I've started playing Waking on Steam (sorry GOG, just got it there first). Previously, I've played Skrillex Quest on either Oda's website or another (it's web based) as well as Continue?9876543210. Once again Oda is trying to speak about his perspective on life, death, and what it means to have consciousness. If "I think, therefore I am", and the world is material, how do I come to terms with my ultimate and (in the grand scheme of things) all-too-soon end? In Continue you were placed into the role of a video game character desperate to survive, and trying to cling on to a little more existence while being pursued by an almost Shiva-like system cleaning process. The goal from the outset was clearly not so much to survive deletion, as to come to terms with death before it happens. It's truly brilliant: a gut punch, reminding you that you are mortal, and that the world has its own order. Skrillex Quest was similar. So having only gotten the slightest bit in, I think Oda's still trying to continue and expand on the theme from Continue, but at least from the outset death seems less certain. The style of game is very different too, described as Souls-like. I haven't played enough Souls games to confirm, but it is a more modern-style 3D platformer with punishing consequences for errors that remind me of the Arkham Horror board game as much as anything. The structure of the game is secondary to the purpose of the game, which is self-reflection. So if you're not interested in guided meditation, reflecting on your past loves, your beliefs about the afterlife, your values, or your place in the universe, pick up Demon Souls or something, I don't know. But if exploring those questions sounds interesting to you, and you can half-way hack it in a modern 3D platformer, pick this little indie gem up.
