Ok, I finally played through game that can be best described as part pretentious kurzgesagt video, part crazy Doctor Who episode.
I am incredibly torn on this game. On the one hand, two chapters in particular just absolutely blew me away with everything they did (Improvisation and... the other one ;>). "The other one" in particular is an especially amazing experience. It clevery turns the tropes of the Film Noir on its head, delivering a message that is so simple yet they manage to make it feel ethereal. The improvisation chapter managed to hook me too - I spent way more time in it than I had to. And overall: the presentation is brilliant, absolutely top-notch in soundtrack and visuals. And then there's the less good parts...
First, this game has heavy scripting problems. Sometimes I was able to fix them by going to the pause menu, sometimes I wasn't. These NEED to be adressed, I had to replay some chapters because I was stuck at some point. Also: many other chapters feel quite hollow, gameplay- and presentation-wise. The last two chapters retroactively kinda help in justifying that, but it's still unhelpful while first playing through the game. Some puzzles also seem... a little dumb. And I would advise every developer in existance against Simon Says, please. It doesn't work. At all. The improvisation chapter worked despite of it, not because of it. This game is also incredibly pretentious at times and it never really works for me.
I'm still giving this 3 1/2 stars. Why? Because of the amazing presentation, the clever twist on Film Noir tropes (which I actively hate when they are recreated uncritically), the brilliant soundtrack and the two chapters I absolutely loved. Everything else in this game is mediocre at best. But I love it for these parts in particular, and these will always stick with me. And now to wait for the soundtrack on Spotify...
I am incredibly torn on this game. On the one hand, two chapters in particular just absolutely blew me away with everything they did (Improvisation and... the other one ;>). "The other one" in particular is an especially amazing experience. It clevery turns the tropes of the Film Noir on its head, delivering a message that is so simple yet they manage to make it feel ethereal. The improvisation chapter managed to hook me too - I spent way more time in it than I had to. And overall: the presentation is brilliant, absolutely top-notch in soundtrack and visuals. And then there's the less good parts...
First, this game has heavy scripting problems. Sometimes I was able to fix them by going to the pause menu, sometimes I wasn't. These NEED to be adressed, I had to replay some chapters because I was stuck at some point. Also: many other chapters feel quite hollow, gameplay- and presentation-wise. The last two chapters retroactively kinda help in justifying that, but it's still unhelpful while first playing through the game. Some puzzles also seem... a little dumb. And I would advise every developer in existance against Simon Says, please. It doesn't work. At all. The improvisation chapter worked despite of it, not because of it. This game is also incredibly pretentious at times and it never really works for me.
I'm still giving this 3 1/2 stars. Why? Because of the amazing presentation, the clever twist on Film Noir tropes (which I actively hate when they are recreated uncritically), the brilliant soundtrack and the two chapters I absolutely loved. Everything else in this game is mediocre at best. But I love it for these parts in particular, and these will always stick with me. And now to wait for the soundtrack on Spotify...