Apud le Medius Res
This game actually was pretty sad (as in BOO HOO, SIRRS) and actually made me think about what would happen if I killed myself. Would there be a trial of my honesty and trust when I come to the other side? I don't think I'm ready for that.
Okay, I'm yapping. Let me get to the point. This game was great. I don't know how wayward got inspired to create a game such as this. I guess it's probably best if we incorperate our feelings into our games (my games are ususally pointless have all the characters act like they're on crack because that's the way I feel some of the time.) Anyway, I liked this game. End of Story.
Although running back and forth across boards doing tasks gets boring VERY quickly.
Okay, I go now.
BYE SURRS
Graphics
The graphics in this game doesn’t quite earn a ranking next to the likes of Hercules and Hydra. However it’s certainly not newbie style.
Pretty colours and stylish blending, sets this one apart from the noobs, but it’s nothing special.
Design
The game uses a linear style world map where if you keep walking in one direction you‘ll always end up back where you started. Cool beans. For those of you who will find yourself confused when only being able to go east or west, don’t download this game.
Plot
The plot (if you can call it that) didn’t really grip me in any way. Still, it was consistent and obviously meant a lot to the author. Perhaps he knew somebody who committed suicide, I don’t really know.
Aura
Upon starting the game you will find yourself immersed in rich fantasy world, filled with cameos, humour, cheese, and lesbian donkeys on LSD (OK, maybe I made that last one up, I had to make this review look interesting you know). The only annoying thing for me was the selfish act of reading the comments on a medicine bottle, resulting in the death of a little boy. Come on guys, don’t you know when your taking this too far?
Programming
Nothing special.
Characters
Cameos, donkeys and circus animals, what more need I say?
Results
Graphics: 3 Design: 4 Plot: 3 Aura: 3 Programming: 4 Characters: 2 Spelling: 4
When I saw this game (as recomended by WayWard) I checked it out. I really wanted to check it out because Octagon was a great hit with IT'S mentality. But that's a whole new review. What I want to say about THIS hard to prenounce titled game is that it enforced both sorrow and hatred within me. It is a genious game among all genious games. Not because it is "fun", but because it both proves a point and deserves to be a book. Enough of my compliments, now about the game.
I'm going to try to explain this game without spoiling anything. It opens with a cinema of someone jumping off of a cliff (VERY sad) . You then start out in some VERY wierd area in which you have MANY options as to what to attempt first. You go around "doing" stuff for other people. There are several cameos in it too. This game's real story doesn't happen unless it's the very beginning or the very end. You'd think that your character was tripping on acid this whole game or even had downer syndrome, but that is NOT the case. It is not much to play but to "play".
Where I am getting at is that this game is a work of pure genious in it's storyline. It is WayWard's last game...possably so far or for good. It is sad that someone of this talent in writing has to waste it on ZZT. THIS is what ZZT is all about in the end! But what I really would like to say is to "play through the damn game!".
I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but Wayward's games always seem vastly overrated. His plots are melodramatic where plain drama would be preferable, and though they're usually based around a solid central concept they always feel like missed opportunities.
Take Within, for example, which almost everyone creamed themselves over - the basic idea (dreams and reality bleeding into each other) was great, but the characterisation was lame and the actual plot just ambled around until the sudden and preposterous ending. I'd hoped with Apud that Wayward would have developed a little, but sadly no.
Basically, you play Wayward ( a little self-obsessive don't you think?). Having committed suicide, you float between heaven and hell, and your actions in the game - good or evil - determine which ending you get. Basically this amounts to walking left and right around a looping playfield, using objects in basic fetch-and-retrieve quests until you just can't be bothered, or find anything else to do. Then you just "ascend" and watch your fate be decided. You can actually ascend at any time in the game, though obviously you stand a better chance of going to Heaven if you play properly.
The graphics are pretty damned nice, and certainly an improvement on Within. There are also quite a few nice touches - the subliminal message gag and the aging house occupants being just two - but none of these distract from the pedestrian gameplay or uninvolving plot.
Which brings me back to one of my initial points - the idea of someone drifting between two worlds could have been genuinely interesting, but here it's just a bunch of cameos and silly puzzles. For example, Wayward could have used a fictional character and had his struggle in limbo reveal details about his friendships and past, and what drove him to suicide. But no, it's CAMEOS AHOY!
Well okay, I guess that's what Wayward wanted, but it is somewhat annoying to hear people going on about what a genius game it is when all I can see is one big missed chance.
This game is one of the most dramatic games i have ever played. The music is great, the graphics superb, and game play has tremendous replay value. One of the best games i have ever played.
This game is weird. You play as some guy and talk to people that (supposedly) have been cameoed with thier permission, and yet, a certain "tenguman2k" come up as a seller of sex toys. Hmmm.... Who could he be? Anyway, this game has some good music, some alomst-nearly-slightly-funny humor, and yet, i am compelled to give it a zero, but I won't, becuase this game was made by wayward and he is cool.
