The Old City: Leviathan Review

Premise: A man with an unstable mind finds himself seemingly alone in a collapsed society. The player sees the world through his manic eyes, unfolding a narrative concerning themes of uncertainty, love, and, most importantly, the nature of dreams.

Gameplay: Nonexistent, but this is a mercy. Any puzzles would disrupt the game's pace; the only challenge exists in finding the notes composing a 30,000 word novella (which I'll get to later), and trust me, you'll want to find every last scrap. The game has a heavy emphasis on exploration, and little inhibits this. My only complaint here is that it is sometimes unclear when a door leads out of an area permanently rather than just to a smaller side room, which occasionally caused places to go unexplored, as I couldn't return.

Visuals: The graphics and art style strike a beautiful middle ground between DIshonored and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, making good use of the Unreal Engine. While textures themselves are slightly muddy, their stylized nature makes the environments easy on the eyes, and the art direction throughout the game, especially in the dream sequences, absolutely breathtaking. From the dank, oppressive atmosphere of the sewers to the melancholy desolation of the surface, there's never a dull sight.

Story: This is the real meat of the game. While the actual story behind the game is murky (a non-issue which will surely be cleared up in the already-announced sequels), the writing is simply on another level. I'm used to toning down my standards for small indie games when it comes to the quality of narrative delivery, but the novella bits in particular are--no joke-- life-changing. The writer/s have a remarkable grasp of incomprehensibly deep philosophical thought to the point where it will almost always feel like they're ahead of you. That is perfectly fine, as the point of the game is to define a new philosophy for yourself, determining the nature of your own reality. The novella pieces are absolutely vital to the narrative, and a couple playthroughs will likely be necessary to track down any missed sections. It's good to go into the game knowing that you need to scour every area as thoroughly as possible before moving on, because you don't want to miss some of the best writing ever put into a game.

Sound: This deserves a special little section. The ambient sound is consistently chilling, and I honestly felt scared at points upon hearing the rattle of a can in the wind even though I knew nothing would jump out at me. The music, especially during dreams, is spot-on, adding to the experience without overshadowing it at all. It's also very well-synced to your actions, which is impressive given the number of branching paths in the game world. Finally, there is only one voice-acted character--you, a.k.a. Jonah-- and the talent is very, very good. Far better, in fact, than any indie game has a right to. This guy should be doing voicework for higher-paying games, because honestly, this was one of the most surprising parts of the game. Good narration is hard to do, and this guy nails it. Props.

Length: About a five-hour experience if you really take your time. And please, please /really take your time/.

Final thoughts:

This game is a shockingly in-depth exploration of what it means to be isolated in a world where certainty is fleeting. It's a scathing critique of Dostoevsky's Underground Man (I'm gonna stress this: fans of Dostoevsky are going to love the novellas, because Solomon is essentially Raskolnikov), becoming a quest to find a replacement for certainty. I won't reveal what this replacement is, but suffice to say that the experience is absolutely brilliant and worth every minute you pour into it.

10/10

The Old City: Leviathan Review Premise: A man with an unstable mind finds himself seemingly alone in a collapsed society. The player sees the world through his manic eyes, unfolding a narrative concerning themes of uncertainty, love, and, most importantly, the nature of dreams. Gameplay: Nonexistent, but this is a mercy. Any puzzles would disrupt the game's pace; the only challenge exists in finding the notes composing a 30,000 word novella (which I'll get to later), and trust me, you'll want to find every last scrap. The game has a heavy emphasis on exploration, and little inhibits this. My only complaint here is that it is sometimes unclear when a door leads out of an area permanently rather than just to a smaller side room, which occasionally caused places to go unexplored, as I couldn't return. Visuals: The graphics and art style strike a beautiful middle ground between DIshonored and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, making good use of the Unreal Engine. While textures themselves are slightly muddy, their stylized nature makes the environments easy on the eyes, and the art direction throughout the game, especially in the dream sequences, absolutely breathtaking. From the dank, oppressive atmosphere of the sewers to the melancholy desolation of the surface, there's never a dull sight. Story: This is the real meat of the game. While the actual story behind the game is murky (a non-issue which will surely be cleared up in the already-announced sequels), the writing is simply on another level. I'm used to toning down my standards for small indie games when it comes to the quality of narrative delivery, but the novella bits in particular are--no joke-- life-changing. The writer/s have a remarkable grasp of incomprehensibly deep philosophical thought to the point where it will almost always feel like they're ahead of you. That is perfectly fine, as the point of the game is to define a new philosophy for yourself, determining the nature of your own reality. The novella pieces are absolutely vital to the narrative, and a couple playthroughs will likely be necessary to track down any missed sections. It's good to go into the game knowing that you need to scour every area as thoroughly as possible before moving on, because you don't want to miss some of the best writing ever put into a game. Sound: This deserves a special little section. The ambient sound is consistently chilling, and I honestly felt scared at points upon hearing the rattle of a can in the wind even though I knew nothing would jump out at me. The music, especially during dreams, is spot-on, adding to the experience without overshadowing it at all. It's also very well-synced to your actions, which is impressive given the number of branching paths in the game world. Finally, there is only one voice-acted character--you, a.k.a. Jonah-- and the talent is very, very good. Far better, in fact, than any indie game has a right to. This guy should be doing voicework for higher-paying games, because honestly, this was one of the most surprising parts of the game. Good narration is hard to do, and this guy nails it. Props. Length: About a five-hour experience if you really take your time. And please, please /really take your time/. Final thoughts: This game is a shockingly in-depth exploration of what it means to be isolated in a world where certainty is fleeting. It's a scathing critique of Dostoevsky's Underground Man (I'm gonna stress this: fans of Dostoevsky are going to love the novellas, because Solomon is essentially Raskolnikov), becoming a quest to find a replacement for certainty. I won't reveal what this replacement is, but suffice to say that the experience is absolutely brilliant and worth every minute you pour into it. 10/10