Just finished and decided to check out what people are sayi-- oh, WTF??
Reading the online hate has been pretty weird.
As a non-gamer, I hadn't heard anything about this game other than a TikTok a couple months back saying if you like the 'Life Is Strange' series it's a great filler. I love that series, and I finally had a few hours today, so I decided to check it out. As a fan of LIS, I can't lie though: I was a little disappointed.
If you have something like XBox GamePass, it's a fun little couple-hour alternative to a movie. For me, it was $20 for two hours of '90s teen nostalgia. That being said, I've wasted a hell of a lot more than $20 seeing a movie I didn't like, so no skin off my nuts. But if I didn't have a lot of disposable income and lacked emotional regulation, I can see getting a little pissed.
There's no skill-based gameplay, puzzles, choose-your-own-adventure, or mystery, so it's probably not what the average person thinks they're getting into -- even if they're expecting a narrative-rich experience. It seems like most of the hate has been an overreaction to the hype. Seeing a bunch of reviews from critics giving it 10/10 or 5-stars is a bit baffling.
Looking at it critically, the story is pretty barebones, the dialog leaves a bit to be desired, and the aforementioned lack of traditional "gameplay" being replaced with multiple unskippable hill-bombing scenes that require viewer engagement to progress could feel pretty annoying/unrewarding.
BUT it is beautifully animated and the characters are interesting enough that I felt bummed when the story didn't flesh out more. It has so much potential! Kinda reminded me of how I felt after playing 'Firewatch'.
Overall, not my cup of tea but I can totally understand why so many people -- both folks my age basking in the nostalgia of it, or younger players who never got to experience the dopamine wasteland of the '90s -- love the vibes.
7/10 for me 🙂
Anybody else think this could be a cool series à la 'The Lost Tapes'?