Abzû

Having personally completed each and every one of Thatgamecompany’s trio of titles, Abzû is a title that holds no surprises and as many new ideas. This game is Journey 2 in everything but name and it feels exactly like what a direct continuation of that would be. Hell, an argument could be made it is a simple remake or Final Fantasy-esque sequel that simply takes the same themes and ideas and transplants them into a new setting and context. Despite this, Abzû is nearly as good as Journey and may even surpass it for those that enjoy the great blue sea and everything that has to offer.

ABZÛ has very distinct save spots.

Abzû is a wordless two-hour journey through a sea bustling with life and its fair share of danger. At the center of this journey is an anonymous deep sea diver, who communicates  only through little blips. With only occasional breaks to the surface of the ocean, most of the game will be spent swimming deeper into the ocean. While linear, Abzû is in no rush to get anywhere and actively desires that the player slow down for a while.

It would probably make an easier time of things to point out in what ways the game isn’t like Journey. For starters, developer Giant Squid, founded by Journey‘s art director Matt Nava, has made a much more vibrant game than Journey. Abzû‘s ocean teems with life, not only in quantity but also in variety. Schools of fish in all shapes and sizes fill many of the game’s areas and help to offer a inverse to the game’s more solitary moments. The other most important difference is the game’s utilization of the z-axis. While Journey was hardly a two-dimensional game, much of the player’s time was spent with feet on the ground. Abzû has its up and down built into its general movement. This does come at the cost of some of Journey‘s platforming elements, but movement in this game can feel distinct for the most part and keeps it from feeling like to much of a retread.

Creatures of all sizes make an appearance in the game.

If there is any noticeable downsides to the game, it can be summarized as simply as “Journey underwater”. Everything else about the game has a direct connection or inspiration from Journey and the comparisons are inescapable. Minimal direct communication, ruined hieroglyphs both depicting lost civilizations and foreshadowing events to come, and very distinct stages separated by automated, yet beautiful, sequences. Journey‘s scarf mechanic has been replaced with flippers and function as a boost instead, but are recharged the same way. The game at least manages its own visual style — put a screenshot from both games next to each other and no one would confuse the two — but as far as its interactive elements are concerned its a follow-up to Journey through and through.

Which is a shame, since the game really is good. Unfortunately, it will live most of its existence in the shadow of its more novel predecessor. Had the two been reversed, any opinion may have easily been reversed. Well, maybe not entirely. Abzû desires to be as introspective and personal as Journey, but as opposed to Journey, Abzû is a game with a message. As the game continues, pyramid-shaped mines will appear hued in red and will visibly injure the player when contact becomes too close. A clear distinction is made between the colorful wildlife and the sinister artificiality of the man-made structures. Whether interpreted as an environmental message or an anti-war —both are valid — Abzû is a game out to make a point. A point taken directly from Flower at that. While some might find this a more resonant theme, Journey’s spirituality is a far more universal and subtle.

Strong art direction is another plus for the game.

In any case, whether its theme is just a bit more distinctive or it has to follow in the footsteps of a more original game, Abzû just feels like it falls short of Journey. On its own merits its equally worth anyone’s time and is a great experience in its own right. It’s just not enough to make you forget its heritage.

D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die

Quirkiness and low-budget are no strangers to one another. Not being beholden to investors allows for a pretty wild and interesting, if ultimately underdeveloped, ideas. Many of these games never see the light of day, either by means of actually existing or catching any of the public eye. That didn’t stop a little company called Access Games to score an unlikely cult hit with Deadly Premonition, a Twin Peaks game filtered through Japanese aesthetics. Deadly Premonition works nearly perfectly as the B game it is, though its a difficult game to recommend.

Fortunately, thanks to positive word of mouth, that game ended up being a success, at least more so than anyone could have expected. Access Games was then able to translate that success to getting hired by Microsoft to build a game for the then-standard Xbox One Kinect. But as Microsoft quickly changed its tune and dropped the Kinect almost entirely, many games got left in the dust, with Access Games’ D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die being one of the most interesting among them. Unfortunately, interesting is all D4 will ever be, as the game is unfinished.

Another SWERY game, another man who loves his coffee.

Designed in an episodic manner, D4 follows David Young, a former cop whose wife was murdered and lost his memories during the incident. However, the event did leave him with the ability to travel through time through the use of mementos, items with powerful connections to a specific period in time to travel to. With the help of a former mentor and his… cat, David searches for his wife’s killer with the only clue being “Look for D.”

D4 is definitely a weird game. In fitting with the studios previous efforts, the cast is filled with oddball characters, goofy scenarios, and a good chunk of nonsense that may make sense after several thorough playthroughs but most likely won’t. Throw in a dose of childish sexual content and a clear idea of what exactly D4 is. Admittedly, its difficult to glean a “good” or “bad” verdict for a game like this, since the PC version has no Kinect option, which the game was clearly designed for, and only two episodes, with an additional prologue, were ever released.

What is released is an intriguing setup, pitting David on a plane occupied by the loony bin rejects, from a woman overly paranoid about the well-being of the plane to the flamboyant flight attendant who keeps getting in his way. Wanting to know what happens next will be the main justification for continued play, as attempts to piece together what bits of the mystery there are end on a cliffhanger. It certainly won’t be the gameplay, which is adequate at best.

Most of the game is spent navigating cramped environments, where David can interact with specific items  and NPCs. However, each interaction cost Stamina, of which there is a limited amount. This could almost be a deal-breaker — its not usually a great sign when a game punishes for exploring too much — but mid-chapter shops and a plethora of healing items, for Stamina, Life, and Vision, a meter that activates a Batman-esque filter that highlights objects in the environment able to be interacted with, make this only a nuisance instead.

David’s apartment and an average looking game screen.

A bulk of these sections consists of approaching crazy people, exhausting all or most of their dialogue options, and then triggering certain events that lead to QTE action scenes. The sections themselves aren’t difficult in any sense of the word, but the game rates the timing of each input. Getting the timing down just right can be rather difficult and it was never clear what had been done differently for a Perfect rather than a Good. The standard mouse and keyboard option worked decently enough, but makes the game play our as a series of broad mouse sweeps that can be replicated simply holding an analog stick.

As with many of the scenes in the game, the action scenes work less as an exhilarating thrill ride and more as a comedic scene to forward the plot. The game is fortunately is not bogged down in these scenes, mainly saving them for the climaxes of each chapter, instead letting the limited exploration and discovery to carry the rest.

There isn’t much in way of content to critique the game’s story, as it looks like it will never be finished, but dedicated and observant players will find plenty of small details that could lead to speculation. It seems almost unfair to review a game with it unfinished, especially one not labelled as an Early Access title. It’s fifteen dollar price tag is absolutely fair but at the same time it is a difficult game to recommend to most out of sheer non-convention. Fans of Deadly Premonition are probably more likely to enjoy the oddity of it all, but those looking for a more Telltale experience will just be left confused. At the very least, this allows for D4 to be able to consider itself unique, which it most assuredly is.

 

Tormentum – Dark Sorrow

It’s been about fifteen years since mainstream audiences became acquainted with moral choice systems and a  about ten since they were treated with anything other than a disinterested eye roll. Given the need to offer the illusion of choice, most developers that toyed with the idea only managed to conjure up “Good” and “Evil” as means of solving a problem or letting a player communicate their will through their character. The dressing changed somewhat, Mass Effect forced the player down the route of the hero, only letting people choose their level of dickishness. Infamous played into its comic book origins to let the player choose between hero and antihero. Catherine gave people the choice between solitude and companionship in a slightly more nuanced look at the ultimatums relationships can provide.

But this is the year 2016, or rather 2015 when Tormentum – Dark Sorrow released, and that simple binary is now as tacky as more often than not modern gaming mainstays, like regenerating health. Yet Tormentum clings to its dual moralizing in oddly endearing way. The game is equal parts cynical and simplistic, both from a thematic and interactive standpoint, but this doesn’t hurt the game as much as one would think. If anything, despite being a straight forward point and click adventure title, its almost feels like the anti-adventure game someone unfamiliar or impatient with the genre can hop right into.

Tormentum opens with a quote from Kant, which gives almost a bit too much away in terms of how this story will play out. Set in a fantastical nightmare with styling heavily inspired by Giger and Beksiński, the player takes control of a hooded man as he is transported to a castle for imprisonment for an unspecified crime. After being locked up with promises of later torture, he manages to escape his cell as he looks for a way out of the castle and back to the wastelands of the world he lives in to see if he can find the source of his disturbing dreams.

Mention should be made of just how easy it is for this man to escape prison as it sets the difficulty for the rest of the game. Make no mistake, this is likely one of the easiest adventure games ever made, barring lighter fare made with children in mind. The game is also incredibly short, able to beaten in a single sitting over about four hours or so, no guides necessary. Normally some sort of challenge is appreciated and those looking for it will find none here, but the ease of the game allows for greater appreciation of the game’s distinct art style.

The only lasting impression to be had from Tormentum is the game’s look and feel. Made on a shoestring budget provided by Indiegogo and on the backs of three people, Tormentum is a visual delight in which almost no screens are wasted, each memorable in its own unique way. Despite being simple enough for children to solve, children probably should not be allowed near the game, for the art is both terrifying and provocative. The beautiful hand drawn art masterfully evokes the baser human desires and instincts the game seeks to examine, far more so than the game’s adequate script. Monstrous creatures and exotic architecture provide the perfect backdrop for the trip through the blasted purgatory. If there is anything to be had from the game, let it be the visuals.

An average example of the game’s dark visuals.

In fact, there is hardly little else to talk about in the game. Outside of it’s impressive art, the game plays out smoothly and quickly, the aforementioned children’s level difficulty almost guarantees that. The characters are all fairly one note, all serving as a different vice or shortcoming the player is tasked with helping decide the fate of. The game only has two endings and plays out entirely in a zero sum manner; even the slightest bit of straying from perceived moral rightness earns a bad ending. The endings are barely different as is, save for the direction the character falls during the credits and which ending song you hear.

Tormentum is a an excellent proof of concept for the excellent artistic merit of the group at OhNoo, but is ultimately a bit too simplistic to pass into greatness. During the credits, unused concept art could be seen that looks like it would make a interesting universe to set a more involved game in and I hope the team tries to pull a bit more complexity out of artwork that more than deserves it. Whatever they end up doing next, it will at least look great and the world could afford to have some more people working in fashionable 2D game design. Vanillaware can’t do it all by themselves.