When comparing Mountain vs The Novelist, the Slant community recommends The Novelist for most people. In the question“What are the best Exploration games on Steam?” The Novelist is ranked 24th while Mountain is ranked 25th. The most important reason people chose The Novelist is:
There are many different outcomes to the game, all of which can be experienced through multiple playthroughs. this makes for an extension of the time spent in the game and in so makes the game last a lot longer than a linear storied game.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Art in the shape of a game
Once the player answers random questions and the mountain is formed all that is left to do is observe the mountain and what happens on it. More an art piece than a game this makes for an ambient experience that can be relaxing.
Pro Longevity of gameplay though different choices
There are many different outcomes to the game, all of which can be experienced through multiple playthroughs. this makes for an extension of the time spent in the game and in so makes the game last a lot longer than a linear storied game.
Pro Difficult storytelling that can hit home
The story of the game involves a family with a learning disabled son and the trials and tribulations that occur. The father is a writer who is trying to concentrate on his newest novel, his greatest work and is torn on how to advance his career while maintaining his family. The player will choose from different options on how to balance this family life, making difficult choices that will have differing effects on the game and story. It is through these tough choices that the player will experience feeling that may have an impact on their mood and maybe even life.
Cons
Con No controls
Which basically means this is more a screen saver than a game. There is nothing to control, no interaction at all other than tones one keyboard will play when keys are pressed.
Con Endings seem to obvious
The different endings in the game feel a bit too neat, to obvious for the story that is played through, something more gritty or less conclusionary would have been more fitting.