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Yellow Windy, Dnipro (2025)

28/10/2022

Dance with Death or Returnal as an element of video game art

The kindest time of the day, honorable public of the StopGame portal! With you, as always, grumpy buyükbaba and I, as you guessed, became a "Turkish Citizen". The first thing a decent "Turkish Citizen" should do is download ALL the GAMES from a PlayStation subscription, but I limited myself to just one. Illegitimate Child of Control, Remnant: From the Ashes and Sundered; Bullet hell roguelike in AAA cover; Exclusive using all DualSence chips; Notes of science fiction, arthouse and hardcore! How could such a meticulous connoisseur of unusual things as I pass by? Of course not! A very niche Housemarque studio decided to brew this cocktail, which produced terry indie with the same mechanics as their first "Big Game". And if at first I just wanted to write a review in my free time, then I realized that using the example of this product, it was simply necessary to analyze some trends and dive into all the details with my head. Therefore, I warn you — there will be a lot of text, subjective reflections and a search for SGS.

Let's not pull alien life forms by slimy appendages and start our journey
Let's not pull alien life forms by slimy appendages and start our journey
Science fiction and psychological horror became friends somehow…
The game meets us with the everyday life of the scout-astronaut Selena, who ingloriously crashes on the planet Atropos. It was not by chance that she was here, a suspicious signal was received from the ill-fated celestial body, in which a certain "White Shadow" was mentioned. And although the lively young lady was warned about the danger of such an expedition, curiosity prevailed, because the "White Shadow" is sacred and personal information that only Selena herself could know about. There are plenty of riddles on the surface of the planet, the signal source is not tracked, there are traces of a missing alien civilization around, and a Co**se lies on the road ... the co**se of the main character, at the sight of which she catches a fu***ng arrival. Soon the location was decorated by another one, Selena took death from the paws of an unfriendly fauna and....I woke up on the ship again, realizing that I was in an endless cycle.

I will not list all the works related to the vermeune loop that have appeared in recent years, but I will note that this topic fits perfectly into the bagel framework.
I will not list all the works related to the vermeuna loop that have appeared in recent years, but I will note that this topic fits perfectly into the framework of bagels.
And then the most interesting thing begins — we get the plot in an hour by a teaspoon and, moreover, by the method of a selected art house. Scattered and torn cut scenes, audio magazines that sound like the ravings of a madwoman (not far from the truth) and the writings of local aliens that we have to translate.

Such a pace of submission turns the story into something viscous and unpleasant, like tar. But in the case of this particular product, this is the right decision. Let's remember this thesis and continue the story.

The cherry on the cake is gameplay inserts from the first person, raising the level of surrealism to exorbitant values. In them we will explore two locations: the main character's house (which somehow appeared on this planet) and a hospital. In addition, there will be some kind of entity in each that pursues Selena and, as if, tries to tell her something. These places are the focus of the arthouse and oppressive atmosphere, similar in feeling to the films "The Lighthouse" or "The Witch".

At the same time, these segments are one of the main opportunities to immerse yourself in local history and learn a little more about it. 
At the same time, these segments are one of the main opportunities to immerse yourself in local history and learn a little more about it.
They also contain a good half of the hints about what is happening with our main character. A vivid clue is a reference to King Sisyphus, who was still a cunning man and twice dodged death, as well as to his punishment. For a curious and shrewd person, many spoilers have already been sounded, but I do not intend to write them in plain text.

And now I have questions — Why is the plot presented this way? In my opinion, it's all about its simplicity. If we remove the method of presentation and mysterious cutscenes, explaining everything head—on, we will get a hackneyed, simple and, most importantly, boring plot created according to the patterns of the genre.

And in our case, such a presentation is connected with the mechanics of the game itself and allows you to minimize the repetitiveness of this genre. Hoping to find out the next bit of information, it was not so boring for me to go through the same zone several times (especially since I still have to do it). Who are the aliens and where have they gone, why are some of them still alive, but distorted, how did the Cycle appear, what happened in the last GG and why is this "White Shadow" so important to her? At the moment, the story captures the interested player, makes him guess and think, as well as compare with other projects, which benefits the final product.

"Not the golden mean"…
And now a sudden twist for our analysis… Although I liked the plot and the presentation, they are no more needed here than in adult films! Then why is he here, and why have resources and time been spent on his study?

It's simple, it's more interesting to play with him, and he copes with this task by 110%, but this is not Hellblade, where without him the game could not exist as a working product. But, a much more valuable assumption for analysis — AAA-exclusive cannot be an empty mechanic. And this game was brought exactly to the denominator of Sony's launch exclusives.

And since I am so sure of this, it means that a particularly detailed block of my blog will be devoted to the analysis of the gameplay:

1. Fundamentals-Fundamentals

The basis of the game is based on the standard concept of a bagel: running from location to location, gradually creating your own build from the reinforcements encountered on the way, pumping weapons, collecting consumables and zeroing in case of inglorious death, but the devil hides in the little things…

The game seems to be shamefacedly trying to show that it is a bagel not "for its own", but "for everyone". What does it mean? This means that the guys have brought a gloss: they have reduced the influence of randomness (including sacrificing diversity), deliberately underestimated the complexity, tightened the conventions of the genre to a more acceptable form for the mass user. Do not think, for the average player — there is still a very painful core here, but an experienced person will quickly begin to rest against boring repetitive and ease of passage, which means that the skill of the player directly affects the pace and impressions of the game.

For theoretical equalization of chances, detailed training is attached here, full of tips, but it's just as "simple" as being a pro-player in fighting games just by looking at the list of combinations.
For theoretical equalization of chances, detailed training full of tips is attached here, but it's as "simple" as being a pro-fighting game player just by looking at the list of combinations.
The second indispensable ingredient of the Returnal cocktail is the notorious bullet hell: a galaxy of shells, rings, lines, balls and other light and music effects that will tear your face. And now, you are no longer trying to kill the enemy with a dense wall of fire, but cosplay Neo, dodging hundreds of shells! And that's where I swam, but bullet hell is the lot of indie, and it's very hard for the brain to perceive this bright show within the framework of a serious and gloomy story…

Another thought worth remembering... 
Another thought worth remembering...
2. Development is the way to success

But for now, let's return to the content of the game itself — what did the developers fill it with to make it easier for us to pass? In fact, almost a standard set:

2.1 Artifacts are the local equivalent of skills. Basically, they have a simple passive bonus (from +10% to weapon damage, +25% protection, etc.), but there are also vital for a comfortable game — for example, a one-time resurrection without loss of progress.

2.2 Consumables are classics of the genre! Do you need to heal the hero, give him a shield, release an alien spike from the ground, or slow down time? Here you go! They are not deprived of variety, but you will quickly realize that they are not equally useful in combat conditions (To choose ... A big hill or a shock wave from a jump, I don't even know ...)

2.3 Parasites are the most interesting of all presented. Often, they give very powerful bonuses, but you have to pay with no less powerful debuffs, for example: a one-time resurrection, after which the health strip will be cut in half or a large increase in damage instead of slowing down the rollback of the jump.

There are also constant costume improvements that work throughout the game, but we only get them according to the plot. The same list includes keys for pe*******on into a particular biome.

From the less significant in the context of a separate cycle: currency, stones, health bars and weapons level (more on that later). 
From the less significant in the context of a separate cycle: currency, stones, health bars and weapons level (more on that later).
But do not think that the WHOLE challenge has fallen under the comb of simplifying gameplay: no one will allow you to permanently upgrade your character, save weapons or skills like in Deathloop and even accumulate an ultimatum amount of ether (local fireproof currency that is spent only on the way). Every time you start from scratch and it's laid down by the genre!

3. Exploring the area

Random generation... I love the smell of random generation in the morning… And here it is, and this is again a preset of mandatory and variable rooms that make up the biome. And then there is a plug: for a full-fledged bagel, they are simply not enough here, as well as a variety of enemies who have spammed on them. Moreover, no one will forbid you to run through 70% of the rooms without killing the foes. With such a level of diversity, it is not entirely clear what the game was trying to achieve, or perhaps the developers simply did not have enough resources for more? Or did the game not want to be a real bagel?

If desired, you can skip entire biomes if you have already defeated the boss and taken his key. 

28/10/2022

Review of E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy — Cyberpunk Vinaigrette

Greetings, dear friends! Cyberpunk doesn't happen much, right? I propose to plunge into this genre again, today we will look at a game that is soaked from head to toe with old-school cyberpunk. This project is a nuclear cocktail that has absorbed a bunch of different fandoms that she uses, not only in terms of style, but also ideas. However, this does not make it secondary, but on the contrary – by mixing everything correctly (but not stirring it up), the developers managed to get something original at the output. Today I will tell you about one of the most interesting and original indie games of the last decade. I present to your attention, E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy.

The plot of the game tells about a gloomy cyberpunk future, where psionic abilities are recognized by science, implants are the norm, and humanity is exponentially exploring the depths of space, founding one colony after another on different planets. We play as a member of the E.Y.E. unit, a warrior monk endowed with psi abilities and military cyber implants of the latest generation. The division, in turn, consists of two groups “Cult Dei” and "Jiang Shan Di". The whole thing is financed by a “secret” order (which everyone knows about) Secreta Secretorum (local Illuminati). E.Y.E. he is fighting on all fronts and in all possible ways, engaging in: blackmail, intelligence and interception of advanced scientific developments. The main opponent for E.Y.E. is the Federation (the union of terrestrial states with a totalitarian form of government), since the Secreta Secretorum want to overthrow it in order to usurp power and get all the resources and power of the Federation. BUT, in the equation of our dear "reptiloids", a variable appears that ruins all their plans for world domination, meta *-streumonic (psionic beings who came from hell, understand where, with paranormal abilities. Further in the text we will call them simply Meta-monsters), which crumble into cabbage all fractions indiscriminately. In addition, within the E.Y.E. brotherhood itself, there is an internal conflict between the groups "Jiang Shan Di" and "Cult Dei". Of course, passions have subsided a bit within the brotherhood due to military actions against the Federation and Meta-monsters. But while the rank-and-file fighters of the brotherhood fought shoulder to shoulder, the commander of the Cult of Dei group, Rimanah (our part-time boss), surreptitiously tried to mess with the Jiang group. Rimanah is doing everything possible for the Secreta Secretorum to notice the shoals and non-performance of the Jiang Group, simultaneously transferring all their resources and personnel to the Cult Dei. For this, of course, nefarious plan, Rimanah has created a special unit responsible for the implementation of this task, in which, just, our GG is located.

However, it is not enough for us to have external and internal showdowns between those in power, now gg will have to choose between the command (represented by Rimanah) and his mentor, which actively drowns for the unity of the brotherhood. Needless to say, because of such rhetoric of our mentor, Rimanah flies around the Temple of the brotherhood on an "ass-jet thrust", because it confuses all his cards. How this story ends, according to the classics, depends solely on your choices.

In any case, it's worth keeping in mind the thought: to understand the plot, you need at least a few walkthroughs. Its structure is ornate, many things have to be thought out, building some crazy theories. However, despite the excessive SPGS, the story still captures, on the one hand, it is standard for cyberpunk, but, towards the end, it begins to smell crazy, and this gives the story a certain peppercorn, which sets it apart from other games in this genre.

Where, exactly, does it all begin? The game starts with the fact that GG wakes up after a fierce battle, face to the floor, and the party members are lying not far from him, but they were less lucky: they are a little dead. What happened here? Why did you survive? Unclear. But do not worry, this is only part of the questions that you may be able to get answers to, because in the course of the passage, a cart and a small cart of new ones will be added to them. Since the developers have carefully awarded GG with amnesia, get ready for the role of a local NPC tormentor and tormentor with questions about the local world: the game itself does not really try to explain anything to the player.

The high entry threshold concerns not only the story, but also the gameplay itself. And this is despite the huge number of in-game training videos trying to teach us how to manage. Most of the basic information about the history of the game world is in the local library. I got acquainted with these cyber scrolls not without pleasure.

Although, when purchasing the game in 2011, it seemed to me a stupid and stuffy decision to introduce the player to the world in this way. And I had a completely negative opinion about the game. However, after a year, I still decided to come back and play the game again, and I did not regret my decision. Which once again confirms the opinion that everything has its time, each game has its own age and experience.

But let's get back to our sheep. What is written in these cyber scrolls? Literally everything: a description of the world, acquaintance with its history, in the end, cyberpunk cliches about the conspiracies of the government and corporations, the intricacies of relationships with local clans, underhand games within the groups themselves. This information is very important for the player: without it, it is difficult to put together a complete picture of the local “Santa Barbara”: this information is not duplicated anywhere else, except in the library.

Since the game is a first-person RPG shooter, we are allowed to scatter skills from the very beginning, as the heart dictates. At the first level, we are briefly introduced to the management and local combat. The arsenal itself is small, but each weapon has its own character. Melee weapons, fi****ms and psi abilities are available to us for battles. Shooting here, by the way, is still nice after a year; it's good, because we will shoot here very, very, very much. The starter set of weapons itself looks very good and can close all the needs of the player for the first time, but I do not advise ignoring the new types of weapons sold in the store.

Psi abilities allow you to cast different spells, such as: clone yourself; cause an attack of madness in an enemy NPC; apply a kinetic blow and tear the enemy to shreds. And this is only part of the possibilities, over time there will be more and more of them. As the game progresses, you will also have to loot not only cartridges from enemies, but also research cases that help you study new types of augmentations (to become stronger, faster and more efficient). After passing the first two levels and getting acquainted with the enemies, local conventions and rules of the game, you slowly get used to it.

The age of the game makes itself felt and some things concerning management and game design solutions feel morally outdated. Take the same check points, they are made in the game, to put it mildly, in a peculiar way. If you end the game session in the middle of the quest, then the next time you start the game, you will be at the beginning of the location of the current quest. And until you complete it, you will be in a local time loop. I dare to assume that these tricks were applied due to the presence of a cooperative: so that when you log in to the session, everything is identical for everyone. Add to this the endlessly appearing enemies that are brought down on gg by an avalanche, and you will get yummy. Moreover, until you reach a certain point and the script does not work, their spawn will not stop. Some here can catch the vibes of the good old Polish buffoons.

The enemies in this game are dumb and don't hide it. Therefore, to compensate for their stupidity, opponents attack in groups and bite painfully. Because of this, a kind of balance is created: a low level of AI behavior fades into the background. However, it is not their level of intelligence that is interesting in enemies, but visualization and description. And I'm not talking about the Federation and other homo sapiens, but about Meta-monsters. These creatures were created by the so—called metastremonic radiation - this is a kind of universal anomaly that transforms living organisms into something unknown and incomprehensible. In short, each of the creatures is a metaphor for some human vice. For example, the Kraak monster is the embodiment of an irresistible sense of guilt, and Manduco is the personification of aggression. Another statement of the developers on the topic that man is the most terrible monster that brings disharmony and chaos into this world.

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28/10/2022

28/10/2022

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