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Pro Exceptional narration
Excellently crafted, hilarious writing delivered by a well spoken, charismatic British narrator. Kevan Brighting has become somewhat of a cult success since the game due to its cult like status which just shows how deserving he is due to how well done the narration of the game is done.
Pro Points out narrative limitations in games by encouraging breaking narrative structure through gameplay
The game encourages players to explore decisions that would change the meaning of the presented story. What if you took a left turn where the game asked you to take a right? What if you decided not to push a big red button needed to continue playing because you didn't agree with pushing the big
Pro Discusses the illusion of choice in games
One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making the...
Pro Fantastic voice acting
There are two leads with each being voice acted in a believable way in how they interact. The relationship presented in the story is given credence due to how well it is acted.
Pro Adds interaction to the "walking simulator" genre
Unlike many walking simulator game the player is allowed to interact more with the environment than expected. User can repel down ropes, collect caches of items and even adopt a pet.
Con Story feels a bit weak
Once the player progress far enough into the game there are moments that are left unexplained that were once thought to be important as well as wrap ups that seem a bit too convenient.
Pro Deep environmental storytelling
Through interacting with objects in the environment of the game (a house) one is able to learn piecemeal the story that the game is set out to tell.
Pro Interesting side stories
Besides the main story there are several side stories in the game that center around the rest of the people who live in the house. Through interacting with objects in the house one learns of the surrounding circumstances of those that live there.
Con Weak voice acting
While most of the voice acting is adequate there are many moments that stick out as poorly done and lessens the experience of the game.
Pro Good balance
The sandbox survival mode has a nice balance for survival in general. The player must watch how many calories they burn, even when sleeping and make sure they find or hunt enough food to keep themselves going. On top of this the player needs shelter from the cold as well as a place to build a fire.
Con In early access
This means the game is not finished yet and may never be finished, so buyer beware. Though what is on offer is a pretty good experience with few to no bugs the game experience is still less than what is promised.
Con Pacing feels unbalanced
There is one notable part of the game where the player spends an uneven amount of time in that the environment is lackluster as well as holds many frustrating puzzles. This makes for what feels like unbalanced pacing and is an aggravating section of the game.
Pro Challenging puzzles
The puzzles in game require the player to use clues found throughout in order to solve a problem later on. Often the clues are discreet or require the use of writing things down on a physical notepad, much like point and click games of old. Not only does this make for a challenging experience but...
Pro Heavily exploration based
Some people may describe the genre as a "walking simulator" due to the lack of many video game elements. But it is a great experience for those that like to explore and enjoy the scenery as much of the game requires the user to investigate all areas of the game.
Pro Narrative driven experience
There are no waypoint markers, no quests, in fact nobody else in this world except the player and the narrator. Hike through the world and discover the inner workings of this person’s mind.
Pro Pervasive sense of isolation, loneliness, and mystery
The game takes place on an abandoned island, so in a practical sense the player is alone. Add to that that this is a bit of a ghost story and mystery becomes enwrapped within the isolation of the island making for what is as much of an experience as it is a game that makes for a feeling and sense...
Pro Can be relaxing
Just sit back, relax, and spend some time with Dear Esther. The experience isn’t long and there’s no pressure to go past the pace you want to go. While it does have a sense of loneliness and isolation the graphics are beautiful and the music is soothing which also lends a hand in the relaxedness of
Pro Simple mechanics
Focus more on aesthetics and atmosphere than any complex controls, which makes the games mechanics easy to understand and control.
Con Hints make the game too easy
While the included hint system may be nice for those that get stuck in the game it does destroy the wandering aspect of the title if used too often, which makes the game a lot easier and destroys some of the atmosphere.
Pro Eary isolated landscape
The game really pushes this aspect of isolation well thanks to the graphics in the game and showing a featureless landscape. This creates immersion into the story and setting of the game.
Con Side quests are relatively hidden from the player
For those that go into the game blind there is little in the way of explanation that there are side quests hidden in the game that relate to certain objs=ects as one explores. This means that many players will miss a large portion of the title.
Pro Deeply layered
While there is little in the way of interaction, what is presented to the player is a deeply layered town with many areas to explore. It gives a sense of "realness" that makes for an experience much in the way art or music does, sometimes visceral sometimes eliciting past memories.
Pro Fragmented story the player must figure out
The way the story is told matches it's overarching plot of dementia, so that the story is giving in pieces and not in order requiring the user to make the investment to piece it all together and come to their conclusion.
Con Pretty short
The game can be finished in about an hour, or even less if one is rushing. So while the game is fun to experience, once completed one knows pretty much what to expect and may not make for the best option when considering the cost compared to longevity.
Pro Simple mechanics
Proteus is more a walking simulator than a game, which makes it a great introduction to the controls of a first person view title as that is all one will really do, walk around. There are no real goals to the game other than walking to advance the seasons of the environment in order to see them. No
Pro Works well on low resource hardware
This is great for those that do not own a dedicated gaming rig and just have a low resource system such as a laptop or low priced tower since more people will be more likely to own such a device, which makes for a great introduction to gaming while not having to sink a large amount of money into a...
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