nosc87
Yes the first hour or so is hard to play because Chloe is a typical 'rebellious' teenager which is quite annoying. But thee relationship with Rachel is believable to me as is the motivation for the characters as to why they did what they did. It's even - I think - surprisingly complex when it comes to why certain things are being kept from characters and how that is on one hand wrong and n the other hand not an action born out of malice but love and the need to protect someone.
That song in the Animal village will be stuck in my head forever.
I am not mad about it.
I am not mad about it.
What the fuck.
I knew it would get a bit wonky after playing the Council but somehow they found a way to make some things of this game worse? or maybe I misremember it?
So I start the game and the prologue is long. Fine. It's a story driven game, okay.
I mess up with the first part of the Emem chapter and decide to restart the chater.
No can do.
I have to restart from the very fucking beginning. and.I.can't.skip.it.
Because you can't reload any save - just a scene. And it doesn't tell you exactly what that means. <3
So I bite the bullet and play it again. This time it's fine. I'm having fun.
I start the malkavian part of the game, still in the first chapter. And thanks to a bug, I can't move to the next section.
I restart the scene thinking it will only restart the malkavian chapter - annoying but fine.
~+It restarts the entire.fucking.game.
Again.~+
~+ So I cry, quit and deinstall <3 ~+
Like - what I saw of the game was fun enough but come the fuck on...! I get wanting the player to commit to their choices without save scumming or whatever but this is bullshit! D:
Maybe I'll try it again sometime but I doubt it.
I knew it would get a bit wonky after playing the Council but somehow they found a way to make some things of this game worse? or maybe I misremember it?
So I start the game and the prologue is long. Fine. It's a story driven game, okay.
I mess up with the first part of the Emem chapter and decide to restart the chater.
No can do.
I have to restart from the very fucking beginning. and.I.can't.skip.it.
Because you can't reload any save - just a scene. And it doesn't tell you exactly what that means. <3
So I bite the bullet and play it again. This time it's fine. I'm having fun.
I start the malkavian part of the game, still in the first chapter. And thanks to a bug, I can't move to the next section.
I restart the scene thinking it will only restart the malkavian chapter - annoying but fine.
~+It restarts the entire.fucking.game.
Again.~+
~+ So I cry, quit and deinstall <3 ~+
Like - what I saw of the game was fun enough but come the fuck on...! I get wanting the player to commit to their choices without save scumming or whatever but this is bullshit! D:
Maybe I'll try it again sometime but I doubt it.
fucking finally.
This is not a bad game, quite the opposite. But it's not MY game.
I left the game for months, shortly before fighting ganon for the last time.
Before this, the game and me really didn't hit it off.
I am not a fan of the building mechanics mostly because I think the controls were weird. I don't know whats worse: flying on my self-build airplane or riding a horse. Both feel not exactly intuitive. Again: quite the opposite.
The story didn't grab me either. There were nice moments in it. Like realizing what happened to Zelda was genuinely touching.
As always, the ending was well done! But the characters didn't really feel alive and some narrative choices are overdone imo. Please let Ganon/dorf be something more than just evil. I know you can do it bc you HAVE done it, dear franchise! You can do it again. I have faith in you.
(Which I will probably regret as always, when I proclaim faith in something that solely exists to make money.)
So I get how people adore this game. Sadly I am not one of them.
The horses look nice though!
But you still can't pet the dogs. WTF?! What is wrong with you, game? D:
This is not a bad game, quite the opposite. But it's not MY game.
I left the game for months, shortly before fighting ganon for the last time.
Before this, the game and me really didn't hit it off.
I am not a fan of the building mechanics mostly because I think the controls were weird. I don't know whats worse: flying on my self-build airplane or riding a horse. Both feel not exactly intuitive. Again: quite the opposite.
The story didn't grab me either. There were nice moments in it. Like realizing what happened to Zelda was genuinely touching.
As always, the ending was well done! But the characters didn't really feel alive and some narrative choices are overdone imo. Please let Ganon/dorf be something more than just evil. I know you can do it bc you HAVE done it, dear franchise! You can do it again. I have faith in you.
(Which I will probably regret as always, when I proclaim faith in something that solely exists to make money.)
So I get how people adore this game. Sadly I am not one of them.
The horses look nice though!
But you still can't pet the dogs. WTF?! What is wrong with you, game? D:
2021
I tried. I tried so hard but it didn't click once with me.
Typical (affectionate) Don't Not game with its typical strengths and weaknesses.
The story might be a simple one but it gets to deepen the topic this way. Don't expect grand plot twists, they are not in this game.
Doesn't make it boring but the topic of Love and loss hit hard and get told well and from different perspectives and different stories surrounding said loss of a loved one.
It worked for me because I liked the main characters. They are believable characters and believable as a couple. One of the rare cases of a fictional couple having an adult relationship that makes sense.
narrative wise you get to make a decision about what to do with the characters of a case and the ghost that haunts them. This was a problem for me because I knew what kind of ending I wanted and what I had to do with this. The game tells you this very early on. So oftentimes I just took the option that made the ending I wanted more likely to happen and was done with it. I didn't believe the person/ghost deserved this, I just wanted my ending. I think this was not a good decision design wise.
The combat parts...exist. I wasn't a big fan of them and it took me a while to get good at it. The boss fights were nice though. Nothing spectacularly difficult (I played on normal) but enough to keep me engaged.
There was quite a lot of running around that I didn't enjoy. You have camp fires over the map that you can teleport to but it's still a lot of running to get to a certain part of the map. Hated that. :/
The soundtrack was really, really good!
Somehow manage to not make hate all of the puritans you encounter. Chapeau! I only hated 90%!
The story might be a simple one but it gets to deepen the topic this way. Don't expect grand plot twists, they are not in this game.
Doesn't make it boring but the topic of Love and loss hit hard and get told well and from different perspectives and different stories surrounding said loss of a loved one.
It worked for me because I liked the main characters. They are believable characters and believable as a couple. One of the rare cases of a fictional couple having an adult relationship that makes sense.
narrative wise you get to make a decision about what to do with the characters of a case and the ghost that haunts them. This was a problem for me because I knew what kind of ending I wanted and what I had to do with this. The game tells you this very early on. So oftentimes I just took the option that made the ending I wanted more likely to happen and was done with it. I didn't believe the person/ghost deserved this, I just wanted my ending. I think this was not a good decision design wise.
The combat parts...exist. I wasn't a big fan of them and it took me a while to get good at it. The boss fights were nice though. Nothing spectacularly difficult (I played on normal) but enough to keep me engaged.
There was quite a lot of running around that I didn't enjoy. You have camp fires over the map that you can teleport to but it's still a lot of running to get to a certain part of the map. Hated that. :/
The soundtrack was really, really good!
Somehow manage to not make hate all of the puritans you encounter. Chapeau! I only hated 90%!
Love the style and the story seems interesting but the gameplay is killing me and seems unfair at some points. Those shrieking bastards ruined everything all the time no matter what I did.
So I gave up.
So I gave up.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Why yes, I didn't finish the game at the last chapter and I still say it's actually good.
Let me explain:
I hate parts in which I cannot see SHIT and the only thing that can remedy this is an unreliable flashlight. Which have to point at enemies so they don't chase and kill me. While I cut away at living barb wire that wants to eat me. While trying to find my way through a maze. (a tiny one admittedly but still.) SO when I got to this part, I quit.
The game is not exactly brilliant in it's gameplay. But it's servicable. It does what it's supposed to do and that's fine. But the part as described above puts me in so much stress that I simply don't enjoy the game anymore and would rather chew on barbed wire than finish it.
So until this part I played it and then watched the rest from a let's player.
So what's to like about this game?
For me, it's how authentic it feels. I am german so, yes, the german they speak feels very much like the one people used at that time. This is a big plus. Even for the short time the player gets to know the people in the company gives one an impression of them and their struggles.
It is also remarkable how it talked about Germany's colonial history. I don't know a single other game that does this (doesn't mean they aren't out there. I just can't name any). This - again - won't mean much to other people but I am glad a game did this and not only as a side note. So kudos for this!
I love the monster designs! The soundtrack was really good! The family mansion is gorgeous even though I got lost in it too many times to count.
My main complain would be the sometimes finicky gameplay and the fact that it is sometimes simply too dark. Especially in the last chapter. Again, this is frustrating.
And yes, this doesn't treat knew ground story wise but I am personally fine with this. It's a well told story, looks good, plays... FINE (HMPF...!)...and sounds good.
It's also the first game from the studio. There is room for improvement and I hope they put out more games.
I might not have finished this one but if they promise to never ever do this light- sensitive-monster shit again, I will play it.
And probable love it. :)
Let me explain:
I hate parts in which I cannot see SHIT and the only thing that can remedy this is an unreliable flashlight. Which have to point at enemies so they don't chase and kill me. While I cut away at living barb wire that wants to eat me. While trying to find my way through a maze. (a tiny one admittedly but still.) SO when I got to this part, I quit.
The game is not exactly brilliant in it's gameplay. But it's servicable. It does what it's supposed to do and that's fine. But the part as described above puts me in so much stress that I simply don't enjoy the game anymore and would rather chew on barbed wire than finish it.
So until this part I played it and then watched the rest from a let's player.
So what's to like about this game?
For me, it's how authentic it feels. I am german so, yes, the german they speak feels very much like the one people used at that time. This is a big plus. Even for the short time the player gets to know the people in the company gives one an impression of them and their struggles.
It is also remarkable how it talked about Germany's colonial history. I don't know a single other game that does this (doesn't mean they aren't out there. I just can't name any). This - again - won't mean much to other people but I am glad a game did this and not only as a side note. So kudos for this!
I love the monster designs! The soundtrack was really good! The family mansion is gorgeous even though I got lost in it too many times to count.
My main complain would be the sometimes finicky gameplay and the fact that it is sometimes simply too dark. Especially in the last chapter. Again, this is frustrating.
And yes, this doesn't treat knew ground story wise but I am personally fine with this. It's a well told story, looks good, plays... FINE (HMPF...!)...and sounds good.
It's also the first game from the studio. There is room for improvement and I hope they put out more games.
I might not have finished this one but if they promise to never ever do this light- sensitive-monster shit again, I will play it.
And probable love it. :)
I just don't have the patience anymore for this type of game. Losing progress bc I couldn't safe before a fight bothers me more now that I know this is basically a rarity in modern games.
I'm sure I would have loved this in my teens and I would have had the time and patience for this. But I'm not. :/
I'm sure I would have loved this in my teens and I would have had the time and patience for this. But I'm not. :/
A very solid game which is especially amazing if you remember that the developer's country is in a war right now.
I would have loved to know how much more scope the game would have gotten if the had had more time and resources.
This doesn't mean this game is bad or lacks anything - I just wish there was more of it bc I really liked it.
It is a very straightforward game and I enjoyed it a lot!
Just a shame the next one will be something completely different. I would have liked to spend more time with their version of the character.
I would have loved to know how much more scope the game would have gotten if the had had more time and resources.
This doesn't mean this game is bad or lacks anything - I just wish there was more of it bc I really liked it.
It is a very straightforward game and I enjoyed it a lot!
Just a shame the next one will be something completely different. I would have liked to spend more time with their version of the character.
This review contains spoilers
I probably love this game more than I should or is reasonable. ¯\(ツ)/¯
I love the island even though there is nothing much for the player to do with it. Sometimes it's just nice to look at something pretty and the different districts were just a nice chance of scenery and gave the whole thing character and a history. It felt realistic to me.
I liked the cases the characters a lot. My god, this one even has a proper ending and epilogue something I have been craving in frogwares games since I started playing them. My number one complain! And this one has four endings and epilogues! :D
Yes Sherlock is kind of a arrogant asshole sometimes but it makes sense if one remembers how young he is.
I was not sure what to think of Jon but he is a nice addition and he does make sense in the story. This gives frogwares Sherlock Holmes a unique spin that you either love or hate. It's up to taste. Because his writing is really good and his voice actor is - in my opinion - the best in the game. His delivery of his characters very last line haunts me and is one of the best I have heard delivered in a game. The fact that I fucking remember it so clearly and how it broke my heart can't be overstated.
But maybe that's just me. I really love this game.
What I DIDN'T love were the fights. And I didn't do a single chemistry puzzle in the game because those are not my jam and I am glad I could skip them.
Felt bad enough about skipping an entire part of the game that I diligently went through every fight the game put me in. It's okay.
I like how fucking broken this Holmes is. Yes, other parts have given us this, too but I can't remember any of the modern adaptations I have seen who have given me a reason for it that made sense, was detailed, dramatic enough and didn't sound fucking dumb.
I rather have him with an imaginary friend and a mad mother than with a very real sister whose memory he repressed bc she made him kill his best friend who he purposefully misremembered as his dog and said sister is a worse criminal than Moriarty and in the end she and her brother communicate via violin play because of reasons.
No, I am not over BBC Sherlock I never will be I saw a girl with a "I am sherlocked" shirt today I will never be free Is this my punishment bc I was once a part of them?!
This is also nice! I'd rather have no Irene Adler at all than a bad one! Not saying that frogwares is not able to write a good one (I would love and fear reading their take. Love, bc I like their stuff. Fear, bc adaptions mostly feel the need to damsel her/make her fall in love with Holmes/be defeated by him )
On the topic of pretty people I like the trend of prettifying him with every game. Didn't expect it but here we are and I am not complaining. ¯\(ツ)/¯
I love the island even though there is nothing much for the player to do with it. Sometimes it's just nice to look at something pretty and the different districts were just a nice chance of scenery and gave the whole thing character and a history. It felt realistic to me.
I liked the cases the characters a lot. My god, this one even has a proper ending and epilogue something I have been craving in frogwares games since I started playing them. My number one complain! And this one has four endings and epilogues! :D
Yes Sherlock is kind of a arrogant asshole sometimes but it makes sense if one remembers how young he is.
I was not sure what to think of Jon but he is a nice addition and he does make sense in the story. This gives frogwares Sherlock Holmes a unique spin that you either love or hate. It's up to taste. Because his writing is really good and his voice actor is - in my opinion - the best in the game. His delivery of his characters very last line haunts me and is one of the best I have heard delivered in a game. The fact that I fucking remember it so clearly and how it broke my heart can't be overstated.
But maybe that's just me. I really love this game.
What I DIDN'T love were the fights. And I didn't do a single chemistry puzzle in the game because those are not my jam and I am glad I could skip them.
Felt bad enough about skipping an entire part of the game that I diligently went through every fight the game put me in. It's okay.
I like how fucking broken this Holmes is. Yes, other parts have given us this, too but I can't remember any of the modern adaptations I have seen who have given me a reason for it that made sense, was detailed, dramatic enough and didn't sound fucking dumb.
I rather have him with an imaginary friend and a mad mother than with a very real sister whose memory he repressed bc she made him kill his best friend who he purposefully misremembered as his dog and said sister is a worse criminal than Moriarty and in the end she and her brother communicate via violin play because of reasons.
No, I am not over BBC Sherlock I never will be I saw a girl with a "I am sherlocked" shirt today I will never be free Is this my punishment bc I was once a part of them?!
This is also nice! I'd rather have no Irene Adler at all than a bad one! Not saying that frogwares is not able to write a good one (I would love and fear reading their take. Love, bc I like their stuff. Fear, bc adaptions mostly feel the need to damsel her/make her fall in love with Holmes/be defeated by him )
On the topic of pretty people I like the trend of prettifying him with every game. Didn't expect it but here we are and I am not complaining. ¯\(ツ)/¯
This review contains spoilers
Under the horribly structured plot lies a good story with a cast that should work excellently in it if it hadn't been seen as a necessary evil to get the character from Point A to B. At least this is what it feels like to me.
This could have worked. There's everything you would need. There was conflict between characters that SHOULD have been resolved but the game didn't care about it. (Why else do I carry an obviously evil woman with me just to be completely surprised when I have to off her mid to late game?!)
The final twist could have mattered tome if I had KNOWN that Andrias is a two sided bitch with a grudge. It would have kept me on my toes because until the end I wouldn't have known if Andrias stays true to Fredred(? The king guy) or if he just gets his revenge and then sided with the Empire. The scenes between them would have a different weight. The way they are know they were just kinda there.
I knew something was up with him but mostly bc Waltaquin would never hit on a guy who wasn't at least as bonkers as her. And he kind of is. So yeah.
I also hated how the game gave me the same infos again and again.
Pretty sure they expect to get to make a sequel. I doubt I will play it though.
Which is a shame. The gameplay was fun and the art is gorgeous. :/
This could have worked. There's everything you would need. There was conflict between characters that SHOULD have been resolved but the game didn't care about it. (Why else do I carry an obviously evil woman with me just to be completely surprised when I have to off her mid to late game?!)
The final twist could have mattered tome if I had KNOWN that Andrias is a two sided bitch with a grudge. It would have kept me on my toes because until the end I wouldn't have known if Andrias stays true to Fredred(? The king guy) or if he just gets his revenge and then sided with the Empire. The scenes between them would have a different weight. The way they are know they were just kinda there.
I knew something was up with him but mostly bc Waltaquin would never hit on a guy who wasn't at least as bonkers as her. And he kind of is. So yeah.
I also hated how the game gave me the same infos again and again.
Pretty sure they expect to get to make a sequel. I doubt I will play it though.
Which is a shame. The gameplay was fun and the art is gorgeous. :/
2019
This review contains spoilers
I enjoyed playing this!
The game play and story worked well.
Some stuff was just weird sometimes.
There is never any reason on why Mordred would see people in these weird masks when they lie or why it didn't really worked this one time. You could come up with a reason for this yourself - there are hints as to why - but for a game that spelled everything out to me to leave me with this one alone felt weird.
The female characters are...a choice. Probably bc the game is going for the noir themes and vibes. Hera is there to be saved and acts as rewards if you do the right thing or punishment if you do the bad thing by dying.
(I got the A and the D ending)
The Android chick going all ex machina on the guy was kind of a surprise until I remember this is noir. Women are saints, whores or dead. ¯\(ツ)/¯ And they aaaaall need saving!
I DID like some of the moral choices and not knowing where exactly they would lead every time. This was neat!
I don't remember if there was a trigger warning for transphobia, so here's mine: though the trans character is never reduced to their identity by the protags - she is so by the villain. There is dead naming and blackmail involved as are pics of her before her transitioning.
She was still my fave in the game bc I think she is interesting as a character. Probably bc she is a character you would usually not get in a noir as far as I know. Not like this at least.
Irritating was that the characters looked different in every cutscene.
I have no idea ho Mordred is supposed to look like bc in game looks different then cutscene A and Cutscene A makes him look different than Cutscene B and C and so on, and so on. Maybe bc they changes the artists a few times or something? It was just really jarring esp. in the epilogue scenes.
All in all I had a good time with the game. The political aspect was interesting, too and I liked how you could influence if and how the city came crashing down. This played nicely into the moral choices you have to make so that was really cool.
The game play and story worked well.
Some stuff was just weird sometimes.
There is never any reason on why Mordred would see people in these weird masks when they lie or why it didn't really worked this one time. You could come up with a reason for this yourself - there are hints as to why - but for a game that spelled everything out to me to leave me with this one alone felt weird.
The female characters are...a choice. Probably bc the game is going for the noir themes and vibes. Hera is there to be saved and acts as rewards if you do the right thing or punishment if you do the bad thing by dying.
(I got the A and the D ending)
The Android chick going all ex machina on the guy was kind of a surprise until I remember this is noir. Women are saints, whores or dead. ¯\(ツ)/¯ And they aaaaall need saving!
I DID like some of the moral choices and not knowing where exactly they would lead every time. This was neat!
I don't remember if there was a trigger warning for transphobia, so here's mine: though the trans character is never reduced to their identity by the protags - she is so by the villain. There is dead naming and blackmail involved as are pics of her before her transitioning.
She was still my fave in the game bc I think she is interesting as a character. Probably bc she is a character you would usually not get in a noir as far as I know. Not like this at least.
Irritating was that the characters looked different in every cutscene.
I have no idea ho Mordred is supposed to look like bc in game looks different then cutscene A and Cutscene A makes him look different than Cutscene B and C and so on, and so on. Maybe bc they changes the artists a few times or something? It was just really jarring esp. in the epilogue scenes.
All in all I had a good time with the game. The political aspect was interesting, too and I liked how you could influence if and how the city came crashing down. This played nicely into the moral choices you have to make so that was really cool.
I was 3/4 through the game when a certain plot twist hits and then it went downhill. I was utterly confused and find the twist to be unnecessary to the story itself. Yes, I know the hidden ending. I don't care, I didn't like it. Sue me.
Like I never really had a chance to understand anything bc the game basically lied to me about something fundamental.
It's a cool idea- just...it came a bit late.
What I DID like were the Somniums, the characters and the heartfelt relationships they had with each other.
I never played a game that would teach my quantum physics after making some really unnecessary sex jokes! Didn't expect it, wasn't mad about it!
Like I never really had a chance to understand anything bc the game basically lied to me about something fundamental.
It's a cool idea- just...it came a bit late.
What I DID like were the Somniums, the characters and the heartfelt relationships they had with each other.
I never played a game that would teach my quantum physics after making some really unnecessary sex jokes! Didn't expect it, wasn't mad about it!
This review contains spoilers
The thing I love the most about this game and which makes the game stand out the most for me is it's story structure.
It's not only about getting to decide most of the time who to play or even if you want to play the story parts it's handling all the protags, they clones, the different time lines and how it reveals what is happening right now - has been happening before and WHY it happening in the first place.
I would love to know how they planned this.
Leaving the player confused but intrigued enough to keep on playing is not easy with one protagonist. But THIS many?!
Wow, just wow.
It also made me believe to be competent in the game play part which was very nice of it! I also appreciate all the close calls I had and STILL managed to turn the fight around and win. Especially the last one.
What a fucking nightmare.
Don't know if I like or appreciate the secret ending though. I just want my kids to be happy no matter what universe! :(
It's not only about getting to decide most of the time who to play or even if you want to play the story parts it's handling all the protags, they clones, the different time lines and how it reveals what is happening right now - has been happening before and WHY it happening in the first place.
I would love to know how they planned this.
Leaving the player confused but intrigued enough to keep on playing is not easy with one protagonist. But THIS many?!
Wow, just wow.
It also made me believe to be competent in the game play part which was very nice of it! I also appreciate all the close calls I had and STILL managed to turn the fight around and win. Especially the last one.
What a fucking nightmare.
Don't know if I like or appreciate the secret ending though. I just want my kids to be happy no matter what universe! :(