Return of the Obra Dinn

Having played (and loved) Lucas Pope's "Papers, please" previously, I knew that this game would be worth buying and playing. However, I decided time and time again not to make the purchase, mostly because of the 2-color graphics. Now that I've finally bought and completed the game, I have to say that the artistic style only helps to make the story that more mysterious. The game doesn't hold your hand, so determining "the fates" can be hard at times. Only after playing over half of the game I noticed things, that could have helped me really determine a person's identity, instead of guessing it. That doesn't determine from giving the game a five star rating. It's been a long time since I've been this captivated by a story in a game.

I went in knowing very little about the game and I am so glad I did. Coming from someone who usually loathes non-linear storytelling I absolutely adored this and cannot wait to see what Lucas Pop has in store next. Finished it in three sittings totally around 11 hours to 100% complete the game and see the true ending. Only negative I will say is that as you need to revisit memories it can be quite cumbersome. I found myself spending more time than I would like to admit moving from place to place in order to revisit memories.

Games like Obra Dinn are proof that videogames is a medium like no other for storytelling, with infinite possibilities and great ideas yet to explore. I will not say that the way of unveiling the story is unique of this game, but it does it so cleverly, with such care for the detail, that for me it was an absolute delight to uncover the mystery of the Obra Dinn. I was so hooked to the game, so interested in the plot, so challenged by mystery, that I cannot remember any other game that had me like this. And then the audio design is also great, the music sounds good but doesn't get in the way or annoys, and the voices are good too. The graphic design may be or not be of your taste, but it is a different and interesting choice, making it even a more unique game. Even if the graphic design doesn't suit you, the story and the cleverness of this game truly deserves to be enjoyed. A truly delightful game from beginning to end.

A murder mystery and detective story, notable for presenting freeze-framed scenes at different moments in the past. I've really enjoyed that the game rarely gives out obvious information. It does not draw attention to clues or their significance. I had to actively make observations and incorporate them into the growing web of hard facts, suspicions, and mental notes. The game keeps this process very convenient and organized through the in-game logbook and the structure for confirming your guesses. It felt very satisfying to gradually piece together what happened, all the while getting intimately familiar with the events, the people, and the location. This ties into how surprisingly emotional I felt about the story, in spite of being slightly disappointing in the traditional "narrative" sense. I thought the minimalist visual style and the sounds added a lot to the story by creating a stark and grim atmosphere, and many scenes even looked beautiful and moody. After completing the game pretty thoroughly in about 9 hours, I wouldn't say it's very long or replayable, but I felt it's the right length and a good value. I believe this is an extremely well-made, clever, satisfying game that sticks with you after playing, and I'd highly recommend it.

This is game is a wonderful work of art! The art style is perfect for the environment and 'feel' of the game. The logic puzzles range from simple to extremely detail oriented. I will admit a few of the puzzles were annoyingly tedious to solve however, the overall experience was great! The story telling of the game draws you in with each chapter unfolding in reverse. I was expecting a bit more length for the price but, I can't really complain... the quality of the experience carries the short play time. I'll definitely be looking forward the creator's next game.