Trying for intelligent conversation? The Path
Hello all my Tell Tale forum friends, enemies, and people who otherwise don't care. I was hoping to have an analytical conversation about the Path, a game by Tale of Tales, which is a bizarre little game basically about Little Red Ridding Hood. If you haven't played it, you can buy and download it for 10 bucks on the Tale of Tales website. It is definitely worth a play.
To start off the conversation, I have a burning question to ask of you all:
Do you think the Grandmother is dead from the beginning of the game? (Yes this game is dark and goth)
To start off the conversation, I have a burning question to ask of you all:
Do you think the Grandmother is dead from the beginning of the game? (Yes this game is dark and goth)
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But anyway, enough ranting about the game, here is what I analyzed:
To me, the grandmother is not dead in the beginning but rather on the verge of dying. It seems as if the forest and path are some kind of metaphorical mindset. Like if she's trying to find her memories and creates several metaphorical and personified phases of her youth to find them. (the 6 girls) There are several memories in the forest as well as bad ones. (hence the wolves)
I'll stop it at that since you said that's where you want to start. As much as I dislike the game as a whole, I still thought what happened in it was interesting enough, so don't let that stop you from discussing it with me.
Never played the game, though reminds me of Alice from the concept
I agree.
I'll have to look into it, I'm known to brave rediculous controls for the sake of a good plot.
Anyway, the controls aren't actually so bad since it's such a simple gameplay mechanic. You don't need to fight any monsters or anything, just explore areas and interact with a few things. Of course, with the exception of the running which is annoying as hell. You see, every time you try to run, the camera goes upwards so you can't see what's ahead of you and the screen blackens after a while with some of those cheesy scribbles on the screen and some annoying horror game sound effects. Sure it might be scary/confusing the first time when you don't realize what's happening in the forest but it gets on your nerves quickly, especially when you realize how repetitive the gameplay aspect is and when you've come to an understanding of what is happening around you in that you must do the same thing with each of the six girls. When I was on the second girl I've already realized what was happening and was getting increasingly frustrated that the game wanted to be annoying when I just wanted to explore more efficently by running.
There are a lot more annoying things than the controls, though. There is that ridiculous "walk of shame" at some point in the game where the girl is walking incredibly slowly to grandma's house and it takes about two minutes to get there with nothing happening at all. And of course this must happen with EACH GIRL. >:|
There's also the stupid flower collecting, which was put there mostly to mock the gamer who decides to collect them all. Because if you go through the tedious process of finding them all, NOTHING HAPPENS. It's been confirmed this was done to mock players who feel the need to collect everything within a game. Yes, god forbid I want to appreciate the way a game was made by trying to experience everything it has to offer, but thank you for mocking me for trying, game!
Some girls also have some memories to collect which are only found in a certain area, but sometimes that area is only randomized to appear for a certain girl, and sometimes it's randomized to not appear at all no matter how many times you load the specific girl who is the only one who can get that memory unless you "beat" or start the file over, and even then you have to pray the randomization system likes you.
I could go on and on, but the icing on the cake is how easily the creator dismisses criticisms of these unnecessary mechanics, sometimes creating these bizarro "artistic" reasons for why they were put in there. To quote someone on Steam: "What would you say if the game kept crashing to the desktop? 'That's to make you feel like the game is eluding you, and doesn't want you to play it! You must keep pursuing it!'" Basically, it's just a bunch of pretentious BS.
If it's the latter, you really shouldn't worry about it, since even if only one instance of the game has sexual implications, whether it's *that* kind of implication or not is only up to your interpretation. (I really can't talk about it much without spoiling it and I'm sure there's people who still want to try the game
Both. The joke was that that post made me want to play the game. But the real joke was that I decided said joke was inappropriate...and then posted it anyway. Humor is so much funnier when you explain it. Not that it was very funny to begin with.
I was actually thinking of making the same joke myself, but this is a family-friendly forum
First off, PecanBlue, excellent points on the game play mechanics. As far as play goes, everything that you said is true. I really hated the running camera issue, and those randomized map objects issue. I can't tell you how annoyed I was when I was looking for that damn playground with some of the other girls! As far as being a game, it does not have great gameplay, but I think that it is the start of something that could be better. It just kinda makes me want to figure out how I could make a better game using the same themes... I love doing that.
The reason that I bought and played the path was not for the gameplay. My sister did her MFA Dissertation on the many different retellings of Little Red Ridding Hood, and I had to suffer through much of her research (don't watch The Company of Wolves unless you plan to fast forward... a lot!) so I in turn became interested in how Red is portrayed in games. I give Tale of Tales full credit for doing their research. Not a whole lot of people know the original tale, The Tale of the Grandmother, and I respect there desire to make the concept artistic. From a literary stand point, The Path was a great success in leaving the game open for interpretation. Whether someone wants to believe it is a rape allegory as the original tale is meant to be interpreted, a story about losing innocence as we age, or my pet theory, the little girl in white is the Wolf trying to keep the girls on her path to avoid being tempted by the girls.
I still think that Grandma is dead throughout the entire game...
The girl in white is also one of the bigger mysteries, I prefer to actually think of her as the woodsman of the story, but she seems to represent something more.
EDIT: Also, I still don't get how anyone can come to the conclusion of rape, at least for EVERY GIRL. The original story isn't exactly about the loss of innocence through sexual means entirely, there's more to it. I think there's also more to it to this story, since it is a more modern version of the tale, and there's lots of things young women worry about in their youth other than sex. Take a look at what Robin goes through, for example, with all the
Ah, my little pet theory, the girl in white. First off, you mentioned that the stuffed wolf in Grandma's room is white, and the little girl is also wearing white. While white is symbolic of innocence, it also connects the girl with the wolf. Due to the odd nature of the little girl in white, if she is the wolf, who is to say that she can't fabricate other people? After all, the woods are pretty messed up as it is... I don't know about you, but I don't often find my living room furniture strewn around the forest. And since the "endings" for each girl are so metaphorical, it isn't too far a stretch the the little girl can create visions.
Once the girls find the "Wolf", the girl in white no longer tries to take them back to the path. It could be saying, "I tried to tell you to be a good girl, but hey, if you don't want to listen, here is your punishment."
I think Ginger's "wolf" proves my point the most. Ginger is so far into her imaginary world, that the girl in white doesn't have to pretend to be innocent anymore, which is why she is in red. This is the one girl that she doesn't have to hide who she is, and I think that they are supposed to be the same age.
What really made me think the girl in white is the wolf is the prologue and the epilogue. I don't know if you downloaded the prologue. Basically, it is the girl in white running around the forest, and instead of the usual land marks, the places are reduced to ash and smoke. *spoiler!* In the Epilogue, it is raining, as it always is as the red girls finally make their way to Grandma's house after encountering the wolf. She comes into grandma's house and sits next the bed in a pouncing position. After it fades, the girl in white is standing in the starting room with blood smeared on her dress. She appears that way almost as if to say "fooled you!"
On that note, did you notice that as the girls get older, the wolf a) becomes more humanoid and b) get's older? Also, have you ever read the original story? It's called Tale of the Grandmother if you are not familiar with it.
It's fun debating with you!
Grandmother doesn't really blink, but she shoots her eyes open in every ending. (with the exception of the wolf endings of course, where she is missing entirely) You can check it out on youtube if you like. This is why I think she's just "dying" rather than already dead, there's pills beside her bed, and there's an object to collect in the forest that triggers a memory of pills for some reason. I forget which it is, but I know it's there.
I don't really think the girl in white is a wolf herself, but understanding her goes a long way to understanding the whole game, (as well as understanding Ginger's wolf) which I think is impossible to do. I see each red girl as a different metaphorical phase of youth (naivete, innocence, dependency, juvenility, rebellion, sexual inexperience, passiveness, possibly femininity or gender conformity etc.) that one by one are killed by a certain experience in life. (which each wolf represents) Because of this, I think it's significant that you are able to control the girl in white and get to grandmother's house without any trouble at all, but only when all girls are dead. It almost seems as if the girl in white can represent neutrality, or acceptance or something similar to that, which is a very important part of full maturity. You can go anywhere you want in the forest, but there is no longer any temptation for the bad, and you know exactly where the path is.
The creator himself has mentioned that he sees the girl in white in the end as if she has killed the wolf and cut the girls out of its stomach, hence the blood-stained dress and why the girls gradually come back into the room safely. This is why I see the girl in white as the woodsman. You can even see it as the grandmother being the wolf by the end, because the wolf has already taken care of the red girls and posed as the grandmother, waiting for the last girl to arrive, like in the original story. It's like if grandmother is girl in white's wolf, (IE. she herself is her own wolf) but by that point in time, girl in white knows just what to do. The girls coming back into the room is kind of like they're being allowed to start over, like "you can't get rid of them, they'll always be there in life, but do what you must with them and let them go as they please."
I don't really see the stuffed wolf's color as being significant to the girl in white. After all, there are other white things to be pondered about in the game. Like how each red girl's item in the start room is white for some reason.
And yeah, I did read the original story.
I'll talk about the girl in white more later. She has a lot to be talked about, but I gotta go to a birthday party soon, so it'll take a while if I keep going!
Ah, Ginger's wolf. This is my initial reaction to Ginger's ending, barring my theory of the girl in white. I didn't come up with that theory until I finished the game. Ginger's "sin" if you will is that she doesn't want to grow up and take responsibility. She just wants to play and be mischievous and fight her coming of age. That is why her wolf is in a field of flowers with mother nature. The girl in red could symbolize her period coming which signifies the end of childhood, and the idea devastates her. That is what I think any way...
Now a few things about the other girls baffle me, which is mostly what other people have said. One theory people have is that Rose tried or actually drown herself in the bath tub. I didn't think of Rose as suicidal. I can understand that she has a fascination with water, and perhaps she may have almost or actually drowned, but as far as I could tell, only Ruby was suicidal.
Another theory out there is for Cameron. People seem to believe that she was raped by the woodsman, or married to him and became disillusioned... I thought that she was just a party animal and it got her into trouble. Besides, isn't she awfully young to be married?
And then there is Scarlet. Ok, I agree that she may have given up her passion for music to take care of her sister, but after she encounters the wolf, a red curtain comes down. I am much more willing to believe that she had a bad experience with a music instructor in one way or another which caused her to think of Music as a forbidden fruit. This is of course all analysis before they take an incredibly LONG time walking to Grandma's in the rain.
I suppose that leads us back to the girl in white. I guess I can buy the woodcutter theory, but the game seems to sinister for that... it also could be that never really like that the Brothers Grimm added him so that a "man" could save poor helpless Red. The Tale of Tales site made such a big deal out of showing you the two oldest versions of Red Riding Hood, I don't really feel that the Grimm's version plays that much into it. This girl is definitely a mystery.
What, really? You know, I think I just lost all interest in ever playing this. There's a big difference between "artistic" and "snobby".
And you my friend have pinpointed the problem with most art schools. They fail to see the difference between the two.
Yes, just take a look at this this thread. "MichaelSamyn" is the creator of the game, and the way he responds to complaints just sickens me. This paragraph he wrote should say more than enough:
"I'm surprised -and intrigued- by the level of entitlement that gamers feel. It's fascinating to see this desire to be entertained and the outrage that follows when that desire isn't being satisfied. I can understand being put off by a work of art when you don't agree with its content. But I guess videogames are different. Since, through the few decades of their history, their sole function has become amusement, we take offense when a game suddenly doesn't instantly please us. The passion with which a gamer expresses 'I'm not having fun' is fascinating."
"Let me just shake off critiques for why my choosing this medium to express art isn't exactly working as talking to gamers like if they had the mental capacity of neanderthals." Is basically what he's saying. This totally makes paying 10 bucks for this seem so appealing!
Anyway more talking about the game:
Heh, my friend and I called Ginger's wolf "Aunt Flo."
I saw her wolf as general womanhood or puberty, but yes, her experiencing her period is what I thought happened to her. One of her death images seems to signify as such, with barbed wire in between an image of two legs kind of in a flow. (there's even two skull-like shapes in the image of barbed wire where the ovaries would be) Ginger's wolf is the only wolf to ravage the girl against their will, the others are triggered by the girls themselves, so that also seems to point to it. The wolf even "sneaks up" on Ginger. There also seems to be a lot of emphasis on butterflies, a universal symbol for maturing.
Actually, one of my friends saw Ginger's wolf as being sexual curiosity and experimentation. Now, I don't think that's such a far-fetched theory since I believe lots of girls go through such a phase until they come to an understanding of themselves when they mature, and 13 is definitely not an uncommon age to start questioning your sexuality. But I guess I just don't see Ginger as being interested in any kind of relationships so I'm leaning more toward the puberty belief, but my friend's theory does hold some water.
Rose is still pretty confusing for me. I actually think her death is represented by dropping from a great height after levitating and not drowning. At first I saw it as her death being a realization that people are cruel and you have to look out for yourself from time to time instead of always focusing on others. But I don't think that explains all the spinning and the weird masculine wolf.
It also might of been like I said, gender conformity. She's this very lady-like girl with the belief that she could be stronger. (as said when trying to climb in the playground) So maybe her wolf was an awakening into masculinity; some realization that she doesn't know who exactly she is trying to please by being the way she is.
Like I said though, there's a lot of things in Rose's story that I just can't find an explanation for. Her wolf is weird enough, but there's also a lot of emphasis on spinning in general, the rain that goes through grandmother's house, and there's also a lot of focus on her boots for some reason. (one of her final images is that of the lace end of her skirt and even her wallpaper at the website is just of her boots, and her design page hints that there was a secondary reason for putting lace on her dress)
My friend saw her death as her sexual awakening. If your graphics card sucks like my friend's did, you can see Rose's wolf perfectly behind the mist, and he kind of looks like an anatomical figure. My friend has the belief that Rose must have learned about the birds and the bees, maybe at school or from a parent, and is suddenly starting to have "impure thoughts" since we are told Rose loves the mist and that she usually has her head in the clouds, and now suddenly there is something impure in the mist. It's like her attention has now turned to other matters rather than animals and innocent things, hence the death of innocence.
But who knows. Since I have no idea what happened to Rose myself, I am open to any theories at this point.
Ok, enough about that. Rose. I don't think there is anything sexual about Rose's story line. Robin, maybe. Just because Little Red Ridinghood is a rape allegory and it is showing the most literal version of the tale. I also can't really figure out Rose. I think it is just that her head is in the clouds and that someday she has to come back down to earth. Her wolf was perfectly covered, and not really even human, and more like a spirit of the waterfall then a predator. I guess sometimes when it comes to art (which is not often) Frued is wrong.
I know the the designer doesn't want to listen and fix the game's faults, but it is very frustrating to me as both an artist and a game designer to watch someone disregard there audience. I am working on an "art" game, but I value playability. I believe there must be a happy medium!
Sorry I needed to rant.
But anyway, I think Robin had more to do with death rather than sexuality. There's a whole theme of growing up at grandma's house that suddenly becomes very sinister after meeting the wolf. Robin's profile says that mother tells her to never go into the woods but "never says why." It's almost as if Robin doesn't know what danger or death is. Wolves are her favorite animals, and she is more than willing to play and cuddle with one, but maybe she learns that they are actually dangerous as well as other things in the world. She walks into her own grave in the end room almost as if she has come to the realization that she, like everyone else around her, will eventually die. It's really an experience that I think every child is affected strongly by, so that's the way I see it. Now what her experience is that made her realize it is just up to anyone.
I think Carmen is the one that most likely experienced rape or a bad sexual experience in general. There's even full-blown sexual themes in grandma's house after you meet her wolf. Because of all the themes with alcohol, she probably got drunk and had sex that she regretted, which in the case of the man, it's still rape if you know the woman is drunk and not herself, so her experience can still be considered rape regardless. In her walk of shame she even looks like she has a hangover. (she occasionally brings up her hands to her head like if she has a headache)
I disagree that Carmen is the most likely to have had a bad sexual relationship. I believe that you can read it that way, but mostly I thought her experience was about the vices of partying and the consumption of alcohol, which most likely lead to the unwanted sexual attention. I believe that Ruby is the most obvious rape victim. From her depression and disdain toward men, to the position that she is left in before beginning her walk of shame. Not to mention the way that she holds herself as she proceeds to walk very slowly to Grandma's house.
Now looking on what I wrote, it seems that Carmen and Ruby's "sins" are very similar, except for the results could have been avoided in different ways. Carmen impaired her judgment buy consuming alcohol, while Ruby made a conscious decision to hang out with a dangerous man.
Am I the only one who feels like the red curtain falling down with the wolf looming over Scarlet as some sort of sexual innuendo? It just seemed really telling to me.
Short version:
Try No.1: I downloaded it for free (gasp!) but they seemed to have a brilliant copy-protection... which actually makes the game BORING! I mean, suddenly you're in first person and your moving speed is extremely slow. Even so, with patience, I managed to complete the objective... SPOILEEEEERS!!! ok, sorry about that, but I do appreciate when someone shouts spoilers before I read on and...you know.
I reached Granny's house and I LOST! How could I lose?
My ego was hurt (back then, I had an ego, now I killed it over a box of cereals) and my brain was like: whaaaat? dude, I played the ENTIRE Silent Hill series and loved it! This is just plain stoopid.
I deleted the game.
Try No.2: I downloaded the demo... now THAT's a change of scenery! I also read somewhere that you actually have to disobey the rules... which is not very good for a game that kids have access to, but whatever. I was walking... and walking... and walking... I completely understood the theory that sustains the fact that the Earth is round. (I always thought it was purple, but nevermind).
Shape or no shape, I didn't get anywhere...and the constant "flying off" that the camera was doing, leaving me without an actual road up ahead (meaning that, due to the camera changining the angle all the time, I had to stop repeatedly so that I could see where I was going), it became frustrating.
I REALLY want to understand this game, mostly because I understood it brings variety with each character... but 10 bucks for shifting camera angles and repeated soundtrack?
Seriously, is it worth it or not?
As I can see, even you guys have different opinions. I just like spooky stuff so, from this point of view, is it worth 10 bucks?
As far as mechanics and game play go, it has a LOT of issues that many gamers have complained about. This game was evidently not made for gamers, but for people who don't play games? Something like that.
If you are in it for the interesting twists and weaving of all the versions of Red Riding Hood, then it is definitely worth the money. My interest in the game was mostly because of how they treated the story, and also research for my sister who wrote her dissertation on Little Red Riding Hood.
So here is my answer: If you are into the idea of various retellings of Red Riding Hood, thought provoking questions, and the fact that the puzzles of the game are actually trying to decipher what happens through out the game, yes it is worth the 10 bucks. If you are in for the stellar graphics, soundtrack, overall game play experience, save your money and pay off your loans.
I hope that helps you!
P.S. With the number of death and rape themes running around the game, this was not meant for the kiddies.
A good deed deserves another. If you love these types of games, try playing Silent Hill 2. Also, look for Heavy Rain.
Might I add, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. The acting is dire, and some of the logic is questionable at best, but it's definitely the type of story that sticks with you.
EDIT: I recommend reading the source material first, as the game acts as a sequel.
The mercifully painless short version: I'd rather be giving ten dollars to charity. Or basically other indie gaming companies that are actually fun, effective, long-lasting, or charming (either/or is fine, I'm not picky after playing The Path) and don't constantly have their nose up in the air with every game they spew out reeking of pretentiousness. It's your money though, so you do what you like with it, this is all just my opinion.
The super merciless and painfully long version that was even painful for me to write: I think asking if someone is in it for the graphics, soundtrack and gameplay is a little lacking. (and the soundtrack isn't so bad and is actually pretty catchy when it's not torturing you by screeching at some points) I think "if you are looking for something that actually has any playability what-so-ever and doesn't feel like you are contributing to nothing but more snobby games when paying for it, this isn't the game for you" is a more fitting statement.
As a game that constantly tries to get you to see it instead as an "interactive piece of art," it has a lot of faults. For one thing, "interactive piece of art" is what most games, if not all, actually are already. Sure, one could be like an interactive storybook, (Monkey Island) one could be like an interactive novel, (Phoenix Wright) or an interactive painting, (Okami) etc. But the truth still remains: all of those are forms of art. The fact that they made this game, sat back in their chairs and said "yup, this is it, we've just introduced a new form of art in gaming" baffles me. There is nothing even special about the graphics to at least warrant the "interactive painting" notion (or even a screensaver, and there's a lot of very beautiful and artistic screensavers out there) which Okami already took care of. It's just mediocre models and animation enhanced by a bunch of painful bloom and film grain effects.
Is it an interesting game? Sure, what isn't interesting about a game so chock full of symbolism and surrealism that most of could have easily just been slapped on to the game with no meaning at all with the actual artistic merit left up to the player, and thus making you feel as if you won't get any sleep at all if you don't at least try to understand what this game is trying to say, as such is the reaction to any piece of art, whether it's anything special or not?
Now look, I'm not exactly trying my very hardest to be an enormous jerk here, I'm usually a very mellow person. It takes a lot to literally make me physically angry at something that has nothing to do with my personal life or that is hurting anybody. (Tim Buckley would be one of them, and also Japanese visual novels with rape themes that for some god forsaken reason have high praise for having "good writing." [I'm looking at you, Saya No Uta. And nobody look that up. I am seriously not using reverse psychology here, don't look that up if you want to live a peaceful life; it's too late for me, I played the whole thing to review it for a blog.
So the fact that I'm actually angry at Tale of Tales says something about this company.
This isn't the first time they've let loose their infamy. You should check out this article on their free game, The Endless Forest. (note that since this is a Somethingawful article, there is lewd humor and cursing, so if that sort of stuff offends you, watch out) Sure the article is hilarious, but just take a look at the hissy fit the creators throw, and the fact that the article itself acknowledges their god complex.
Now that isn't exactly so insulting, I mean it's free, and it's a game about fuzzy deers in a happy forest. Sure they have weird faces and the fanbase is just outright creepy, but there's nothing really there to make anyone angry.
Oh but here's a good idea! Let's release a game where you walk an old lady on a perfectly linear path to a bench in a graveyard, have her sit on it, have a strange foreign song play, and then you walk her out of the graveyard, and that's the end! BRILLIANT! And it's free! Oh wait, just kidding, you have to pay five measly dollars for the full version that you can be using as a starving college student to feed yourself maybe ten meals worth of ramen. What's the difference between the full version and the free version, you ask? Why, in the full version, the old lady has a 50/50 chance of dying on that bench. ISN'T THAT ARTISTIC? Isn't that totally a basis for a game and not, say, a god damn screensaver?
I'm not even joking, that exists, and that is all you do.
Ok, let me just level to what Tale of Tales is trying to say here. They're trying to introduce some ***revolutionary*** method of art to games, right? So what are they trying to say by making us pay five dollars for the possibility of death? That death is really just a materialistic illusion? That money is truly the epitome of happiness in our lives, even for the sweet release of death? That we are failures as human beings for indulging in a set of pixels instead of using the five dollars to help the actual living folk the song in the game is trying to portray? That for every five dollars you pay for stupid things, an old lady dies somewhere? Okay Tale of Tales, you just made me spend a good hefty amount of my time pondering the notions of your small company, so I guess you did your job. (good thing I never wasted five dollars on it though)
Now to get back on the subject of The Path, it's very hard to describe why I felt this was a colossal waste of my time without spoiling it. Maybe this is just a clever marketing strategy for the "game" but ok I'll try.
First of all, like I've already mentioned, the fact that you are actually supposed to pay for this thing is one of the reasons it ruins it. It tries to insist that everything you decide to do is up to your own choice, and nothing is right or wrong. Except that is completely far off, since there IS a right choice as preferred by the game considering there is a "success" and "failure" ending. This, and the fact that you paid money for it sets you on a mindset of "I paid ten stupid bucks for this game, and I damn well didn't do that to walk to the end of a boring path each time." It's like you choose the explore the forest by obligation and not curiosity, and it's one of the ways this game breaks the fourth wall and makes you see it as a game rather than the emotional effect it supposedly goes for, so there's one failure.
Basically, after you do everything you can do with one of the girls, you'll have about five girls left, and everything from that point on is just a big "it would have been much more fun for me to just look at the rest of this game on youtube" play experience. I can't speak for everyone, but that's how my friend and I felt. We continued to play it because I basically felt bad since this was a gift and all. The sort of feeling you get when playing the first girl is that of "oh god something is going to get me" and "where do I go? Good lord, I'm lost!" However, a lot of horror games that are much more entertaining than this have that effect too when you know nothing of the game. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of Silent Hill (except for that one dog ending) but I have nothing against it and it's a masterpiece compared to this game, and both the literary and game version of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream are wonderful and shouldn't even be compared to this game.
I think mainly what's so off-putting about this game is their "silly gamers, this is ART" attitude. There are far more artistic games that exist already and actually make some sort of attempt to use the gaming medium to its full effect and not underestimate and mock it so blatantly as this one does. And yes, this game does mock you in a lot of places. The creators have said it themselves as much. It's very mature and nice of them!
Yup.
Tale of Tales does need to get a hold of its ego, and actually listen to what people have to say, but the sad part is, they will probably continue in there ways and still make money. *sigh*
By the way, your description of the the Graveyard was stellar!
My experience with The Path was an interesting one, but a lot of it had less to do with the game itself. (I made a silly little comic about it on my blog that I will post when my browser isn't being dumb) I was the player, and my friend watched me play and she was pretty much laughing like a maniac at everything. When we started up the game, I had no idea who to actually choose first, and my friend was all "wait, do the girls die in this game?" And I said "this is supposedly a horror game so I wouldn't be surprised. What is more horrific than the gratuitous death of young women?" So she screamed "PICK THE GOTH GIRL FIRST PICK THE GOTH GIRL FIRST." My friend is kind of a psycho. (just kidding but she finds amusement in everything)
And then when we were sent off on the path, even before the game says anything she yells "GO INTO THE FOREST." I kind of wanted to stay on the path to see what happened, but I kind of pretty much already realized that since this was based off of Red Riding Hood, that wasn't going to do much good. Cue the nearly thirty minutes of being nervous followed by pure frustration of me apparently going around in circles and my friend constantly laughing at me while eating cookies. She was telling me things like "stop going in circles, change direction!" and "don't run, the wolf will get you!!!!" (of course I had already figured out nothing happens if you run like that after a while) So I had enough and I pretty much looked at the manual. Stand still to attract the girl in white? Ok. I did, got back on the path, nothing interesting happened, etc. I got so annoyed with my friend I told her "look, you think this is so funny? HERE, YOU PLAY" so she did and found the wolf within five minutes. >:| I think the randomization system liked her!
So pretty much after we completed the whole game, (and several comments relating to "what the hell did I just watch" after each ending) my friend was curious to see what people thought about it, so we looked in the Steam forum first, and there you have it.
Honestly, since that wasn't my ten bucks I wasn't all that angry about it. After all, at least I actually talk about the game, and at least the game has a statement (or appears to) that I mostly agree with. I admit as someone who likes to attend the International Film Festival just for the experience, I feel as I have wasted money on far worse things to the point that I don't even want to acknowledge they exist, so The Path is at least progress. I just feel as if the game is kind of telling me "pay up so we can make better games in the future" which is all well and good but not when the creator so bluntly states "nope, the tediousness of our games are part of them and we have no interest to expand our horizons into actual gameplay or some form of semi-interesting exploration." Okay, great.
I forgot to mention that knowing Michael's intents just completely ruins Scarlet's story for me.
Though like I said that The Path itself as a game only frustrates me, I will say that The Graveyard does genuinely make me rage. I still can't believe anyone would look at anyone else in the eye and say "look, this, right here, that you pay five bucks for, is art." It angers me in more ways than one. Not just as supposed art, but the message that comes out of paying real, actual money for the possibility of death, angers me.
I think that maybe the Path is actually successful as an art piece much in the same way DuChamp's "fountain" is. Yes it is a urinal on a pedestal which some eccentric guy claim is art, but it got the attention from both extremes of like and dislike. Now I personally think the DuChamp was making fun of the artists of the time, and while we know that Tale of Tales tells us the Path is art, it is indeed possible that they are making fun of us gamers. We have now entered the fuzzy realm of what constitutes as art. Good lord, that is a head ache in a can of spam. Do we want to open the can of spam?
Not exactly; it's more like an alternate universe/take on things, kinda like a gaiden game. If you fail miserably at the game, though, it ends in much the same way as in the original novella.
A lot of the "artistic" element to IHNMAIMS (much easier to write, far harder to pronounce) is simply that Cyberdreams worked side by side with the original author of the novella to create this version of his work. The game as a whole primarily spawned from a simple question: why does AM choose these particular five people to torture?
Say what you will about the acting, but you can't fault AM's voice - it's Harlan Ellison himself, after all. If you can't find this game anywhere else, Ellison has copies for sale via his website.
Ah, my mistake. That would explain why
I'm referring more towards Gorrister and Nimdok. Gorrister sounds like a dry script read, and Nimdok speaks so incredibly slowly that I find myself skipping his lines after reading the text... and I *never* do that.
Sorry! I was gone for a while, because the first week of classes can be pretty hectic. Here's that silly comic since you were interested.
I Have No Gameplay and I Must Scream (Be aware for those who want to play The Path, this has SPOILERS.)
I bought it for two reasons:
1. I am really curious how one little game can generate controversial talks about...what appears to be, nothing!
2. I make movies... atmosphere and eerie sounds are right up my alley, so at least I know I paid 8 euros for, hopefuly, an "inspirational environment".
Wish me luck!
I just played the Path. Well, one girl. I have this weeeeird sensation that these are the worst 8 euros I've spent in my entire life and I can't stop laughing!
The speed is killing me.... maybe if the girls would run faster, yeah...that would be entertaining... but the speed, man... the speed!
I downloaded the trial version of The Graveyard. It was actually beautiful, really. But it totally cracked me up when I saw videos on youtube with SPEEDRUN! Hahaha! Oh man... it's...
Well, that's a lesson I learned today... Not all weird and uknown games are actually good! I prefered the graveyard. But 5 dollars just to
So... yeah... thanks for the info. Now I HAVE to play the path, just to make some good use of the money I spent.
Well at least you learned that, I spent the five dollars, and Tale Of Tales, is a great upcoming game company, but I feel they're are too artsy for me.
The only controversy I've heard is people ragging on The Graveyard for actually daring to charge for and slap "game" on it. I think it actually would have worked much better as a screensaver. Screensavers get no love nowadays. (Though it's weird because they did make their other free game, The Endless Forest, a screensaver, so what's the deal?) I feel the interactive aspect does absolutely nothing at all.
But it's ~*~*artistic~*~*!
At least you got some form of entertainment from the Path. Aside from the lousy game play, did you at least enjoy the interpretations of little Red Riding Hood?
Maybe we should all team up and make a parody of The Path. Just for kicks!