I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before how much I'm a fan of Annapurna Interactive as a publisher, as they seem to consistently put out interesting and unique narrative heavy games that are usually right up my alley. I love it when a publisher has a kind of theme to the games they release, and as a fan of those games, I always feel pretty confident when Annapurna Interactive are in the credits. At least, I used to feel that way, but now I'm a little less certain.
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dialogue
I often post about a game because I feel like I have something to say that actually has a point beyond whether or not I think it's good or not. I find myself enjoying just about every game I play for one reason or another, but not every game gives me something meaty enough to talk about. However, every now and then I find myself wanting to say something about a game that ultimately doesn't need to have much said about it at all.
If you've ever read any of my posts before, you've probably heard me talk about "narrative" games and how much I like them. Although, there really isn't any definition of what makes something a "narrative" game per se, and I feel like I often use it as a short-hand to say "this has a good story, but maybe not much gameplay". In fact, I prefer the term over the more divisive "walking simulator", so perhaps I'm trying to be nice when I refer to narratives over simplistic gameplay.
I've never been one of those people who believes media classics to be untouchable and something pristine and perfect. Perhaps I'm not that sentimental when it comes to the things I remember enjoying as a kid, or maybe I've seen nostalgia used far too often in marketing empty promises. Actually, I put it down to being a fan of Blade Runner.
Normally I wouldn't bother talking about a visual novel, as most of them follow the same kind of format. The only things that generally matter for me in the genre, are whether the story is interesting enough, and if the art is any good. In fact, I think the latter might be all it takes to get me interested.
Here is a game that says it's "for adults" and will respect you time with a "mutation in text-based adventure". If it weren't for the integrity of Bithell Games' track record, this would all smell a bit fishy and invite hard-nosed scepticism. Thankfully, the lame marketing speech only goes as far as the sales pitch, leaving the actual game experience to be engaging and unique.
Following up a huge indie success must be like trying to write a novel after publishing a best-seller. All that expectation and affection gained from success can often be a recipe for disaster, as a sequel rarely lives up to its predecessor. Of course, we remember the ones that do, but have a look at movies in particular, and you'll find that there are a hell of a lot of sequels that you've probably never heard of.
Do we enjoy short narrative games with innovate methods of story-telling? By now it should be obvious that a game like Wheels Of Aurelia, with an interesting premise and unique gameplay, is right up my alley. Sure it's a small, short indie game that was released to little fanfare, but it's a game that exemplifies how unique telling a story while driving a car can be.