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Shirec posted:I’ve been seeing that in the Steam thread as well so I purchased both it and Steinsgate (another one I’ve seen mentioned as good) and am slowly going through it. I’ve not really played a lot of visual novels though, should I be saving a lot when I get to choices or is it more “let it unfold” type thing? you can't screw yourself over and the [A] option in the save/load menu is an autosave of the last choice you made.
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Jan 12, 2018 15:40
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In non spoiler talk for DDLC, I'm trying to wrap my head around why this game is such a paranoia button for me. It's not like it's the only game to ever juxtapose cuteness with horror, and the writing is so accurate in imitating a cheap dating sim that I'm unsure whether it's secretly brilliant or if it's so accurate that it is just banal. I'm having trouble articulating just why it works and why it gets so unnerving beyond the core concept and how well executed it is.
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Jan 14, 2018 02:04
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GlyphGryph posted:But have you considered.... yes??? the thing you said was incorrect. it has been gone over a thousand times. you're still wrong. there is no coin flip.
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Jan 14, 2018 02:05
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Arcsquad12 posted:In non spoiler talk for DDLC, I'm trying to wrap my head around why this game is such a paranoia button for me. It's not like it's the only game to ever juxtapose cuteness with horror, and the writing is so accurate in imitating a cheap dating sim that I'm unsure whether it's secretly brilliant or if it's so accurate that it is just banal. I'm having trouble articulating just why it works and why it gets so unnerving beyond the core concept and how well executed it is.
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Jan 14, 2018 06:19
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RightClickSaveAs posted:I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think the writing is pretty smartly done, which adds a lot to it. Sure you have the bog standard dating sim parts, which feel like a dead on imitation of a vanilla visual novel, but there are also all these little moments of intelligence woven throughout. The parts talking about the process of poetry writing stick out just enough to not neatly fit into the facade and the otherwise intentionally clumsy conversations. The poems themselves also start to hint a lot more strongly, especially as you get farther along, and set up the payoff nicely. It definitely isn't the first time someone's done a "nothing is what it seems" setup, but this has a deft touch to it which makes the feeling of dread hit that much more true when the veneer is ripped away. I complained about the setup time at first, as someone who can't stand visual novels, and ended up clicking as fast as I could to get to the payoff, but going back and playing it again I think stringing you along that way while giving just enough to engage with if you pay attention really adds to it. I've been thinking since my last post since it's been on my mind all day, and I feel another part of what makes it work is how limited your level of interaction is. A lot of horror games ramp up the tension by intentionally hobbling your character with stuff like slow movement or being unable to fight back against enemies. But with DDLC, your only interactions are choosing who to talk to first, what your poetry will look like, and pressing forward to click through all the dialogue. But there's no backspace to let you redo things. Every action you take can only progress things further, which adds to the mounting dread, since it becomes inevitable and unavoidable. The personal issues that Sayori (Depression), Yuri (Self-Harm) and Natsuki (Abuse and Malnourishment) are ones that are incredibly difficult to deal with in real life, and when you are limited by the confines of the visual novel gameplay loop it creates this feeling of utter helplessness. You really can't do anything to help any of these characters, they can't do anything to help themselves, and when things start to go haywire their limited amount of self-awareness pushes the helplessness angle even harder. Considering I've been fighting depression off an on throughout my life, it is really uncomfortable how accurate the depiction is, which is crazy impressive considering how it can switch from bog standard VN nonsense to heartrendingly authentic in a moment's notice.
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Jan 14, 2018 06:43
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Arcsquad12 posted:I've been thinking since my last post since it's been on my mind all day, and I feel another part of what makes it work is how limited your level of interaction is. A lot of horror games ramp up the tension by intentionally hobbling your character with stuff like slow movement or being unable to fight back against enemies. But with DDLC, your only interactions are choosing who to talk to first, what your poetry will look like, and pressing forward to click through all the dialogue. But there's no backspace to let you redo things. Every action you take can only progress things further, which adds to the mounting dread, since it becomes inevitable and unavoidable. The personal issues that Sayori (Depression), Yuri (Self-Harm) and Natsuki (Abuse and Malnourishment) are ones that are incredibly difficult to deal with in real life, and when you are limited by the confines of the visual novel gameplay loop it creates this feeling of utter helplessness. You really can't do anything to help any of these characters, they can't do anything to help themselves, and when things start to go haywire their limited amount of self-awareness pushes the helplessness angle even harder. Considering I've been fighting depression off an on throughout my life, it is really uncomfortable how accurate the depiction is, which is crazy impressive considering how it can switch from bog standard VN nonsense to heartrendingly authentic in a moment's notice.
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Jan 14, 2018 20:24
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I feel at the end of it, I'm less scared of the game and I just feel sad. Even the "good" ending isn't really happy, it's just bittersweet. It seems that all the characters (including the protagonist) have at least some level of awareness similar to Monika, and to leave them trapped in a happy state with the game permanently bricked up isn't much of a consolation for the hell they go through that you can't save them from. Even if they're trapped in a happy limbo of sorts, it's not a real existence, because it's a game. I don't even hate Monika, since her psychosis developed from her unexpected sentience and ensuing existential crisis developing into loneliness. And the fact that she walks back from her total lack of empathy for the others, despite insisting she's the only one who is real, makes me willing to forgive her for what she did. The bigger question is, however, if she's been tampering with the parameters of the game code, she somehow got a hold of certain assets that were already in the game. So, if this was originally intended to be just a dating sim before Monika tampered with the files, why are there art assets for blood splatters and hangings? She even mentions that everything in the game is only there because it needs to be there, meaning someone made them for a reason. drat you Dan Salvato and your metafiction. It's definitely a satisfying ending, but it's not one meant to sit well with you. It was never a situation you could change, because there wasn't a way to change it without causing horrible things to happen. So I just ended it feeling down. This is going to be one of those games that I can only play through a few times before hanging it up for a long time so I can preserve the experience, similar to what I do with games like KOTOR 2 or Witcher. Arc Hammer fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Jan 14, 2018 |
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Jan 14, 2018 20:42
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What did you all think of observer? I just wrapped it up and holy poo poo did this game deliver. Russian Cyber Punk meets Crohnberg inspired horror game that has incredible visuals and a really well thought out story. I cannot recommend it enough.
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Jan 15, 2018 04:29
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It's a game that I think would have worked better without jump scares. Also the game bugged out on me during one section where I had to drag a floating plug thing around, and it got stuck behind a door which locked, so I lost 25mins of progress and never went back to it. RIP. Really dug the atmosphere though.
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Jan 15, 2018 04:38
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I got shot through the floor and fell into a vast empty void. It took me ten minutes to realise that wasn't supposed to happen.
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Jan 15, 2018 05:33
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Ibram Gaunt posted:It's a game that I think would have worked better without jump scares. Exactly this, and terrible stealth sneaking sections.
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Jan 15, 2018 07:48
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I need to give observer another fair attempt. I played it for the first time right after finishing up Hellblade and that was incredibly jarring. The source of spooks in Hellblade is far more well researched and grounded in reality, which made Observer just fall flat in comparison.
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Jan 15, 2018 07:51
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Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:What did you all think of observer? I enjoyed it well enough, but felt like there were parts of the story that felt a little...confined. The isolation and claustrophobia was almost certainly deliberate, but I didn't really like how I unraveled the whole conspiracy from a single apartment complex (regardless of how the game tried to justify it). Plus the way the game introduces you to the plot of the player's missing son within the first 60 seconds of starting the game just seemed uninspiring I guess...like I was supposed to care more/feel more compelled to solve the son's abrupt reappearance. I'm sure that the budget had something to do with this, but I wish the scope of the game was a little further reaching. Beyond that, I agree with other people suggesting Observer would have been better without its reckless jump-scares and hide-and-seek sessions.
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Jan 15, 2018 08:33
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Mindblast posted:I need to give observer another fair attempt. I played it for the first time right after finishing up Hellblade and that was incredibly jarring. The source of spooks in Hellblade is far more well researched and grounded in reality, which made Observer just fall flat in comparison. Hellblade is so incredible though that most games fall flat compared to it.
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Jan 15, 2018 09:26
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Playing Observer rn, running around with zero synchronisation (screw meds! need to keep my edge man!) is pretty cool, although they could have done more with it. sanity effects are sweet the first couple times you see them
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Jan 15, 2018 09:59
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I've just started Uncanny Valley (which is one of this months PS plus games for the ps4) and it seems interesting. It's doing a decent job of atmosphere so far anyway. Anyone played through it?
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Jan 15, 2018 12:43
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Fil5000 posted:I've just started Uncanny Valley (which is one of this months PS plus games for the ps4) and it seems interesting. It's doing a decent job of atmosphere so far anyway. Anyone played through it? I liked the first bit of it a lot more than I did the latter, one of those kinda games imo.
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Jan 15, 2018 12:50
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Fil5000 posted:I've just started Uncanny Valley (which is one of this months PS plus games for the ps4) and it seems interesting. It's doing a decent job of atmosphere so far anyway. Anyone played through it?
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Jan 15, 2018 12:57
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Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:What did you all think of observer? I bounced off. The aesthetic was great but the story didn't grab me, the stealth sections were awful, and I had the same bug with the pluggy TV thing as that other goon and after several restarts of that sequence I finally gave up. The gameplay boiled down to "press W to receive jump-scare" and it just left me wanting more. I guess I wanted a different game with that aesthetic, idk.
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Jan 15, 2018 15:09
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Groovelord Neato posted:the thing you said was incorrect. it has been gone over a thousand times. you're still wrong. there is no coin flip. The true horror is bad take.
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Jan 15, 2018 15:20
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Speaking of good horror games with multiple endings, has anyone here played Duck Season? I am strongly considering picking it up, it seems pretty good.
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Jan 15, 2018 15:21
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GlyphGryph posted:Speaking of good horror games with multiple endings, has anyone here played Duck Season? I am strongly considering picking it up, it seems pretty good. Is it a horror game? I have it but so far it's just duckhunt and some basic Nes style mini games. Maybe I need to put more time in...
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Jan 15, 2018 15:23
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Fil5000 posted:I've just started Uncanny Valley (which is one of this months PS plus games for the ps4) and it seems interesting. It's doing a decent job of atmosphere so far anyway. Anyone played through it? Now you're making me imagine a horror game version of Stardew and there's probably a lot you could do with it lol. Living alone on a farm could be really scary
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Jan 15, 2018 16:05
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goferchan posted:Now you're making me imagine a horror game version of Stardew and there's probably a lot you could do with it lol. Living alone on a farm could be really scary I had an idea for exactly that once, set in a dust bowl style situation where it’s barely possible to get by and there are devils that will help out your farm for favors. They start out asking for little things and eventually ask you to kill your neighbors and sacrifice their animals. You could have multiple endings based on how deep you went with the deals and if you tried to break with them at any point.
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Jan 15, 2018 16:39
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Switched.on posted:Is it a horror game? I have it but so far it's just duckhunt and some basic Nes style mini games. Maybe I need to put more time in... Yes it is. It also isnt supposed to be very long? Finish it and get an ending or two and tell me if it was worth the money hahah GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Jan 15, 2018 |
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Jan 15, 2018 16:48
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Switched.on posted:Is it a horror game? I have it but so far it's just duckhunt and some basic Nes style mini games. Maybe I need to put more time in... try shooting the dog
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Jan 15, 2018 16:50
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I really liked Observer but I definitely thought it would have been better without the trippy sections. I knew going in it was made by the Layers of Fear devs and by the end of the game, well, holy poo poo did i know it was made by them. I had no problem with the stealth sections though, they were all ridiculously easy and they were kind of the only interesting thing in the observing sessions in the end since, well, they are the most 'gameplay' you get in those. I really enjoyed the light puzzles too but man, just way too much tripping balls for no real reasons, even if all of it was extremely impressive on the dev side of it. All of the optional side stories involving the denizens of the apartment complex were the real meat of the game for me though. What a hosed up, bleak-as-poo poo version of the future they paint up through conversations with people you can't even see as well as the environments you traverse through. Some super interesting writing in those parts, and I would gladly recommend the game to anyone just for those. The main story writing was a lot less good but would have been totally fine for me as a driving force for the character, if so much of it wasn't violently shoved down your throat through overly long observer sessions. Also, nobody buy the PS4 version if possible. Game stutters like a motherfucker, I had definitely forgot how it feels to have a game regularly dip into 20 fps
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Jan 15, 2018 16:55
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CharlestonJew posted:try shooting the dog I shot that dog like 50 times, but I'll jump back in tonight and give it another go. I figured it had to get interesting at some point since it was so highly reviewed.
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Jan 15, 2018 17:04
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edit: I'm a dummy and should google things I'm bitching about in Darkwood before I complain about a game that I otherwise love. A quick search after posting here showed me some reasons to not just wait for dogs to eat me at night in my shelter.
Memnaelar fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Jan 15, 2018 |
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Jan 15, 2018 19:40
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Fil5000 posted:I've just started Uncanny Valley (which is one of this months PS plus games for the ps4) and it seems interesting. It's doing a decent job of atmosphere so far anyway. Anyone played through it? I played through and got an ending that made no sense, then played through and got another one that was also lost on me. I should go back to it, the beginning felt very linear so I probably need to look around more. I've just finished Yomawari: Midnight Shadows, I'd say it was more of the same with the ghost encounters given more polish. Some of the boss fights felt repetitive and I'd like to see them use more mechanics than run and/or hide. I had a few good jump scares from finding the unique spirits (the footprints and field bush in particular)which always makes the post-game exploring enjoyable. It may also be more depressing than the first game and the way the tutorial was used to trick the player twice caught me by surprise. Felt pretty  after the credits.
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Jan 16, 2018 22:12
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Too Shy Guy posted:I had an idea for exactly that once, set in a dust bowl style situation where it’s barely possible to get by and there are devils that will help out your farm for favors. They start out asking for little things and eventually ask you to kill your neighbors and sacrifice their animals. You could have multiple endings based on how deep you went with the deals and if you tried to break with them at any point. this'd own.
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Jan 16, 2018 22:16
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I still quite fondly remember the first ending I got in Uncanny Valley. Getting conked out by the mysterious lady at the facility and finding myself trapped into a make shift home life with her. After trying to make my way out of the fake home, I get conked out again by the lady and wake to find myself getting my arms and legs severed so that I could never escape again. Then she cuddled up with my amputee body as I slowly bled to death. Yeah, was a great and creepy ending and only made me want to see all the poo poo I had missed while bumbling about initially. Granted some of the puzzles were a bit too obtuse, like needing the fire extinguisher to get into the adjacent room to the player character's bedroom but I quite enjoyed the experience for the most part. VVVVVV So normal anime? I mean, you know Goku's wife name is just titties, right? discworld is all I read fucked around with this message at 08:43 on Jan 17, 2018 |
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Jan 17, 2018 08:32
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Finally got around to playing Doki Doki Lit Club. I can't really add to what's been said here, it's very good, but I wish there was about 45 minutes fewer anime set-up in the beginning. Also, there was a LOT of the girls talking about their boobs...
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Jan 17, 2018 08:39
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goferchan posted:Now you're making me imagine a horror game version of Stardew and there's probably a lot you could do with it lol. Living alone on a farm could be really scary There are some things happening in Stardew Valley that unsettle folks: weird noises at night and especially during rain/storms, suggestions of some depressing past events in characters’ lives once you raise friendship enough, noises about an ongoing war you never get context for. You can also start the game on a “Wilderness” farm where monsters will come out at night (although that’s more for raising combat early than anything). Later on you discover a Witch’s Hut with creepy statues you can make offerings to, including one of “Selfishness” you can use to turn your children into birds and wipe your co-parent’s memory of them. Frankly I’m glad Stardew Valley doesn’t take an overtly grimdark direction, but there are underpinnings of mundane and supernatural horror. Makes me more excited for the “magic school” game in development.
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Jan 17, 2018 14:37
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Digging into the ARG content hidden in DDLC now. The Game Theory episodes are always a stretch, but the stuff they reported on leading to Team Salvato's next game has me intrigued.
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Jan 17, 2018 21:28
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Looks like The Forest will finally be coming out of Early Access soon. I haven't fired it up in a long time, but I know the people doing it have added alot of features and polished up the performance since I did, so I guess I'll be firing it up again when it's "out".
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Jan 19, 2018 02:22
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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Amnesia: The Dark Descent are both up for free on HumbleBundle right now. https://www.humblebundle.com/store/amnesia-collection
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Jan 26, 2018 07:35
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Oh cool, I always wanted to try Machine for Pigs and see if the complaining about it was justified. Hard to tell when a lot of the complaints were "It's not like the first game"
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Jan 26, 2018 08:13
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yeah, the first game actually had gameplay
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Jan 26, 2018 08:21
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Machine For Pigs has a lot of cool ideas but it also steps on its own dick by abandoning any semblance of complexity, mostly by getting rid of the inventory system
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Jan 26, 2018 08:35
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