![]() It’s gameplay that rewards the most curious of players. The number of goals in the game and the number of items in your inventory never gets cumbersome. Solving puzzles is a matter of what-goes-where, and lets the player consider their options to try and solve the obstacles in front of them. There is that “collect everything” urge that you need to satisfy. The game successfully executes the point-and-click adventure game experience and aesthetic. But it’s not like that will stop you.Ī carnival classic to start off your adventure. There are many ways to accidentally and intentionally die within the game. In Strangeland, to progress means to experience failure. The story is well-paced and genuinely feels like a roller-coaster ride of emotions as you discover more about Strangeland and why you are in such a desolate place. Even with its out-of-this-world setting, this story of loss and desperation can resonate with those in similar, despairing experiences. Halfway through the game, this already dark tale becomes even more disturbing and will challenge players to dare venture into the darkest recesses of the mind. Harlan Ellison’s famous short story I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is name-checked within the game, and this story’s influence is palpable in its narrative. It reads like something that you could pick out from the Nebula Awards. The writing is ominous and calculating, high-brow but effortless. The way the characters you meet speak is visceral and arresting. They not only function as characters or puzzle-solving tools but they also add another layer of mundane ambiance that brings the creepy factor up a notch. I particularly enjoyed the crows crying out random words, pretending to be wise ravens or doves. It’s interesting to hear what they have to say as The Stranger progresses through the story. Each of the characters that make up the eccentric cast makes it easy to exhaust the dialogue options. The archaic language and funny little quips help put Strangeland in a place outside of time. Despite the aggressively unlivable state of affairs, he is determined to bring down the game’s main antagonist – The Dark Thing. Because of this, there is an inherent hope attached to the existence of The Stranger, who resigns himself quickly to the reality around him and focuses on saving the golden-haired woman he sees in his visions. This hostile environment gives you a large number of ways to die, but you never really fail – you return to where you started your journey with all but a little comment about the stupidity of your actions. It’s what the whole game is named for, after all. The setting itself is a central “character” in the story. As you make your way throughout the broken-down carnival you have landed yourself in, parts of your story soon start to flesh out – and your motivations start to become clear. Strangeland puts you in the shoes of a stranger – someone who doesn’t know who he is or what he’s doing in this bizarre land of floating debris and dirt. 3) Audio and Graphics – Raw Pixel Ambiance Story – Welcome to the Circus
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