Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
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Prologue: I adore this game. I truly do. This is not simply a ‘Walking Simulator’, it is a Hiking Simulator! As noted in the description: “Featuring a beautiful, detailed open-world and a haunting soundtrack, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is non-linear storytelling at its best.” Indeed, it is a haunting soundtrack, however, it is closer to a melancholy hymn than anything else. So, what about all the other aspects of this game? Well, read on, and I shall indulge you!
Gameplay-Slow, smooth, and serene, dying is just not possible here. So, don’t even bother trying. Instead, simply relax, take in all the scenery, and immerse yourself in the story-line. Who are you? It matters not, but for me, I was a nameless hiker, along the road and also the trail. Will you encounter any other people? In a manner of speaking, yesh. However, don’t expect to see them clearly, for they are nothing more than particles of light. What about creatures and critters? There are a few critters (Like birds) here and there, both dead and alive, so seeing them alive us a plus, at least. Plus, you can open doors, use light switches, radios, computers, and whatnot. Gameplay Score-8 out of 10.
– Real player with 51.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Indie Games.
From the beginning everything about this game was promising. You have an interesting story, gorgeous graphics (Cryengine to boot at), touching orchestral music, and what else? Oh yeah, Santa Monica studios, who are better known these days for making God of War BOY! (I had to do that, sorry) working in collaboration with The Chinese room so what could have gone wrong?
I’ve played many narrative/exploration games before, and I liked many of them. I always mention The Vanishing of Ethan Carter first, a supernatural murder/mystery game I loved so much and even though the story was not perfect it went great with to the game world. You believed this could actually exist, not because of the graphics only but also because of the design, the way every object was placed in the world, you believed it could’ve been a real place. It was a pleasure to explore and see the story unfold. It didn’t go on for too long, just the right amount of time.
– Real player with 25.3 hrs in game
Jung’s Labyrinth
What an experience. Now I know what it truly means to be labyrinthine, frustrated, as the dev perhaps intended us to be, in the true nature of the journey to the centre of oneself. I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. The images and realisations it invoked, whether directly or indirectly, were sublime. The music flowed effortlessly with the scenes, some of which where completely breathtaking–the magician’s place and the puer’s playground to mention a couple. I especially liked the Trickster part and the role it played in the game, as I personally have a troublesome relation with that archetype. It was also personally rewarding to catch the various references, as I have been reading Jung for a few years now. There is so much I wish to say about this game, and yet I shall try to contain myself. Gameplay-wise, I am lucky that my system was able to run it, and the minor bugs (‘moon jump’ during the albedo segment to name one, unless deliberate) were thankfully not troublesome at all.
– Real player with 6.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Exploration Games.
Whilst there are some stylistic choices that weren’t always to my taste, this game more than makes up for it with heart and integrity. I’m not typically much of a videogame enthusiast, but occasionally something like this will catch my eye that looks interesting and immersive. And indeed it was. I found the individual habitats of the archetypes most enjoyable and was always looking forward to who I might next meet and how the archetype might be portrayed. These little individual occasions felt somewhat museum-like in tone, as though I was exploring a virtual Jung exhibition, or experiencing a kind of immersive theatre. It was clear that a lot of detailed attention had been invested in creating an individual atmosphere for each archetype encounter. I do wish though that the player could have been more involved in each of these cases - maybe more options to pursue various threads of conversation, or particular challenges one must overcome to integrate each archetype.
– Real player with 6.7 hrs in game
Shutter Stroll
Explore hundreds upon hundreds of vibrant islands to take a break, breathe deeply and snap beautiful photos with your camera. Lose yourself in the moment while hunting for that one photo you’ll remember forever. Take your time.
_Camera in hand, you set out to capture a moment.
To walk where no one has walked before._
Key Features
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There is no goal: Take as many or as little photos as you’d like. You won’t be graded, only you decide what makes a good photo.
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Relax: Get lost on vibrant islands, take it slow or explore every nook and cranny of these generated spaces.
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Make it yours: Use a myriad of camera settings and filters to make every picture your own. Share your images or visit islands others have photographed before.
Read More: Best Atmospheric Indie Games.
Welcome to PINEHILLS
While the store page states it was released in August 28, 2021, it is not a full release. The files even state on the startup screen they are using the July Early Release. Therefore, this game is still “Early Release”. I spent 2 hours going into every empty building, going along every road, covered the lighthouse and even went as far into the ocean until you fall off the map. The game only has 3 “otherworldly” flashbacks. The total number of angels you can find are 4 of 12. The game is impossible to complete because there are no more angels to find on the map. Once you find all 12 angles I’m guessing the trapdoor inside the church will open and you can complete the game? If you want a “complete game” with a similar map check out Titan Chaser. Your money will be better spent there unless the dev releases the complete game of Welcome to PINEHILLS cause right now this is not it folks!
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
The game is akin to one puzzle like you would find in Res Evil 4 and the whole game has been centered around it.
Find x number of angel statues around the game world and replace them in PineHIlls' church.
Problem is after that hiding three or four statues and placing some very empty stock asset structures in about about six different spots the devs never came back to scatter the remaining angels.
This should be Early Access but the empty discussion board suggests abandoned.
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game
Bright Lights of Svetlov
Виртуальные забавы отправляют нас в самые разные миры и очередной вояж на Марс едва ли вызовет какие-то особенные эмоции. А вот Огни Светлова - внезапно - отправили в мир детства, где все знакомое и родное. И это круто, это вызывает какие-то совершенно новые эмоции, непривычные для игр.
Очень приятно видеть экранизацию советской действительности в самом ее приземленном и обычном виде. Без клишированных камрадов, ушанок и вот этого всего. В общем, сеттинг удался.
И нарратив, кстати, тоже. За свои полтора часа игра успевает рассказать историю, причем делает это неплохо. Приемы подачи сюжета стандартны - но они работают. В какой-то момент ловишь себя на той мысли, что погрузился в это все и на самом деле интересно что будет дальше.
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
this game is so well made! i love the vibe. i felt cozy half the game. and i love the sounds of the birds and the wind used outside. it sounds like outside my house. each country got its own local birds. you rarely hear european nature in games. it made the ambience even more wholesome. anyways…
what started happy and cheery ended in tragdedy and i was shocked. especially when i found out that this whole incident is based on a real event i have never known about before this game.
i hope vladimir cholokyan will make more games.
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Review originally posted here.
8/10
Hi. My name is tsupertsundere, and I love walking simulators.
Dear Esther is the grandmother of them all. It started as a humble Half-Life 2 mod, but after becoming a darling of the Source modding community the three devs got together and spruced it up for commercial release. After many years and some final polishing, the Landmark edition was released with achievements and director’s commentary.
I played this game already, a handful of years ago, and was more than happy to revisit this sad, lonely island in the Hebrides. I appreciate Dear Esther for what it had done to spark a genre and influence design in many more, and I love me some director’s commentary. Getting insight into what the devs were thinking and what they were aiming for and what design principles they followed is really fun and interesting to me, and getting another 100% cleared game on my list didn’t hurt.
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
SPOILER-LESS REVIEW
Welcome to the premiere walking simulator which managed to coin the “revolutionary” genre (the devs called it that, don’t blame me). I’ve been playing it for a while to get an idea behind it and to better present it, and after completing it once and going through the developer commentary, here are my thoughts.
Gameplay
Regarding gameplay, there isn’t much. You walk around and listen to audio prompts which are offered by the narrator, while you explore the area around you and find elements which clue you in to the story. Notably, environment elements are being generated randomly and can have an emotional impact, depending on how and when they’re discovered, but this may be giving them too much credit due to how certain elements can be interpreted. The game can be very very very slow due to the walk speed and lack of any sprint, which is a deliberate choice. The game also does not have any sort of failure state; you try to drown, you get whisked back on the shore, you fall from too high, you get transporter back on the cliff. All these elements create a very slow and somewhat boring experience, but as long as you like to sift through the environment and just enjoy it, it should be fine for you.
– Real player with 4.9 hrs in game
Flowers for You: a pleasant walk
Great game for relax. Adorable colorful graphics. Great job guys.
– Real player with 4.3 hrs in game
A beautiful and relaxing game. Simple mechanics but cool..
– Real player with 1.2 hrs in game
Implements of Hell
I got this as soon as it was launched. I found it to be a decent horror game for the money. A must for a horror game collector, The only down side for me was it could have been a longer game to play. I finished it in over an hour as I was exploring and taking in the graphic sites etc. You could possibly complete this within 30 mins. I give the game 8/10
– Real player with 2.6 hrs in game
This is the first time I’ve left a review but felt compelled to leave one due to my utter disappointment with this game.
Now for the price paid I was under no illusions I was going to get an AAA title but for what you do get in this game or what is more like a demo is next to nothing.
Yeah there are a few jump scares in there which are pretty well done but other than that what you get is the following:
2 “Puzzles” to solve which are simple combinations that took 30 seconds to crack and coming from soneone who has the observational skills of a blind sloth.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Motherland
In this game, I liked that there is an open world as well as an interesting story.
A lot of sadness in the game is added at home - panels, which are all the same type and make you think about a lot …
– Real player with 4.0 hrs in game
A game that brings up burning topics. It is both soulful and sad, atmospheric. It’s cool that there are in-game achievements. I would also like to point out a minus: the game has problems with optimization. My computer can barely handle it.
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Pattern
This isn’t really a game. It is more of a work of art and a story.
There is hardly any game play. There is a small stamina mechanic, but you are mostly just able to explore the environment. At least for me, this was more about slowing down and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
There aren’t that many areas either. There are only four. But they are all very, very lovely to wander about in.
The other part of this is the story. To summarize (minor spoiler warning?), The game developer talks about his experience creating games and art, and talking about what it means to him. It isn’t too long, but it is a very nice read.
– Real player with 2.6 hrs in game
Not bad, but full price is too expensive. Get it when discounted.
The game is procedurally generated, but the in the end you will always cycle the same 4 different environments + the room, more variation would be better or at least making the order in which the levels appear more random.
Another simple feature that I would like to see implemented is an auto-walking key, like what you have in Meadow: you press F and the character just walk by itself, freeing you of the need to keep pushing the W button, which is a bit annoying.
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game