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Heed my will: play this game!
Red_Nova- 01/11/2015 12:29 AM
- 2931 views
Let me ask you a question: Does life have some sort of purpose? Do you have the answer to life? If you do, then please tell me, because I have no idea. I mean, it's pretty easy to hazard some guesses based on evidence that we've seen, but there is so much that we don't know yet! Besides, I'm not looking for guesses. I want the truth. Can you tell me the truth?
The Book of True Will is a story-focused puzzle game made by NeverSilent. It follows the adventures of four heroes of different faiths and beliefs as they delve into a dungeon in search of the titular Book of True Will: an ancient script that depicts the true words of the dragon god Platos. The game is an exploration piece about a rather delicate subject: Religion verses truth.
Let me put any fears you may have to rest: This is not some anti-religious statement in game format. Neither is it a pro-religious statement. Instead, the game does a fair and unbiased job of exploring both sides of the argument equally. The cast consists of characters on both sides of the argument at different levels of fervor in beliefs. Because of this dynamic, the group often gets into arguments about who is right and wrong and why. Through those arguments, the player gains a new and deeper understanding of the each side and enriches the debate as a whole. Bound together by the desire to prove the others wrong, they break into the dungeon said to hold the original Book of True Will.
While the focus of this game is primarily on the development of those characters, significant effort was made to enrich the lore outside the dungeon. The backstory of the game is rather impressive, and it gave me the feeling that I was in one small corner of a living world. Granted, sometimes it goes into a little... too much detail.
A man that has never been mentioned before and will never be mentioned again.
Despite the rich lore the game painstakingly builds up, this is an adventure that focuses on the characters. And in that regard, the game excels. Each member of the party represents the two different sides of the argument in various extremes. The level-headed Kyle and his rash adventuring partner Leroy make up the anti-religious side, while the fiercely devout Madelyn and the calm, peace-loving Pira take up the faith side. No matter where you lie in the pro/anti religious spectrum, you can easily relate to at least one of the characters. As stated before, each character brings a unique viewpoint to the group, and listening to their debates will allow you to gain a broader understanding and respect for people of all mentalities.
I will admit that sometimes the debate does get a little tiring. One complaint I have is that, because each character represents these extremes, they’re locked into those personality traits. Leroy will ALWAYS be the angry guy who will constantly be the first to discredit Platos’ existence, and so sometimes that character trait seems to prevent him from reacting the way a human being does. There’s only so many times where someone can say, “I don’t believe it because there’s no evidence,” before it starts to sound repetitive.
You’ve been doing that for a while now, actually.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Okay, fine. I get it! You like the story. Can you please hurry up and talk about the actual GAMEPLAY now? I mean, this IS a puzzle game, right? Can you actually talk about the PUZZLES?”
Well, that’s the thing. I took half this review to talk about the story because HALF the emphasis in this game is in the story! This is not a puzzle game with a few scenes to justify each puzzle. Neither is it an extended cutscene that has a few puzzles in between to keep you from falling asleep. If I had to separate the story and puzzles in terms of content, I’d divide them roughly into about 60% story and 40% puzzles. It’s safe to say that if you’d rather just play a simple puzzle game, The Book of True Will might not be for you.
As you progress through the dungeons, you are presented with a series of puzzles that block your progress. I’m not much of a puzzle person, so I can’t attest to how a more puzzle-savvy person would tackle them, but they were certainly challenging to me, and I had to look up the walkthrough for two puzzles near the end of the game.
The puzzles themselves are unique and challenging. I'm always impressed at the skill it takes to create a puzzle that requires more than, "push block on button," But I really couldn't help but be almost slack-jawed at the variety of interesting puzzles.
Seriously. How do you DO this? IN RPG MAKER?!
What I love about the puzzles the most isn’t that they are challenging, however, it’s that most of them contribute to the story’s and character’s development. Leroy’s lockpicking puzzle helps the player gain an insight into his lifestyle and personality, which is then explored a bit more in the following cutscene. Most of the puzzles follow this format, and it helps develop their characters in addition to the cutscenes.
So when a puzzle is solved WITHOUT any of those character moments, they really to stick out. It’s unfortunate, but some puzzles feel like they’re added just to have them in. I’m all for more content in games, but when some puzzles feel tacked on for the sake of artificial lengthening, you can’t help but start to lose focus of the experience as a whole. The most extreme example would be one puzzle near the end where you have to light numerous crystals by bouncing them off your party members. When you’re done with it, the door opens, you enter the passageway, and you save your progress. No words, no character development, nothing. It just doesn’t feel like I learned anything upon completion. This may seem like a small complaint (and thinking back on it now, it probably is), but in such a strong story-driven, character driven game, that inconsistency sticks out pretty jarringly.
The visuals are XP RTP. If you hate that, then know that the visual aesthetics are RTP. Personally, as I have had almost no contact with XP RTP, it was fresh enough for me. The music choices are definitely spot on, though. Each track conveys the exact mood that the game was going for.
At the end, it does a fantastic job of resolving all the plot points and handling the argument in a tasteful manner. I have my own stance on religion, and there is nothing that I could find offensive in this story. You will hopefully walk away from this game hopefully seeing both sides in a new light and, regardless of which side you stand on yourself, can have more respect for those on the other side.
I could keep talking about how awesome this game is, but I feel like I can't explain in a concise manner all the little things that this game gets right. I'm not a fan of typical puzzle games, but luckily for me (and you) this game is far from typical.
I highly recommend The Book of True Will.
The Book of True Will is a story-focused puzzle game made by NeverSilent. It follows the adventures of four heroes of different faiths and beliefs as they delve into a dungeon in search of the titular Book of True Will: an ancient script that depicts the true words of the dragon god Platos. The game is an exploration piece about a rather delicate subject: Religion verses truth.
Let me put any fears you may have to rest: This is not some anti-religious statement in game format. Neither is it a pro-religious statement. Instead, the game does a fair and unbiased job of exploring both sides of the argument equally. The cast consists of characters on both sides of the argument at different levels of fervor in beliefs. Because of this dynamic, the group often gets into arguments about who is right and wrong and why. Through those arguments, the player gains a new and deeper understanding of the each side and enriches the debate as a whole. Bound together by the desire to prove the others wrong, they break into the dungeon said to hold the original Book of True Will.
While the focus of this game is primarily on the development of those characters, significant effort was made to enrich the lore outside the dungeon. The backstory of the game is rather impressive, and it gave me the feeling that I was in one small corner of a living world. Granted, sometimes it goes into a little... too much detail.
A man that has never been mentioned before and will never be mentioned again.
Despite the rich lore the game painstakingly builds up, this is an adventure that focuses on the characters. And in that regard, the game excels. Each member of the party represents the two different sides of the argument in various extremes. The level-headed Kyle and his rash adventuring partner Leroy make up the anti-religious side, while the fiercely devout Madelyn and the calm, peace-loving Pira take up the faith side. No matter where you lie in the pro/anti religious spectrum, you can easily relate to at least one of the characters. As stated before, each character brings a unique viewpoint to the group, and listening to their debates will allow you to gain a broader understanding and respect for people of all mentalities.
I will admit that sometimes the debate does get a little tiring. One complaint I have is that, because each character represents these extremes, they’re locked into those personality traits. Leroy will ALWAYS be the angry guy who will constantly be the first to discredit Platos’ existence, and so sometimes that character trait seems to prevent him from reacting the way a human being does. There’s only so many times where someone can say, “I don’t believe it because there’s no evidence,” before it starts to sound repetitive.
You’ve been doing that for a while now, actually.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Okay, fine. I get it! You like the story. Can you please hurry up and talk about the actual GAMEPLAY now? I mean, this IS a puzzle game, right? Can you actually talk about the PUZZLES?”
Well, that’s the thing. I took half this review to talk about the story because HALF the emphasis in this game is in the story! This is not a puzzle game with a few scenes to justify each puzzle. Neither is it an extended cutscene that has a few puzzles in between to keep you from falling asleep. If I had to separate the story and puzzles in terms of content, I’d divide them roughly into about 60% story and 40% puzzles. It’s safe to say that if you’d rather just play a simple puzzle game, The Book of True Will might not be for you.
As you progress through the dungeons, you are presented with a series of puzzles that block your progress. I’m not much of a puzzle person, so I can’t attest to how a more puzzle-savvy person would tackle them, but they were certainly challenging to me, and I had to look up the walkthrough for two puzzles near the end of the game.
The puzzles themselves are unique and challenging. I'm always impressed at the skill it takes to create a puzzle that requires more than, "push block on button," But I really couldn't help but be almost slack-jawed at the variety of interesting puzzles.
Seriously. How do you DO this? IN RPG MAKER?!
What I love about the puzzles the most isn’t that they are challenging, however, it’s that most of them contribute to the story’s and character’s development. Leroy’s lockpicking puzzle helps the player gain an insight into his lifestyle and personality, which is then explored a bit more in the following cutscene. Most of the puzzles follow this format, and it helps develop their characters in addition to the cutscenes.
So when a puzzle is solved WITHOUT any of those character moments, they really to stick out. It’s unfortunate, but some puzzles feel like they’re added just to have them in. I’m all for more content in games, but when some puzzles feel tacked on for the sake of artificial lengthening, you can’t help but start to lose focus of the experience as a whole. The most extreme example would be one puzzle near the end where you have to light numerous crystals by bouncing them off your party members. When you’re done with it, the door opens, you enter the passageway, and you save your progress. No words, no character development, nothing. It just doesn’t feel like I learned anything upon completion. This may seem like a small complaint (and thinking back on it now, it probably is), but in such a strong story-driven, character driven game, that inconsistency sticks out pretty jarringly.
The visuals are XP RTP. If you hate that, then know that the visual aesthetics are RTP. Personally, as I have had almost no contact with XP RTP, it was fresh enough for me. The music choices are definitely spot on, though. Each track conveys the exact mood that the game was going for.
At the end, it does a fantastic job of resolving all the plot points and handling the argument in a tasteful manner. I have my own stance on religion, and there is nothing that I could find offensive in this story. You will hopefully walk away from this game hopefully seeing both sides in a new light and, regardless of which side you stand on yourself, can have more respect for those on the other side.
I could keep talking about how awesome this game is, but I feel like I can't explain in a concise manner all the little things that this game gets right. I'm not a fan of typical puzzle games, but luckily for me (and you) this game is far from typical.
I highly recommend The Book of True Will.
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CloseI had secretly been hoping you would write a review for this game, Red_Nova, and now you did! Thank you so much! I'm incredibly glad you got so much out of the story and enjoyed most of the game, especially since puzzle games usually aren't your favourite genre.
I actually planned to write a "Behind the Scenes" blog soon in which I talk about how I designed certain puzzles and explain some of the more obscure aspects of the game. But I'll give a few things away right now:
Spoilers:
The points of criticism you raised certainly seem valid to me, especially those concerning character development, and I will definitely keep them in mind for new projects. It's true that sometimes, the communication between the characters might have been too fixated on the main subject, and I will attempt to handle things in a somewhat more subtle way in the future.
Thanks a lot again for playing and taking the time to write this great review!
I actually planned to write a "Behind the Scenes" blog soon in which I talk about how I designed certain puzzles and explain some of the more obscure aspects of the game. But I'll give a few things away right now:
Spoilers:
- I might have exaggerated a bit with the worldbuilding in the scene in your fist screenshot. It was both an attempt to make the characters more believable by showing they know people outside of this game's plot, as well as a somewhat odd reference. Just as a small hint: This is definitely not the last time you will hear the name Cassius...
- In the case of the "Reflection" puzzle (the one with the light spheres), perhaps I also went overboard trying to make it metaphorically powerful - to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. I tried to combine the puzzle's premise of "Reflection" with the atmosphere by having the characters stay mostly silent and take time to think everything over, especially Kyle and Pira who just had some bad arguments. Plus, it was the first time all characters had to actively work together to solve a puzzle, so I figured it would be better to let the puzzle "do the talking", if you know what I mean. That might not have been as clear as it should have.
Oh, there's one more thing, though: Each character can talk to the others during this puzzle and get different responses - except when Pira interacts with Kyle or the other way round. They'll just say "..."
- In the case of the "Reflection" puzzle (the one with the light spheres), perhaps I also went overboard trying to make it metaphorically powerful - to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. I tried to combine the puzzle's premise of "Reflection" with the atmosphere by having the characters stay mostly silent and take time to think everything over, especially Kyle and Pira who just had some bad arguments. Plus, it was the first time all characters had to actively work together to solve a puzzle, so I figured it would be better to let the puzzle "do the talking", if you know what I mean. That might not have been as clear as it should have.
Oh, there's one more thing, though: Each character can talk to the others during this puzzle and get different responses - except when Pira interacts with Kyle or the other way round. They'll just say "..."
The points of criticism you raised certainly seem valid to me, especially those concerning character development, and I will definitely keep them in mind for new projects. It's true that sometimes, the communication between the characters might have been too fixated on the main subject, and I will attempt to handle things in a somewhat more subtle way in the future.
Thanks a lot again for playing and taking the time to write this great review!
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
I'm glad you liked it! I'll admit: I didn't play with the intention of reviewing it at first. But after I beat it, a little voice in my head just screamed, "REVIEW THIS GAME YOU NUMBSKULL!" So, like any sensible person, I listened to the voice in my head. Because of this, I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was initially, and I had to go back and play the beginning again to get the screenshots.
I was afraid my thoughts weren't very organized, and that I talked a lot without actually saying anything. The fact that you understood both the praises and criticisms is really good to hear.
A behind the scenes blog sounds like a good idea, but I would caution you that the whole point of an exploration piece like this, in my opinion, is that players come up with their own conclusions for why the game is set up the way it is. If you're going to go so far as to explain why you designed certain aspects of your game the way you did, I would recommend you think carefully about your explanations. The "Behind the Scenes" blog should ENFORCE the dungeon's design, not excuse it. Hopefully that makes sense, and perhaps I'm worrying over nothing, but after coming off of more than a few, "artistic," games only for the creator(s) to have to explain why certain things are the way they are, I feel like that effort should have been made reinforcing that in the actual project itself.
To that end, here are some explanations to your comments in the spoiler tag. SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T PLAYED THE GAME YET!!
- I might have exaggerated a bit with the worldbuilding in the scene in your fist screenshot. It was both an attempt to make the characters more believable by showing they know people outside of this game's plot, as well as a somewhat odd reference. Just as a small hint: This is definitely not the last time you will hear the name Cassius...
Another game in this world? SIGN ME UP CAPTAIN!
Seriously though: What really stood out to me was the fact that Cassius was only mentioned once and wasn't given any more thought for the rest of the game. I would have had Cassius' name pop up at least one more time to cement his status as a character and not some sort of random mention, especially in a puzzle-focused dungeon. I would have had Pira mention Cassius earlier in the dungeon if he was as smart as Pira claimed.
But I'm getting off topic. I don't expect you to change the game's story now. But that's what I would have done.
- In the case of the "Reflection" puzzle (the one with the light spheres), perhaps I also went overboard trying to make it metaphorically powerful - to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. I tried to combine the puzzle's premise of "Reflection" with the atmosphere by having the characters stay mostly silent and take time to think everything over, especially Kyle and Pira who just had some bad arguments. Plus, it was the first time all characters had to actively work together to solve a puzzle, so I figured it would be better to let the puzzle "do the talking", if you know what I mean. That might not have been as clear as it should have.
If the puzzle was meant to be a moment of reflection, then I would have had all four characters be silent. As it is, since Kyle and Pira were silent right after they had an argument, it felt more like awkward silence rather than reflection. Leroy's line, "Hurry up, zealot-girl. We don't have all day," or something like that helped detract from the reflection part. Perhaps more dialogue from the party about why it requires PEOPLE rather than mirrors would help enforce the reflection theme?
Oh, there's one more thing, though: Each character can talk to the others during this puzzle and get different responses - except when Pira interacts with Kyle or the other way round. They'll just say "..."
I did notice that, which is actually why I thought it was everything BUT a reflective moment. As Kyle and Pira were only silent when interacting with each other, it really felt like the awkward silence after a fight and not a moment of reflection.
I'm really glad to see you taking the criticism so well, too! Keep in mind I only started to feel that way towards the end. The characters do show enough diversity in the beginning and middle to feel more like people. As time goes by and they get used to, though not entirely accepting of, each other, they should have more to talk about rather than the same subject for 2 hours.
This was a great game, and you should feel proud of what you've done here! This is going on my favorites playlist, too!
On a less serious note: thanks for unintentionally getting me into the 4K club!
I was afraid my thoughts weren't very organized, and that I talked a lot without actually saying anything. The fact that you understood both the praises and criticisms is really good to hear.
A behind the scenes blog sounds like a good idea, but I would caution you that the whole point of an exploration piece like this, in my opinion, is that players come up with their own conclusions for why the game is set up the way it is. If you're going to go so far as to explain why you designed certain aspects of your game the way you did, I would recommend you think carefully about your explanations. The "Behind the Scenes" blog should ENFORCE the dungeon's design, not excuse it. Hopefully that makes sense, and perhaps I'm worrying over nothing, but after coming off of more than a few, "artistic," games only for the creator(s) to have to explain why certain things are the way they are, I feel like that effort should have been made reinforcing that in the actual project itself.
To that end, here are some explanations to your comments in the spoiler tag. SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T PLAYED THE GAME YET!!
- I might have exaggerated a bit with the worldbuilding in the scene in your fist screenshot. It was both an attempt to make the characters more believable by showing they know people outside of this game's plot, as well as a somewhat odd reference. Just as a small hint: This is definitely not the last time you will hear the name Cassius...
Another game in this world? SIGN ME UP CAPTAIN!
Seriously though: What really stood out to me was the fact that Cassius was only mentioned once and wasn't given any more thought for the rest of the game. I would have had Cassius' name pop up at least one more time to cement his status as a character and not some sort of random mention, especially in a puzzle-focused dungeon. I would have had Pira mention Cassius earlier in the dungeon if he was as smart as Pira claimed.
But I'm getting off topic. I don't expect you to change the game's story now. But that's what I would have done.
- In the case of the "Reflection" puzzle (the one with the light spheres), perhaps I also went overboard trying to make it metaphorically powerful - to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. I tried to combine the puzzle's premise of "Reflection" with the atmosphere by having the characters stay mostly silent and take time to think everything over, especially Kyle and Pira who just had some bad arguments. Plus, it was the first time all characters had to actively work together to solve a puzzle, so I figured it would be better to let the puzzle "do the talking", if you know what I mean. That might not have been as clear as it should have.
If the puzzle was meant to be a moment of reflection, then I would have had all four characters be silent. As it is, since Kyle and Pira were silent right after they had an argument, it felt more like awkward silence rather than reflection. Leroy's line, "Hurry up, zealot-girl. We don't have all day," or something like that helped detract from the reflection part. Perhaps more dialogue from the party about why it requires PEOPLE rather than mirrors would help enforce the reflection theme?
Oh, there's one more thing, though: Each character can talk to the others during this puzzle and get different responses - except when Pira interacts with Kyle or the other way round. They'll just say "..."
I did notice that, which is actually why I thought it was everything BUT a reflective moment. As Kyle and Pira were only silent when interacting with each other, it really felt like the awkward silence after a fight and not a moment of reflection.
I'm really glad to see you taking the criticism so well, too! Keep in mind I only started to feel that way towards the end. The characters do show enough diversity in the beginning and middle to feel more like people. As time goes by and they get used to, though not entirely accepting of, each other, they should have more to talk about rather than the same subject for 2 hours.
This was a great game, and you should feel proud of what you've done here! This is going on my favorites playlist, too!
On a less serious note: thanks for unintentionally getting me into the 4K club!
An excellent review for an excellent game. I feel like this game deserves a lot more attention than it's gotten, and as someone with friends on both the pro and anti side of religion, it's nice to see a game deal with it in a balanced manner.
The skill required to put all of these puzzles together is also mind-boggling. It certainly sets NeverSilent up as someone to watch as far as talented developers go. ^_^
The skill required to put all of these puzzles together is also mind-boggling. It certainly sets NeverSilent up as someone to watch as far as talented developers go. ^_^
You both are way too kind. Thanks a lot!
I didn't think your thoughts were unorganzied or hard to understand, Red_Nova, so perhaps you're giving yourself too little credit here.
I agree 100% with your thoughts on the Behind the Scenes blog. It should be a chance for me to explain how I made some of the puzzles and tell some nice anecdotes and background stories about the game. Trying to use it to justify design decisions that should have their effect within the game itself is the opposite of what I want to do with it. So don't worry, a "defense" or a "translation" of the game into text is never going to happen.
I can't and won't argue with any of your other points and will definitely try to think aspects like those through more thoroughly in any future projects.
That's really nice of you to say, but to be honest, with a few exceptions they weren't actually that hard to make. But I'm still glad you found them somewhat impressive.
On a less serious note: thanks for unintentionally getting me into the 2K club!
I didn't think your thoughts were unorganzied or hard to understand, Red_Nova, so perhaps you're giving yourself too little credit here.
I agree 100% with your thoughts on the Behind the Scenes blog. It should be a chance for me to explain how I made some of the puzzles and tell some nice anecdotes and background stories about the game. Trying to use it to justify design decisions that should have their effect within the game itself is the opposite of what I want to do with it. So don't worry, a "defense" or a "translation" of the game into text is never going to happen.
I can't and won't argue with any of your other points and will definitely try to think aspects like those through more thoroughly in any future projects.
author=unity
The skill required to put all of these puzzles together is also mind-boggling.
That's really nice of you to say, but to be honest, with a few exceptions they weren't actually that hard to make. But I'm still glad you found them somewhat impressive.
On a less serious note: thanks for unintentionally getting me into the 2K club!
author=NeverSilentauthor=unityThat's really nice of you to say, but to be honest, with a few exceptions they weren't actually that hard to make. But I'm still glad you found them somewhat impressive.
The skill required to put all of these puzzles together is also mind-boggling.
I'll have to study how you did them, then. Because honestly, for a few of them, I have no clue XD
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