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AG Community Playthrough 48 - Shivers
It would be great to have more/new people on board too, having said that I don’t suppose a day one way or the other makes much difference does it? Happy to push back a day if helpful though.
Thanks for that. Plus tomorrow is my wedding anniversary, so I’m not sure how much gaming I would have done on day one anyway. Feel free to start Thursday. Both of my friends were big Shivers fans, and have played it multiple times as well. So even if they are late to the party, they are familiar with the game’s mechanics, and should have no difficulty catching up.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Hey, new participants! Welcome!
… how would you rate the scariness on a level of 1-10? …
If I can’t die, or can’t die easily, then it’s ok, but I’m a nervous wreck playing horror games where death is cheap.
I don’t know whether I’m the best person to answer this as I’m not too easily scared (probably too stupid or something!) but I would say Shivers is not that scary. Also death is definitely not cheap. it is possible to die but to be honest I would be surprised if anyone died in this playthrough – unless they are doing it on purpose, which is fine too of course!
...Plus tomorrow is my wedding anniversary…
Mine was on Monday! Anyone else in this week?!
I’ll post the start of section 1 tomorrow.
3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!
Congrats to you both and your long-suffering partners. 
My wife certainly appreciates your comment. 
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Shivers: Section One, a brief introduction
Welcome one, welcome all to Professor Windlenot’s museum of the Strange and Unusual! If you haven’t already watched the introduction then enjoy the short 90’s campy B-movie horror introduction video, a shot of which is reproduced in all its grainy goodness below!
‘So hang on… we’re all pairing off now and you’ve locked me behind a gate on my own…?’
Our first section is one of exploration and introduction to the game. Straightaway we’re going to feel the limitations of a community playthrough of a non-linear game, because the first section is short and therefore you only have 1 week until Thursday 30 August to complete it. I’m not spoiling anything by saying that this is the ‘linear’ part of the game (or close enough for our purposes anyway) so it makes sense to stop once it’s done, even if we might ideally want to do more.
Details on exactly where to stop below, but first something to say to those who know the game well (no spoilers though).
For the Shivers Old Hands
Obviously you could speed run this first section pretty quickly and enjoy how unsatisfied you feel at such a short segment of gameplay. If you’re in a position to do that, let me ask you to take your time with this first section…
Everyone remembers their first time right? It was longer ago than you care to remember, involved a lot of fumbling and embarrassment, seemed to take no time at all and almost ended in an accident?
Well, ok maybe just me then, but I’ll never forget that first driving lesson!
In all seriousness, let me encourage you to come at this game like it’s the first time you’re playing it. Spend some time to drink in the atmosphere, try and remember how it felt to explore this the first time, and compare how it feels now. Try and notice something you don’t remember noticing before. Above all try and feed some of it back after we complete the first section.
Play Until…
As I said before, the game does not naturally lend itself to break points and therefore we need to put in self-imposed limits. Here’s how we’re going to do the first section:
After a while you will go up in a lift and enter a kind of office with a desk and a fireplace. You may leave this room in any way you can except you may not go through the door to the left of the fireplace, as shown below.
So to be clear, any other way of leaving the office is fine, but NOT that door so don’t touch! Here endeth the first section.
As I say, it is a short section, but if we are all done ridiculously quickly, we can bring things forward.
As things stand we will start the next (longer) section on THURSDAY 30 AUGUST. Enjoy and I hope you’ll all join me in an evil laugh!
Mmm-Hmm-Hmm-Heh-Heh-Heh!
3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!
Optional things to discuss
Obviously, please give your own impressions of and comments about the game in your own words, time and style, but if you’d like some encouragement, how about…
1. If it’s the first time (FT) you’ve played – What are your initial feelings/impressions and is it anything like you thought it might be? Does the game feel easy to access/get into for you?
2. If you’re a Shivers Old Hand (SOH) – Anything you’ve noticed for the first time or had clean forgotten?
3. What about those graphics?! Those are some …interesting 90’s colours and textures aren’t they?
4. (SOH) – How does it feel to be limited to the area we’re limited to at the moment?
5. (FT) – How are you getting on with the slideshow movement controls? Easy to use or keep getting lost in weird circles?
6. Just for fun – Urban Explorers are average people who explore abandoned buildings/structures for fun (at least that’s what they’re called in the UK). Is it legal? Well… aside from the probable trespass, possible breaking and entering and potential criminal damage… err… maybe! Is it safe? Well… err In some ways it’s really quite similar to our AFGNCAAP here in Shivers. So what about you, have you ever… would you ever… if so, where? (https://www.theurbanexplorer.co.uk/ if you’re interested in more info)
Please answer whatever you want or do completely ignore the questions if they’re not helpful to you.
3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!
I’ll also be joining this one as I remember Shivers fondly from my college days.
1. What is your history with Shivers? First time playing it? Played many times already? When, if at all, did you first play it? (Let’s not get too into the game at this point and no spoilers please obviously).
I played it during my first year in college back in 1995. I didn’t finish it and I do not remember a single thing from it, but I do remember liking it. I don’t remember why I didn’t finish it though.
2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?
I prefer third person, or full 3D first person. My biggest pet peeve with slideshow games is missing a certain area or a certain angle of an area, because I didn’t realize you can go there. With full on 3D, you are in control of the camera so you can look around the scene wherever you want. Also I tend to lose my orientation sometimes when i am moving from slide to slide, especially if there are multiple paths.
3. Shivers is a horror game. Don’t misunderstand me, you’re unlikely to get any sleepless nights from it, but it is a horror game. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?
I don’t remember being scared at all playing it. I usually do not mind horror games, as long as there are no little girls getting possessed or any demonic possessions. Possessed children creep me out. I don’t mind gore though, or zombies, werewolves and vampires.
4. Shivers is a puzzle game. Sure there is story and backstory, a captivating world and the rest of it, but in this game puzzles are king. Maybe not quite to the extent of ‘Safecracker’ and certainly not anywhere near as difficult as ‘Riven’ but there sure are a lot of puzzles! How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?
I like them if they are fun and logical.
5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?!
I played Phantasmagoria with a few of my friends. We turned off the light in my room, and all of us huddled around the computer. There was a scene in it that made us all scream like little kids. Good times!
So to be clear, any other way of leaving the office is fine, but NOT that door so don’t touch! Here endeth the first section.
As I say, it is a short section, but if we are all done ridiculously quickly, we can bring things forward.
Can’t we catch at least one ixupi? That section is VERY short, I finished it in like 15 minutes on my first play (and I had no recollection of those few puzzles) as I was simply trying out the game’s mechanics.
PC means personal computer
Can’t we catch at least one ixupi? That section is VERY short, I finished it in like 15 minutes on my first play (and I had no recollection of those few puzzles) as I was simply trying out the game’s mechanics.
Afraid not bro. I agree it’s a short section but if we all want to be playing anything like the same bits at one time we can’t really do it by Ixupi caught. You might get lucky and grab one not too long after our first break, but depending on random factors you could get quite a long way into the game before you can catch even one. In fact I expect most first timers will take quite a long time so it’s the slow start i’m afraid. I realise it’s frustrating but that’s the thing with a Community Playthrough where the game doesn’t naturally divide into chapters etc.
Anyway, it’s only a week to wait until section 2…
3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!
I installed my CD copy I bought back in the 90s to see if my opinion on the game had changed…. and I don’t think it will. Parts of the game are promising but the elevator puzzles are insufferable and the backtracking just too much for my patience. I didn’t finish the game back then and probably won’t now.
I was thinking of buying the game and following along with the playthrough, but I want to ask, how would you rate the scariness on a level of 1-10? I am very lightweight when it comes to scares, and absolutely hate jump scares. I had to quit playing a recent game I was playing, Year Walk because of that and I don’t think that is even billed as horror.
There’s really no comparison. Year Walk was serious and creepy weird horror. Shivers is a nostalgic B-movie cheesefest on the level of Goosebumps. I don’t think it would really scare anyone.
I hope to get started tonight.
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” -Bill Watterson
Well, I made it to the office, but since I forgot which door is taboo for now, I didn’t open any of them yet. Now that I’ve checked, I’m going back to finish up this section. I like the puzzles so far, and the sound effects are fun.
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” -Bill Watterson
I also made it to the office, and to the workshop. Since we can’t go through the other door, and there’s no sense returning to the lake, I guess we’re stuck here for awhile. I did have a problem [spoiler]with the boat. My memory of the sequence failed me. And I was also confused re: what was the front and back of the boat./spoiler]
Similarly, I had a minor problem with the second maze. It can be solved by luck. But if you use the timeless-but-tedious “keep your right hand touching the wall” method, you will eventually reach the elevator.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
2. If you’re a Shivers Old Hand (SOH) – Anything you’ve noticed for the first time or had clean forgotten?
I was surprised both about how much I remembered and how much I’d forgotten. E.g. I remembered the need to get the book from the body. But I forgot ]the mechanics of the boat. I also remembered the elevator code, but it took awhile for the code mechanics to kick in.
Edit: While I’ve played the game many times, the last time I likely played it was around 2000. Likely a bit earlier. That’s around the time I upgraded to a computer that was no longer capable of playing the game. The fact that I even remember any of it is, to me, quite remarkable.
3. What about those graphics?! Those are some …interesting 90’s colours and textures aren’t they?
They are what I remembered them being, but I didn’t remember the overall ambiance being quite so dark. And, as I mentioned before, things are a bit grainier than I remembered. But that is purely a function of technology advances.
4. (SOH) – How does it feel to be limited to the area we’re limited to at the moment?
Gives me time to work on my notes and charts.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I installed my CD copy I bought back in the 90s to see if my opinion on the game had changed…. and I don’t think it will. Parts of the game are promising but the elevator puzzles are insufferable…
Take heart! If memory serves, [spoiler]you will need to use the elevator only three more times[/spoiler].
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
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