@Mr.Album I felt the game was way too short to establish any kind of feelings towards the Watchers. Heck, I must have spent less than 2 mins with the bird thing. So I cant see where those feelings of alienness and humbleness come from. Skyrim, for instance, makes me feel humble, because although my character is all mighty powerful, it still spends most of its time running errands for everyone and their mothers. The Watchers felt like just somewhat interesting and stylish puzzles. Maybe I played too much Myst back in the day.
The game has, to be honest, a very mature tone and tries to connect to your own experiences and emotions. Furthermore, at one point, I really had goosebumps as I started to realize that Spoiler not the game, the world is the center; instead the world is centered around you. I felt like if the game was feeding on my feelings at some occassions. And, the game gave me a very special experience until now... so I doubt that it will disappoint me at all.
Loved it. Can't wait to show it to a couple friends who most likely have no idea it exists. Both the length and the price are perfect for what it is. I put it right up there with Superbros. & Waking Mars as fantastic game experiences.
Well I just beat it and I'm a bit confused by the ending however overall it was an incredible experience and is easily one of my GOTY contenders for sure. Despite its short length (I found it just right however) and seemingly high price point I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys puzzle games and especially ones that have a great, creepy atmosphere with beautiful music. Gah, I wish it wasn't over but I'm going to play it again for sure. I've seen people in the thread say that there's secrets to be uncovered so that's my next mission. And on that note, what was that box with the symbols on it, there for? Did I miss something because I never ended up figuring it how to open it up and thought that like the other puzzles in the game the solution would be revealed in time. Is that one of the games secrets by chance? Going to use the password and take a look through the companion app now. Such a well crafted experience and I hope there's more Year Walk to come. Edit - Just reading through the notes in the companion app and I see the box has been mentioned/found. Hmmmm....damnit I need to get to work but I have a feeling this companion app is going to contain more than just some interesting back story and lore.
I just stumbled across that now This game has me excited in ways an iOS game never has. An amazingly well thought out, well put together piece of work and all of the people involved with the game should be commended.
I am not so sure about praising this for a GOTY. It was a moving experience but that is just it. Its over and done, it was more of virtually interactive graphic novel then a game to me. I highly recommend that everyone try it out though.
I kinda see what you're saying, but I must not be connecting some dots somewhere. In Skyrim, you can destroy dragons with your breath. You end up saving the entire continent by the end of that game. The point of such a game is to make you feel like a badass that belongs in a badass world. And Skyrim succeeds at that. In Year Walk, you cannot do shit about the Watchers. No matter what you do, you cannot progress without jumping through the hoops they have already laid out for you. There is only one "true path" through the game; any deviations lead you nowhere at all, and trying to do something other than the game's scripted goal puts you into a corner that does not benefit you. You are powerless before them, and that powerlessness leads to the humbleness I spoke of. It is not the humbleness of a civil servant; it is the humbleness of a follower of Cthulhu. If you want to complete the walk, you HAVE to do what the Watchers want you to do. There is no other way. That's probably why you saw them as interesting and stylish puzzles. If someone goes into the game blindly before thoroughly reading the Companion app, there would be no basis for "oh, I know what this beast is and what it does!" and there would be no anticipation/dread for what comes next. There would simply be curiosity. Knowing the legends before you play the game makes a world of difference. When Spoiler the Huldra charged at me, I thought I had died; turns out, folks sometimes offer their blood to the Huldra in exchange for her help according to the creature's legend, and I remembered this when the screen came back outside of her tree. I realized that my character offered his blood in exchange for the gate key. With all this in mind, I was further creeped out when the key melted in front of me... and I just knew that The Pale Horse was next. I seriously did not want my character to be dragged into the river by the beast, which the legend says is what the beast does, so every step I took towards the river was one of dread. Point is, knowing what the legends were increased my level of engagement with the game because my mind was filled with "what if?" scenarios that popped up because of the facts of the legends. I am literally shaking with fear at meeting The Church Grim (I consider that a non-spoiler, because the Companion app describes what it is and what it does). And Year Walk succeeds at delivering that kind of experience. It creeps me out far more than Amnesia: The Dark Descent did as a result. If it doesn't creep you out, then... I got nothing. Alien-like = not human. These creatures are obviously not human, even if some of them were once human. Hence why I used the word. And yes, the kicker is that you don't need a personal connection to the Watchers in order to solve their riddles. Perhaps the whole "try to understand them" thing was my response to being presented with the creatures. It could be that your apathy is your response, and that everyone has their own response to the game. Kind of a d'oh-of-course, but true nonetheless. I guess if you played Myst to death, the gameplay here would pale in comparison, but there is more to the game than the gameplay. It has some great tangential learning going on here, and there is apparently more depth than meets the eye. Check out the Decoder thread in the General Game Discussion; it just might surprise you. I haven't finished the game yet, and I can barely wait until I get the chance to finish it.
Well I'm so far behind with my work but its worth it because I just finished the game...for good this time. Wow. That's all I can say. It's like a mix of Slender Man meets Blair Witch. Now I'm sad it's over but I'm still standing firm on this being a GOTY contender for me at least. I want more!! This story has so many facets to be explored that another game is almost necessary. Wow.
Hey guys.I Just download Year Walk Companion from app store.But i don't know,what i have to write in,,Login number menu''?
Maybe I have fat fingers? I'm having serious trouble with the controls. Pinching to advance/walk back and it's a solid pain in my butt. Am I just failing at controls or can I change in? It keeps wanting to pull down the notifications which is killing the atmosphere.
I would really like to see more content or a sequel exploring not these characters, but more of the richness of Germanic/Swedish folklore. More of the characters and something that ties them togetherhow did they come into being, why do they do the things they do, what's the underlying story & logic? Think of what someone like Neil Gaiman would do to pay tribute to and more fully explore this really rich universe that Swedish fore bearers created!
