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[A Sentient Keyboard]

Giant Bomb Quick Look (youtube)

 

[zroid]

So much for "taking it slow". I just beat it. Gameplay-wise I think the game isn't very satisfying at all. The puzzles aren't that interesting, the solutions are too simplistic. There's really no possibility of getting anything wrong. Pretty much the only thing the game had going for it in the end was the "experience". The story was neat I guess, but even that is really short.

I feel the game is something which would be more worthwhile if it's part of a collection, but isn't really that substantial on its own. 8 bucks isn't really value for money for the experience at all, especially when the same amount of money can get you lots of other stuff on the eShop or any other store with much more value and gameplay. This is a 2 hour one-off experience which has zero replay value, really basic gameplay, and an interesting use of audio-visuals to project a simplistic "alone on an abandoned spaceship" experience.

Thanks for the detailed impressions. I think I will wait for a sale. Bit swamped with things to buy and play right now, anyhow.

Giant Bomb Quick Look (youtube)

Excellent! was hoping they'd do one~

 

[Roto13]

What do I do with this battery?

EDIT: Actually the question I should be asking is

Spoiler

"Where is Large's ID card?" This super limited filed of view is doing me no favours.

EDIT 2: There it is. Wonder what other stuff I can't see.

 

[also]

What do I do with this battery?

EDIT: Actually the question I should be asking is

Spoiler

"Where is Large's ID card?" This super limited filed of view is doing me no favours.

Spoiler

If the ID is not in his pants, it should be in the same room at least. The battery is used in the northern most room of the 1st floor.

 

[Labrys]

Played a bit last night! The

Spoiler

Leeches' noise

and

Spoiler

Finding the dead body in the beginning

gave me a bit of a fright. I do like the system for interacting with things, though.

 

[Kazerei]

EDIT 2: There it is. Wonder what other stuff I can't see.

Maybe turn up the brightness? It's probably bad for your eyes, but whatever, it's only for 2-3 hours

 

[Roto13]

Maybe turn up the brightness? It's probably bad for your eyes, but whatever, it's only for 2-3 hours

That probably won't help. I know it's dark because blah blah blah atmosphere but it's annoying that I can't see anything that's not right in the center of my screen. I didn't know

Spoiler

the cookie can

even existed until I looked it up. Now I'm dealing with that

Spoiler

crane arm

and I'm not sure if I should be able to figure out what to do with what I know or if I just walked past something important without ever seeing it.

 

[Setre]

N/M, figured it out.

 

[Roto13]

All done. Finished it in 3:35, including reading all of the extra stuff. (That was one "session" with sleep mode, so it now has my highest average playtime. )

Game's good, but not as good as I was hoping it would be. The atmosphere was creepy and pretty cool, and I liked

Spoiler

the twist at the end

but the story was pretty sparse throughout most of the game. Some more random files and notes sitting around to be read would have gone a long way. Basically the story was mostly told after the credits and I don't think that shows up if you don't do that one optional puzzle at the very end of the game.

One thing I thought was awesome

Spoiler

at the end was reading the name "Danny" on the cold sleep pod and knocking on it, and realizing that it's the pod you're inside of and Danny is dead. That was a cool moment.

 

[Midou]

Would love this in a more full length game. I'm sure some of the ending bits would be even more impactful after a 10-15 hour game. Still really enjoyed it though.

Only thing I would change is being able to turn while looking around, because cancelling zoomed in mode, turning, then entering it again to look around got a bit tedious.

I really like the idea of going in blind though, without a big introduction or opening sequence, it worked so well.

 

[Vamphuntr]

So much for "taking it slow". I just beat it. Gameplay-wise I think the game isn't very satisfying at all. The puzzles aren't that interesting, the solutions are too simplistic. There's really no possibility of getting anything wrong. Pretty much the only thing the game had going for it in the end was the "experience". The story was neat I guess, but even that is really short.

I feel the game is something which would be more worthwhile if it's part of a collection, but isn't really that substantial on its own. 8 bucks isn't really value for money for the experience at all, especially when the same amount of money can get you lots of other stuff on the eShop or any other store with much more value and gameplay. This is a 2 hour one-off experience which has zero replay value, really basic gameplay, and an interesting use of audio-visuals to project a simplistic "alone on an abandoned spaceship" experience.

Yeah this is what I was talking about in the Nintendo Download thread. Most of the time you will pick up the only item that can be used on the only thing blocking your progress. It's not a very fun game. I felt like I was robbed of 8 dollars.

It's not very fun to explore as there is barely anything to do and interact with. The ambiance was terrible since barely anything worthwhile happens and the pacing is kind of awful. Collect a bunch of card keys and walk through copy pasted hallways and rooms until something uninteresting happens.

The first 5 minutes showed promise. Or at least implied you would switch through different robots often, that you would use your OS more than once and that the mic would be use for something decent. Too bad this wasn't the case.

That video between the two creators on the eshop is really terrible once you have beaten the game. Their "there is no tutorial so the game is hardcore" pitch is somewhat embarrassing since the reason there is no tutorial in the first place is that there isn't anything do to in the game outside moving the circle pad to move the reticle over object you want to analyse/interact with.

For my part I didn't find the ambiance good at all. A creepy background music would probably have been a better choice than absolutely nothing except noise of your robot moving and doors opening. I felt the "ghost" thing was underused and poorly paced. At some point I completely forgot about it and we are talking about a 3 hours game.

I don't think the story was really well done either. I guessed the twist about 1/3 way through. It would probably have been a better idea to put more files scattered on the ship to flesh out the lore a bit more.

 

[Hours Left]

Regarding the game's length, I think it might be a result of the fact that this game was initially intended to be part of a retail package, like the first Guild collection. If the rumored third Guild collection is true, then I wouldn't be surprised if those games were a bit more substantial since they'd be the first to be made with the digital release method in mind as the sole way to obtain the games.

 

[TheUnknownForce]

These Guild games are pretty neat, but they are definitely not the longest games available.

I'd almost wager them as IP pitch ideas, with the games lasting only a few hours to establish the concept and the world. Then if they are highly successful, they can be expanded into bigger things. I feel this is why Liberation Maiden is getting more games and content now, as it received the most praise of the initial Guild games, outside of Crimson Shroud (but Matsuno is not part of Level-5 anymore, so...).

Even though these games are pretty short and a bit shallow, I do approve with the attempt to use different game developer minds to create unique worlds outside of their usual products.

 

[Hours Left]

These Guild games are pretty neat, but they are definitely not the longest games available.

I'd almost wager them as IP pitch ideas, with the games lasting only a few hours to establish the concept and the world. Then if they are highly successful, they can be expanded into bigger things. I feel this is why Liberation Maiden is getting more games and content now, as it received the most praise of the initial Guild games, outside of Crimson Shroud (but Matsuno is not part of Level-5 anymore, so...).

Even though these games are pretty short and a bit shallow, I do approve with the attempt to use different game developer minds to create unique worlds outside of their usual products.

Well, we're getting a much longer Liberation Maiden game, so you may be on to something. (Though the genre is completely different in the sequel.)

Anyway, I'm enjoying the game so far, but I do agree that they could of gone farther with the "hands off" approach and made the puzzles more difficult. The story is quite intriguing though.

 

[grumpy]

y can't starship damrey crawl

 

[Dash Kappei]

Impression pls (when it get available).

What happened to Hugo Pratt's boy? Where did he go... :/

 

[Hours Left]

Definitely digging the atmosphere of the game. Very eerie.

Edit: Holy hell, that made me gasp a bit. XD

 

[duckroll]

Regarding the game's length, I think it might be a result of the fact that this game was initially intended to be part of a retail package, like the first Guild collection. If the rumored third Guild collection is true, then I wouldn't be surprised if those games were a bit more substantial since they'd be the first to be made with the digital release method in mind as the sole way to obtain the games.

I don't think it's much of an excuse for a weak offering though. Crimson Shroud was actually part of a retail package and it remains the most substantial effort in the Guild series so far. It really shows how much more effort Matsuno put in compared to everyone else.

 

[Madouu]

Giant Bomb Quick Look (youtube)

What's up with all the dislikes

 

[Poyunch]

What's up with all the dislikes

Patrick haters.

 

[Hours Left]

I don't think it's much of an excuse for a weak offering though. Crimson Shroud was actually part of a retail package and it remains the most substantial effort in the Guild series so far. It really shows how much more effort Matsuno put in compared to everyone else.

Oh, I agree. Crimson Shroud is still definitely the stand out game from the series so far, but personally I would put this one right afterward.

The gameplay might be a bit on the lacking side, but the atmosphere and "experience" this game conveys is right up my alley. The probably should of priced it a bit lower, but I don't regret my purchase at all.

I would love to see Level-5 take this concept and expand on it more.

 

[Celine]

What happened to Hugo Pratt's boy? Where did he go... :/

Ah, ah seasonal avatar change.
Now it's time for rusty old man Celine.

 

[duckroll]

Oh, I agree. Crimson Shroud is still definitely the stand out game from the series so far, but personally I would put this one right afterward.

The gameplay might be a bit on the lacking side, but the atmosphere and "experience" this game conveys is right up my alley. The probably should of priced it a bit lower, but I don't regret my purchase at all.

I would love to see Level-5 take this concept and expand on it more.

I don't regret my purchase either, but I just find it hard to recommend the game. That's how I feel about most of the Guild series in general. Some neat ideas, and for those willing to throw money at supporting variety and niche stuff, it's certainly worth it, but outside of that it's hard to justify recommending them outside of Crimson Shroud.

 

[Hours Left]

I don't regret my purchase either, but I just find it hard to recommend the game. That's how I feel about most of the Guild series in general. Some neat ideas, and for those willing to throw money at supporting variety and niche stuff, it's certainly worth it, but outside of that it's hard to justify recommending them outside of Crimson Shroud.

Well, it's definitely a niche series with some caveats, but I think that's what makes it so interesting. Not to sound too pretentious, but games like this is almost akin to going to see an art film. It might not work 100% or be something that everyone would enjoy, but just the unique experience alone is enough to make it worth while IMO.

 

[duckroll]

Well, it's definitely a niche series with some caveats, but I think that's what makes it so interesting. Not to sound too pretentious, but games like this is almost akin to going to see an art film. It might not work 100% or be something that everyone would enjoy, but just the unique experience alone is enough to make it worth while IMO.

Art films are usually full length feature films which are funded independently by sponsors who don't require a commercial success to recoup their investment. Guild games are more akin to concept shorts films or TV pilots which don't get picked up for serialization. Those tend to have interesting ideas, but often leave people not fully satisfied because of unexplored potential.

 

[Hours Left]

Art films are usually full length feature films which are funded independently by sponsors who don't require a commercial success to recoup their investment. Guild games are more akin to concept shorts films or TV pilots which don't get picked up for serialization. Those tend to have interesting ideas, but often leave people not fully satisfied because of unexplored potential.

Perhaps that would be a better description, but I wouldn't say I personally feel unsatisfied with the experience.

 

[Hours Left]

Added the first review and cleaned up the OP.

 

[Kipe]

I really wanted this to be good after enjoying the Gamecenter CX episode with Night of the Sickle Weasel. Oh well I'll pick it up when it's on sale.

 

[jgkspsx]

This is a 2 hour one-off experience which has zero replay value, really basic gameplay, and an interesting use of audio-visuals to project a simplistic "alone on an abandoned spaceship" experience.

That last item sounds worth $8 to me.

 

[Hours Left]

That last item sounds worth $8 to me.

It's the best aspect of the game by far. The atmosphere is killer.

 

[duckroll]

It's the best aspect of the game by far. The atmosphere is killer.

Too bad about the game design.

 

[Man God]

Enjoyed it, still got one last thing to do before I call it quits.

Probably should have waited for a sale though.

It is too simple and too short in the end.

 

[duckroll]

I really wish they actually did something with the idea of there being multiple robots all over the ship instead. It's just a missed opportunity for actual puzzle design. If you have to switch between robots at different parts of the ship to do different things, and use multiple robots to carry different items and basically manage an inventory that way, they could have done so much more with the adventure design. Instead it's just... meh. I get more disappointed with how it turned out each time I think about it.

 

[Hours Left]

I really wish they actually did something with the idea of there being multiple robots all over the ship instead. It's just a missed opportunity for actual puzzle design. If you have to switch between robots at different parts of the ship to do different things, and use multiple robots to carry different items and basically manage an inventory that way, they could have done so much more with the adventure design. Instead it's just... meh. I get more disappointed with how it turned out each time I think about it.

I don't think anyone would disagree that the concept has a lot of potential for expansion.

 

[Man God]

I really wish they actually did something with the idea of there being multiple robots all over the ship instead. It's just a missed opportunity for actual puzzle design. If you have to switch between robots at different parts of the ship to do different things, and use multiple robots to carry different items and basically manage an inventory that way, they could have done so much more with the adventure design. Instead it's just... meh. I get more disappointed with how it turned out each time I think about it.

This is easily my biggest issue with the game. I at least expected them to have you get stuck at one point only to

Spoiler

Open up the basically useless Robot menu and find that you can control or observe one of the other previously "damaged" robots and do something with it to advance the plot.

but nothing like that happens. It's such a tease.

 

[duckroll]

Hmmmm, reading a Japanese FAQ for the game seems to indicate that once again English fans have been shafted. There's something missing from the English release. The "Alyssa" short story that is unlocked if you own any of the previous Guild01 titles is actually a part of the normal release in the Japanese game, while the Japanese game offered an additional "Alex" short story for those who owned the Japanese Guild01. Wtf? Level5 smh.

 

[Man God]

Hmmmm, reading a Japanese FAQ for the game seems to indicate that once again English fans have been shafted. There's something missing from the English release. The "Alyssa" short story that is unlocked if you own any of the previous Guild01 titles is actually a part of the normal release in the Japanese game, while the Japanese game offered an additional "Alex" short story for those who owned the Japanese Guild01. Wtf? Level5 smh.

We did get the superior version of Crimson Shroud though which remains the best product of the entire series.

 

[A Sentient Keyboard]

We did get the superior version of Crimson Shroud though which remains the best product of the entire series.

I remember reading about this, what exactly was changed?

 

[duckroll]

We did get the superior version of Crimson Shroud though which remains the best product of the entire series.

Nope. The eShop version of Crimson Shroud is identical in all regions (it's dual language). The English script in Crimson Shroud is still missing the parody choices which are supposed to be available in NG++. :/

 

[Hours Left]

Hmmmm, reading a Japanese FAQ for the game seems to indicate that once again English fans have been shafted. There's something missing from the English release. The "Alyssa" short story that is unlocked if you own any of the previous Guild01 titles is actually a part of the normal release in the Japanese game, while the Japanese game offered an additional "Alex" short story for those who owned the Japanese Guild01. Wtf? Level5 smh.

Really? That sucks.

I'm gonna send them a tweet and ask about this.

 

[Man God]

Nope. The eShop version of Crimson Shroud is identical in all regions (it's dual language). The English script in Crimson Shroud is still missing the parody choices which are supposed to be available in NG++. :/

Now I'm disappointed. I know they fixed stuff for the digital release but didn't realize we were still missing content.

 

[duckroll]

Now I'm disappointed. I know they fixed stuff for the digital release but didn't realize we were still missing content.

I apologize for continuing to bring bad news about these games. But it seems Level5 is being rather cheap with the localization efforts.

 

[Man God]

I apologize for continuing to bring bad news about these games. But it seems Level5 is being rather cheap with the localization efforts.

Well they did get the best in the business to do Crimson Shroud, just not all of it!

I can't remember the last time a game with a parody mode actually made it over intact. Tofu Survivor from RE 2? .hack had a hilarious as all hell parody track that never made it over.

 

[Hours Left]

Well, I sent them a message about the missing story, hopefully they'll respond. Since it's just text, they could just post it on the web site if is was mistakenly left out. If not, I'm not sure why they'd leave it out besides laziness... :/

duckroll, is there a Japanese version of the short story posted anywhere?

 

[Vamphuntr]

Well, I sent them a message about the missing story, hopefully they'll respond. Since it's just text, they could just post it on the web site if is was mistakenly left out. If not, I'm not sure why they'd leave it out besides laziness... :/

duckroll, is there a Japanese version of the short story posted anywhere?

It got cut probably because of the money required to localize that part of the text. Level-5 seems rather cheap. I mean, the coding is different since the unlock is Alyssa instead so it's pretty clear it was done on purpose.

 

[duckroll]

Well, I sent them a message about the missing story, hopefully they'll respond. Since it's just text, they could just post it on the web site if is was mistakenly left out. If not, I'm not sure why they'd leave it out besides laziness... :/

duckroll, is there a Japanese version of the short story posted anywhere?

If there is, I haven't found it yet. There isn't a huge amount of interest in these games to begin with, so it's going to be tough to find someone who actually bothered to transcribe it.

 

[Hours Left]

If there is, I haven't found it yet. There isn't a huge amount of interest in these games to begin with, so it's going to be tough to find someone who actually bothered to transcribe it.

Hmm, I hope someone posts it. I really want to read it.

 

[Camjo-Z]

I want to finish this game so I can write a review on it for another site but I can't figure out how to beat it. Can anyone help? I feel like I'm just one step away from the ending.

Spoiler

I got to the Cold Sleep room, tried to open the case I'm in but it said something about a password? (I was playing this with a fever at 2 AM so I probably missed a detail there) Then I went up the vent, got the ring, put it on that one girl's desk, and looked at the picture of Lucy in the other crew member's room. Now music is playing so I assume looking at the picture was important, but I have no clue what to do after that.

 

[Eusis]

I want to finish this game so I can write a review on it for another site but I can't figure out how to beat it. Can anyone help? I feel like I'm just one step away from the ending.

Spoiler

I got to the Cold Sleep room, tried to open the case I'm in but it said something about a password? (I was playing this with a fever at 2 AM so I probably missed a detail there) Then I went up the vent, got the ring, put it on that one girl's desk, and looked at the picture of Lucy in the other crew member's room. Now music is playing so I assume looking at the picture was important, but I have no clue what to do after that.

Hint:

Spoiler

Take another look in your pod.

I got it on a first guess.

 

[Hours Left]

I just beat the game. Cool ending, I'll post my full thoughts later.

But duckroll, the Alyssa short story is not the same as the linked content story. They are two separate stories. The Alyssa story is about

Spoiler

her wedding

and the linked content story is about

Spoiler

how the space leeches got on the Damrey.

The Alyssa story is unlocked by seeing the full ending.

Spoiler

Putting the Silver Ring on Alex's desk before beating the game.

The linked content story is unlocked by simply beating the game with a save file from any of the Guild01 title.

I'm not sure what the Alex story is. The linked content storyline doesn't mention Alex at all. Maybe the wiki was talking about Alex's profile, which is unlocked by getting the full ending?