kind of regret the puchase, game puts me to sleep.

[purplellama]

the game is pretty cool especially in concept, but maybe a bit expensive for what it is.
i feel like i paid for the symphonic background music licensing, more than a 'game'.
i'm sure the voice acting added greatly to the fee's also, it's really solid.

a lot of the spoken story is well done, very poetic, but i felt like so far
at about an hour into this, not sure why i'd replay it. and it feels devoid
of any gameplay. it's like a rail shooter, but without the game and minimal
story added coupled with slight freedom to walk around. like i'm just witnessing
the island and trying to piece together what the story means.

i have an interest in everything from puzzle games to point and click adventure
to rts and fps and rpgs. i'm not saying the game is trash by any means,
just that it kind of put me to sleep. it feels like an exceptionally well done
demo software, where you're just a viewer, not meant to interact. i mean
i haven't found anything i can interact with yet. and im not sure i would replay
it just to hear the well written random stuff, or some music i hadn't heard the
first time. in that regard, i feel it's kind of deceptive. yes it probably isn't the
same twice, but as far as i can tell the map doesn't change at all. so the core game
is the same, but maybe i misread and just got hyped on such a different concept
when i read the store page. the game seems almost completely devoid of life too.
i think i've seen one bird and nothing more.

if you're looking for something minimal with adventure in mind, maybe you will
love this. but if you were hoping for puzzles and physics and a changing landscape
i think you'll be sorely let down.

[Strandly]

The trailer alone just about put me to sleep.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be buying it but I might go see if I can get some free podcasts of similar music on itunes.

[Doyen]

I'm in the same boat.

Ending spoiler:

Spoiler:

---

I ended up flying through the last level with noclip a few times after my first playthrough just to see if my game was bugged or not, because how it ended with the screen fading to black and nothing happening just seemed random. No game should ever end like that, no matter how thought provoking or different it's trying to be - a game should be a game, and no feedback on when to quit breaks a fundamental rule of game design in my books.

---

I don't feel like an hours worth of walking around merited a 7 quid price tag.. The voice acting was good don't get me wrong, and the environment was interesting to walk through, but again - as OP said - it did feel much more like some sort of tech demo or interactive soundtrack than a game.

Each his own I suppose, but not my cuppa at all. It definitely needed more interaction with the world.

[stickyboot]

It plays exactly like the mod, which you should have checked out if you had any hesitance about what the "game" is like, and whether or not you regret spending $10.

[purplellama]

Originally Posted by stickyboot

It plays exactly like the mod, which you should have checked out if you had any hesitance about what the "game" is like, and whether or not you regret spending $10.

how were we to know there was a mod available? i would have, had i known.
not a big loss, $10.

overall i wouldn't suggest this game to anyone i know though. not to be completely
negative, the game is just REALLY short. among the shortest i've ever played.

it really made me wish i had purchased the path instead.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/

that game actually has a lot of replay value, and far more random elements.
and the story changes.

meh.

[Woofits]

Originally Posted by purplellama

how were we to know there was a mod available? i would have, had i known.

From the store page: "Two years in the making, the highly anticipated Indie remake of the cult mod Dear Esther arrives on PC."

[CosmicD]

I spend €7 because I have respect for the author trying to do something out of the box and asking a little time of me to experience it, just like going to the movies.

[DazJW]

Originally Posted by Doyen

a game should be a game

You were never going to like it if you feel that way - the whole point of its creation was to not be what a game usually has to be.

[Tranceholic]

laught at me but my parents whom are 65 and 60 years old enjoyed watching me play this game so MUCH ! every time I go into a cave or get out of one they had to go like " WAAAOOOW " seeing them that excited and calm was priceless !

Ofcourse I was not doing this on a tiny monitor , the computer is hooked to a 60 " Latest Samsung Best LED TV with amazing colors ... I guess that is what you really need to completely enjoy a perfect product like this ... And ofcourse a wireless xbox controller !

[ElfShotTheFood]

Originally Posted by purplellama

it really made me wish i had purchased the path instead.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/

that game actually has a lot of replay value, and far more random elements.
and the story changes.

meh.

I own over 300 games on Steam, and that one is probably the worst of the bunch.

[jalex3]

I personally research before all my purchases.

About the game though, I've played 5 hours and each of the 3 times kept hearing and seeing different things. I had played the mod about 8 times I'd say.

Loved the music in the mod and downloaded. Loved the music in this and am going to buy it.

I also easily see myself many more times.

[Doyen]

Originally Posted by DazJW

You were never going to like it if you feel that way - the whole point of its creation was to not be what a game usually has to be.

That's not what I meant, and whether it was created to be less like other games is irrelevant. My point was, it's a game - therefore there are certain things you just don't change.

It's like reading a book only to find that on the last page a sentence stops half way through and there's no back cover. Is the book finished or was there some sort of error in the manufacturing of the book, how could you possibly know?

Or you're watching a movie when it fades to black after a scene and there are no credits. Is that how the movie ended or is your disc broken?

My point was about common good design.

I respect that the creator wanted to end it in the way he did, but his execution ruined what could've been a nice wrap-up to the experience in my opinion. And judging by how many people are also questioning the ending, I don't think I'm alone.

[jojimbo44]

Originally Posted by purplellama

how were we to know there was a mod available? i would have, had i known.
not a big loss, $10.

overall i wouldn't suggest this game to anyone i know though. not to be completely
negative, the game is just REALLY short. among the shortest i've ever played.

it really made me wish i had purchased the path instead.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/

that game actually has a lot of replay value, and far more random elements.
and the story changes.

meh.

The Path is really good, worth supporting the indie devs, great atmosphere and music

[baggataway]

Originally Posted by Doyen

That's not what I meant, and whether it was created to be less like other games is irrelevant. My point was, it's a game - therefore there are certain things you just don't change.

It's like reading a book only to find that on the last page a sentence stops half way through and there's no back cover. Is the book finished or was there some sort of error in the manufacturing of the book, how could you possibly know?

Or you're watching a movie when it fades to black after a scene and there are no credits. Is that how the movie ended or is your disc broken?

My point was about common good design.

I respect that the creator wanted to end it in the way he did, but his execution ruined what could've been a nice wrap-up to the experience in my opinion. And judging by how many people are also questioning the ending, I don't think I'm alone.

I agree about the ending, I was confused. I've worked on games that ended like that, and it was a bug...
The "normal" way with a source game is to at least load the main menu. But, they made a creative decision. Sort of strange, trading off a normal feature for letting the player just sit there and think about it all.

[flarp]

hmm im on the fence on buying this. it would have been better if there was interaction with the environment. Digging around in cupboards, boxes etc. Maybe then using that stuff to solve puzzles idk...sort of like penumbra except not scary