Misleading devs, saved by the writers

[Baron Robie]

Title changed from "arrogant" devs to "misleading devs".

Devs advertised this game as if it was an immense open world where choices matter. They don't. This was false advertising.

If not for the engaging writing, I'm not sure this would have succeeded.

(In fact the writing was so good, that my writing on the subject is *Harry*esque)

[Fhoenix]

So it's 6/10 but also GOTY. I see, I see.

[Sisyphus]

Is discussing marketing on store pages the new meme? Who the ♥♥♥♥ cares, marketing has always worked that way, it is to promote a product. It's arrogant only in the sense that every product ever made is 'arrogant'.

And you're just objectively wrong about the choices thing, it just works differently than other RPGs, where you're customising your character's inner monologue and the way he reacts to events, rather than external forms of reactivity such as story branching. Try telling me that you don't get very different dialogue choices based on your character build.

[Baron Robie]

Originally posted by Fhoenix:

So it's 6/10 but also GOTY. I see, I see.

*Exactly*

[Bonsai]

"I would say these guys should be torched in the public square"

dude seriously f* off with your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. how old are you to say crap like that? calm the f* down

[piddyx]

Originally posted by Yono Jinai:

"I would say these guys should be torched in the public square"

dude seriously f* off with your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. how old are you to say crap like that? calm the f* down

Great Point. OP needs to chill and grow up

[Darkeus]

Lol. This "review" is arrogant...

[Me]

You hope the "devs leverage"? Would that be before or after they are torched in public?

[Dan]

Urm... the ones making the brazen, self-assured claims *were* the writers, not a marketing team.

I rather enjoyed it myself. Why put on false modesty when you know you've created something fantastic?

[holy-death]

Originally posted by Yono Jinai:

dude seriously f* off with your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. how old are you to say crap like that? calm the f* down

Sadly, the age is not any restriction for foolishness.

[Manimal]

this post doesnt make sense. are you high on hard drugs?

[chaos4u]

I also feel the game is a bit over hyped, have sunk over 20 hours in it, and im finding that, contrary to what i have read in various reviews, this game has an expectation of order , and if you go astray from that order you pretty much break the game .which is not what i expected from this game.

my last 2 in game days have been quite painfull as i end up having to read the same stupid book over and over gain to pass time in hopes that the next day will bring something new to interact with. it also did not help that one of the thoughts you can internalize actually sabotages your character.

The game does have its moments so dont take this as all negativity but the game has some serious flaws that are glossed. other games would be nicked quite hard for these same flaws.
seemingly disco gets a pass for some reason .. maybe my next play through i wont get out of sequence and maybe that game will have a more enjoyable flow .

[jack_of_tears]

It sounds to me like some people don't understand the game and came in expecting something different. I do agree that you don't seem to have as much freedom as the developers touted, but there is no 'right way' to play, per se. I was busy nonstop for the first two days and day 3 only drug a bit because I didn't want to do too much without my partner. Days 4 and 5 kept me busy right up to the moment of the confrontation and I only found myself uncertain of what to do twice, when I had failed roadblock checks and not realized they were roadblocks.

There are a few checks that you absolutely *must* make in order to advance the story, and that is a problem, but aside from that, you can approach missions in any order you like and often in multiple ways. NPCs will react to you differently, based on your choices and the thoughts you internalize, as will your dialogue options alter somewhat based upon those decisions.

It is more linear than I expected but the writing is fantastic for the most part, and the characters entertaining. I wasn't a fan of the end, but that's subjective and everything up until the ending kept me constantly entertained. (the ending made me feel like not replaying the game for awhile, however)

The hype for the game may have been exaggerated a bit but it is still the closest thing I've seen to a successor for Planescape:Torment (even if PS:T is still vastly superior in many aspects).

Not all games are going to appeal to everyone equally, and that's okay. There's no shame in not liking a game, and people need to remember that fandom is a matter of taste.

[freecoffees]

I agree about it being misleading if you were to assume the game was dependent on choice but I somewhat realized it to be a mostly linear narrative as soon as the game was telling Harry's story instead of controlling a self insert and I was ok with it.

I always thought the arrogant claim "most ambitious rpg ever" or something was in reference to the doomed commercial area's failed RPG board game company, something like a double-jinx or a self aware jab.

[Baron Robie]

I apologize to everyone, as my some of my comments, e.g. "torched in public" were intended to be factual in the context of how some indie game reviews go - not as anything more; and unfortunately, the terms I've used have been taken to heart more than I intended. I am sorry.

If you watch the game trailer, it makes claims about the epic scale, openness, choices matter elements of the game - which do not exist. That is misleading advertising. It is not what they deliver. What the game delivers in fact linear and very short.

The game is also very bugged and problematic. It refers to quest option that do not exist (i.e. characters cannot be found, or items cannot be interacted with). Many of the quests require dice rolls to succeed on, which if you fail will stop you in your tracks. If you've tried dice rolls on every single quest, and failed on all of them, and have spoken to everybody and explored everything, than short of it being 21:00 when you can sleep, you're kind of screwed right?

If not for the game's writing, which is original, bold and daring, this game would not be receiving the praise it has. Again, I am sorry for upsetting some of you - I suppose the title and some of my original language warranted the responses.