I run a YouTube channel over at https://youtube.com/r4nneko where I post videos of the games I play. In general I try to have new lets play posts up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Sometimes I write about other things too.
And thus ends my Longest Dark lets play, for now at least.
I had a good time and was really intensely engaged especially during my long trek to try to find food, but without a story mode right now this has a very limited appeal, not that thrilled by just trying to see how long I can last.
Definitely going to keep an eye on the game though, shows a fair amount of promise and definitely interested in seeing what a bit more direction will add to the experience.
The Long Dark is by Hinterland Games Inc, find out more at http://intothelongdark.com/
Völgarr is a norse themed platformer by Crazy Viking Studios. I picked it up as part of the Adult Swim bundle but didn't actually start playing until seeing a friend stream it and get really into it.
Unlike the other difficult platformer I play, Völgarr is linear, in fact I find it leans pretty heavily on foreknowledge allowing players to reduce some of its difficulty because a well placed spear throw can eliminate foes before they would otherwise be seen.
The game also is extremely light on check points. When you die you are sent back to the start of the level. If you don't finish a world before you quit, you are sent back to the beginning of the world, which I feel makes it a pretty poor candidate for a regular lets play.
So here, you see the beginning of a kind of ultimate newbie run. Whenever I die, I fade into the next run that passes that point. You basically will see the first time I pass any given challenge, not necessarily the best way, but a way that will work, once anyway.
Basically going to put these up in any convenient Monday/Wednesday/Friday slot until I have finished the game. So there may be some gaps depending on how long later worlds take me to beat.
I backed There Came An Echo on Kickstarter and as long as I have done things correctly, this should be out as the game launches. I backed mostly on the strength of some friend's love of Sequence, the previous game by Iridium Studios. I haven't played much of Sequence, but I did enjoy the humour and like the idea of someone using DRR to build a completely different kind of game.
I am really keen to find out how everything unfolds, it is great to see developers try new approaches to controls and systems. One of the features I find most interesting about this game is the constrained, but user editable vocabulary. You can add your own alternates. I am definitely taking suggestions, especially for alternate character names.
There Came An Echo is a tactical combat game with a twist. It is built to be controlled by your voice. Find out more at http://www.playiridium.com/games. It is available on Steam for $14.99
I think it is the last couple of episodes where The Long Dark really grew on me. It evokes desperation really well. I was being very careful to look for food as my supply and situation grew increasingly desperate.
The desperation really engaged me and generates stories I really want to tell, even if the story is ultimately that time I started right near some wolves and was eaten while running for shelter.
Really feel like things are looking up for me this game, despite still lacking a building I can set a fire in or a good source of food. For the moment though I am not starving and can warm up a little. That is a kind of progress right?
I seriously had no idea how easy I had it on my first life until I had the ones this episode. In its current state The Long Dark doesn't seem to try to have a specifically gentle or hard introduction. You are just planted in a random location on the selected map, at a relatively random time of day (you can spawn towards sunset apparently), in whatever weather conditions have been generated.
So you can spawn right near a pack of wolves, who then eat you, or at the end of a snowy foggy day with no shelter in sight.
Interestingly enough as a result of these very painful experiences I felt much more engaged with the game, they were definitely punishing and unfair, but they were also very unusual experiences and they were over fairly quickly so I could start over.
Having played a bit more Long Dark now I am surprised at just how gentle the game was with me here. The trapper's homestead and the camp office are two great locations, full of gear, food and gear to keep me going.
And then I throw it all away with an expedition I really didn't need to make at the time, at least I don't think I did, I could have spent some time reclaiming wood and materials in the cabins and tried putting up the snare again to catch food.
I am still far from an expert at this game, but really appreciating the stories you get to tell about it.
The Long Dark is a survival game set in a post societal collapse Canadian wilderness. It is by Hinterland Games Inc, find out more at http://hinterlandgames.com/projects
And so begins the fight for survival. How long can I last on the edge between starvation, freezing cold and thirst. Can I figure out where to find food and how to avoid wolves?
The Long Dark is a survival game set in a post societal collapse Canadian wilderness. It is by Hinterland Games Inc, find out more at http://hinterlandgames.com/projects
When I say survival I mean just that, survival, at this stage at least this is not a game where you ever are expected to get substantially ahead of the curve. You are never meant to feel too secure because starvation, thirst and cold are always around the corner. Unlike Minecraft you can't just set up a shelter whenever night falls, or build yourself a small farm in which to grow food, nor will food keep forever.
