Is this game for you?

[Mindtroverted]

Disclaimer: I felt the need to write this post after looking at some steam reviews as well as scrolling through the Price Complaints and Dumb Internet Comments Sub-forums. Before I start, I just wanted to make things clear and tell you what this post is about. I obviously like the game and I feel like it was made for people like me. My goal here is not to try to sell you the game, it's to talk about the game's atmosphere, structure and flow to help you determine whether it is something that you would enjoy. Not everyone likes the same things and that's fine.

The game throws you onto an island and starts off with simple line puzzles. No verbal or textual help is used to explain any mechanics, except for visual cues indicating where to click and where your destination on a puzzle is. After doing a couple of starting puzzles, you immediately open up the path towards most of the island. The game does not tell you where to go, it does not give you a goal. The game doesn't even use music all too often to indicate when possibly you have stumbled upon an area of interest, it's mostly sound effects and ambient sound.

As was mentioned in the previous paragraph, you are free to walk around almost from the very beginning of the game. Different areas, obviously, have different puzzles. While most areas have a mechanic of their own, there are some puzzles that re-use a previously introduced mechanic but in a more complex layout so in order to be able to solve them, the player is expected to obtain the knowledge from other, easier, puzzles before attempting those. There are sequential puzzles that get progressively harder. Those share a theme and mechanics, but also sometimes force you to revise your approach after you realise that some of your assumptions were based on incomplete information.

The progression of puzzles is very organic and there are very few spots where the game limits your exploration due to you not knowing the solution to a puzzle. Whenever I was stuck on a puzzle, there were always a dozen other areas to go to and I could come back to the puzzle I couldn't solve later. What I mean by organic progression is that most of the puzzles that seem unsolvable are not unsolvable because you need to unlock an item, a special ability or anything of the sort - it is unsolvable because you currently lack the information and knowledge needed to solve it.

Who is this game for? This game is for people who don't like on-rails gameplay and progression. It requires time, exploration and perseverance. While this might sound like a chore (I can already hear people complaining: "I play games to relax. I don't want games to feel like work."), the game never forces you to solve a specific puzzle or be stuck and always gives you tons of locations and puzzles to shift your focus to. If you are the type of person who prefers taking their time, choosing your approach, exploring and experimenting, this is the game for you. If you like games that stump you and force you to rethink your approach and conclusions, this is the game for you.

Who is this game not for? If you prefer more focused, on-rails experience with a clear goal, interesting characters and engaging story, this is not the game for you. If you prefer games that always provide full explanations of every game mechanic as it is introduced, this game is not for you. If you get easily frustrated when unable to solve a puzzle and tend to stubbornly refuse to move on until you figure out the puzzle in front of you, this is not the game for you.

[Pesky]

That's a review. you could usefully post it as a review to the Store Page.

[Mindtroverted]

Originally posted by PeskyTheTroll:

That's a review. you could usefully post it as a review to the Store Page.

My general policy is to not write a review until i have 100% the game or at least got to the end, which I haven't. Not even close. When I do, I will.

[swingline]

I enjoyed what I played, but it was pretty hard for me. I felt about the game much like your review describes, but I did eventually get stuck pretty much all over the island and was unable to progress after about 5 lasers I think, and even then required a walkthrough at a few key places to even achieve that. I think I got to the point where I opened the game to play 2 or 3 times in a row and was unable to progress anywhere on the map (besides some environmental puzzles) and eventually I just never went back as it felt like progressing was going to mean relying on walkthroughs which I really dislike doing. Have pretty much forgotten the rules at this point, so pretty much game over unless I go back and try fresh again in the future. I think many players might get to the point of realization that it's just a pretty hard game that many can't finish without walkthroughs, and be ok with ending the game when they get to that point. I'm super impressed that some folks can get through this on their own though.