Toxicfluff on 21/3/2009 at 14:05
(
http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/) The Path
Anyone else played this yet? Only past the first hour, but it held my attention fast, and I've not liked an abstract game before. Shit, I not liked them so much I can't even remember the ones that I've tried. Still, it's the first hour, so no concrete opinions.
So, it's a real triumph of mood despite veins of cheese running through the visuals (the marble skinned, black haired, hollow eyed little girl trope has run its groove into a ditch IMO) and music in places. The constant change really grabbed me, because one thing I've always hated about games is aural and visual repetition, but it seems here there's enough change in each that there's a lot of combinations to fend off the gaminess. Simple stuff: music, darkness, colours and light shifting, but it does reach the greater sum than the parts.
The thematic content's a bit off, I found. It's on the rung up from "my soul is a hole that is never whole" semiliterate goth screed, y'know, when they learn to cloak their darkness in more open language that doesn't hit you with the force of a wet mouldy flannel.
The main thing it left me with was that there's massive potential for symbolism, allegory and all manner of other arty bollocks in this medium.
Jason Moyer on 22/3/2009 at 00:16
Haven't played it yet, but I'm seriously debating picking it up for my birthday. I'd like to see what other people think first, but it looks like it could be really interesting.
Edit: Oh yeah, and I haven't seen this mentioned in any previews/reviews, but Jarboe did the audio. I'm assuming that means it's all kinds of awesome.
Koki on 22/3/2009 at 10:34
No to tread on EvaUnit02's grave, but RPS wrote stuff about it some time ago. The final word was "This game is terrible and that's why it's great".
Yakoob on 22/3/2009 at 11:27
I heard a while ago and was intrigued by the "the only way to win is to lose." I am not sure if I want to read more reviews to see if it's worth it, or just go ahead and buy it without spoiling anything...
Neb on 22/3/2009 at 12:42
Weeeeeeeee! I just bought it, looking forward to a 'terrible', arty non-game, and it's unplayable due to a frame rate of less than 1 in some places, with all settings on low. :(
Toxicfluff on 22/3/2009 at 13:07
Koki:yeah, despite sounding like the sort of sickening, glib oxymoron dear to so many poor writers, in this case it's not inaccurate. The core mechanics don't weigh well against the metric of gameplay as normally conceived; that's to say satisfying and fun. Take the annoyance of moving so slowly after the lake scene, or the way the faster you go, the less you can see. But they make sense in the context, and i think there is a need for games that take more gutsy moves, rather than always contriving to make things easier for the player. Without asking a little more from the audience, gaming's never gonna be more than time disposal. Not that i'm one of the 'verily, verily, games are art' brigade.
Jason: yeah, the audio is good. The use of music blew me away, the way it changes from scene to scene was very natural. The marriage of sound to visuals is very tight and adds a lot to the experience here.
At 10 bucks, it's a good buy just for something different.
Sulphur on 22/3/2009 at 14:27
Well, it is different. I've played a small bit of it, and I don't think $10 is too high a price for the game. It does ask a fair bit of you as a player - the girls walk quite slowly, there's no map, and there's no linear (or instantly coherent) narrative per se.
However, most of that's attended to in the overall structure of the game. The girls can run most of the time; if you get lost, there's a breadcrumb trail that flashes every now and then to help you with your bearings; the game doesn't really need a linear story, because you're pretty much making it up along the way as you explore the woods.
The music really is very good, I have to echo what Toxicfluff said about the soundtrack. Also I think this is one of the very few games to get the atmosphere of being lost in a dark forest perfectly.
You will be drawn into exploring the surroundings, because there are many things to discover in the woods. When you meet people (like the girl in the white dress), they're mirrored on the left of the screen like ghosts, fading in and out, caught in broken, staccato motion.
There are interesting mechanics as well. For instance, with one of the girls, if you want to interact with something, you have to let go of the controls.
It's... different.
But it's not a pleasant experience. You won't like what the game forces upon you at times - and of course, it was designed that way, to make you feel as helpless as the character you're playing. Most people won't like that.
And inevitably, you will have to work your way towards the house. I've only experienced one ending so far, but I don't think there are any happy endings in there.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Is this title supposed to be a sombre reflection on life and growing up and death, or is it just depressing gothic crap dressed up in video game garb?
I don't know. Maybe a little bit of both. Depends on what you take away from it, I suppose. As an experiment, it wins in terms of the number of rules it breaks, and more importantly, how it breaks them and moulds the entire experience out of this.
As consumable entertainment, though? This is one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever experienced.
Toxicfluff on 22/3/2009 at 14:55
Quote Posted by Sulphur
The girls can run most of the time; if you get lost, there's a breadcrumb trail that flashes every now and then to help you with your bearings; the game doesn't really need a linear story, because you're pretty much making it up along the way as you explore the woods.
Definitely one of the things I liked, the way you make the story up yourself. And also, about being able to run
most of the time -- I love this. I mean, it's irritating in it's way, but it's also authoritative. To risk sounding a bit of a ponce, I think it's fucking great that the designers are basically saying you are a visitor to
our experience. We made this, it doesn't revolve around you and, accordingly, we've made choices for the sake of the whole and not for your convenience.
Quote Posted by Sulphur
You will be drawn into exploring the surroundings, because there are many things to discover in the woods. When you meet people (like the girl in the white dress), they're mirrored on the left of the screen like ghosts, fading in and out, caught in broken, staccato motion.
Yeah, I forgot to mention this. I thought it was a very elegant way of adding a depth to the scene as well as letting you know there's stuff you can interact with.
Quote Posted by Sulphur
But it's not a pleasant experience. You won't like what the game forces upon you at times - and of course, it was designed that way, to make you feel as helpless as the character you're playing. Most people won't like that.
I think you're taking this as essentially positive while pointing out how it can be taken quite the other way, but I'm not sure. Personally, I think this is a good thing. Like you imply with the helplessness of the character, it's a decision for the sake of the whole and not a submission to the player.
Quote Posted by Sulphur
Anyway, I'm rambling. Is this supposed to be a sombre reflection on life and growing up and death, or is it just depressing gothic crap dressed up in video game garb?
Not sure. Not at home, so I still haven't had more than that hour yet. I was getting sophisticated goth from my short time through, but there's no telling if that's representative of the whole game.
Ajare on 22/3/2009 at 16:23
I bought this on impulse because it looked interesting (which I suspect many people did). I wish I had waited, to be honest.
People are going to be split on whether the 'message' of the game is worthy, or indeed if there even is a message. Me, I can't stand the a) poor performance b) insane design decisions (yellow text on a yellow background?) c) bad coding (very frustrating collision detection makes it hard to activate certain sequences, alongside the aforemention performance issues) and the feeling that, despite offering you freedom, the designers quite clearly want you to the play the game in a certain way.
For instance, when you run, the view pans up to a birds-eye perspective which means a) you can't see ahead b) trees obscure the view, and the screen also darkens for some inexplicable reason. Part of me thinks the designers simply did this to discourage you from running.
I'd love to be able to get into it, so I can join in on the intellectually-bankrupt "nature of art" arguments that this game has been generating, but every little thing The Path does saps my goodwill to the point where I just don't give a shit about what actually happens in the game.
Toxicfluff on 22/3/2009 at 21:29
Quote Posted by Ajare
I'd love to be able to get into it, so I can join in on the intellectually-bankrupt "nature of art" arguments that this game has been generating, but every little thing The Path does saps my goodwill to the point where I just don't give a shit about what actually happens in the game.
Wooo, we sound a little sore there. You didn't get into it. So what? So the discussions about it are intellectually bankrupt, riiiight. As for said discussions, well, whatever the level of intellectual enrichment you find them to be at, they're to be expected. Tough call to deny that it throws up more to think about - and I mean that as much in form as content, which is obviously, maybe too obviously, trying to provoke thought - than most games outside the margins.
