JUL 28, 2024

Indie, narrative, “walking simulator”

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<aside> 📒 Neat lo-fi “walking simulator” about piecing together a tragedy at a cult commune.

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Narrative

• Overall, it is neat “environmental” storytelling with small details like a child rebelling, a dude stealing snacks, or a woman getting pregnant in the commune.
  • contrast between the leader’s house and the small rusty campers
• Piecing together the narrative through notes was kinda enough for me. The first zone (communal eating hall) was kinda bland in its story – but when I saw the pregnancy test and an invitation from a woman to a fellow cult member to meet her when she’s alone – I was hooked. Small, believable things humans would do. And then they nicely escalated after entering the leader’s house.
  • Maybe, more interactive elements in the first area, to compensate for blandness?
• Nicely ramp up in stakes: a religious commune, sex cult, an agency mole, murder, crates with military weapons
• The final sequence are well-directed, with descend into the depth of a bunker mirrored by the protagonist’s descent into her repressed memories. And a good tie-in with who she is. The ending managed to give a higher-energy note than the rest of the experience and left a nice feeling.

Other

• The low-resolution look is a bit noisy. Antialiasing is jarring at certain angles, the shadows are dark. Maybe that’s the point: to make the player feel unsettled and a bit out of touch.
  • When the cardboard bushes look funny at close distance, as the it’s very noticeable that they’re turning to face you
• it’s mostly short text descriptors – but there’s an occasional voice diary
• the character walks really slow (never mind, the run button is on R1)
• having tags on the keys is such a simple yet effective hint
• Interesting interaction with light (a few generators, the torchlight, clicking on lamps, and ceiling lights). That’s also paired with encroaching night.
• The interactive starting screen is neat. Simplistic – yet the color change and slight wobble is almost enough.