Look, I don't know what to tell you. The Quiet Man is an inexplicable game in every way. It was developed by talented people who had a genuine vision, clearly very intent on making something unique. And I can't help but love that it exists.
Imaging how many layers of creatives and executives had to be swayed for this game to exist. A FMV brawler with no dialogue and professionally shot cinematic cutscenes. Cutscenes that go on for minutes without the player knowing a single word that is spoken.
It's meant to simulate the deaf main character's lack of hearing, see. Never mind the fact that the character himself understand what's being spoken. Never mind that this narrative device makes the game totally incomprehensible.
Imagine how persuasive Kensei Fujinaga must be. I adore and envy him. Because The Quiet Man is bad and makes no sense but it's also amazing. In a shocking number of ways, it's inventive and well-made. The cutscenes are beautifully shot in real locations, and the almost non-existent UI helps make the transitions between cinematic and gameplay genuinely impressive at times. Even the fighting has its moments of charm, at least until it gets repetitive and unclear. It took me to my second playthrough (yes) to understand a fundamental gameplay mechanic because the game never informed me that it existed.
I can't really explain how happy I am that The Quiet Man exists because it's a charming misfire of the kind that you rarely see these days. It's the sort of bad game that can only come about from wild experimentation and creatives who are as persuasive and enthusiastic as they are deeply misguided.
Imaging how many layers of creatives and executives had to be swayed for this game to exist. A FMV brawler with no dialogue and professionally shot cinematic cutscenes. Cutscenes that go on for minutes without the player knowing a single word that is spoken.
It's meant to simulate the deaf main character's lack of hearing, see. Never mind the fact that the character himself understand what's being spoken. Never mind that this narrative device makes the game totally incomprehensible.
Imagine how persuasive Kensei Fujinaga must be. I adore and envy him. Because The Quiet Man is bad and makes no sense but it's also amazing. In a shocking number of ways, it's inventive and well-made. The cutscenes are beautifully shot in real locations, and the almost non-existent UI helps make the transitions between cinematic and gameplay genuinely impressive at times. Even the fighting has its moments of charm, at least until it gets repetitive and unclear. It took me to my second playthrough (yes) to understand a fundamental gameplay mechanic because the game never informed me that it existed.
I can't really explain how happy I am that The Quiet Man exists because it's a charming misfire of the kind that you rarely see these days. It's the sort of bad game that can only come about from wild experimentation and creatives who are as persuasive and enthusiastic as they are deeply misguided.