comes from and how little it can actually offer beyond entertaining hours: the product.
It is natural, understandable due to the lack of a consistent canon in gaming, incapable of being properly created even in the puberty of a medium that is forced to a maturity that it could already reach (in fact it has already touched it).
Advertising and the Ludic factor have screwed up video games in many ways, but the worst is that accidental and unavoidable ignorance due to the lack I mentioned of a properly documented historical canon leads to constant redundancy in design planning and game direction. many "new" games. And it's not that I care too much about this lack of originality, this redundancy, nah, there are pre-rendered games with landscape Screen Orientation where the only thing you do is walk that take my breath away more than any "mechanical revolution" a-la Mario64. I don't think that quality is measured by originality, besides, bro, literally less than 50% of the mechanics that exist or were today are used expressively, almost everything is immediate gratification, fast food style.
We need more Historians in gaming, ASAP.
The adorable and beautiful thing about experiencing first works and recognizing influences on new authors is lost when they approach aesthetics with structures as closed as "classic survival horror", which always seems to result in the same sagas, with the same redundancy as I write these thoughts.
Well this brings us to Signalis. I recently came across a video on Youtube titled: SIGNALIS THE NEW FACE OF MODERN SURVIVAL HORROR
or something like that.
Modern? What ? in what sense? It is a remix of the supposed pillars of survival horror; RE structure, evocative images a la Silent Hill, hand holding sections in the first person, like horror graphic adventures or something from the golden era like White day. A Sci fi setting.
Martian Gothic.
DeadSpace.
Bro. Perhaps the only modern thing is the second round that works as a continuation and begins to suggest ideas about cycles and emotional attachment. But even in that I recognize other works.
It's not a bad thing as such. Remake and give your take, your version. I prefer it a thousand times to any remake of Vicarious Visions or BluePoint (May Arceus punish the shareholder meetings as they deserve) but Regardless of the intrinsic quality of SIGNALIS, you can see where it comes from and how little it can actually offer beyond entertaining hours: the product.
I am a complete sucker for janky online games and this game really scratches that itch for me LOL. RE: Verse is a 6 player free for all Chaotic shooter with some fun elements that will keep you playing for awhile. Now while I enjoy Janky games I will not deny there is a lot wrong with this game besides balance issues most of it stems from its delay to what we got at launch.
Not a lot has changed from the beta besides the fact you can really customize each characters skill set allowing you to make a vast variety of builds for each character in the game. My main issues are the fact that the game was delayed for so long yet it only released with 2 maps and 1 mode? what did they do during the timeframe of its delay? just add the character customization ? I mean I know we have a road map but still for a delayed launch its VERY bare bones at what you actually get. And the other issue like I said was balancing there are simply some characters that are INSANE compared to others mainly Ada imo she is a beast in this game and if played by a good player they will completely wipe the lobby. Actually I do have one last issue and that is bullet feedback I NEVER HAVE A CLUE WHEN I AM GETTING SHOT BECUASE THERE IS NO FEEDBACK OR ANYTHING TO YOU GETTING SHOT YOU JUST BETTER HOPE YOU SEE YOUR HEALTH GO DOWN.
Anyways past that the game is mindless fun and I really do think with more time and effort they can make this into a decent little game if they continue to update it with more maps and modes and character. I do enjoy playing as the bio even though there aren't many what is there is fun ( and of course Tyrant and Nemy are always a blast when you get 2 bios )
With crossplay this game will last for a bit player base wise I just really hope it gets well deserved updates as it goes on.
Not a lot has changed from the beta besides the fact you can really customize each characters skill set allowing you to make a vast variety of builds for each character in the game. My main issues are the fact that the game was delayed for so long yet it only released with 2 maps and 1 mode? what did they do during the timeframe of its delay? just add the character customization ? I mean I know we have a road map but still for a delayed launch its VERY bare bones at what you actually get. And the other issue like I said was balancing there are simply some characters that are INSANE compared to others mainly Ada imo she is a beast in this game and if played by a good player they will completely wipe the lobby. Actually I do have one last issue and that is bullet feedback I NEVER HAVE A CLUE WHEN I AM GETTING SHOT BECUASE THERE IS NO FEEDBACK OR ANYTHING TO YOU GETTING SHOT YOU JUST BETTER HOPE YOU SEE YOUR HEALTH GO DOWN.
Anyways past that the game is mindless fun and I really do think with more time and effort they can make this into a decent little game if they continue to update it with more maps and modes and character. I do enjoy playing as the bio even though there aren't many what is there is fun ( and of course Tyrant and Nemy are always a blast when you get 2 bios )
With crossplay this game will last for a bit player base wise I just really hope it gets well deserved updates as it goes on.
Shadows of Rose is 90% a sort of barebones, derivative retread of Village with even clunkier writing, and 10% something that starts out as yet another retread but ends up being one of the most genuinely scary sequences I've ever played through in a horror game. So you know, I gotta give em some credit for that.
MagnificentMrMads Halloween Marathon #7
As someone who absolutely loves Village (it's in my top 5 for the series) I was definitely excited for the Winters expansion but came out a bit underwhelmed. The actual Rose expansion is just a retread of the original (without the incredible factory bit) that explores Rose who is just a whatever character with the most predictable arc I've seen in a while. Has some cool bits but just play the original.
What really was good is the new mercs content. Can't really say I like this new mercs layout (the areas and predetermined enemies kinda suck) but the new characters are a ton of fun and the finale bit in the new levels is so fucking cathartic and a blast!
I'd reccomend the Winters Expansion but definitely not for full price. 10 bucks max I'd say for a middling expansion and fun stuff in mercs (third person mode is neat too)
7/10
As someone who absolutely loves Village (it's in my top 5 for the series) I was definitely excited for the Winters expansion but came out a bit underwhelmed. The actual Rose expansion is just a retread of the original (without the incredible factory bit) that explores Rose who is just a whatever character with the most predictable arc I've seen in a while. Has some cool bits but just play the original.
What really was good is the new mercs content. Can't really say I like this new mercs layout (the areas and predetermined enemies kinda suck) but the new characters are a ton of fun and the finale bit in the new levels is so fucking cathartic and a blast!
I'd reccomend the Winters Expansion but definitely not for full price. 10 bucks max I'd say for a middling expansion and fun stuff in mercs (third person mode is neat too)
7/10
Alisa
2021
All the weirdos proclaiming that "Survival horror is back" because they're doing Dead Space but shiny, RE4 but with lighting, and bafflingly gave Bloober Team permission to remake fucking Silent Hill 2 would do well to look past the latest AAA £70 prettied up offering and see the indies who've been keeping it going for years.
Alisa rules.
Alisa rules.
Doom
1993
This is DOOM man. Don't look for reviews, you already know that this is the greatest FPS of all time. Go kick some demons asses NOW.
I wish that Phantom Pain was just like 4 Ground Zeroes sized levels. This was peak, focused stealth gameplay with a mature story from Kojima.
Overwatch 2
2022
I guess since activision blizzard can no longer harass, fuck and hassle the women who used to work there now it's time to fuck and hassle the players directly in their homes.
well done bobby
well done bobby
I'm just fed up of these unimaginative games. It's just the same idea rehashed with fancier graphics. Go here, fight a couple of people, go there, fight more people, find something, cut scene. It's starting to get tiresome.
Going in guns-a-blazin' provides for some of the tightest action and shooting seen in a Wolfenstein game, and I think that speaks highly for a series that already struck a golden gameplay standard with the New Order and further polished in Old Blood. And that goes to say that some of these individual set pieces are just as, if not more, breathtaking than what was seen in previous games. The tools and setup were all here to make for a truly excellent Wolfenstein experience, but there was definitely a level of misuse in these factors that led me to feeling far less satisfied than I did with New Order.
Stealth has practically been neutered to hell in this game. I played on the "Do or die" difficulty and I never felt like I could get any good stealth kill streaks in. Sometimes the linearity and cramped nature of the maps kept you way too close to the enemy to reliably sneak around and I swear guards randomly noticed me at some points when they really shouldn't have. Chock this up to me being bad at stealth if you will, but I never had this issue with New Order or Old Blood and I kind of miss being able to reliably swap sneaky vs ultra-aggressive playstyles without one being heavily favored over the other.
The gadgets were more wasted potential if anything. I was actually very exciting when I got to choose one out of three options as it felt like a decision that could carry some weight and really change how my campaign would play out. There's definitely unique uses for each one, but nearly every time there was a roadblock that required a gadget, there would be others to accommodate the others nearby. So in the end, they all took you to the same place; it's what you used to get there that's different.
Neither of these flaws would be damning to a truly amazing game in my opinion but I think the biggest ball dropped here is with its story. Taking the already loveable cast from the New Order and continuing the story from that game's ending was a no brainer. And for the most part, the characters still have that level of charm to them. The actual plot however feels rushed in areas and never feels like it uses its concepts to their fullest potential. So many plot threads like (minor spoilers?) Wyatt taking psychedelics and BJ's tragic childhood feel like they're brought up either for gags in Wyatt's case or sympathy in BJ's case and then just dropped where they really could have been tied up better. It feels like they cut out a couple chapters in the late game and thus is paced very weirdly, almost like they had to glue it together and jump to the climax without clear buildup. I can't help but feel hollow inside when I game only begins to captivate me with its story right as it ends without much of a rhyme or reason.
As stated before, I really enjoyed the moment-to-moment shooting mechanics and feel this is a game with great aspects and mechanics behind it, but I find it hard to ignore how rushed it felt in some areas and how weak of a note the story ended on (albeit the main villain's death was fairly satisfying for what little buildup there was).
Stealth has practically been neutered to hell in this game. I played on the "Do or die" difficulty and I never felt like I could get any good stealth kill streaks in. Sometimes the linearity and cramped nature of the maps kept you way too close to the enemy to reliably sneak around and I swear guards randomly noticed me at some points when they really shouldn't have. Chock this up to me being bad at stealth if you will, but I never had this issue with New Order or Old Blood and I kind of miss being able to reliably swap sneaky vs ultra-aggressive playstyles without one being heavily favored over the other.
The gadgets were more wasted potential if anything. I was actually very exciting when I got to choose one out of three options as it felt like a decision that could carry some weight and really change how my campaign would play out. There's definitely unique uses for each one, but nearly every time there was a roadblock that required a gadget, there would be others to accommodate the others nearby. So in the end, they all took you to the same place; it's what you used to get there that's different.
Neither of these flaws would be damning to a truly amazing game in my opinion but I think the biggest ball dropped here is with its story. Taking the already loveable cast from the New Order and continuing the story from that game's ending was a no brainer. And for the most part, the characters still have that level of charm to them. The actual plot however feels rushed in areas and never feels like it uses its concepts to their fullest potential. So many plot threads like (minor spoilers?) Wyatt taking psychedelics and BJ's tragic childhood feel like they're brought up either for gags in Wyatt's case or sympathy in BJ's case and then just dropped where they really could have been tied up better. It feels like they cut out a couple chapters in the late game and thus is paced very weirdly, almost like they had to glue it together and jump to the climax without clear buildup. I can't help but feel hollow inside when I game only begins to captivate me with its story right as it ends without much of a rhyme or reason.
As stated before, I really enjoyed the moment-to-moment shooting mechanics and feel this is a game with great aspects and mechanics behind it, but I find it hard to ignore how rushed it felt in some areas and how weak of a note the story ended on (albeit the main villain's death was fairly satisfying for what little buildup there was).
Cult of the Lamb
2022
It feels really good until you realize about half of each part of the game feels missing. Kind of shallow if you've played any other roguelike and it shies away from doing anything that would really allow the player to invest in the fighting part of the game, because then you might ignore the farmville part.
And by the end, finishing it sort of unsatisfying because you just sort of get dropped back into the exact main game with only one very unimpressive bonus.
Absolutely carried by it's aesthetic, which isn't a bad thing. I like the aesthetic.
And by the end, finishing it sort of unsatisfying because you just sort of get dropped back into the exact main game with only one very unimpressive bonus.
Absolutely carried by it's aesthetic, which isn't a bad thing. I like the aesthetic.
Those who see art as a shortcut to prestige have a very distorted idea of what is "prestigious" - Look Kojima, creating spiritual connections through eschatology, total genius -, And few of this horrible ilk exist like Neil druckmann or conrad roset. Guys who use the medium of video games as a platform to satisfy their hunger for prominence and recognition. and incidentally, along the way, dividing in a problematic way the reception and conception of "arthouse" and pop games
I'm not going to blame them for Little Nightmares being read as an empty and morbid trip, because before that there was Playdead with his Limbo.
Neither of the obsession with the tone and fixation with photorealism without a plastic sense more typical than seeing the pores of Nathan Drake's skin, but, God, how I would like a timeline in which Roset and Druckmann are considered the worst in a way unanimous. Because they may not be the worst in general in the horror pile, but their popularity exposes the sad reality that some are interested in video games being validated by those who do not appreciate them in all their aspects, and those who need them to carry an HBO series cosplay or Milanese exhibition box
____________________
the idea of how necessary any author was -beyond programmers- in videogames came to me for the first time playing Dragon Quarter "the shape of this game does not seem to be the product of chance or trends" said little Ardu at one time where he assumed that experimentation was the standard and the methodology to follow, the correct choice. Poor ignorant little Ardu.
In 2013 Little Ardu also said: "In the same year as Attack of the friday monsters, Drakengard 3, TW101, Proteus and Resogun... There is The Last of Us, this game that has enchanted me for its solidity and surprising humanity ( little Ardu didn't see that coming) but it's also the pinnacle of the formally conservative tv prestige show wannabe game type, which seems to be the way forward for pop games. mmmm maybe it's not that bad either? I mean it has overlapped many games that I consider better, but that always happens to me haha if one day justice will be done, but meanwhile, if the AAA are like that, maybe we will advance something "
Poor ignorant little Ardu.
I'm not going to blame them for Little Nightmares being read as an empty and morbid trip, because before that there was Playdead with his Limbo.
Neither of the obsession with the tone and fixation with photorealism without a plastic sense more typical than seeing the pores of Nathan Drake's skin, but, God, how I would like a timeline in which Roset and Druckmann are considered the worst in a way unanimous. Because they may not be the worst in general in the horror pile, but their popularity exposes the sad reality that some are interested in video games being validated by those who do not appreciate them in all their aspects, and those who need them to carry an HBO series cosplay or Milanese exhibition box
____________________
the idea of how necessary any author was -beyond programmers- in videogames came to me for the first time playing Dragon Quarter "the shape of this game does not seem to be the product of chance or trends" said little Ardu at one time where he assumed that experimentation was the standard and the methodology to follow, the correct choice. Poor ignorant little Ardu.
In 2013 Little Ardu also said: "In the same year as Attack of the friday monsters, Drakengard 3, TW101, Proteus and Resogun... There is The Last of Us, this game that has enchanted me for its solidity and surprising humanity ( little Ardu didn't see that coming) but it's also the pinnacle of the formally conservative tv prestige show wannabe game type, which seems to be the way forward for pop games. mmmm maybe it's not that bad either? I mean it has overlapped many games that I consider better, but that always happens to me haha if one day justice will be done, but meanwhile, if the AAA are like that, maybe we will advance something "
Poor ignorant little Ardu.
(EDIT after Episode 5: upgraded my review to 2/5. The final episode was the longest by far and did get the story back on track and even gave the story a conclusion which meant that one day, maybe, I'd like to see a second series of We Are OFK. But please put that on Netflix or something, don't release it as a game or pretend it's interactive beyond 5 short 3-minute segments within a 5-hour runtime. Thanks.)
I wouldn't usually review an episodic game before it's finished, but with 4/5 of the game completed and the final episode dropping in a few days, I really feel the need to warn people not to waste their money on this 'game'. I was already having a mediocre time, but Episode 4 totally rubbed me the wrong way and I want to hopefully save other people from dropping £15 on this.
Initially I was really intrigued by this, the trailer that dropped a few months ago made it look like Sayonara Wild Hearts with a band documentary graphic novel attached. 98% Positive reviews on Steam gave me the all-clear to purchase.
Firstly, the positives. The interactive music videos, the part of the game that drew me in from the trailers, are great. They do remind me of Sayonara Wild Hearts, and are fairly creative. The music itself is... actually really damn good. I'm into electro-pop anyway but the 4 songs I've heard so far are good to excellent, especially Follow/Unfollow. Occasionally the art direction also does a really good job, especially in the aforementioned music videos, but the cinematography of certain scenes at least makes the game nice to look at if nothing else. The voice acting is also really good and dialogue felt genuine, even if it occasionally strayed into that Life is Strange-esque 'hella' cringe talk.
However... 4/5 of the way through this game, these interactive music videos have been maybe 12 minutes total out of 4 hours so far. And what's in the rest of this 3 hours 48 minutes?
Boredom. Boredom is what remains. 90% of this game is sat watching cut-scenes. Not even pressing X like a graphic novel - literally just watching scenes play out with no interactivity at all. This would be forgivable if there was literally any other gameplay, but there isn't. The other 10% is pressing X to cycle through some text message conversations. Occasionally you'll get the opportunity to pick one of three choices (gasp! interaction! a game?) but these don't do anything. Don't get me wrong, I love graphic novels, I have fairly strong patience for games that stretch the definitions of what a game can be, but the lack of interactivity for long swathes of this game stretched my definitions too thin.
Worse still, so much of the story in this game is just mind-numbing filler. There's a ton of potential in a mockumentary game about a band forming and breaking up and getting back together and so on. But so often this game seems to forget what the story thread is. You'll lose interest frequently as two characters stop discussing the drama at the centre of this story, and segue into talking about enchiladas or Boba or skateboards or something.
Episode 1 was a decent intro, and had potential to really build into something (it helps that the best song debuted in this ep). Episode 2 literally had me throwing down the controller twice and loudly exhaling "BORING" (I'm no professional game critic but I don't think this is a good thing). Episode 3 was actually a decent recovery, remembered the story was about the formation of a band, managed to stay on topic, included some decent drama beats and mostly washed the taste of Episode 2 out of my mouth. It even had a strong cliffhanger. I felt positive about this game moving forwards and could see the 2-3/5 approaching.
I've just finished playing Episode 4, which by the way is the longest episode of the 4 released so far at a gargantuan 65 minutes long. Literally, NOTHING happens in this episode. I am not exaggerating, nothing happens, at all. One character, who up to this point has done nothing in the story, goes off on their own little voyage of discovery, or something. Nothing. Happens. There's barely any mention of the band, it builds upon nothing in Episode 3, there are just so many bizarre segues and conversations about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Then there's the cursory interactive music video, chucked in with about 5 minutes left of the episode. It's fun for the 3 minutes it runs, then it's over.
A game like this really lives or dies on its story, especially when it doesn't even give you the cursory Telltale 'your choices matter' stuff, I mean most of this game is just cut-scenes. And the story here is really lacking. I am really frustrated because occasionally this game picks up a thread, and a story feels like it builds, and then it's dropped because one member has to travel out to the desert to go buy a graphics card (?) for a whole hour of this 5-hour game I spent £15 on. Sometimes this game feels like they only had about 30 minutes of story to tell, so packed 210 minutes of fluff about nerd culture and zoomer comedy to massively extend its run-time.
One of the few other Backloggd reviews for this game mentions that this is probably a vanity project for the band. Indeed, the writer and director of this game is also the lead singer of OFK irl, and also the voice-artist of Lucas, the lead singer of this slightly fictionalised version of OFK. This game really does feel like an extended advert for their music, it's actually pretty good music (your mileage may vary) but I am so irritated that it's wrapped in this massive nothingburger of a 'game' that I feel like I wasted money on. Irritated might be a little strong, but at a minimum I'm upset I took a chance on a new game and got burned for it.
I am upset I dropped £15 on this game when I could have bought Cult of the Lamb or Rollerdrome or just anything else that released in 2022. Unless Episode 5 is like Citizen Kane, I fully expect We Are OFK to be my Worst Game of 2022. To replicate the good parts of this experience, go stream Follow/Unfollow, then watch an hour of a 'LoFi Beats to Study To' music stream on YouTube, and save your money.
I will return after Episode 5, and if it's as much a non-entity as Episode 4 was, I WILL drop my review to 1 star. And if the story does pick up I will improve my review too, I'll be fair. I just hope the game finds its way and manages to tell some sort of story, I really do.
I wouldn't usually review an episodic game before it's finished, but with 4/5 of the game completed and the final episode dropping in a few days, I really feel the need to warn people not to waste their money on this 'game'. I was already having a mediocre time, but Episode 4 totally rubbed me the wrong way and I want to hopefully save other people from dropping £15 on this.
Initially I was really intrigued by this, the trailer that dropped a few months ago made it look like Sayonara Wild Hearts with a band documentary graphic novel attached. 98% Positive reviews on Steam gave me the all-clear to purchase.
Firstly, the positives. The interactive music videos, the part of the game that drew me in from the trailers, are great. They do remind me of Sayonara Wild Hearts, and are fairly creative. The music itself is... actually really damn good. I'm into electro-pop anyway but the 4 songs I've heard so far are good to excellent, especially Follow/Unfollow. Occasionally the art direction also does a really good job, especially in the aforementioned music videos, but the cinematography of certain scenes at least makes the game nice to look at if nothing else. The voice acting is also really good and dialogue felt genuine, even if it occasionally strayed into that Life is Strange-esque 'hella' cringe talk.
However... 4/5 of the way through this game, these interactive music videos have been maybe 12 minutes total out of 4 hours so far. And what's in the rest of this 3 hours 48 minutes?
Boredom. Boredom is what remains. 90% of this game is sat watching cut-scenes. Not even pressing X like a graphic novel - literally just watching scenes play out with no interactivity at all. This would be forgivable if there was literally any other gameplay, but there isn't. The other 10% is pressing X to cycle through some text message conversations. Occasionally you'll get the opportunity to pick one of three choices (gasp! interaction! a game?) but these don't do anything. Don't get me wrong, I love graphic novels, I have fairly strong patience for games that stretch the definitions of what a game can be, but the lack of interactivity for long swathes of this game stretched my definitions too thin.
Worse still, so much of the story in this game is just mind-numbing filler. There's a ton of potential in a mockumentary game about a band forming and breaking up and getting back together and so on. But so often this game seems to forget what the story thread is. You'll lose interest frequently as two characters stop discussing the drama at the centre of this story, and segue into talking about enchiladas or Boba or skateboards or something.
Episode 1 was a decent intro, and had potential to really build into something (it helps that the best song debuted in this ep). Episode 2 literally had me throwing down the controller twice and loudly exhaling "BORING" (I'm no professional game critic but I don't think this is a good thing). Episode 3 was actually a decent recovery, remembered the story was about the formation of a band, managed to stay on topic, included some decent drama beats and mostly washed the taste of Episode 2 out of my mouth. It even had a strong cliffhanger. I felt positive about this game moving forwards and could see the 2-3/5 approaching.
I've just finished playing Episode 4, which by the way is the longest episode of the 4 released so far at a gargantuan 65 minutes long. Literally, NOTHING happens in this episode. I am not exaggerating, nothing happens, at all. One character, who up to this point has done nothing in the story, goes off on their own little voyage of discovery, or something. Nothing. Happens. There's barely any mention of the band, it builds upon nothing in Episode 3, there are just so many bizarre segues and conversations about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Then there's the cursory interactive music video, chucked in with about 5 minutes left of the episode. It's fun for the 3 minutes it runs, then it's over.
A game like this really lives or dies on its story, especially when it doesn't even give you the cursory Telltale 'your choices matter' stuff, I mean most of this game is just cut-scenes. And the story here is really lacking. I am really frustrated because occasionally this game picks up a thread, and a story feels like it builds, and then it's dropped because one member has to travel out to the desert to go buy a graphics card (?) for a whole hour of this 5-hour game I spent £15 on. Sometimes this game feels like they only had about 30 minutes of story to tell, so packed 210 minutes of fluff about nerd culture and zoomer comedy to massively extend its run-time.
One of the few other Backloggd reviews for this game mentions that this is probably a vanity project for the band. Indeed, the writer and director of this game is also the lead singer of OFK irl, and also the voice-artist of Lucas, the lead singer of this slightly fictionalised version of OFK. This game really does feel like an extended advert for their music, it's actually pretty good music (your mileage may vary) but I am so irritated that it's wrapped in this massive nothingburger of a 'game' that I feel like I wasted money on. Irritated might be a little strong, but at a minimum I'm upset I took a chance on a new game and got burned for it.
I am upset I dropped £15 on this game when I could have bought Cult of the Lamb or Rollerdrome or just anything else that released in 2022. Unless Episode 5 is like Citizen Kane, I fully expect We Are OFK to be my Worst Game of 2022. To replicate the good parts of this experience, go stream Follow/Unfollow, then watch an hour of a 'LoFi Beats to Study To' music stream on YouTube, and save your money.
I will return after Episode 5, and if it's as much a non-entity as Episode 4 was, I WILL drop my review to 1 star. And if the story does pick up I will improve my review too, I'll be fair. I just hope the game finds its way and manages to tell some sort of story, I really do.