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VirtuaVerse

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I took a chance on this game released just yesterday & after 4 hours of playing (with apparently a lot more hours to go) I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone currently feeling starved of games akin to the worlds, graphics & gameplay of Technobabylon, Blade Runner, Neofeud etc.

VirtuaVerse so far, for me, is turning out to potentially be one of this year’s gems. Has anyone else tried it yet?

For more info about the game it’s worth reading this article by Jackal posted over 2 years ago:

VirtuaVerse

     
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Sounds very promising! I’ve had it on my radar and bought it as soon as it was released on GOG. Perhaps I should move it to the top of my (way too long) backlog.

     

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I am going to try it. Even though i recently scratched my cyberpunk itch with somnium files (very snatcher-like, strange in a lot of ways, but all in all i really liked it). But yeah virtua verse.. seems to be getting received very well.

     
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chrissie - 13 May 2020 01:49 PM

I took a chance on this game released just yesterday & after 4 hours of playing (with apparently a lot more hours to go) I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone currently feeling starved of games akin to the worlds, graphics & gameplay of Technobabylon, Blade Runner, Neofeud etc.

I’m one hour in and liking the futuristic feel. You’re right that it’s similar to those games, even if the graphics, music and writing are pretty amateur. Thanks for the recommendation anyway.

     
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Luhr28 - 15 May 2020 07:44 AM

I’m one hour in and liking the futuristic feel. You’re right that it’s similar to those games, even if the graphics, music and writing are pretty amateur. Thanks for the recommendation anyway.

I’m glad that you’re liking something about the game so far - the graphics are obviously retro but I’m just wondering why you think the music & writing are amateur? Are you an expert in these fields?  Smile

     

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Luhr28 - 15 May 2020 07:44 AM
chrissie - 13 May 2020 01:49 PM

I took a chance on this game released just yesterday & after 4 hours of playing (with apparently a lot more hours to go) I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone currently feeling starved of games akin to the worlds, graphics & gameplay of Technobabylon, Blade Runner, Neofeud etc.

I’m one hour in and liking the futuristic feel. You’re right that it’s similar to those games, even if the graphics, music and writing are pretty amateur. Thanks for the recommendation anyway.

Bwahahaha

     
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I loved Technobabylon and this game sounds like my cup of tea. I watched the trailer and the look and sound is very retro and I do enjoy retro adventure games. I’ll have to buy it and give it a spin around the block.

Thanks for the heads up!

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

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I think Luhr has a point about the writing. There are many moments where the writer is clearly using Nathan as a self insert to complain about personal issues that have basically nothing to do with the plot (nobody listens to full albums anymore! they only listen to playlists! No surprise, the writer is also a musician.). Which is a hallmark of beginner writing.

Overall I’m liking the game a lot and think its merits exceed its faults but I can see how people would take issue with some of the dialogue. Can’t agree about the visuals and music, though. I think they’re both fantastic.

     
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I underestimated this game. I still think the writing could be improved - for example, characters all talking in the same voice - but at its core the central concept is really great. The game’s strengths are excellent.

     
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Luhr28 - 20 May 2020 04:25 AM

I underestimated this game. I still think the writing could be improved - for example, characters all talking in the same voice - but at its core the central concept is really great. The game’s strengths are excellent.

I can guess as to what you mean here but: “Characters all talking in the same voice” - please explain?  Smile

     
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chrissie - 21 May 2020 08:50 AM
Luhr28 - 20 May 2020 04:25 AM

I underestimated this game. I still think the writing could be improved - for example, characters all talking in the same voice - but at its core the central concept is really great. The game’s strengths are excellent.

I can guess as to what you mean here but: “Characters all talking in the same voice” - please explain?  Smile

I feel bad for being lazy, but this article here says it better than I ever could.

Then again, it could be a very clever commentary on how everyone will talk alike in the future?  Laughing

     
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That’s a great article, thanks for sharing. I suppose this problem is more common with indie budget titles and especially in cyberpunk games where AI and computers could make everyone sound similar.

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

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I haven’t finished the game so don’t want to say/comment any more until then but have been thinking about the interesting ideas that have been presented?  Smile

     
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I just came across a character who speaks very differently, so I may have to eat my words - I’m sure you know who I mean, if you met him yet.

chrissie - 21 May 2020 10:52 AM

I haven’t finished the game so don’t want to say/comment any more until then but have been thinking about the interesting ideas that have been presented?  Smile


Yes Smile

I have not read much sci-fi lately, and even then am only really familiar with William Gibson’s novels in cyberpunk fiction, but the ideas in the game are very interesting to me.

In particular, technology splitting individuals off each other into separate realities seems like a possible future and something that could actually happen, especially when I walk by bus stops in the present-day and see people totally uncommunicative and isolated, absorbed in their own devices, smartphones, headsets and separate realities. It’s the logical conclusion of this continuing development where people get to choose their ‘input’ at any given time and place - what we perceive becomes a matter of preference rather than being limited by a shared reality. It’s actually horrifying when you think about it, and to think it’s already happening now gives a lot of food for thought. And it could be argued we are already, to an extent, ‘lost’ in our own personal realities and this futuristic vision is just an extreme look at what we’re doing to ourselves.

Now, it’s understandable why the game would not want to give too many details about this split reality, and although I would like to know more, it’s not really necessary. In fact the best sci-fi doesn’t bog the reader down with unnecessary detail. The technomancers’ description of what is happening is interesting enough on its own. The ‘less is more’ approach works very well here with respect to how the problem is described, as well as a ‘show, don’t tell’ approach where in the lead-up to the meeting with the technomancers in the first half of the game there is more than enough that Nathan goes through and sees to show us that this is a pretty damn awful future to be living in.

One of the most striking images is when the Nathan orders the DDoS attack and the VR avatars are powered down, showing that they are just robots. A woman at home watching TV with her ‘virtual husband’, who we see is just a layer of virtual skin on top of a machine. That image is shocking enough in itself, because we can see the dreamlike nature of having a relationship with nothing but our own preferences.

I still haven’t finished the game (but suspect I am close to the end) but am definitely keen to see how it all ends. I’ll post more later.

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I finally finished the game - I’m not that slow a player but I was kept hooked for 20 hours - an impressive feat for the 3-man development team after 4 years of working on it in their own time.

PlanetX - 18 May 2020 03:37 PM

I think Luhr has a point about the writing. There are many moments where the writer is clearly using Nathan as a self insert to complain about personal issues that have basically nothing to do with the plot (nobody listens to full albums anymore! they only listen to playlists! No surprise, the writer is also a musician.). Which is a hallmark of beginner writing.

I disagree with you on two counts here, firstly using a work of fiction to express personal discontent about real life issues is most definitely not “a hallmark of beginner writing” as you’d have to dismiss many works by notable authors for being ‘amateur’ as they’ve dared to incorporate their own opinions.
Secondly, I don’t know what other personal issues you’re presuming the writer has inflicted on Nathan “that have nothing to do with the plot” but certainly the complaint about people’s listening habits is very relevant to the shape of the futuristic world & therefore to me irrelevant that the writer is a musician.  Tongue    

PlanetX - 18 May 2020 03:37 PM

Overall I’m liking the game a lot and think its merits exceed its faults but I can see how people would take issue with some of the dialogue. Can’t agree about the visuals and music, though. I think they’re both fantastic.

Yes, I definitely agree that its merits exceed its faults. Also I love the visuals - very atmospheric - & also the music. Thumbs Up

Luhr28 - 20 May 2020 04:25 AM

I underestimated this game. I still think the writing could be improved - for example, characters all talking in the same voice - but at its core the central concept is really great. The game’s strengths are excellent.

Luhr28 - 21 May 2020 09:12 AM

.....Then again, it could be a very clever commentary on how everyone will talk alike in the future?  Laughing

Luhr28 - 22 May 2020 01:16 AM

I just came across a character who speaks very differently, so I may have to eat my words - I’m sure you know who I mean, if you met him yet.

Thanks for the link to the article! After 20 hours I can’t remember what character speaks differently???  Gasp but my thought really was that the similar ‘voices’ for the most part could be a reflection of this futuristic world as I got the impression that most people had VR implants & although in their own individual worlds all under the same technological influences.

As far as the concept goes I can relate to everything that you’ve said Luhr.
The game is by no means perfect but along with the artwork & music, the combination of characters, dialogue & puzzles works amazingly well. The developers themselves have acknowledged that there was so much more they could have done to improve the game but it would have taken them about another 10 years & so they took the decision to wrap-up the game as it was.
I thought the ending was a little disappointing & could have been expanded on but otherwise playing the game has been an excellent experience.

For some players I’ve gleaned that the game with its old school vibes has been a nostalgia trip but as I got into gaming later on & not on a computer until after 2000, so unfamiliar with the older machines the games were played on, I’ve found it to be an interesting history lesson.

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@chrissie
Did you stick around after the credits? I think they make it clear a sequel is intended. But I agree with you the ending could have been improved.

I will give them credit for the very generous length, though. That was a big surprise. I can’t think of many newer adventure games which have given us longer than a few hours playtime, let alone the time I spent in this game.

     

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