ArcticBoy: The Interactive Story
Genius Kojumbo Does it AGAIN!
– Real player with 1.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cinematic Survival Games.
Another completely whacked out story line game from this developer, this time it’s a story about internet romance gone horribly wrong!
I will say that this game is well worth the price tag.. but NOT as a game for “you” to play yourself.
.. By far, the best value in this game is to GIFT it to someone you want to troll and tell them just to play it. Then watch them as they get hooked enough or curious enough as I was.. to play it all the way through to the end! Haha!
My Score.. To play it yourself.. 2 out of 10. My Score to troll as friend as a meme: 9.7 out of 10!
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Last Dance
Last Dance, a full-fledged VR short animation that has been highly evaluated by many international film festivals and famous artists for its epic scale and unique VR presentation, is finally available worldwide!
Synopsis:
The human race has devoured itself in war, resulting in the destruction of our home, the Earth.
Only an AI created by human wisdom was able to survive.
The AI escaped into space and was given a single mission: the Regeneration of Mankind.
It kept recreating the Earth and humanity over and over, hundreds of times.
However, the cycle of human extinction did not stop – it only repeated itself every single time.
Just when it seemed history would only repeat forever, a woman danced alone right before the end of her life.
The AI, interested in this woman, could not help but to land on Earth to ask her the reason for her Last Dance.
The encounter between the AI and her would change the fate of the Earth.
Director’s Comment:
This story is a “myth” in the distant future, in which a god-like omnipotent AI falls in love with a human woman.
But what is so attractive about a human to an AI whose existence is beyond human knowledge?
Perhaps, for an AI that can live forever, the short life of a human is like a trotting horse lamp, with their inconvenient body bound by gravity.
Maybe under these limitations, their glittering dance may look peculiarly attractive.
I hope it can become the VR experience that allows us to rediscover the fleeting existence of human beings and the joy of love through the eyes of AI.
Toshiaki Hanzaki
Producer’s Comment:
This is my first time making a feature-length VR animation.
I worked together with Director Hanzaki to create the original story, with our staff gathering the creativity and techniques from all over the world.
Together, we have successfully created a wonderful work that made full use of the goodness of VR media.
I would like to thank everyone for their hard work.
For the time being, we will mainly be exhibiting the film at different festivals.
However, we are planning to broadcast it and release it through events next year.
Please look forward to it.
Kodansha VR Lab
Representative Director and President
Kenji Ishimaru
Read More: Best Cinematic VR Games.
The Craft of the Samurai
This is a story and not a game, as it says more or less on the tin, so to speak. It is worth your time, you can read it at your own pace. It doesn’t have filler or pointless choices like some games have. The art work is excellent. Nice music. If you enjoy short stories and anything samurai, at this price you have nothing to lose. It took me just over an hour to finish it. I hope the Dev plans on making more stories of the same story quality and using the same artist.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cinematic Atmospheric Games.
Short and Sweet.
I appreciate the developer providing exactly what to expect with the visual novel, and that it was reasonably priced. I only heard about this game through some indie game YouTube channels, so I’m glad there’s some exposure to this for what may get lost in the shuffle of the many games appearing on Steam daily.
The overall presentation was good. The art, sound effects and most of the music complimented the short story well and fits the homages being paid here. I only wish there was even more art to fit the narrative, but I’d expect it to be a limitation.
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
UnearthU
A strange experience, if you’re interested at all I’d recommend not reading much more about this
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
This is a “game” much in the same way a walking simulator or a VN is, so just fair warning.
I am currently on Day 4 and will update again when I get to Day 7.
I will not spoil specifics.
The “game” is best experienced as intended: do each day without changing clocks or anything. Do Day 1, and then do Day 2 the following day when it unlocks. Complete all exercises with honest intent, to include the writing prompts and meditation exercises.
There is a narrative and character and background amidst what feels like real mindfulness concepts. The blend between the real and fictional is intriguing and keeps me coming back each day. The layout of the exercises feels intended, with the motivational video leading into the discussions/lectures by KARE, then a meditation/breathing exercises that inevitably lead you to ruminating about what KARE just talked about, a writing prompt that sometimes gives you pause about wanting to be completely truthful, and a final checklist of items that you’re more than likely just going to click through without actually implementing.
– Real player with 1.5 hrs in game
Two Guys One Cabin
The story is pretty ridiculous in a “so bad it"s funny” sort of way, but the gameplay pretty much kills any of the lol vibes you might have from playing through the ridiculous 60-second cutscenes that lead to the next mind-numbing battle.
Combat is just outrageously bland, you just run in a circle (don’t touch the fog, that’s instant death lulz) and spray and pray. No aiming, no other weapons, grenades, anything to break the humdrum of doing the same thing again and again and again. The bosses just walk after you very slowly, so to defeat them you have to…yup, run in a circle and spray and pray. As silly as the story is, I can’t continue to force myself to run around the same two houses with my AK47 anymore. Thumbs down.
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Well.. I can’t say that effort wasn’t put into this game, but it’s probably the most awkward and incest disgusting game I’ve ever witnessed. It’s just weird and the actual gameplay where you shoot alien and solider assets is absolutely terrible. The only intrigue for me was the story but even that is terrible too.
Perhaps this game is so bad… it’s good? I dunno. I can’t say it’s good either. Just different.. and it’s awkward AF. And the gameplay like I said.. it is absolutely terrible.
– Real player with 1.0 hrs in game
Morphine
Morphine puts us in the shoes of an 18-year-old high school student who experiences a lot of bullying in his class. I think the idea of putting school bullying in the focus is commendable as not many video game use it for storytelling purposes. It should also be noted that it was mainly developed by Kerim Kumbasar - upon completion you can read his notes saying the game is based on his own experience.
Now, Morphine is, first and foremost, one of those first person exploration games. It is not an FPS in its true sense as shooting enemies is kept to a minimum. It is more about walking, interacting with objects and minimalistic puzzle solving. We relive the many times Peter was bullied by his classmate, Ted and these are often followed by dream-like sequences with a giant rabbit that is akin to the one in the film Donnie Darko. The main jumpscares are attributed to the appearance of this otherworldly creature.
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
Morphine is the first and only game made by Kerem Kumbasar - a name that we see in nearly every available space of this game - a Turkish indie developer. For a one man project and a first trial at unity to produce something presentable, I’d say that it is a semi-success. The game has some imaginative value and is brave enough to take the risk of undergoing a psychedelic horror display, but it has its unforgivable parts which led me into casting a downvote.
To arrange a non-spoiler summary, our character is a high school student with some background and popularity issues. He is the subject of constant bullying for his whole high school experience, because why not? He is insecure and intolerant, with an impending psychosis on the side. The game invites us to go through a psychedelic journey in his memories, eventually bringing us to the point where he decides to get violent. It should be noted that the name of our protagonist is a bit ambiguous, since the names of our protagonist and antagonist got mixed-up half-way through the game. For the most part, he is referred as Peter - the bully being Ted, yet nearing the end game, our silent nerd is called as Ted and the bully is called as Peter. It is quite frustrating. It might be declared that they were the same and the one person altogether, but that really doesn’t fit into the story, so… if anyone managed to get that part, inform me.
– Real player with 3.6 hrs in game
Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo
Ed Miller, a writer, came out unscathed from his car crash down into Brody Canyon, California.
Even though no one was found inside the car wreckage, Ed insists that he was traveling with his wife and daughter. Traumatized by the event, he begins to suffer from severe vertigo. As he starts therapy, he will try to uncover what really happened on that tragic day.
Prepare yourself for a most disturbing investigation inside the human mind: truth is sometimes worse than madness.
Features:
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An original story about obsession, manipulation and madness, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Vertigo.
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Live a powerful narrative experience paying tribute to the visual and storytelling techniques of the thriller genre.
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Investigate through the vision of three characters: everyone has a different story to tell.
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Explore several timelines to cross-check the events and separate reality from deceptive memories.
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Developed by the award-winning adventure game studio Pendulo Studios.
The Dawning
Sometimes even after leaving a career, the remnants of that vocation maintain a firm grasp on your life. This proves to be hauntingly true for ex-private eye, James Madison. Following a troubled past and an abrupt end to a storied career, Madison finds himself staying with a friend, Ben Noble, and his family on their pig farm. One night, after awakening to a heavy knock on the door, Madison finds everyone on the farm missing. To make matters worse, ominous text messages are being sent from an unknown caller promising a healthy dose of murder before the night is over. While overcoming complex puzzles and staying far away from the hungry wolves that roam the property, help Madison unravel the mystery, find the Nobles, and catch the killer before it is too late.
Adios
Target Audience: Subtle Story Lovers who want something down to Earth.
Summary:
Adios is one of those games where you wish that there was a bit more of a budget for the game to work with, because you know that there’s a solid foundation at the surface here, but it can only get so far with what it has to work with. The game’s biggest selling point is its story, which isn’t bombastic or over the top like you may think with the game’s store page and the crime aspects related to it, but is a character study of how one man deals with life pushing at him from every angle, and how he responds to trauma. It’s emotional in the right ways, and some stellar voice acting from our two main leads helps propel the game forward and make you look into every conversation and its subtext. Subtlety isn’t exactly a common skill in writing like this but the game pulls it off wonderfully, and it’s a game that you’ll sit and think about for hours after you play about what you’d do in the situation, and the themes surronding it.
– Real player with 16.8 hrs in game
Adios
A really interesting concept that almost delivers, but ultimately is let down by the lack of vocabulary choices, a clunky interface, and a questionable turn of events.
Story 📕
You’re a pig farmer in Kansas. For the last fifteen years you have helped feed chopped up body parts to your pigs for the Mob.
Today, you have decided to quit. You are no longer comfortable with letting the mob use your pigs as a way of disposing of victims.
– Real player with 7.2 hrs in game
Attentat 1942
I am certainly partial to games that tell a story. However, games that pass down important and historical information are even better. A game that can entertain and teach possesses a special power. Not only can the game effectively deliver important information that the player is more likely to retain than they would sitting in a history class, but it also engages them in such a way that the information becomes relevant and memorable. I know I’ll never forget how my hands sweat when the gestapo knocked on the door and I had to quickly find a way to nervously delay them. I was impressed with the mechanics during that mini game, and I think that games like this should be made available, and perhaps even replace, outdated teaching techniques in school.
– Real player with 6.3 hrs in game
Attentat 1942 is a FMV game, where you want to know, what happened with your father and mother in Prague at the Second World War.
What I really liked in the game, is how it looks. Now, the videos has all right quality, however the older cutscenes are made with comic styled, but more like newspaper version of that, and those cutscenes looked amazing. Everything is understandable from them and looked really nice.
About the story, I liked it really much. Reminds me of older stories from the same time, which I heard from my grandparents. It showed the war from a different perspective, which is not cover in history books or in TV properly. Most of the choices you can do in the game makes sense and bring the story forward. Characters have their motives and own story is really nice, however I need to mention, that these stories happened and that gives a whole new depth to it.
– Real player with 6.0 hrs in game