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A Space Oddity

"Ground control to Major Tom
Ground control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you
This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare"


Peeking at Stars was a very short mood piece by Pizza, slightly surreal and definitely nontraditional. There is very little content in this "game" (inverted commas NOT meant to convey contempt) which can easily be completed in about ten minutes if not even less. For this reason I didn't think applying a score was appropriate. If I was to give a score, it would be somewhere in the 3-4 Star range. I quite enjoyed the content that was there, but I could not give it a full score because it would be kind of like using a rubric meant for grading a meal on a single piece of chocolate. FUCK I HAVE BEEN COMPARING GAMES TO FOOD TOO MUCH LATELY. Ok, let's go with: it would be kind of like using a rubric meant for grading a novel on a haiku, instead.

Peeking at Stars uses art, music, and ambient sound adroitly along with tiny to explore what felt to me like the emotional depths of eschatology. Themes of confusion, isolation, dissociation and despair wash over the player who takes the role of a nameless spaceman wandering lost somewhere--perhaps on the moon--with a clear view of a doomed earth in a galaxy that seems equally doomed. The game's content (I hesitate to use the word story) is of course subject to many other interpretations, some of which might be less literal. I am more fond of the more literal interpretation, though, because I just like spacemen as a metaphor and otherwise.

The game did not have a story or characters in the traditional sense nor was there anything that could really be called gameplay, just walking around, so there is nothing to evaluate there. The game's art was, if I'm not mistaken, 100% custom or at least close to it.

The custom pixel art, and there's a lot of it for the game's tiny length, was done in a very cool and rather unique style that nicely complements the game's themes. Map design and other visual effects were likewise nicely executed. Minimal and ambient music (also custom?) and sound were also well used as mentioned, with an ominous tone accompanying each message to the player.

My verdict is: all in all Peeking at Stars asks for an amazingly small investment of your time for a unique if brief experience. You should absolutely play it. And personally I'd love to see it expanded into something more substantial. Or at least release dose custom graphics so other people can play around with them. : )

"This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
For here am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do"

Posts

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Thanks again for reviewing the game, Max. I'd like to confirm that all the graphical assets are custom made. The sounds and "music" are just remixed RTP sound effects, the backing music being the Scream sound reversed and slowed down.
Good review, I agree that this is worth playing.

I also want more games from you, Pizza! It would be interesting to see more short games sharing themes or even characters, but in variance in setting or time. (I haven't played Carpan basically because I don't know how to open rar. files XD but it feels like this is already what you're doing?)
author=suzy_cheesedreams
I also want more games from you, Pizza! It would be interesting to see more short games sharing themes or even characters, but in variance in setting or time. (I haven't played Carpan basically because I don't know how to open rar. files XD but it feels like this is already what you're doing?)


Well, in terms of what I'm doing right now the answer is basically nothing. I tried another project idea but it turned into a spectacular train wreck almost right away. I've resolved to do some world building and lore shit for my bigger projects.

I have some ideas though. Especially after watching The Shining again last night. I just wouldn't expect anything out of me until the new year.
Haha, The Shining. That sounds promising.

Yeah, no rush or anything, I'm not like whipping at you as though you're a sleigh dog! I'm supposedly a fellow developer, but the most I'm doing is just art that doesn't even feature in the game.
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