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Rhetoric at its finest

  • Kylaila
  • 07/09/2014 04:37 PM
  • 2282 views
Exeunt Omnes (which translates roughly to: all leave) is a Strategy Visual Novel made for the Indie Game Maker Contest. I did not know what to expect, but it has not only been a pleasant surprise, it has been captivating.

It starts where most journeys end: when the hero is about to kill the villain.
But not only are you playing the villain, you are armed only with philosophy and rhetoric to achieve one goal: to walk away unharmed.

You have three different approaches - similarily to Logos, Ethos and Pathos. For those unfamiliar with the terms
Logos refers to a pure logical approach. Building on the meanings of words and terms themselves and related issues.
Pathos is pretty much the opposite, it refers to the aim of evoking personal emotions that aid your cause.
Ethos refers to appealing to ideals and ethics of a community.

These are now cleverly applied to the cause of hero and villain. As a matter of fact, you can argue in favor of literally anything, as there are reasons for everything. And this game is a wonderful demonstration of that. Logically, there are 4 endings in total.

You start by selecting an argument which then extends to further elaborated points. Inbetween, the hero will make her own points which connect to your net, and which can, of course, also be rendered invalid.
Each argument will use up time of your turn - after 10 turns, you will be killed unless you convinced her otherwise.
You need to be careful to make enough connections in one area, as you have only a certain "reach" on this net of reasonings. Should you have used up all paths in your vicinity, you will be brought back to the starting point. This will leave you to your loss in most cases.


That is rhetoric

The music is simple, fitting and beautiful. There are only two tunes, I believe. But they do not grow boring.
The drawn graphics are stunning. They suit the near-death mood perfectly. Again, there is only a small variaty of images, but more are not needed over the course of the game, as you stay, more or less, in one room talking.

Writing is where the game shines - it follows logic, yes. It is philosophical, yes indeed. But above all is it the writing style that draws you in. It must be the best formulated dialogue I have ever encountered (if not for the lack of hero's retaliations). It caught me and it didn't let go before I had all endings.

The pacing is good, such is the effect of your speech. It is quite realistic as well.
The only gripe I have is that you cannot freely form a tactic. There is a direction to go to, but there aren't any real tactics you can form. Playing it is watching a tactic unfold rather than building one yourself. That may make it less interactive, but still as enjoyable. And let's be honest, visual novels do rarely if ever achieve this level of influence.

It is short, based almost solely on text and includes many forms of philosophy. If you are not put off by now, go play it.
Exeunt Omnes is not a game for everyone, but for those who can enjoy this type of game, it is a gem.

Posts

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It would be a mild understatement to say that you've just made my day :)

I was especially afraid of the reception of the writing, as breaking a conversation into pieces without making it too mechanical often felt nigh impossible. I still have ideas on how to make it more natural, but it's a huge relief that you liked it nevertheless.

I'm also glad that you got to see every ending! It is, after all, a game of final monologues ^^ There are four songs, two of which are used only in some endings, and I had originally planned to have different graphics for every one as well. (but working on the engine took most of the contest time)

author=Kylaila
The only gripe I have is that you cannot freely form a tactic.

Indeed, this is the part which I hope to improve on most in future games. First, the opponent will be much more active, making the possibilities less static. You will start the conversations with a certain number of nodes that are known (or learned from previous conversations), so that you can plan a trajectory in advance. And among other additions, it will be possible to create false links using logical fallacies, at risk of losing face if you're called on your bluff by the opponent.

But mostly, I will be counting on a lot of playtest, with players telling me what they would have wanted to say at any given point, so that I can refine the argument map. We will see when I get there!

Again, all my thanks for your comments!
nhubi
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
11099
Sorry I have, as yet, not played your game, I was here to read through Kylaila'a review, but then in your response I saw this;

author=Hasvers
. And among other additions, it will be possible to create false links using logical fallacies, at risk of losing face if you're called on your bluff by the opponent.

I would be very interested in this addition to the battle dynamic, as in truth I've used that particular tactic in the real world on a number of occasions, and the feeling of triumph when you are not discovered or of embarrassment when you are is exhilarating, to include that in the tactical options would make this innovative system even more impressive. I do hope that as part of this addition you can call your opponent's bluff in the same way that they can yours.

I hope you do well in the contest, with this and other discourse driven games being developed, I can only hope a trend is beginning.
author=nhubi
with this and other discourse driven games being developed, I can only hope a trend is beginning.
Same here! Every time I see someone else trying there hand at this concept (from Facade, to Galatea by Emily Short), I discover new great ideas and I feel a little less alone ;)

And I am quite hopeful about the bluff system as well, actually it's a part of something larger: every link will have an argumentative style and some are so specialized (e.g. statistical inference) that you access them only with a highly skilled orator.
That way, when there's a link that doesn't seem right, you are never 100% sure whether it's a bluff (in which case you can ridicule your opponent) or a highly sophisticated argument (in which case you'll be humiliated if you call them on it).

This will be especially important in fights where you have an audience, and shaming your opponent is more important than convincing them.
author=nhubi

I would be very interested in this addition to the battle dynamic, as in truth I've used that particular tactic in the real world on a number of occasions, and the feeling of triumph when you are not discovered or of embarrassment when you are is exhilarating, to include that in the tactical options would make this innovative system even more impressive. I do hope that as part of this addition you can call your opponent's bluff in the same way that they can yours.

I hope you do well in the contest, with this and other discourse driven games being developed, I can only hope a trend is beginning.

You are not alone on that one, nhubi!
When I see games like Ace Attorney, there isn't anything logical to be done .. just hit upon the exact one wrong fact, when you could already have refuted it with 5 logical approaches.

I really hope this does well. If this is a start, then great things are to come.

author=Hasvers
It would be a mild understatement to say that you've just made my day :)

I was in dire need of a good game, so have it right back at you ;)
nhubi
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
11099
author=Hasvers
This will be especially important in fights where you have an audience, and shaming your opponent is more important than convincing them.


This I am look forward to, very much. Oh that does make me sound a little sadistic, but then who doesn't like to engage in a little schadenfreude now and again?
Arguing in front of an audience is inherently fun. Especially when they turn to rage and insults in lack of a better response.
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