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[Sober]

Teaser Trailer | Gameplay Trailer | Try the Demo (gamejam prototype)

Developer: Deconstructeam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Steam
DRM-free (GOG, Humble Store)
Standard Edition - 9.99$
Collectors Edition - 19.99$​

Release Date: 24 July 2014


What is Gods Will Be Watching?

Gods Will Be Watching is a minimalistic "point and click thriller" centered on despair, commitment, and sacrifice as players face narrative puzzles and moral dilemmas that will affect both the lives of your team and the people you’re are sworn to protect. Set against the backdrop of an interstellar struggle, Gods Will Be Watching follows Sgt. Burden and his crew in six tense chapters from hostage situations and wilderness survival to biological weapon prevention and agonizing torture scenarios. Each decision is crucial and players will need to choose between the lives of their team and the saving the world from genocide. There's no good or evil, just decisions, with only you and the gods as a judge to your actions.

Gods Will Be Watching was created as an entry for the Ludum Dare 26 game jam, developed in less than 72 hours with "Minimalism" as theme, with just a single stage and point'n'click mechanics, a bleak surviving simulator was born. Setting the premises of an interesting story machine, with great emotional charge and intentionally diffuse inspiring plot elements, this minigame served as a good prototype for our current project: A big game about despair, commitment and self-justified sacrifices, in which the player set the rules of behaviour.

• An innovative departure from the traditional point and click adventure taking place in six intimate, tension-filled scenarios linked together through an epic narrative of interstellar espionage.
  
• Set morals aside as you navigate Sgt. Burden and his team through harrowing predicaments and make decisions that will either save your team or sacrifice their lives for the sake of the mission.
  
• Solve a wide variety of narrative puzzles and moral dilemmas using your own wits and burden the consequences of your choices. Do you intimidate or comfort your hostages to maintain your tenuous control of the situation? Should you kill the weakest member of your party to save on food for the strong? What is one life worth in the face of annihilation?
  
• Receive your judgment from the gods upon failure and compare your choices to all other players in the universe over time.
  
• Over 1,500 beautifully designed sprites tell your story against 15 stunning backgrounds and an emotionally stirring orchestral soundtrack.

Each scenario is drastically different from one another, at least from the three scenarios I played at PAX East this year. For example, the demo was the survival chapter. It has been drastically revised, but the demo gives you a rough idea of how the scenario plays out. Things that have been added to that include the day/night animation, an extra action when the sun goes down, and just some minor changes to how certain things work. For instance, in the PAX build I tried, you also cook food as an action and you also get to divvy up who gets food, instead of it simply subtracting from your food count at the end of each day ... just in case you need to stretch your food supply out.

The torture chapter was similar to survival in how it plays out. It plays out as it waits for your input against your torturer's. You and your partner have to endure torture from the enemy for a certain number of days. They want what you know, but you have to balance between trying to lie to them and telling them just what very little truth to keep you two alive (but not too much). They will try to rough you up if they don't believe you, or become more interested in what you have to say. Eventually you meet another friend who will help you either by getting you medicine to keep you alive, make you more resistant to torture, or supply you with information you can use against your torturers.

There was one scenario (and likely another) that played out seemingly in real-time. The hostage chapter works this way. You have to balance the attention of watching one of your teammates as he hacks into a computer to steal information, the guards assembled outside the room who want an excuse to breach in (along with another teammate who can keep them at bay), as well as the handful of hostages who you have to keep in check (who will panic, try to run away or try to be a hero).

Media (Click to Enlarge)



Deconstructeam is:

• Jordi de Paco
• Marina González
• Pablo Ruiz
• Jonathan Romero
• Jorge Plaza

 

[commissar]

Keen! I'm gonna GOG.com it :>

 

[MomoPufflet]

Pixel work looks fantastic. I dig the gritty/violent overtones. Wishlisted on GOG.

 

[SJRB]

Put this on my Steam wishlist as soon as I saw the screenshots a couple of weeks ago, super cool concept and artstyle to boot.

Very much looking forward to this.

 

[tsab]

Wow it's €6.99 on humble for us europeans. And it's a steam code and drm free.
Tempting!

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Played this at Rezzed and it was my game of the show, have it preordered now and can't wait ^_^

 

[ajcacio]

Does anyone know if the devs intend to bring this to PSN? Would love to play this

 

[Azdoune]

I didn't know this game 5 minutes ago, and now i can't wait. Thanks Gaf!

 

[Autofokus]

Intrigued by the setting, kinda bored by the prototype - but the Polygon video sparkled my interest again.

Still have some card money left, so probably day1.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Managed to get my hands on a preview copy and it's one of the most strategic, difficult, well-balanced point and click games I've played. Every action has a reaction and making choices requires a lot of thinking and planning if you want the best outcome possible. Very mature in presentation and is a game that requires quite a bit of trial and error if you want to succeed. They even warn you about how difficult it is, and they aren't kidding, at least on "Normal" difficulty. If you want strategically puzzling scenarios that require a lot of thought and planning with a sense of a accomplishment upon completion, then this awesome looking pixel art point and click is definitely worth a look.

 

[wetflame]

I feel like I'm going to get super nervous playing this, going to be hard to weigh up decisions!

 

[Mr_Zombie]

I'm intrigued by this game. Very intrigued.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Deconstructeam is:

• Jordi de Paco
• Marina González
• Pablo Ruiz
• Jonathan Romero
• Jorge Plaza

[/indent]

Some of my friends are working on the game. Hope the best for them. Go go go!

 

[Sober]

Intrigued by the setting, kinda bored by the prototype - but the Polygon video sparkled my interest again.

Still have some card money left, so probably day1.

That is a good video. That pretty much describes how busy it can get in some situations.

 

[spannicus]

Bs wita port begging allowed?

 

[Toma]

Neat OT, we went Bananas over the prototype in the Indie thread last year.

 

[Tash]

Hey Sober, were you at Gamelab by chance?

 

[Hours Left]

Sounds/looks really cool.

 

[More_Badass]

Neat OT, we went Bananas over the prototype in the Indie thread last year.

Hell, yeah, absolutely loved the prototype. I had preordered the game as soon as preorders were available. Reading those impressions in the OT only made the wait ever harder

 

[More_Badass]

Launch trailer

 

[H1PSTER]

My pre-order is ready.

 

[marrec]

Same, just waiting to install it. Really excited for this game based on everything I've seen.

 

[Rollo Tomasi]

I really sucked at the prototype that came out last year but I might pick this up tomorrow when it releases.

 

[legbone]

just watched the giantbomb quick look. game looks very interesting. one of the more unique games i have seen in the past few years. wouldn't mind giving it a shot. devolver publishes such great games in my opinion.

 

[marrec]

Can't wait to play this tonight. I may break my Divinity streak so that I can stream this out.

 

[Purkake4]

Woo hype!

 

[AEREC]

loved the web version I played a while ago...been waiting for this to have a full release.

 

[purg3]

GiantBomb has a quicklook up now.

 

[marrec]

GiantBomb has a quicklook up now.

Does the Quicklook start from the very beginning? I don't want to spoil myself too much if it's jumps in a few hours into it.

 

[Kyari]

Does the Quicklook start from the very beginning? I don't want to spoil myself too much if it's jumps in a few hours into it.

Yes, and then Vinny skips over text fairly quickly so as not to spoil too much for people.

 

[Strazyplus]

EDIT: OUT NOW!

 

[bonesmccoy]

Devolver has some really interesting titles in its library.

 

[daydream]

Wasn't really feeling the demo I played a few months ago, but now I'm excited for it again. Gonna pick it up for sure.

 

[marrec]

Wasn't really feeling the demo I played a few months ago, but now I'm excited for it again. Gonna pick it up for sure.

That wasn't really a demo, more of a game jam experiment. I expect the proper game to feel much more fleshed out.

 

[daydream]

That wasn't really a demo, more of a game jam experiment. I expect the proper game to feel much more fleshed out.

Right, yeah. Obviously there's going to be a lot more content here, but the interface, writing, etc. seem much more polished and interesting, as well.

 

[fierrotlepou]

Bought. Unlocks in approximately one hour over here. Can't wait!

 

[Mr. Hyde]

Installing it now. I am both scared and excited.

 

[Corronchilejano]

Gonna try it tonight.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Anyone get their key from the Humble Store?

EDIT: nvm it's there now.

 

[bbd23]

looks interesting. bought

 

[SOME-MIST]

completely forgot about this even though I preordered it last month. thanks for the reminder :>

pretty excited to check it out after work

 

[AHA-Lambda]

jesus christ, this is hard.

 

[Strazyplus]

jesus christ, this is hard.

YYEESSSSSSSS

 

[HoopzBarkley]

Bought this,looked interesting enough.

 

[Sinatar]

John Walker over at RPS eviscerated it in his review.

Definitely going to take a wait and see on this one.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Devolver eh? PS4/Vita port possible? They mentioned a partnership at E3. Game looks compelling.

 

[SJRB]

Jesus this game is hard as balls, can't even make it past chapter 1.

Pro-tip: the hacking bar is actuall two bars, once the upper is full you have to get the lower one as well, so don't go all out thinking you're in the final stretch because you're in fact only halfway there.


As for the game itself, it's a fascinating concept for sure. The tells on the hostages are kinda hard to make out though, I'm never sure if I'm doing it "right".

 

[RMI]

watched the quicklook on GB last night and although the aesthetics are right up my alley, the gameplay looks painfully dull and repetitive. Looking at the effects of Vinny's choices as he played through each "turn," it just seemed awfully mechanical and deterministic, and not at all organic. Maybe that's the consequence of having an adventure game with hard fail states, rather than a game where you can progress with different outcomes regardless of how bad you do.

I was interested, but I think I'm going to wait on this one for a while.

 

[Strazyplus]

Sounds unfairly hard.... hmmm I am scared D:

 

[Intheflorsh]

God damn this hostage thing is driving me bonkers. Anyone know what the purpose of the break room is and how it helps?