PigLick on 11/2/2016 at 09:49
So was pretty hyped about this, but after reading some reviews am holding back on purchasing. Anyone played this yet, what are your thoughts?
Sulphur on 11/2/2016 at 10:08
Played about an hour, and it's a matter of expectations. If what you liked from the trailers was the sense of place and character, both in terms of the setting and the two people talking to each other, it does them justice. There's plenty of moments to radio in Delilah, and she's a joy to talk to. Much of that is down to the moments of wry banter and the expertise of the voice actors (from Mad Men and The Walking Dead), who bring a pretty natural performance to the table. The art is beautiful; morning mist rises off the ground, and sunsets look like a tide of poured maple syrup slowly drenching the wilderness.
If you're looking for a pacey plot and actual, I don't know, gameplay, this isn't gonna be the game for that. It's closer to the Dear Esther/Life Is Strange side of the spectrum.
PigLick on 11/2/2016 at 10:43
Ok sounds pretty much what I was expecting then, cheers.
henke on 11/2/2016 at 11:52
I too am somewhat hyped about this, but I'll wait for a sale. The beta of the first episode of the somewhat similar walkey and talkey game Kôna dropped into my inbox yesterday, so I'll probably start playing that tonight.
Renault on 11/2/2016 at 15:01
Sulphur nailed it for the most part. I played for about an hour, and it's an interesting game so far. There's an intro that's mostly text, but it does a great job of setting up the story, and almost had me a little weepy. The exploration so far is fun, you get a map early on and can see all these different places to visit, which kind of sucks you in. They've thrown in just a couple of mysterious little bits that lets on there will be several layers to the story and makes you wonder where things are going. I personally wouldn't compare it to Dear Esther because there's actually stuff to do besides walking around.
One thing I've found a bit annoying so far is that some of the movement is not very fluid - if you see a log in the path, you get a on-screen text prompt that says "Press space bar to jump over" and then the game breaks into this animation of you hauling yourself over the log. Same thing for climbing up/down a rock ledge, or jumping over a gap. Not sure why that's all necessary, maybe to keep the pace of the game slower? You can jog though if you want to.
Overall, good though, I'm anxious to get back to it. I probably would have played for several hours if I wasn't so dog tired last night.
Edit: One thing I read out on the net somewhere is that the first thing you should do before playing is to go into options and uncheck "show location on map." By default, your current position shows up on the map as big red glowing circle. I think I'll do this, there are plenty of signs and paths, and you have a compass, and seems like it might be a bit more immersive to navigate that way.
Random_Taffer on 11/2/2016 at 16:04
Thanks for that, Brethren. I too was pretty excited about this. Glad to hear there's more stuff to actually do and it's not just a walking sim like Dear Esther.
Might pick this up soon.
Renault on 11/2/2016 at 17:33
Keep in mind, when I say there's stuff to do, some of it can be pretty mundane. On my first day, I picked up some beer cans, put out a campfire, and chased off some skinny dippers lighting fireworks (no nekkidness). So it's not exactly action central. Then again, I've only played for an hour.
Twist on 11/2/2016 at 20:11
I'm just a little over an hour into it, but I'm really impressed so far. I imagine this will be one of those polarizing games where people argue about whether it's a "game" or not, and argue about its cost relative to how much gameplay you get.
But whether you like this sort of thing or not, the execution seems exceptional so far. It looks and feels like a design completed with meticulous craft and consideration, from the tight and original opening to the gorgeous and consistent illustrative art direction. Something about it looks and feels like a polished passion project.
If I really try to categorize it, I'd say it's a lot more Gone Home than Dear Esther, with hints of The Stanley Parable and The Walking Dead.
I agree with Brethren about the prompts. I wish there was an option to turn them off after you understand how to play the game. I also agree with the suggestion to turn off "Show Location" in the settings. I'd suggest turning off the "new goal" alerts as well. If you ever forget what to do next, the "goals" appear when you look at your map.
I really wish Campo Santo had implemented something like Gone Home's "put back" function. There's a lot of picking up and examining things, and after Gone Home, sloppily dropping items after you're done with them feels dated and clumsy. That might sound like a contradiction to my comment that the game seems well-crafted and polished, but as far as I recall Gone Home is the only game to provide such a useful function.
I've seen enough that I'm pretty sure this is a special game, so I'm setting it aside to start over and complete it in one immersive sitting during the weekend.
Briareos H on 11/2/2016 at 21:58
The dialogue and actors are good, the story isn't bad (although its ultimate pointlessness is rather bitter), the visuals are gorgeous. Gameplay elements themselves are mediocre and IMO the world doesn't succeed at giving a sense of place (too empty, too predictable, too linear -- I thought Gone Home was better in that regard).
Still, overall enjoyed it.
