This review contains spoilers
The game is actually spectacular, and I enjoyed playing it. It has great music, cute characters and nice graphics. However, the impression is ruined as soon as you look at it critically. This review is not even close to listing all of my dissatisfaction with the writing in the game, but I tried to include at least something. I also suggest googling more critique on the game — there is an EXCELLENT post on Tumblr about it which helped me figure out my own dissatisfaction with the game better. I've listed the positive bits briefly already, others have done it hundreds of times, so I will focus on the negative bits.
- It becomes increasingly difficult to care about anything in Headspace after realising how important the real world is to the story. While it is vibrant, fun and entertaining (and also interesting since it is Sunny's mind we explore), you simply want to get through all of it quicker in order to get to the "real story". It is a bit of a shame.
- The twist with accidental killing is shocking, yet it is the twist on top of it that is so morbid and hard to believe. It feels like it was done for shock value. One could modify that scene in so many ways to make it more palatable.
- It is possible to glimpse what Sunny is like based on shallow past memories, implications in Headspace and other bits. However, he is still pretty much a blank slate with little personality (compared to his friends at least). That is why all the negativity is easy to perceive.
A particular moment in the game forces us to abandon distressed Basil with little explanation. Sunny therefore comes across as a total bastard — not to mention the implications of him ruining the photo album, and Basil constantly taking the blame for him. The fact that he sort of killed his sister in a fit of rage does not help save his image either. Basically, it is really difficult to sympathise with this guy, because he comes across as a killer in hiding who is afraid of coming clean about it all. I doubt this was the intended effect, but it makes this impression, so...
- All that impacts how we view the game events and Sunny's actions, no matter what ending we go for — even the true ending cutscene. Basically, the problems with writing in this game ruin the perception of its message. I absolutely get what it wanted to say, but it did not manage
I give it half a star here just so people pay attention to this review lmao.
- It becomes increasingly difficult to care about anything in Headspace after realising how important the real world is to the story. While it is vibrant, fun and entertaining (and also interesting since it is Sunny's mind we explore), you simply want to get through all of it quicker in order to get to the "real story". It is a bit of a shame.
- The twist with accidental killing is shocking, yet it is the twist on top of it that is so morbid and hard to believe. It feels like it was done for shock value. One could modify that scene in so many ways to make it more palatable.
- It is possible to glimpse what Sunny is like based on shallow past memories, implications in Headspace and other bits. However, he is still pretty much a blank slate with little personality (compared to his friends at least). That is why all the negativity is easy to perceive.
A particular moment in the game forces us to abandon distressed Basil with little explanation. Sunny therefore comes across as a total bastard — not to mention the implications of him ruining the photo album, and Basil constantly taking the blame for him. The fact that he sort of killed his sister in a fit of rage does not help save his image either. Basically, it is really difficult to sympathise with this guy, because he comes across as a killer in hiding who is afraid of coming clean about it all. I doubt this was the intended effect, but it makes this impression, so...
- All that impacts how we view the game events and Sunny's actions, no matter what ending we go for — even the true ending cutscene. Basically, the problems with writing in this game ruin the perception of its message. I absolutely get what it wanted to say, but it did not manage
I give it half a star here just so people pay attention to this review lmao.