Overall most helpful review

Posted on: February 9, 2017

Sykes.228

Games: Reviews: 32

A selection of non-sequiturs

When I was about 10, I tried to write a horror story. It made no sense, things just kept happening and changing out of the blue, but I was proud of it at the time and claimed that other people "don't get it". This game reminds me of that. Things keep happening here with no rhyme or reason. You're walking (painfully slowly by the way) down the hall, then there's a CUT and you're in an office getting a document, CUT you're in a house, CUT you get punched in the face, CUT and there's a dead bird, CUT and it goes all the hell with random stuff that goes on. It gets truly ridiculous very quickly. The first hour or so of the game is truly abysmal in this manner, and when it finally begins to seem somewhat interesting with one quick montage, it doubles down on the ridiculous drug trip and the last 10 minutes or so of the game are just complete and utter nonsense. And then it just cuts to credits. The other parts of the game are just as inconsistent. The graphics is fairly interesting in an artsy low-budget way (although even this has issues, such as short arms and truly scary hands), but the colorful cartoony art style is a really poor fit for a detective mystery. So is the music most of the time, while at least that is great on its own. There's no dialog or speech in the game, not even any voices, everyone just silently emotes, which means there's little to no chance to provide much characterization or story (the rough visual style doesn't help either). This actually fits the last moments of the game well where you suddenly switch between characters and such, but not the majority of it. This thing simply makes no sense. Maybe I "don't get it", but more likely this is a typical example of being artsy just for the sake of being artsy. It wouldn't be an issue if this was an experiment given away for free, but all the descriptions of this thing are a complete lie. Thus, my money and even that one hour or so it took to "play" through were completely wasted.

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Posted on: September 13, 2017

jcsturgeon

Games: 114 Reviews: 5

Not at all as advertised

The game advertises this as a mystery you're attempting to solve, but that's not true. It's not even a game exactly, it's an interactive movie. It's linear (the "game" even has a scene selection screen like a Blu Ray or DVD) and it walks you through every step of the way only leaving you to click on one specific hotspot to move on to the next screen which is often extremely obvious. The story makes no sense, and there's no dialog. No one says a word the entire "game". It's just a series of extremely weird, unconnected scenes. If I could give this game a 0 stars I would. It's complete crap. I want a refund.

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Posted on: February 8, 2017

MattiaGagliardi

Verified owner

Games: 572 Reviews: 5

Good but...

Anna is a rookie FBI agent. Her first job is to investigate to a case of a missing person while, in the mean time, investigate also on her partner, Maria. And that's how much I can say.. Yeah, reviewing this game is very hard. This is the kind of game that splits the audience. Some of them will hate, others will love it. Me? Well... I guess I love it? I mean the story and the ways is told is very interesting and really engaging. I played the whole game in one sit, which doesn't mean much since it is very VERY short (I end it in 1h and 38). The way the plot develops, how it is told, the emotions that it gives. Rather than a mistery case, it's the story of Anna, what she think and how she react to hard choices. And the fact that it is done with low poly graphics and no dialogues at all tells a lot about how good the developers manage to create a truly enganging and emotional story. However that what Virginia is: an amazing story to witness. In term of gameplay there is none basically. The exploration is barebone and basically you jump from scene to scene without any notice. Few times you can interact with the enviroment but even then it is very limited. I know that it may sound harsh, but the top of interaction is available only in the main menu. So yeah should you buy at whole price? Seriously I don't know. After all it costs the same as a DVD and it gives slightly more entertainment. But I can completely understand why many gamers would not enjoy it and thinks that they waste their money. For me it's a 4/5 because I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I had the possibility to play. As for you that are reading this, well: I hope you will find the same enjoyement that I found. Otherwhise I am sorry but I can understand the reason why you won't.

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Posted on: December 20, 2017

fade0ff

Verified owner

Games: 1218 Reviews: 83

Little interaction drowned in symbolism

Finally a game that deserves the title "interactive movie". And no, this is nothing to be proud of. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally into "walking simulators" if they are about exploration and let you roam freely to unfold a story. But exploration is completely absent from this game and your only freedom is to decide which way you want to walk through a room/hallway until you are thrown into a new (cut)scene. Even the mouse look is limited almost all the time and forces your view down to door handle etc. which actually makes me feel uncomfortable and dizzy. There are some good things though. The graphics are very abstract but mostly in a good way with nice colors and lighting. Also the music is well done - but doesn't really make up for the complete lack of voice acting. The story looks interesting at first but is soon drowned in pseudo-profound symbolism. At the end, there is almost no story at all. Just some bits and pieces that leave you disappointed with the taste of wasted time.

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Posted on: June 16, 2017

Lelfiian

Verified owner

Games: 96 Reviews: 2

A fresh idea, a lackluster plot

This game is quite unlike many in its genre. It feels like part walking simulator and part movie. I must say that the idea of using movie style transitions is really great. More games using this style are than fine by me. The fact that there is no dialogue and everything is visual stops the trope of audio logs and diaries. A nice change of pace. The story is the biggest let down. The plot is really hard to grasp, and this is not an investigation-driven game as the description suggests. You are introduced to so many people, so many different plot points, and so many possibilities... with no official conclusion. You spend the entire game trying to figure out the "mystery," only to finish the game with a completely inconclusive "non-ending" ending. No loose ends are tied. No problems are solved. I understand that Virginia is meant to be a metaphor about the choices you make in life and how they affect you and those around you. It is just that this did not work. Metaphors are beautiful, but not at the expense of a completed storyline On a big positive the music is wonderful and fits perfectly to the atmosphere of the game. It was by far my favorite part. The soundtrack sounded movie quality it was so good. The art style of the game is also visually appealing and quite pretty at times. This artistic value, and the fresh form of storytelling kept me playing until the end. That is the best I can say.

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