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the Graveyard.
(Yes, it is spelled that way)
[Main Website] [Steam Demo]
Well this game popped up on Steam today, although I think I can tie this to back to the discussion about flOwer about transcending traditional gameplay into something like an art form.
For those not aware or just don't want to click on the link, the Graveyard. is about an old woman walking through the graveyard, sits down on a bench, reminisce on the past, gets up, then leaves. That's it. The whole game is maybe even shorter than Gravity Bone. But if you pay five bucks for the "full" version, they added just one feature, the possibility that she will die. So in some playthroughs, she'll live, but then suddenly pass away in the next.
the Graveyard. could easily have been made into a short movie to be screened at Sundance or up on Youtube. But playing it as a game, it adds something else, it like you are at least guiding the old woman, helping her out. Someone on the Steam forum mentioned this, if you pay for the game, you're paying to let the old woman die. Good or bad, I'm not sure. The song being sung when she sat down, the subtitles ran by so fast I couldn't catch everything, so I might need to play it again. From what I got, it's depressing, so maybe having her die will bring her peace?
In general, do I consider this a game? I'm just not sure, it is an experience though. Do I like it? Sorry, not my kind of tea. On the off note, the developers are creating The Path, which is based on some different version of Little Red Riding Hood, which is interesting to me.
[Main Website] [Steam Demo]
Well this game popped up on Steam today, although I think I can tie this to back to the discussion about flOwer about transcending traditional gameplay into something like an art form.
For those not aware or just don't want to click on the link, the Graveyard. is about an old woman walking through the graveyard, sits down on a bench, reminisce on the past, gets up, then leaves. That's it. The whole game is maybe even shorter than Gravity Bone. But if you pay five bucks for the "full" version, they added just one feature, the possibility that she will die. So in some playthroughs, she'll live, but then suddenly pass away in the next.
the Graveyard. could easily have been made into a short movie to be screened at Sundance or up on Youtube. But playing it as a game, it adds something else, it like you are at least guiding the old woman, helping her out. Someone on the Steam forum mentioned this, if you pay for the game, you're paying to let the old woman die. Good or bad, I'm not sure. The song being sung when she sat down, the subtitles ran by so fast I couldn't catch everything, so I might need to play it again. From what I got, it's depressing, so maybe having her die will bring her peace?
In general, do I consider this a game? I'm just not sure, it is an experience though. Do I like it? Sorry, not my kind of tea. On the off note, the developers are creating The Path, which is based on some different version of Little Red Riding Hood, which is interesting to me.
Comments
Personally, I found Passage to be much more effective in using interactivity to convey a message. This game was almost there, but not quite. I would definitely like to see more stuff like this in the future, though.
Alright, the song is clearer and made some more sense now. The walk back to the gate is slower? That I'll have to pay attention to next time. I've also just checked out Passage, and I do agree the message is much more effective there. I think it's because of the "freeform" narrative, which the player can more relate to in some ways, while the Graveyard's stricter which made it more like the player is just someone helping her.
Really, I kind off dislike things like these. It seems half the people in the Netherlands really like these kinds of things, and thus I see/hear them often. To me, it seems like someone made this as a project for school and thought 'gee, why don't I put this on steam?'.
Edit: Also, I've just recalled that the reason the Graveyard was called pretentious wasn't because of the game itself, but because the developers had done an interview in which they had claimed that "the Graveyard tells a better story than any traditional video game ever could" or something along those lines. At least Braid has gameplay and a story to tell.
I haven't played Braid (but will when it comes on Steam), but doesn't that game also have a pretty messed up storyline? I like the looks of the gameplay, and I think I'll find myself doing the same thing Soulja Boy did in his "Let's Play" (using the term loosely) of the game.
Eh, outdated info.