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What game have you just finished?

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I have finally finished The Night of the Rabbit (2013). To me, this is a truly worthy follow-up to designer Matthias Kempke’s first adventure game, the underappreciated What Makes You Tick.

“The Rabbit”, happening in the fantastical setting of Mousewood and the magical forest, was published and made with the assistance of Daedalic, so this game has much better production value. In fact, it is one of the best-looking adventure games that I have ever seen, at least technologically speaking, having beautiful drawings in high resolution, and splendid characters and animations. Plato the Frog-Mailman, Anya Mouse who is a waitress at a Mouse cafe, wizard Ano Morena who by intention looks exactly like Alan Moore, the spooky lizardmen; they were all drawn with a specific, striking, and extremely charming style.

Some animations after solving inventory puzzles were especially rewarding to me. It was a great enjoyment to perform certain “physical” actions in this game, such as pulling the sign-post with a grappling hook, so that it can hit the evil crow, because animations carry a lot of heft. That crow was hit badly. Finally, the voice acting could not have been better. The actual boy-actor of less than 15 years of age at the time, voiced the main character expertly. The actor has captured Jerry Hazelnut’s boyish innocence, cheekiness, and thirst for adventure.

The story is thought-provoking, and consistently entertaining. From the beginning it has a slight melancholy tone to it, because at the start Jerry is two days away from his summer break ending, he has two days to return to school. But, that is enough time for an adventure of a lifetime in Mousewood, as Jerry becomes the apprentice to a powerful Treewalker, and begins to learn magic.

As you play, more and more psychedelic and bizarre things and characters appear, it goes into darker fantasy, while staying clear of blood, swearing, and gore. There’s a lot of themes that the game explores, so it is a more complex story thematically, or at least to me. In essence, I think it is a story about dreams and memories. There’s also some fine humor in it.

What I enjoyed considerably less were the puzzles, as you will need to use some extreme moon logic to solve quite a few of them. I used a walkthrough liberally, and most of the time I was not sorry for doing so, because I wouldn’t have come up with the solutions on my own. However, maybe other players’ experience will be different. Most of the game takes place in Mousewood (19 screens, in all of Mousewood), so in addition to getting stuck often, I was getting stuck in the same place! That said, there are many great puzzles in this game. Often, it is very fun to play, solve puzzles, and progress the story. Just, the number of lousy puzzles is annoyingly high. But, with all the qualities I mentioned that the game has, I don’t want to complain too much. In my book, “The Rabbit” is an excellent adventure game.

     
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Cool beans. Cool

Did you collect all the dew drops? At some point, the game stopped counting due to a bug and when I wasn’t able to fix it, I put the game aside for a while. I remember a character suggesting it had some kind of importance, other than an achievement, but maybe playing one HOG too many had over-activated the collectable hoarding part of my brain.

I think I’ll give it another try next month or so, after reading this I wonder how dark and psychedelic it’s going to be.

I finished “The Last Express”.

Warning: I’ll try to avoid giving everything away, but the following might contain some light spoilers; consider this before reading if you want to experience the game with a blank slate.

This game now has a designated area in my heart. It has everything.

Russians discussing the revolution, one side choosing the old order, the other the new, both sides overplaying the cards they were dealt.

A tragic romance between two upper-class women, trying to free themselves from the confines of their environment. Perhaps it was all a bit one-sided, as one of the women seemed to long for an earnest connection, while her lover seemed to cope by embracing nothing and indulging in pragmatic hedonism, wherever she could.

There are workers, reading, discussing their jobs, international socialism and the passengers they have to serve.

A Persian eunuch, travelling with a harem, which was only low key Orientalist. Shout-out to the game for giving each woman in the harem a name and a personality.

A German arms dealer. Pretty much what you expect from this type of dude at this time in history. I flipped him the bird on several occasions. There’s a bit of sadness there, as well, but overal, f*ck that dude.

There is a man of mystery, probably a noble (or faking it, which would be an amazing feat, with some cool wisdom to share. Maybe a bit full of it.. but hey, Kronos, do you. Awesome bodyguard/polyglot, kind of wish we could learn more about her, but it’s cool that we don’t. She seems like a private person and that’s fine.

The protagonist, he has some moves as well. He knows his languages, but he does’t flaunt this knowledge, which is clever, as it gives him a huge advantage, being seen as a one-note North-American face. I like the way he interacts with his fellow passengers.

A couple of Serbian freedom fighters, with goals and ideals hidden behind (justified) distrust. Driven, but frustrated. I felt wariness and sympathy, at the same time.

The minor characters are awesome as well. Everyone seems like a person, living their life, interaction with other passengers in a way that seems natural.

And then there’s Anna Wolff. You cannot get any cooler than Anna. One of my favourite adventure game characters of all time, as of now. Well-written, multifaceted, smart, driven, a bit contrary, at times slightly cynical, but idealistic and open-minded as well.

I quite liked the game’s mechanic as well. The graphics are great, though the low frame animation requires a bit getting used to: it’s totally fine, though. I love the decor. The attention to detail. The conversations in many languages, sounding legit: the voice acting is on point.

All of this against the backdrop of the first World War, which is foreshadowed (and is set in motion) as the plot develops. It’s rather sad, as the game ends and we know how bad it’s going to get, even if the characters still hope it will all be over before too long.

Yeah, love this game.

     
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I bounced off The Last Express pretty hard when I tried it around a year ago. But Prince of Persia is one of my favorite games ever (above King’s Quest V even!) and it’s made by the same guy, and your glowing review (which I only skimmed because I’m so terribly afraid of spoilers) has re-piqued my interest so…I’ll be giving it another go soon. Yeah, I know it’s not like PoP at all, but Jordan Mechner seems like a guy who knows what’s up.

     

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I more or less finished Overboard! More or less because I haven’t earned all of the 38 achievements yet and for once I really want to. Cool Basically it’s a whacky text adventure with choices to click on - similar to “twine” IF with its hyperlinks. Plus graphics, ambient sound and music, no voices. The writing is good, tongue firmly in cheek, and very funny in places. Like talking to God/the Devil and being reunited with Malcolm. After I’d played this extremely short game twice I liked it but was also somewhat disappointed because I’d already met two of the three criteria for the best ending. (Best for Veronica, that is.) It took me a while to realize it needs to be played many times to appreciate all it has to offer. Recommended!

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Joined 2007-09-01

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Vegetable Party - 08 June 2021 02:00 PM

Cool beans. Cool

Did you collect all the dew drops? At some point, the game stopped counting due to a bug and when I wasn’t able to fix it, I put the game aside for a while. I remember a character suggesting it had some kind of importance, other than an achievement, but maybe playing one HOG too many had over-activated the collectable hoarding part of my brain.

I think I’ll give it another try next month or so, after reading this I wonder how dark and psychedelic it’s going to be.

Thanks!  Cool I didn’t collect all of dew drops, though it was fun to me to click on them whenever I spied them. It is true that they unlock an optional small piece of the story, but I read that it isn’t that (or at all) significant, and after finishing the game, I don’t feel like I’ve missed something important, so it’s probably just a cool addition that you can safely skip.

As for the dark and psychedelic elements of the story, I don’t want to spoil anything. It is safe to say that it doesn’t get very dark, but it is unsettling, at least in my experience. We can discuss more after you give it another try. Smile

     
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Bon - 09 June 2021 07:06 PM
Vegetable Party - 08 June 2021 02:00 PM

Cool beans. Cool

Did you collect all the dew drops? At some point, the game stopped counting due to a bug and when I wasn’t able to fix it, I put the game aside for a while. I remember a character suggesting it had some kind of importance, other than an achievement, but maybe playing one HOG too many had over-activated the collectable hoarding part of my brain.

I think I’ll give it another try next month or so, after reading this I wonder how dark and psychedelic it’s going to be.

Thanks!  Cool I didn’t collect all of dew drops, though it was fun to me to click on them whenever I spied them. It is true that they unlock an optional small piece of the story, but I read that it isn’t that (or at all) significant, and after finishing the game, I don’t feel like I’ve missed something important, so it’s probably just a cool addition that you can safely skip.

As for the dark and psychedelic elements of the story, I don’t want to spoil anything. It is safe to say that it doesn’t get very dark, but it is unsettling, at least in my experience. We can discuss more after you give it another try. Smile

This game seems up my alley, how bad are the puzzles really?

     
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I just finished the Corruption Within. It’s a quick ‘n cozy horror thriller game with nice art and atmosphere. Wish it was more challenging, but it was always compelling and I enjoyed the experience. Nicely told story that kept me guessing (wrong) until almost the very end.
A couple of scenes make it not so suitable for kids, but the upside is that those scenes upped the creepy factor considerably and added to the ooooozilicious atmosphere.

     

Player, purveyor, and propagator of smart toys and games for all ages.
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Jdawg445 - 10 June 2021 09:10 AM

This game seems up my alley, how bad are the puzzles really?

Quite a few of them have far-fetched solutions. The average quality of puzzles, I think, is decent. There are some great ones, lots of solid ones, and a large number of bad ones. I read plenty of comments made by people who also didn’t like the puzzles that much, so it’s not just me, though perhaps you’ll have a better time.

 

     
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Bon - 10 June 2021 08:31 PM
Jdawg445 - 10 June 2021 09:10 AM

This game seems up my alley, how bad are the puzzles really?

Quite a few of them have far-fetched solutions. The average quality of puzzles, I think, is decent. There are some great ones, lots of solid ones, and a large number of bad ones. I read plenty of comments made by people who also didn’t like the puzzles that much, so it’s not just me, though perhaps you’ll have a better time.

 

Jdawg, if you’re thinking of playing The Last Express, I’d be happy to play it along with you. I just need to finish Maniac Mansion and DOTT first…so it’d be a couple of weeks. MM is a first time play through, while DOTT is one I’ve played many times and never tire of. Playing these with DCast starting tomorrow.

     

Player, purveyor, and propagator of smart toys and games for all ages.
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Karlok - 09 June 2021 09:05 AM

I more or less finished Overboard! More or less because I haven’t earned all of the 38 achievements yet and for once I really want to. Cool Basically it’s a whacky text adventure with choices to click on - similar to “twine” IF with its hyperlinks. Plus graphics, ambient sound and music, no voices. The writing is good, tongue firmly in cheek, and very funny in places. Like talking to God/the Devil and being reunited with Malcolm. After I’d played this extremely short game twice I liked it but was also somewhat disappointed because I’d already met two of the three criteria for the best ending. (Best for Veronica, that is.) It took me a while to realize it needs to be played many times to appreciate all it has to offer. Recommended!

I’ve played it completely thru and finally got the best ending. It’s worth seeing, trust me. An amazing little game that I could not stop playing.

Heart

     

I enjoy playing adventure games on my Alienware M17 r4 and my Nintendo Switch OLED.

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Adv_Lvr - 11 June 2021 09:20 AM

I’ve played it completely thru and finally got the best ending. It’s worth seeing, trust me.

Two of the three conditions are easy to meet, the third one is hard. I got the best ending after quite a few attempts, but that doesn’t mean I have all the achievements. Seven more to go. A few have to do with the in-game time to finish it and I also haven’t managed to kill everybody Naughty.

An amazing little game that I could not stop playing.

Great fun.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Baron_Blubba - 10 June 2021 09:00 PM
Bon - 10 June 2021 08:31 PM
Jdawg445 - 10 June 2021 09:10 AM

This game seems up my alley, how bad are the puzzles really?

Quite a few of them have far-fetched solutions. The average quality of puzzles, I think, is decent. There are some great ones, lots of solid ones, and a large number of bad ones. I read plenty of comments made by people who also didn’t like the puzzles that much, so it’s not just me, though perhaps you’ll have a better time.

 

Jdawg, if you’re thinking of playing The Last Express, I’d be happy to play it along with you. I just need to finish Maniac Mansion and DOTT first…so it’d be a couple of weeks. MM is a first time play through, while DOTT is one I’ve played many times and never tire of. Playing these with DCast starting tomorrow.

That is a strong possibility baron

     
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Jdawg: Still interested in trying TLE if you want to line something up.

In other news, I recently finished Phantasmagoria. Another ‘unfinished business’ game from my childhood. This was was an enigmatic evil entity that my parents didn’t let me play as a kid. Since I loved dark stuff (or pretended to; I was in fact a scaredy cat), and since all the magazines (especially Interaction, of course) made such a huge deal about it, I really really wanted to. Having finally played it, I have mixed feelings about my parents decision not to let me do so as a child. On the one hand: It would have given me more things to be afraid of in the dark, and I didn’t need those. Also, I don’t think the violence and a couple of the ‘adult’ scenes in the game are appropriate for kids. So, good call mom ‘n dad. On the other hand…wow, if I had played this back when it game out, I would have been 8.5 years old, and it would have given me a whole ‘nother well of adventure game nostalgia and intersibling ‘memes’ to enjoy for the rest of my life, almost on the level of King’s Quest V. This is a game me and my two brothers would have been sooooo scared of and would have spent hours playing over and over again. I almost wish that this first playthrough was actually my tenth playthrough since ‘95—it would have been more enjoyable that way.

However, judged as a game by the standards of today (and I am going to bypass judging the ‘problematic’ elements of the game, because frankly I laughed out loud when the guy said something like ‘make me a sandwich’ and pinched his wife’s tush), it’s really not much of a game. There are no puzzles—you just have to find the right place to be at any given time in the game to make the story progress. There is the occasional pixel hunt for an object, and the occasional ‘use this object on this piece of scenery’ stuff, but these are just table scraps fed to the player in order to give him something to chew on while watching the story develop.
There is an abysmal dead end possibility at the end of the game, which comes from there being only one save game slot that autosaves. This can be circumvented by restarting the chapter, but it’s not that simple and a pain in the butt. Amazing that no one caught this as being a really horrible idea.

The acting isn’t good, but it’s enjoyable to watch. Don, your character’s husband, would fit right in on a show like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. He might be the worst actor in the game, but he’s also the most fun to watch. Him and the sleazy real estate agent. Man, I’d love to try and play that role!

My favorite part of the game, though, was having Adrienne sit on all of the chairs and benches in and around the mansion, and in the stores she visits. It was nice to take a break, rest my feet, and just enjoy some me time, some nice quiet time dedicated to being mindful and loving myself while sitting on a random piece of furniture. Also, the once daily real time bathroom breaks, complete with interactive make-up application, were lots of fun. But of course, the best part was being able to endlessly go back to the fridge. My goal was to make Adrienne attain the misshapen melon-and-gourd-hybrid figure of Madame Xima, but darn, for a woman who spends so much time sitting around, she’s got a heck of a metabolism. Or maybe she purges it all in those aforementioned bathroom breaks.

Anyway, as a game this is really pretty lousy, maybe a 3/10.
As an incredibly ambitious and well realized piece of interactive storytelling, perhaps one of if not the first adult graphical walking simulators, it’s commendable, fascinating, and even a little awesome.
As an experience for someone who isn’t looking for an adventure game challenge, and just wants a fun cheesy violent horror storytime romp, I’d give it a 7/10. Just remember not to go into the darkroom in chapter 7 until you’ve explored every last area of the mansion one more time.

Oh, and I didn’t come into this expecting to be scared in the slightest or grossed out at all—I figured that this was only shocking by mid-90’s standards. Well, turns out the death scenes are pretty gruesome. There were several instances where I was surprised when the scene didn’t cut out or fade to black altogether, or at the very least change the camera angle. They were definitely committed to the shock value, that’s for sure.

     

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I wish baron, work is picking up and im redoing the outside of my house.

So I’ve been trying to beat games that I was close to beating, so I just finished Ratchet & Clank for the PS4 and I loved every minute of it. While not an Adventure game it was a perfect 15 hr game to clear my head and I loved every second of it. 9/10. Insomniac make really great games to me, I loved this and I loved the Spider-Man game, that they released a couple years ago. Heart Eyes

     
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Jdawg445 - 22 June 2021 03:19 PM

I wish baron, work is picking up and im redoing the outside of my house.

So I’ve been trying to beat games that I was close to beating, so I just finished Ratchet & Clank for the PS4 and I loved every minute of it. While not an Adventure game it was a perfect 15 hr game to clear my head and I loved every second of it. 9/10. Insomniac make really great games to me, I loved this and I loved the Spider-Man game, that they released a couple years ago. Heart Eyes

You are just going to have to get a PS5 and play the latest PS5 versions of those games!

Anyway, sadly I finished Yesterday Origins and the ending made perfect sense this time around, the puzzles were innovative, yet solvable and the story was very well done and held my interest. I believe the second one is better than the first actually, both are modern classics.

So now it is “Tales of Monkey Island” which I hope is just as good as the previous Monkey Island games I’ve played.

Heart

     

I enjoy playing adventure games on my Alienware M17 r4 and my Nintendo Switch OLED.

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