I’m back to talk more about the feelings the first three chapters of Schrödinger’s Call (Acrobatic Chirimenjako) have evoked in me. Yes, the game is about death, but that’s not the emphasis or even the point. If anything, I would call it the backdrop of the game. Everything in the game is shaped by the fact of imminent death, but it’s not really talked about. You’re reminded now and again about it, but more in a way to gently (or not so gently) make you feel the emotions of the game again.
It’s strange because normally, I would not like a game that was so blatantly manipulative of me, but for whatever reason I’m fine with it in this game. I think it’s because, well, let me put it this way. I love musicals. I adore them, even though they are about as far from reality as you can possibly be. In fact, they are the only form of media that isn’t realistic that I actually enjoy.
This game isn’t realistic at all in terms of depiction of the world and what happens, but it’s spot on in terms of emotions. I have not felt this much for or because of a game in quite some time. It’s made me tear up on several occasions and flat out cry more than once.
The whole time I’m playing, I’m tired. I hurt for all the characters–well, most of them. There are a few who aren’t meant to be likeable, but even with most of those, I can at least see why they think and act the way they do. I may not be sympathetic to them, but I can’t hate them, either. My heart actuually aches as I play, and I dread each upcoming moment. Not because I hate the game, obviously, but because each moment is like a shard of glass embedding itself under my skin.
I felt as if I were walking on glass with each step. There were times when my finger hovered over the A button because I couldn’t make myself go on. Especially when it was time to let go. This has happneed to me in so many games. When the time came to let certain characters move on, I just could not do it. In Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), there was a character named Gwen. She was a hardbitten, cynical deer who was damaged by her father and life in general. She drank a ton of coffee and smoked endlessly. She had a shell around her because life had treated her so badly.
I finished her last moments fairly early in the game, but I could not let her go. This was my flaw–I was so selfish. I had to keep her with me. I knew I was being selfish, and, yet, I could not let her go. She meant so much to me–hell, she was me.
This is one reason I vastly prefer indie games to AAA games. They can say and do things that AAA games would not dare to touch. The newest Wolverine game came out in the past few days. The scores have varied wildly, but many reviewers agree that it’s the equivalent of a summer popcorn movie. Even many people who like it admit that it’s pretty much by the numbers. It’s not groundbreaking in any way, and it’s definitely a PlayStation game.
When I say the first trailer, I thought it looked…fine. In terms of fidelity, it looked great–except I did not like the character models. Not because they’re older–I’m fine with that. But because there’s something weird about their faces–much like the whole uncanny valley thing. It’s unnerving and off-putting. Plus, yes, the models have high fidelity, but they are lacking something in personality. They looked so generic and blah.
In adidtion, the combat looked boring as fuck. It’s justWolverine using his claws to rip people to pieces. Yes, I know that’s canon, but it looked yaaaaaaaaaaawn. I was in the minority in that opinion, I think, but to me, it did not bode well for the game itself.
In addition, the environments looked boring. Realistic, yes, but boring, also yes. In fact, I found the whole trailer to be a big nothingburger, as the kids say. I know I’m not the target audience, even though I do like Wolverine as a character (well, I did about twenty years ago). However, I think people were watching the trailer with rose-colored glasses the way they were gushing about it.
I thought it was going to be a firmly mediocre game, and I swear to god I’m not retconning it now that it’s actually happened. I just did not see anything special about the game that would make it stand out. In contrast, I can see why people are going gaga about GTA VI (though not as gaga as they are, to be honest), but not Wolverine.
Side note: Actually, I think GTA VI will deliver exactly what it promises–a bigger, gaudier, more expensive GTA. It’s going to be more expansive, and you will be able to do infinite more things. Mayhem, destruction, and carnage galore. Terrible people doing terrible thing with soulless abandon. Not a shred of humanity to be found, and people will lap it up.
It’s going to score 9.5s and maybe even 10s in its reviews. And it’s going to be the biggest popcorn game of all time. I have no interest in it, and it would take an act of a god I don’t believe in to change my mind. But even I can admit that it looks really fucking good.
Schrödinger’s Call has a distinctive art style that is not my personal favorite, but it’s evocative. And it stands out in my mind, even if I don’t love it. As I’ve said, though, it’s mostly Mary’s (the character I’m playing) art style that I don’t care for. The others (all animals) are fine.
I like indie games beacuse they are janky, quirky, and memorable. Of all the scenes I’ve seen of Wolverine, I can’t remember any of them because they all blend together. Nothing stands out–not even Logan. Look, I don’t care if they want to make him a kinder, gentler Logan. The comics were all over the place and they felt no need for continuity. The only thing that really matters about Wolverine is his adamantium claws and his ability to quickly heal his wounds. Oh, and that he’s short. Everything else is up for grabs. So I’m not much bothered by the fact that he was a kind person in this game (from what I’ve read).
More tomorrow.