Wow.
Loved it, after the first time I ended up dying, I turned my lights back on and turned down the volume..scared me really bad.
Reviews for "Gyossait"
surprisingly, a misjudged masterpiece :L
Hmm, let me see, how can I justify my own rating of this game...
I guess I'll start with what I noticed in regards to the trend of reviews to sum things up...amazingly the reviews were more mixed than expected...on one end of the reviewing spectrum, overwhelming complaints about frustrating and unoriginal gameplay, the absence of a good story-line, limits of pixel animation, and a lack of obvious instructions...on the other side, an abundant appreciation of miniscule details, from caring about tiny pixel characters to the foreboding and intriguing atmosphere that this game commands upon the viewer, reminiscent of things like Silent Hill, etc. ...then there's those stuck somewhere in the middle who can see both ends but aren't sure what to think or maybe they do...
I am sure though, that one thing all viewers can agree on is that there is something strange, different and nihilistic about this game...the only difference between different viewers is whether it be the game-play or the implied story-line that melts your soul into nothingness and meaninglessness...it is a very untypical horror submission, a fantasy thriller perhaps, like Pan's Labyrinth? It certainly has a shock "psychological" factor if you like, but overall it isn't really that frightening...maybe it wasn't meant to be horror at all, I'm just assuming it is because it's near Halloween... but it is kind of a good break from your typical hack n' slash Friday 13th nights if you know what I mean...
Which leads me to the point which I'm trying to make. I guess what I am trying to say is that perhaps, to fully appreciate this game, requires a certain kind of mindset in my opinion: first of all to those who complained about it being unimaginative and unoriginal...it requires a certain amount of patience; the gameplay is simple enough, but it still requires a certain amount of tuition to progress through it. It's kind of obvious to those who have played this the whole way through that reviewers who give this game a low rating haven't. Secondly (and lastly), I think the actual gameplay itself wasn't a real focus of the game to begin with, it was only instrumental with regards to the unfolding of the tale and as the author already suggested, the actual experience of it...also if this was to be a "film" rather than a game, the experience would be intricately different...so please people, stop making points about the gameplay and format of this flash already =_= people really need to expand their horizons and think of this work as a whole rather than just being a game...and on another note, I don't think the gameplay detracts from the art at all...it's part of it...
I guess I easily appreciated this game, because the mythical aspects of it really appeal to me because I have a fondness of mythology to begin with...it's like a dramatic and celestial tale of love between two deities whilst pathetic humanity recedes into insignificance and the green earth quietly crumbles and turns to bleak dry stone...it's actually quite haunting and beautiful and very thoughtful...I suppose it does in the end require some imagination of the viewer themselves in order to extract some meaning from it...but I really do not see how this lacks a storyline...people should take it as a challenge to find it :3
I should be able to give this a high ten, this is really my kind of game...and I do appreciate your style, but though I appreciated the gameplay style even for me the gameplay got rather tedious, (though I have to admit I kind of liked being challenged to find a way out of each level :3). It definitely would have been useful if you had like chapters or an autosave even...I don't know if I simply missed it or you intentionally left it out, but yea...definitely would have helped...
Otherwise an amazing piece of work...I am sure there's alot of people who wouldn't agree with me, a lot of thought and effort obviously went into this and you should be congratulated for it :)
Good lessons for others in design.
First of all, I will say that it is dismaying to me that there are not more works of media that dwell more into the kinds of aesthetics and theming that this game does. When you scare your audience, or make a sense of uneasiness in them, it causes them to reflect with subtlety on themselves, and there are few games I find that do that on a reasonable level, even if they are somewhat fear-inducing at times.
The visuals and audio are very pleasing and fitting for the premise of the game, and do an excellent job in conveying the world which both the player and NPCs inhabit--one which is hanging on the fringe of total decay. Worn and weary refugees do a good job conveying where humans lie in the fate of their world's destruction, and the NPCs with the assault rifles do an excellent job at conveying the strife that also plagues them without the need for extra cutscenes or dumping the player into a warzone situation.
The two forms of the player--the first with the shield and the second with the assault rifle--establish a very powerful contrast, especially when the rifle is first introduced. In the context which it is produced, it shows how madly driven the protagonist has become in his quest to save the other deity he loves so much, to the degree that he will take direct offensive action where he would normally be the sort to take passive defensive action, defying the most critical aspect of his being.
The ending is simply lovely, as well, and shows an aspect of romance that I feel should be explored more in media. It teaches an excellent lesson in the fact that sometimes to do the best for somebody you love, you must take action which would revoke your privilege of maintaining that romantic relationship. The fact that the protagonist's newfound violence is what separates him from his love in the end makes it all the more unfortunate and ironic, because he did it for her better in the first place. I didn't have the opportunity to reach the second ending yet, but I assume it is more positive and can be reached by either not using the rifle or not killing any enemies in the first place. The fact that your animal guide is also killed as consequence of your actions is just heartbreaking.
The only quirks in this game lie in the collision--I don't think it was a very wise idea to employ loose character traction on the ground but make exceptions when the character lands a jump or hits a ceiling surface, only by virtue of its inconsistency, although it's not a very glaring issue. Also, the sensitivity for controlling jump height is a tad bit high, but it's managable to work with.
Otherwise, I'm very satisfied with this game.
On a side note, I would love to see a more detailed representation of the player character at least. If one has yet to come into existence, then I would greatly plead for one to be created.
Pretty bomb!
I'm glad i gave this one a chance, the pixel art is so beautiful! The music was equally amazing!! Although, way the music skips near the beginning bugged me so much it drove me to quit at first. I see now it was just a design choice, and I'm glad i stuck with it and gave it a chance.
The presentation alone easily warrants a 8, but I thought the gameplay was really fun too!
Men, I so love games with this kind of environment, I haven´t seen a 2d this good since demon crest. Well some how it made me think, the guy with the mask was like a thinker or something he didn´t hurt any one unless he was attacked, and when he had a severed head, he was a warrior, he was stronger but he also had blood on his hands because of bad things that he had to do. Come to think that inside of the head of a soldier that is what may be happening.