What a waste of time

[Ingo]

I really don't know why I can't write a review for this game (I can do that for all other titles I own, but not for this) so I want to give feedback here.

Well I didn't played long. I am not sure what to do. Not because I am not able to play the game but there is no motivation at all.
Okay there is an opening letter and I read it. So what? After that I know someone I don't care about wrote a letter I don't care about. There is a funeral I don't care about. Is that the mother's character? Perhaps.
Okay it seems I am driving to the hotel and there is a storm. It's totally atypical and dangerous. I heard this so often and it sucks.
Now I am in a hotel and it's closed. "We" left ten years earlier but the phone rings. Okay. Of course it stops before getting there as usual. And what shall I do there? Why am I there? I thought it should be sold. Why can't I get a realtor for that.
Now what?

Okay, I guess I know why Rachel Foster did suicide. She "played" this game, right?!

I never understood why so many game creators think I'd play the game cause I bought it. No, you can't expect me to walk around for hours to test if there is an interesting story behing that, please give me something to wonder about or to start with.
It's not because I dislike this kind of games. I played more than one and I liked a lot. But this here is a piece of crap so far.
If you aren't able to do some story telling you should create puzzle games but not this kind of game.

So can I recommend it? Nope. The value by now is 0 of 100 points. Would I buy it for 1 EUR? Nope! I wouldn't even want it when someone gives me a Euro for owning it.

[Doodlewurst]

You wrote a review to share an opinion one person cares about of a game one person doesn't care about. And you imply you don't care about the game because it's boring rather than committing to not caring and it then being boring. Maybe it's not for you, but you seem to have thoroughly missed the point.

Allow me to help loosen your new chains of tempered cynicism.

I can understand where you're coming from in that the game does take a little more time than some to find your bearings in, but not a great deal more than where you describe giving up, and it also doesn't claim to be an action game or anything of that sort and is more than clear that it is a story and a mystery first and foremost. Why you would go in thinking to know all from the outset seems a little confused. You ignored the story when it seems as though the story is the game then criticise the game for being boring. It's a bit silly.

Though, you may have noticed also at this point that the protagonist herself is less than interested in this endeavour and soon she expresses her disinterest in even being in this place. That disinterest seems to be rooted in an aversion. And so now we glimpse the first notable feature of the landscape that we tread: four walls.

I'm not far through it myself but at the point where you abandoned the game you know enough to know what your next objective is. Voice on the phone tells you. If you pay attention then you've also noticed some odd details and more than a few blank spaces - there are many details that give shape to the world but a ready few might easily be taken for granted while a more keen observer might recognise them as unusual or out-of-place and for that alone they might seem intriguing enough to want their meaning and reason to be clarified and understood. Next step you might pull out your map for navigation or you might plunge onward - at this point there aren't too many options but your path might be slightly misleading, maybe deliberately so. There are lots of details to observe that sets a scene and that itself builds story and narrative, but also expectations and anticipation and together they all build atmosphere and a touch of suspense. Moments later the background is becoming more detailed, more oddities that might want for explanation are making themselves apparent, and the initial state progresses to set the last pieces of the scene before the main experience of the storytelling begins.

I'm not far enough into the game to know even what genre of game it really is let alone what it is actually about or whether I will ultimately like it, and though I also didn't care too much about the protagonist or her mother at the start I have seen enough that I am now at least intrigued to want to answer some whys and whats that have already presented themselves. This game begs for a blind introduction, and so the bland opening is actually crafted very expertly, in my opinion. And though I don't know exactly what this game is it is apparent from a glance what it is not, and that is neither hand-holding exercise, a substitute for a life, nor a picture book.

Though, I am one for whom the most intense urine stain ever observed, traces of which should be detectable long after its constituent matter should be serially consumed within a lineage of black holes and further ahead the universe itself eventually ceases to exist, nevertheless is indicative enough of an attention to detail that the detail itself I find enjoyable.

Hope that helps.

[kangirigungi]

Wow, that's a lot of insight for someone so early in the game. Now I'm curious how your impression on the place and characters change by the time you finish the game.

As a fan of exploration games, I began by exploring as much as possible before advancing with the story. So when I got the objective to go to the overwatch, I deliberately avoided the overwatch until possible, trying to get as much detail as possible, because who knows what areas will be inaccessible later? As it turned out, it was, if not a complete waste of time, but still unnecessary. You can just follow your objectives and explore on the go. The plot is designed so that you'll visit every area sooner or later. And in this game, doors open with time instead of closing. The good thing is that you can choose your own pacing. It will never be fast, but you can choose to only concentrate on your immediate objective or you can go on exploring at any time.

[haroldhodges]

Wow, What a Wonderful insight. I have only played it less than you, and one of the starting things in this game has made me CONFUSED beyond all belief.

food, I was sent to the kitchen of the hotel, for food, that has been closed for years, when the characters father lived there, and ate there, his food was on the shelves in his Suite, you know, the place where the character is staying? two entire shelves of FOOD.

Bean soup my big old butt, there is chicken noodle soup, tuna, peanut butter... plenty of food for me to eat three meals a day for 4 days. dozens of cans of food, and a microwave and some cups i can put the food in. ON THE SHELF.

[captaincluke(IRE)]

A common criticism of 'walking simulator' games is that they have no gameplay. This isn't correct - the gameplay is exploration, and the use of exploration to unravel the story. So these games live or die on the quality of the environment, and the quality of the story. I think this game does a very good job of both. The hotel was a rich and believable environment, and the story had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. But you have to know what you are getting into - certainly if you expect an action game you are going to be sorely disappointed!

[haroldhodges]

Originally posted by captaincluke(IRE):

A common criticism of 'walking simulator' games is that they have no gameplay. This isn't correct - the gameplay is exploration, and the use of exploration to unravel the story. So these games live or die on the quality of the environment, and the quality of the story. I think this game does a very good job of both. The hotel was a rich and believable environment, and the story had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. But you have to know what you are getting into - certainly if you expect an action game you are going to be sorely disappointed!

I understand that this isn't a "ACTION" game, i would not have bought a "ACTION" game.


Environment Good to excellent.

story, poor to non existent

I didn't expect a action Game, but I expected more than the very poor execution that this "Game" provides.

and after watching the walk through, the endings would have made me apoplectic. have them call me when they update the game where I CAN sell the hotel, whether I keep the money or give it, it does not matter at this point.

[tman]

do you have any idea how stupid you sound. theres a funeral why do i care. theres a hotel why do i care.

what exactly made you want to buy this game seriously. you sound like a confused attention seeking kid whos just out to argue with ppl.

do the world a favor and stop playing games. go on message boards or instagram an complain about the world and further depress yourself cause your wasting youer time here

[Ingo]

So, it's not okay to critizise a game because it's awful? I played many walking simulators and I loved a lot. This one is a sh***** piece of software with an uninteresting story.
Well you have to live with other opions and I don't care if you can't.

[arclight]

It's an hour in and it's really slow and not terribly compelling. I bought it despite the reviews; overall the setting and environment are pretty decent but the story and pacing are ... not good.

The protagonist isn't engaging, or at least her immediate story isn't. Clearly she doesn't want to be there for pretty good reasons. I wish I could just have her sit down and read a book until the storm blows over, sell the hotel, put everything behind her and get on with her life. It would make for a short dull game but I'd at least feel I was doing right by the character. She's completely incurious and I respect that; nothing that's unfolded so far has given her or me any reason to do anything but help her survive until she can leave.

Nobody stores canned food in a commercial walk-in freezer.

Sometimes I wonder if game writers and designers ever pay attention to the mundane world around them before contriving progress-blocking scenarios like "microwave a can of beans".

Surely she could open a can of soup or whatever that's within arm's reach of the microwave using the 1940s-era can opener on the counter. It's not like anyone is really enthusiastic about the beans anyway. But the beans Block Progress so we have no choice to but to care deeply about them. I can only imagine what challenges await me with all those sponges and bottles of cleaner...

Go play What Remains of Edith Finch?, The Painscreek Killings, Old Gods Rising, Dear Esther, The Fidelio Incident, INFRA, Gone Home, Kona, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Firewatch, Paradise Lost - there are countless games that do a faster/better job of engaging the curiosity of the protagonist and player from the outset, at least within the first hour of play.

Good visuals but really lacking in the "Why Should My Character Care?" department. Maybe (hopefully) it will change once I solve The Curious Mystery of the Frozen Can of Beans; regardless. it's not a great start.