Genuinely Curious

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

First, my thoughts framing my question:

I have not personally played the game as it never seemed to be my cup-o-tea, but I have watched a couple playthroughs of this game and I have personally played a variety of other puzzle and/or exploration games so I have a frame of reference. So that said, keep in mind that the below are my thoughts as someone who has experienced the game while not being in the driver's seat.

This game seems...fine? But perhaps a bit boring? The exploration doesn't seem to be anything particularly special outside of revealing some admittedly very solid set-pieces; and the puzzles seem to be mostly there as a way to give you something to interact with in the world rather than to actually be challenging or engaging puzzles (with a couple notable exceptions that border on obtuse).

The story is also pretty simple despite the time you take to piece it together and you can pretty much guess the majority of it fairly early on with a lot of revelations later in the game simply confirming already held presumptions rather than actually introducing new information.

Finally, the 22 minute reset seems vaguely frustrating. It isn't a horrid loss of time, but being interrupted in the middle of key discoveries then having to trek back over and over does tend to add up in padded time. I understand that story-wise and thematically, the 22 minute reset fits within the game, but as a general mechanic it seems frustrating.

All that said, I don't thin the game is "bad" just a bit dull and nothing special. Clearly a lot of people disagree, which leads me to my question:

What is it about the game that convinced you to play it, and what specifically in your experience with the game caused you to determine that the game is good, or even great?

For the life of me, I can't understand the appeal, but I think I'd like to.

[Bobywan]

I played the game because of the time loop mechanics but I think it's even better to play it if you know about it.
I got hooked when I saw all the different planets with different game mechanics.
And it's very satisfaying to solve a puzzle in this game because they are all based on knowledge, that's why you can finish the game in 22 minutes if you already know everything.
Also the music is fantastic.

It's quite fun to see other person play the game because you can start by whichever planet you want and will have a different experience than other players.

[Psymon²]

alas, you missed the most important advice of the game.
play it knowing nothing.
you already know too much, and through not playing it.
this absolutely the best way to miss the experience, and to not "get" the game.

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Bobywan:

I played the game because of the time loop mechanics but I think it's even better to play it if you know about it.
I got hooked when I saw all the different planets with different game mechanics.
And it's very satisfaying to solve a puzzle in this game because they are all based on knowledge, that's why you can finish the game in 22 minutes if you already know everything.
Also the music is fantastic.

It's quite fun to see other person play the game because you can start by whichever planet you want and will have a different experience than other players.

Thanks for sharing.

[Ichmag 🔑🌙]

I mean, I cant imagine this game being fun if you already watched multiple playthroughs. How much did you know about it?

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Psymon²:

alas, you missed the most important advice of the game.
play it knowing nothing.
you already know too much, and through not playing it.
this absolutely the best way to miss the experience, and to not "get" the game.

That's fair, but even when I was watching the first play-through I watched and experiencing the game that way, it did't seem to be particularly special. What am I missing out on watching it fully vs playing it myself? Since it is a story-based/puzzle game (which is wholly mental) am I not experiencing the game in a similar fashion to the individual actually playing?

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Ichmag:

I mean, I cant imagine this game being fun if you already watched multiple playthroughs. How much did you know about it?

I knew nothing before watching the full play-through the first time. As mentioned, I have not played it personally. I am more curious as to what drew others to the game and caused them to enjoy it.

[Ichmag 🔑🌙]

Oh, you didnt play it? Obviously its not the same as playing it. You can still play it for yourself, but it wont be as fun as a first playthrough.

[Bobywan]

Originally posted by Spirit_Of_The_Wolf:

Originally posted by Ichmag:

I mean, I cant imagine this game being fun if you already watched multiple playthroughs. How much did you know about it?

I knew nothing before watching the full play-through the first time. As mentioned, I have not played it personally. I am more curious as to what drew others to the game and caused them to enjoy it.

What drew people to play the game and to enjoy it, in a single word : curiosity

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Bobywan:

Originally posted by Spirit_Of_The_Wolf:

I knew nothing before watching the full play-through the first time. As mentioned, I have not played it personally. I am more curious as to what drew others to the game and caused them to enjoy it.

What drew people to play the game and to enjoy it, in a single word : curiosity :Hearthian_Wink:

Ok. I can get that. Thanks for sharing.

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Ichmag:

Oh, you didnt play it? Obviously its not the same as playing it. You can still play it for yourself, but it wont be as fun as a first playthrough.

I may play it down the line when the events aren't as fresh; out of respect for how much the game's community seems to love it if nothing else.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by Spirit_Of_The_Wolf:

Originally posted by Psymon²:

alas, you missed the most important advice of the game.
play it knowing nothing.
you already know too much, and through not playing it.
this absolutely the best way to miss the experience, and to not "get" the game.

That's fair, but even when I was watching the first play-through I watched and experiencing the game that way, it did't seem to be particularly special. What am I missing out on watching it fully vs playing it myself? Since it is a story-based/puzzle game (which is wholly mental) am I not experiencing the game in a similar fashion to the individual actually playing?

I'd say it's an exploration-based game and not a story/puzzle one.

As such the freedom to go where you want and see whatever you're curious about and discover is more part of the experience, as opposed to a more linear story/puzzle game where it might be less of a personal experience.

For example, I flew to the white hole station on my first cycle and was very confused. And then it made much more sense several cycles later when I found brittle hollow. And this was all my personal journey in a way that watching a playthrough can't entirely communicate, I think.

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by Quillithe:

Originally posted by Spirit_Of_The_Wolf:

That's fair, but even when I was watching the first play-through I watched and experiencing the game that way, it did't seem to be particularly special. What am I missing out on watching it fully vs playing it myself? Since it is a story-based/puzzle game (which is wholly mental) am I not experiencing the game in a similar fashion to the individual actually playing?

I'd say it's an exploration-based game and not a story/puzzle one.

As such the freedom to go where you want and see whatever you're curious about and discover is more part of the experience, as opposed to a more linear story/puzzle game where it might be less of a personal experience.

For example, I flew to the white hole station on my first cycle and was very confused. And then it made much more sense several cycles later when I found brittle hollow. And this was all my personal journey in a way that watching a playthrough can't entirely communicate, I think.

Fair enough. Thanks for sharing.

[ReTigga :)]

What drew me in was my interest in space. This game does an excellent job at portraying real things on a miniature scale (with some fantasy added of course). You are given a mini solar system to explore with mini planets that have little mysteries. Even though the graphics aren't insanely good, I still found my jaw dropping after discovering something new in the game.

It is an open-world game, so I eventually got used to seeing all those things, and they lost their impact on me. But, i will never forget the pure joy i felt getting to fly across a solar system with my own power, not watching a video or looking at a picture, actually flying around myself.

If you're not all that interested in space, or if the sights don't impress you all that much, then this game might not be for you. the mystery is good but not good enough to carry the whole game if you don't care for that other stuff.

So it takes an interest in space, dedication to get through a puzzle, and enough interest to want to keep finding out more about the mystery of this game if you want to truly enjoy it like I did.

[Spirit_Of_The_Wolf]

Originally posted by AssCancerNecromancer:

What drew me in was my interest in space. This game does an excellent job at portraying real things on a miniature scale (with some fantasy added of course). You are given a mini solar system to explore with mini planets that have little mysteries. Even though the graphics aren't insanely good, I still found my jaw dropping after discovering something new in the game.

It is an open-world game, so I eventually got used to seeing all those things, and they lost their impact on me. But, i will never forget the pure joy i felt getting to fly across a solar system with my own power, not watching a video or looking at a picture, actually flying around myself.

If you're not all that interested in space, or if the sights don't impress you all that much, then this game might not be for you. the mystery is good but not good enough to carry the whole game if you don't care for that other stuff.

So it takes an interest in space, dedication to get through a puzzle, and enough interest to want to keep finding out more about the mystery of this game if you want to truly enjoy it like I did.

Well thanks for sharing! I'm admittedly not a big space guy, but its fun to see someone talk about their passions.

[Fear Ghoul]

Originally posted by AssCancerNecromancer:

What drew me in was my interest in space. This game does an excellent job at portraying real things on a miniature scale (with some fantasy added of course). You are given a mini solar system to explore with mini planets that have little mysteries. Even though the graphics aren't insanely good, I still found my jaw dropping after discovering something new in the game.

It is an open-world game, so I eventually got used to seeing all those things, and they lost their impact on me. But, i will never forget the pure joy i felt getting to fly across a solar system with my own power, not watching a video or looking at a picture, actually flying around myself.

If you're not all that interested in space, or if the sights don't impress you all that much, then this game might not be for you. the mystery is good but not good enough to carry the whole game if you don't care for that other stuff.

So it takes an interest in space, dedication to get through a puzzle, and enough interest to want to keep finding out more about the mystery of this game if you want to truly enjoy it like I did.

That's a good point. I also love space, so this really appealed to me. The fact this game uses realistic physics in space flight was also something I loved, since that is still very rare in games.