• Add Review
  • Subscribe
  • Nominate
  • Submit Media
  • RSS

Thank Heavens for Reality

  • amerk
  • 11/30/2010 04:44 AM
  • 2150 views
I haven't played many survival horror games aside from action survival horror (Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Carrier). I've touched Silent Hill a time or two, but never finished it through to completion. So this was definitely a welcomed edition.

Now, I know the graphics aren't all that spectacular, and Backstage could certainly use a make over, but where the game lacks in special effects it makes up for in atmosphere, story, and chills. The intro probably could have been handled a little better, or perhaps a better environment could have been used, but considering the reality of his situtation, it's really a trivial matter. Once our player is transferred backstage, things really begin to spin out of control. The story does tend to take awhile to get its point across, but somewhere between the hotel and the second half of the game, things really start coming together.

There are plenty of areas that will make you jump, and there are several instances where I had to restart the game from my last saved area. Some of the puzzles were rather ingenius for an RM game, and there are a lot of areas to explore. Unfortunately, the balance of the game seems a little off. For starters, the first half of the game had more chilling moments and harder enemies, but the story really didn't come together. The second half was more or less story expose, and the enemies didn't seem quite so hard. But in spite of all this, the game really is a must play for any survival horror fan, especially considering this was all handled in 2D.

My only real complaint is that, from my understanding, the ranking system is flawed, and so I'll never know what the perfect ending should be. From what I can tell, there are two possible endings, neither of which seem all that great considering what our protagonist has gone through. So perhaps Legion can identify what the good ending should have been like. I'm also dismayed to see BS2 on hiatus, but I'll play the demo all the same, and perhaps this will give him the motivation to continue with it.

For my score:

4/5 for story: This guy can tell a very compelling tale, one of the best I've seen in a long while. This would make for an excellent novel, if not a movie. 1 star is subtracted due to the story taking awhile getting anywhere.

3/5 for mapping: The mapping was a tad bland, but Legion did the best he could do for the kind of game he was creating. Considering that this was all handled in 2D compared to more traditional survival horror games, I think he did a decent job.

3.5/5 for resources: Legion did a very good creating the atmosphere of the game and used all the appropriate tilesets. He used his music pieces and sound effects well, and did a hell of a job creating a nightmarish landscape. However, some of the music pieces tend to get repetitive at times. In addition, some of the tilesets did not fit very well.

3/5 for game play: Overall, the game was creepy, fun, and well thought out. There were a couple of passage issues, bugs, and one game crashing bug (as has been reported) in which if you return to the 4th room on the 2nd floor after finishing out Wilks story, it takes you back to one of the rooms from the 3rd floor and won't let you leave. My overall gripe is that you don't get a lot of weapons to keep you entertained. Fighting enemies can be a bit tedious, especially without weapons, because it's usually just a random turn-based event, where the end result is more or less determined based on your health. If you have enough health, you'll come out okay. If not, well you're probably screwed.

My overall score is 3.375/5, putting this slightly above average. Not bad considering this is freeware, and that I haven't played a lot of survival horror games. I never knew hell could be so damn convincing in 2D.

Posts

Pages: 1
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
Thanks amerk. I am more or less in agreement with this review. About the ranking system, yes it is totally FUBAR. Epic fail. Just ignore it. An artifact of the thirty day time limit to make this game.

However, there are three endings. In order of goodness (iirc):

Redemption
Revenge
Remain

Redemption is the 'good' ending, 'Revenge' is an alternate ending, and 'Remain' is the only really 'bad' ending.
So just to confirm, the 3 endings are all part of the flawed ranking system, correct? Meaning I can't get anything beyond Revenge? Or are they separate from the ranking.

If there is a way to get Redemption in spite of the flawed ranking, I'm curious to know how and would definitely replay the game for that ending.

Edit: Just saw your posting to my BS2 review so now I know there should be a way. I think I've gotten two endings then:

1. Revenge, save the girl by giving her the pills.
2. Remain by igoring the girl when I venture through the 4th floor without her.

I don't recall any other opportunity for redemption. It may be helpful to post a small spoiler category on how to get the redemption ending, but that's just a suggestion. In any case, is there something I missed?
RE: "Redemption" ending:

There is a point where you can choose to leave Alice behind. You need to do so to earn the Redemption ending.


EDIT: LARGE BACKSTAGE 1 SPOILER DO NOT READ IF YOU INTEND TO FIGURE THINGS OUT FOR YOURSELF

More specifically, you need to choose to go up to the third floor of the hotel without Alice, from what I can tell in the editor. I don't have time at the moment to play all the way through to that point and confirm.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
Amerk, the ranking system and the endings have nothing to do with each other.

Complete Spoiler Follows

Redemption Ending Guide

Do not make any promises to Alice, and essentially leave her behind. If you make a promise, and keep it up, you get the Revenge ending. If you make the promise and break it, you get remain. If you don't make the promise at all, that should get you Redemption.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
Accidental DP.
Thanks. I actually stumbled over that option when I went back to replay it and realized what I had forgotten: the choice to either promise or not promise.

**SPOILER**


In any case, the plot is almost exactly alike as the bad ending, with the exception the bad ending picks up exactly where the good ending leaves off. So I really wasn't missing much, which is unfortunate, since I had hoped for something new.

However, the bad ending isn't all that bad either. In fact, since it's exactly the same as the redemption, I'd have to say the bad ending adds a sort of unique twist. And the revenge ending alters the story somewhat making it enjoyable to play through the game at least twice.

Whatever ending you prefer or don't prefer, the story behind it all is truly one hell of an experience.
Pages: 1