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It's one of those games that called a walking simulator back when a lot of gamers were very upset about that type of game existing. It's from the same era as a few games I finished recently. I picked it up extremely cheap in the recent Steam sale on mystery games. Overall, it's great but it's got a fucky save system. I highly recc that you just don't rely on it. Either play it all in one sitting, or plan on taking it in chunks but pausing instead of saving. It won a bunch of awards despite the problems like saving, so I'm surprised it hasn't gotten a remaster.
At times, the controls just suck. Most of the time the game will just sort of accept whatever input you throw at it as correct, which is likely for the best. The control systems and camera change between mini-stories and is sort of a pain.
It's a gorgeous game and I enjoyed most of it. There is a lot of PNW specific art and building design. It's sort of faded now, but there used to be lot of very regionally specific companies and building styles. It's one of those things where 'I know it when I see it'. Also, some items like paint tubes are meant to be from local companies with the name and logo off, but it's clearly the package design. They really captured a bit of something in the art direction.
A couple of indie games of it's era were... terrible. So, I didn't play it at the time. I'd been burned a few too many times on indie games. This and a lot of other slow paced indie games, good and bad, had rather evangelical followings. Since it was the top reviewed/recced game, even after all this time, in the steam mystery sale I decided to give in a look. Glad I did!
There was one 'walking simulator' type game where someone I knew literally offered to pay me to buy and play it to get the numbers up because the final chapter would only get made if sales/completion numbers were high enough. I don't remember which game, but I am sort of curious to go and back try to figure out which one.... but still not going to play. Man, gamers are sooooper intense about their games and these... well to put a fine point on it these 'girly' games had a lot of people who acted like them being popular was basically an important social movement... and considering what happened with one text game I can see why things wound up that intense. There is one game from that era that is still a good way to start arguments online. Okay there are multiple games from that era that could still be used to start an argument online, but only one where I personally have strong feelings about it.
Ah, gaming, such a spicy hobby sometimes.
At times, the controls just suck. Most of the time the game will just sort of accept whatever input you throw at it as correct, which is likely for the best. The control systems and camera change between mini-stories and is sort of a pain.
It's a gorgeous game and I enjoyed most of it. There is a lot of PNW specific art and building design. It's sort of faded now, but there used to be lot of very regionally specific companies and building styles. It's one of those things where 'I know it when I see it'. Also, some items like paint tubes are meant to be from local companies with the name and logo off, but it's clearly the package design. They really captured a bit of something in the art direction.
A couple of indie games of it's era were... terrible. So, I didn't play it at the time. I'd been burned a few too many times on indie games. This and a lot of other slow paced indie games, good and bad, had rather evangelical followings. Since it was the top reviewed/recced game, even after all this time, in the steam mystery sale I decided to give in a look. Glad I did!
There was one 'walking simulator' type game where someone I knew literally offered to pay me to buy and play it to get the numbers up because the final chapter would only get made if sales/completion numbers were high enough. I don't remember which game, but I am sort of curious to go and back try to figure out which one.... but still not going to play. Man, gamers are sooooper intense about their games and these... well to put a fine point on it these 'girly' games had a lot of people who acted like them being popular was basically an important social movement... and considering what happened with one text game I can see why things wound up that intense. There is one game from that era that is still a good way to start arguments online. Okay there are multiple games from that era that could still be used to start an argument online, but only one where I personally have strong feelings about it.
Ah, gaming, such a spicy hobby sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-07 06:47 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2023-03-07 06:58 am (UTC)From:I feel like it's a little calmer now because there are indie games that are far more worth spending ten bucks on. AAA for all it's faults tends to be a much better investment both in terms of $/hour of entertainment but also in terms of not having to deal with 'yeah don't count on the save system' level of bugs or lack of QOL features.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-08 01:39 am (UTC)From:That's also a good point. Even just a few years ago, indie games were hugely hit or miss. That's still the case for some stuff, but the quality has definitely gone up as more people have entered the arena... either because they've learned from previous games/developers' mistakes and missteps, or just because with a wider field, there's more people in that 10% of good stuff.
Though like you said, there are still sometimes some genuinely game-breaking glitches to contend with. Or just how much playability it has. Some stuff is quick to run through, but has reasons to replay.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-08 04:02 am (UTC)From:I would love to get people into Scarlet Hollow but I am not going to misrepresent it or downplay the quite frankly impressive list of trigger warnings they posted.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-09 03:53 am (UTC)From:But uuuuugh, yeah, super frustrating when people wildly misrepresent what a game is or is supposed to be. Whether that's the devs themselves or just "well-meaning" fans that are trying to get more people to play. But that way leads a lot of frustration and resentment when people butt up against issues that they should have been given a chance to be aware of.
(And I HATE not being able to trust reviews and rec lists and things!)
no subject
Date: 2023-03-09 04:56 am (UTC)From:Recc lists and reviews are such garbage. Back when Steam announced a new review/curation system I was actually going to do curated recc lists there... but they never put the system in.
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Date: 2023-03-10 04:13 am (UTC)From:Ugh, I wish they HAD released that system.
I hate that so many reviews - mainstream as well as indie - are polluted because of sponsorships or the like. Review sites not being allowed to give negative (or even neutral) reviews, because a production company could utterly hamstring them by refusing to give them advance copies of things in the future. Indie reviewers unable to give honest reviews for similar reasons because they're connected to the devs in some way, or need those devs' support on a future project, etc. It fucking sucks.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-10 04:53 am (UTC)From:The state of reviews is terrible. Kinda wish I still did them sometimes. The swag and free stuff was nice at least. So many people don't even get the super basics of how reviews work.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-11 02:44 am (UTC)From:It does really suck that it's something that's basically NEVER objective though, at least not from mainstream (and even mainstream-within-a-niche) sources. A lot of people think that they are and want to believe that they are.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-11 04:45 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2023-03-12 03:08 am (UTC)From:I feel like the trend toward reviewer "personalities" - including some that I once really liked! - partially damaged that. The over-the-top comedic vitriol aimed at things was entertaining, and soon "how comedically can you trash something" seemed like the bigger trend.
Of course, now the bigger trend is that big-name reviewers/review sites can't give *bad* reviews, at least not of big enough games with big enough companies behind them. The ways in which things are compensated is definitely conflict of interest if you want an unbiased view, and verges on blackmail more often than not.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-12 05:39 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 05:46 am (UTC)From:99% of these things have endings with very little ambiguity to require "explaining." I KNOW it's just clickbait, but that just makes me hate it extra.
And like... it sucks because I LOVE theory shit! Weird interpretations, or an argument for a certain take that makes me rethink an aspect of the thing in question is really cool, even if I don't end up agreeing with the theory! Drawing connections between different aspects of a work to talk about a theme that might not be super overt is great shit!
But then there was the "2 edgy 4 u" trend of things like trying to make every lighthearted kids show into a grimdark nightmare ("Ed, Edd, and Eddy is REALLY about how all the kids are DEAD and can't move on!!!") and it's like some people still think that was the height of media crit.
(No shade at people who like grimdark/horror reimaginings of non-horror stuff! It's the people who seize on it as obviously being the ONLY REAL INTERPRETATION that are garbage at it.)
no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 07:47 am (UTC)From:I watched a few 'ending explained' videos when the format was new and both times it was the most amazing asspulls. There are a few movies where I do wonder if I am missing something about the ending, but those videos are never going to have the answer.
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Date: 2023-03-16 03:23 am (UTC)From:There may be some things where a good analysis of the ending could help me understand something, or make a connection I hadn't on my initial watch/play/etc. I'm sure there are times I've missed something that I would really have liked to have caught! But you're right: I sincerely doubt any of those videos are going to provide it.