People keep saying there's no point to this game.

[Chironyx]

Every negative review I read for this game is based on the fact that "there's nothing to do in this game"
And they say that since "There's nothing to do in this game" than it has no point.

Well, I disagree, and think that they simply don't get the point of this game

This game, like all games, is an experience
This game unlike other games doesn't serve you a story and a purpose on a silver platter, anyone who studies art must know of the term "sublime art" (forgive me if I am using the wrong term, I don't know the word for it in english), but it's basically the feeling of might a person gets from watching the power of nature, understanding how small and powerless he really is against nature (like a man watching a powerful flood from higher floors)
You can get that feeling from beholding the beauty of nature as well, a feeling that can even make you tear up.

In this wonderful piece of work, you get to walk around a much-alive and relaxing world, you HAVE to get immersed in it to feel what all of its fans felt
I walked around the world, and at times I found myself with a wide smile on my face when certain things happened, or even surprised when unexpected and amazing things occured

And anyone who played this game until its ending (and yes, there is an ending) knows of the game's climax, when you stand inside the circle... (that's all I'll say about it because I don't want to spoil it for anyone), that feeling that shot through me when I stood there and saw what was happening around me is undescribeable

To conclude everything I just said, this game is not for everyone, the type of people who tend to be arrogant and the type of people who would usually prefer ignoring the storyline of other games and skipping straight to the gameplay instead of getting indulged and immeresed in the game should stay away from this piece.

Let me know what is your opinion on the matter...

[Spodge]

I really wanted to like this game.

The first few minutes were magical, just exploring the world and letting the sounds sweep over me. However the novelty began to wear off and I found it harder and harder to stay immersed. When the world changed after the first season that kept me interested for a few minutes longer but after a while I was just going through the motions. Towards the end of the last act I was becoming bored and detached but just wanted to see it through to the end. This removed any impact that the ending might have had.

That was my experience. It's not that I don't get the game. I loved the idea of this game. I just couldn't bring myself to love the game itself. I don't know whether its the game's fault for not keeping me interested, or my fault for not being able to keep myself interested.

Ultimately though for me there just wasn't enough to do; the moments of discovery were just too few and too far apart, and the days were just too long.

I loved Dear Esther which is the closest experience to this I can think of, but that has a very strong sense of progress.

Some of David Lynch's films (eg. Mullholland Drive, Inland Empire) experiment with completely removing the plot for a movie. I loved these films - they are completely engrossing and at times bizarrely unsettling. The key to this though is there is always something new happening, even if you can't understand why.

This game is a similar experiment in removing all of the goals and the structure from a game. For me this just didn't work. Not because the concept inherently doesn't work, but because after a while there just isn't enough to do and it becomes repetitive.

[Cheezy Chops]

@Chironyx

I agree with you. It seems that you either "get it" or you don't. I thought it was great. If I was to describe this game in one word it would be "Subtle". You have to have an eye for it.

[Scorpius1981]

People who read Koans will appreciate this.. I do. Like someone said before, this is a game for people with a soul. For some people, this just isnt Call of Duty enough for them.

[Demi-Friend]

I know if you look at the negtive reviews you can see the call of duty fanboy its funny because they don't get the point they say OMFG GAME PLAY SUCKS.

[Remo]

I don't think the level of graphics loans itself to the task of being entertaining. You give the same gameplay in an enviroment like Myst/Lord of the Rings and I'll explore that for hours. The whole "8-bit" graphics approach really takes away from the game. You see one tree and you've seen them all. There's not much variance here outside of the occasional colour change.

[Scorpius1981]

Originally posted by Sir Eight Bit:

I know if you look at the negtive reviews you can see the call of duty fanboy its funny because they don't get the point they say OMFG GAME PLAY SUCKS.

yeah, they are like "Oh my god! This game doesnt hold my hand and lead me through everything! No action missiles, must be able to smash things. Me want explosions and leaderboard! My tiny, unenlighened mind cannot comprehind this!!"

[Loira]

Well, I'm not done this game yet but am enjoying it immensely thus far. I'm playing this after a really failed 40 minutes (if that) with Starseed Pilgrim which though in some respects is clearer, I just couldn't get into.

Anwyays.

Proteus. The music. I could honestly just keep this game open for the ambient sound. The graphics, as has been mentioned, may not be the greatest thing on the planet, but I find that ads to the experience of noticing the subtle things happening around you and, in a way, forces you to focus more of your attention on listening.

I can't count the number of times I followed some creature or another just so I could continue hearing the sounds it/they made!

As was mentioned, when standing in that ring... well, that's an experience in itself and it is still getting my every time. I don't consider myself to be pretentious, I'm not a hippie as some have said you need to be to like the game, heck I honestly don't even play games that much anymore, but I'm enjoying this.

Why? Simply put, because it is more about the experience; the getting there, the journey, etc. I appreciate that.

[Sgt. Pepper]

It's F***in trippy, man...