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Strangeland (coming 5/25): Wormwood Studios & Wadjet Eye Games’ Follow Up to Primordia

Total Posts: 13

Joined 2021-05-01

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I loathe putting a hard sell to anyone, but with Strangeland‘s launch 10 days off, and our wishlists still short of the magic 10,000 number that Steam uses to sort wheat from chaff, I find myself compelled to go peddling!

Wishlist here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1369520/Strangeland/

You awake in a nightmarish carnival and watch a golden-haired woman hurl herself down a bottomless well for your sake. You seek clues and help from jeering ravens, an eyeless scribe, a living furnace, a mismade mermaid, and many more who dwell within the park. All the while, a shadow shrieks from atop a towering roller-coaster, and you know that until you destroy this Dark Thing, the woman will keep jumping, falling, and dying, over and over again….

Strangeland is the follow-up to our first adventure, Primordia, released almost a decade ago. It builds upon the same core principles: using classic adventure game gameplay (exploration, puzzles, item-gathering, NPC interactions, etc.) to convey a compelling narrative with memorable characters and rich themes. It is a technical leap forward from Primordia in every way: higher resolution; better interface; greater stability; superior animations; etc. Which game will be better received is impossible to say. The two are very different. Primordia was a fairly traditional hero story featuring robots (who doesn’t like robots?) in a post-apocalyptic wasteland (tried and true!). Strangeland is a psychological horror game that takes place in a surreal dreamscape.

We think it is a worthy follow-up, and we are very glad and proud to be done with it after many years of work. Wadjet Eye’s voice actors have knocked it out of the park, too.

Core features:

* Approximately five hours of gameplay, replayable thanks to different choices, different puzzle solutions, and different endings

* Breathtaking pixel art in twice Primordia‘s resolution (640x360—party like it’s 1999!)

* Dozens of rooms to explore, with variant versions as the carnival grows ever more twisted

* An eccentric cast, including a sideshow freak, a telepathic starfish, an animatronic fortune-teller, and a trio of masqueraders

* Full, professional voice over and hours of original music

* A rich, thematic story about identity, loss, self-doubt, and redemption

* Integrated, in-character hint system (optional, of course)

* Hours of developer commentary and an “annotation mode” (providing on-screen explanations for the references woven throughout the game)

You can visit the Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1369520/Strangeland/

And there are several development diaries that may be of interest here:

“Bradbury, Goya, and Peake: Discussing Some of Strangeland’s Inspirations”—https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1369520/view/4358876004836414625

“Why Horror?”—https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1369520/view/3024705896555899700

“The Power of Puzzles”—https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1369520/view/3047224528996844830

“The Developer-Player Relationship”—https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1369520/view/3042722832284843123

I’ve always enjoyed reading the threads on this forum; I’m not sure this is a worthy addition, but hopefully, at least, Strangeland itself will be!

 

     
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Joined 2016-04-08

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I have my own definition of art: something that touches you. For me, art it’s not intended to be pretty, it must be something that makes you feel something, even if that something it’s not pleasure. In fact, my favourite painting is “The Scream” by Munch. I had a poster of that painting in my room at a student’s flat when I was studying at University, and a flatmate and dear friend of mine always pointed me that it wasn’t painted well and he could paint it better. Of course, he missed the whole point of the painting. That painting is painted that way for a reason: is ugly, is distorted, but touches me. Makes me feel the existential horror of the painted figure.

Why am I boring you with all this? Because Strangeland made me feel the same way as “The Scream”...

     

Currently translating Strangeland into Spanish. Wish me luck, or send me money to my Paypal haha

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Joined 2012-01-02

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best of luck and success .. there nothing more beautiful than dark matters.

cant wait!

     

Total Posts: 116

Joined 2013-04-13

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Looks cool, added to wishlist.

     
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Total Posts: 834

Joined 2021-03-01

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Thanks for the heads up, I shall wishlist this momentarily.

     

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Total Posts: 1231

Joined 2016-04-08

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Now I can Finally talk about the game…

I was betatester of this game and I have played it several times so I know what I am talking about when making this review. First of all, don’t expect another Primordia. This game is very different because it was made from grieve, it was made not only from the heart but the very soul itself (if you want to know the inspirations for the game, just google Strangeland inspirations). It is complicated to talk about the game without spoilers, but I will try.
The game is strange, yes, bizarre, disconcerting until you keep putting all the pieces together. Puzzles are logical, you have a helping hot line so it is difficult to get stuck. Visuals are superb, the sound is outstanding and the characters… well, it is better you discover them yourself.
It’s a game that Goya would have painted if he could. It’s a game that Borges would had written if he could. It’s a game that touches you, that makes you suffer with the main character, but hey, there is no gain without pain. Don’t expect a Disney story here.
To nitpick, I would say there are too many quotes in the game, but that’s how the author wanted to write it, so who am I to judge?
Is it a game for everybody? Probably not, as The Cat Lady or Fran Bow. But if you are not afraid of darkness, madness, you like H. R. Giger work, or just want to get on board on a trip through a strange Carnival or Theme Park, you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I strongly recommend to replay the game with annotations. You will learn a lot from a lot of things, and you will find out why the game is like it is.
And as The Smiths used to say, “There is a light that never goes out…”

     

Currently translating Strangeland into Spanish. Wish me luck, or send me money to my Paypal haha

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Total Posts: 834

Joined 2021-03-01

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EDIT: Purchased. Downloading now. Will start playing in the next couple of days. If anyone wants to play through it with me, let me know, I’d love to.

Oh wow, today’s the day! Splendid, I will dl it very soon!
Walas, I didn’t read more than a few words of your post because I like going into games (and books) knowing nothing about anything. Especially since Wormwood wowed me so much with Primordia, I don’t think I need to read reviews to give this a shot.
As soon as I finish playing Blackwell Epiphany (getting close, I think), this gets played.

     

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Total Posts: 1231

Joined 2016-04-08

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Baron_Blubba - 25 May 2021 12:04 PM

EDIT: Purchased. Downloading now. Will start playing in the next couple of days. If anyone wants to play through it with me, let me know, I’d love to.

Oh wow, today’s the day! Splendid, I will dl it very soon!
Walas, I didn’t read more than a few words of your post because I like going into games (and books) knowing nothing about anything. Especially since Wormwood wowed me so much with Primordia, I don’t think I need to read reviews to give this a shot.
As soon as I finish playing Blackwell Epiphany (getting close, I think), this gets played.

You can read my review, no spoilers there. Please, read it, it cost me a lot to write it because English is not my native language and it is the first time I felt I wrote something in English as good in literature as I use to do in Spanish, I mean the art of writing which I respect so much.

     

Currently translating Strangeland into Spanish. Wish me luck, or send me money to my Paypal haha

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Total Posts: 834

Joined 2021-03-01

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Okay! I read your review, and now I am more excited for this game than ever, because it sounds very much like the kind of game/movie/book/art I usually avoid. BUT! I thought the same thing about Primordia (to a small extent) and Disco Elysium (to a very large degree of should-I/shouldn’t I? uncertainty) and I *really* enjoyed both those games. So I’m really curious to discover what this game will ‘do to me’, how it will make me feel, and how much I will enjoy it or not. And, to me, that is often much more interesting than playing, say another Broken Sword sequel.

As for your writing, don’t worry about it, it is excellent. If I didn’t know that English wasn’t your native language, I wouldn’t have been able to guess. There is only one telltale clue that I can find, and it’s a good one: Non-native English speakers tend to be less ‘well versed’ on the vague and approximate colloquialisms that native English speakers use. By this I mean words that are used to express a very wide variety of emotions or ideas, but lose their effectiveness and precision precisely because they have come to encompass so much. This is admittedly a generalization (in a paragraph decrying generalization, I know), but ESL speakers/writers seem to be more careful with their word choices and treat the language with more care and respect, perhaps partially out of a hmmm…stigma? no, that’s not the right word, only a vague approximation of what I’m trying to say, but let’s go with it…ah! A self-consciousness! There is more thought put into the structure and phrasing and word choices because it does not come as second-nature fluidly as it does to someone who learned the language in the cradle.

Anyway, that’s all a lot of fluff to tell you that I’ve read a lot of your posts here, and for what it’s worth, your vocabulary and structure are excellent. More importantly, your posts are interesting to read. So…don’t worry about it!
Thanks for the great review. I wish more reviews were like that—saying so much about a game while not saying anything about the game. I’d definitely read more if they were.

     

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Baron_Blubba - 25 May 2021 09:59 PM

As for your writing, don’t worry about it, it is excellent. If I didn’t know that English wasn’t your native language, I wouldn’t have been able to guess. There is only one telltale clue that I can find, and it’s a good one:

Well, if we’re really looking for telltale clues there’s also his use of Goya and Borges as examples ...but that is also a good one - many of my native English speaking friends are, shall we say, ‘limited’ when it comes to international art/writing!  Wink

I probably should comment on the game. I took a look at the screenshots and that alone made me shrink back from ever touching it. The stuff of nightmares. Like Primordia, I guess I would have loved it 10-20 years ago.

     
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Total Posts: 1231

Joined 2016-04-08

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Baron_Blubba - 25 May 2021 09:59 PM

Okay! I read your review, and now I am more excited for this game than ever, because it sounds very much like the kind of game/movie/book/art I usually avoid. BUT! I thought the same thing about Primordia (to a small extent) and Disco Elysium (to a very large degree of should-I/shouldn’t I? uncertainty) and I *really* enjoyed both those games. So I’m really curious to discover what this game will ‘do to me’, how it will make me feel, and how much I will enjoy it or not. And, to me, that is often much more interesting than playing, say another Broken Sword sequel.

As for your writing, don’t worry about it, it is excellent. If I didn’t know that English wasn’t your native language, I wouldn’t have been able to guess. There is only one telltale clue that I can find, and it’s a good one: Non-native English speakers tend to be less ‘well versed’ on the vague and approximate colloquialisms that native English speakers use. By this I mean words that are used to express a very wide variety of emotions or ideas, but lose their effectiveness and precision precisely because they have come to encompass so much. This is admittedly a generalization (in a paragraph decrying generalization, I know), but ESL speakers/writers seem to be more careful with their word choices and treat the language with more care and respect, perhaps partially out of a hmmm…stigma? no, that’s not the right word, only a vague approximation of what I’m trying to say, but let’s go with it…ah! A self-consciousness! There is more thought put into the structure and phrasing and word choices because it does not come as second-nature fluidly as it does to someone who learned the language in the cradle.

Anyway, that’s all a lot of fluff to tell you that I’ve read a lot of your posts here, and for what it’s worth, your vocabulary and structure are excellent. More importantly, your posts are interesting to read. So…don’t worry about it!
Thanks for the great review. I wish more reviews were like that—saying so much about a game while not saying anything about the game. I’d definitely read more if they were.

Thank you very much for your kind words Smile

     

Currently translating Strangeland into Spanish. Wish me luck, or send me money to my Paypal haha

Total Posts: 1891

Joined 2010-11-16

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I just played through and thought it was great. The art and atmosphere are excellent. I enjoyed the pacing and puzzle distribution. The writing is layered and interesting. Definitely approve Thumbs Up

     
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Joined 2013-08-25

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I also just finished Strangeland in almost one sit, but I have mixed feelings about it. With all best qualities of Primordia - one of my favourite adventure games of this century - I can’t really say it was my cup of tea. It’s like if an established movie director suddenly decided to produce a modern ultra-nasty horror film, still smart and beautifully shot, but at the same time cliched and overdone. I don’t want to badmouth the game, especially since it’s filled with personal meanings and messages, but in this case I’m glad it ended so soon, I felt rather uncomfortable playing it. But this is obviously a matter of taste. As a work of three men it’s an amazing achievement, with pixel art and puzzle design of high quality.

     

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Doom - 30 May 2021 05:15 PM

I also just finished Strangeland in almost one sit, but I have mixed feelings about it. With all best qualities of Primordia - one of my favourite adventure games of this century - I can’t really say it was my cup of tea. It’s like if an established movie director suddenly decided to produce a modern ultra-nasty horror film, still smart and beautifully shot, but at the same time cliched and overdone. I don’t want to badmouth the game, especially since it’s filled with personal meanings and messages, but in this case I’m glad it ended so soon, I felt rather uncomfortable playing it. But this is obviously a matter of taste. As a work of three men it’s an amazing achievement, with pixel art and puzzle design of high quality.

Oh man, I can’t wait to play this. It sounds monumental. A monument to what remains to me seen, but golly…the feedback so far has been so interesting!

     

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Joined 2019-12-22

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Finally read this, Walas74, very nice review! It really makes me wonder how the game is going to end, if we’ll see things in a different light, with the annotations you mentioned.

Funny how light (in the darkness) seems to be a theme for people discussing the game.

     
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Vegetable Party - 07 June 2021 03:19 AM

Finally read this, Walas74, very nice review! It really makes me wonder how the game is going to end, if we’ll see things in a different light, with the annotations you mentioned.

Funny how light (in the darkness) seems to be a theme for people discussing the game.

Thanks, I can’t wait to know your impressions when you finish the game and probably replay it.

I stuck my nose in your Spontaneus CPT Innocent

     

Currently translating Strangeland into Spanish. Wish me luck, or send me money to my Paypal haha

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