Amazing game about generational trauma*
Sun Jan 09 2022 AgpaffcI highly, highly recommend this game. *Just a heads up, there are spoilers at the end of this review. People who liked “Gone Home,” and “Forever Lost” will love it. I played on my iPad and was glued to the story and gameplay all weekend. I read the reviews before I bought it, and I thought there was far more game for my dollar than I expected. It’s a good, solid length.
The story is dark, but as someone who loves the “Fran Bow,” series, a dark story is a plus. The ending, from my perspective, is very clear. The character tells us what’s happening throughout, especially at the beginning of each chapter. I, like many others, found navigation a bit of an issue, so that’s my one quibble.
TLDR: Great game. Buy it.
******************spoilers below********************
The End: The character is dying. He keeps saying he’s not hungry or thirsty, he can’t even conceive of what that’s like. You’ll notice at the start of each chapter it tells you how long “before.” The last chapter in the tree house was only seconds before. I believe it means before the character dies. The game is called “The Almost Gone.” At the end of the game, the character is dead/gone.
So the gameplay represents those few moments before death. The character, who seems pretty wounded/upset about his parents and his childhood, learns in those moments about what his own parents went through and maybe why they acted the way they did.
Inventory Puzzle, Interesting story, some bugs on ipad
Wed Jun 05 2024 Hup 536The puzzle is played out more through the story than it is through gameplay… likely would have gotten similar experience in less time by just watching the walk through. End occurred too rapidly to feel satisfying. Aesthetics look like Monument Valley… but has very little of the grace and actual puzzle of that brilliant game. Likely would have rated this higher if I hadn’t thought it was going to be like MV. Interesting story that unfolds… quite spooky in places, clever in others…both were fun. Worth the time for .99 USD, but I’m not fond of inventory puzzles so, had I know that’s what this was, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it.
Had difficulty playing on my iPad as interactive circles were too close to navigation map and settings hamburger menu. I would click the circle to interact with an item but open the map instead… got a weird glitch in the inventory that would show two of the same item at the same time. Bugs frustrating enough that I ended up switching to my phone mid game and had to start again (tho easier 2nd time as I already new the codes to jump ahead).
Most excellent
Fri Jul 29 2022 THE TiggrIf the minds behind “The Room”, got together in a party with the Developers behind “Monument Valley” and started chatting the the twisted minds behind “Rusty Lake” and wanted to do a game that evoked the sentiment behind “Life Is Strange” then… well I guess that’s what happened here.
A most excellent puzzler - a dark story where you, as the lead character - seem to be on quest to understand the psychosis behind their parents (probable) death.
Kids won’t get this detail, adults however who understand how they inherit their parents problems probably will. The subject matter is dark - suicide is strongly implied as behind at least one death, as is drugs, alcohol and infidelity.
As such this game is pretty raw.
That said, it was deeply thought provoking. I, for one, was extremely impressed with the depth of the story telling. The imagery and settings were extremely well done.
Bravo to the developers.
If you’re into pondering how part A connects to scene 3 then this is your game. No action here though - your brain does all the hard work and you can otherwise take your time over the game. Which, for me, is exactly how I like my games.
Great game 👍🏼👍🏼
Mon Jul 06 2020 Jamcat1190I almost gave up during the first 10 minutes of playing due to the weird controls, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s not very often that a game this good comes along. Once I got used to the controls and navigation, I really enjoyed playing. I like that it had a story, but no long boring dialogue. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt and I was left wondering about parts of the story.
First impressions
Thu Jun 25 2020 ~threnody~I love the puzzles, they are very fun and engaging. The atmosphere and art is also quite nice. However, I’ve not been playing long and the narrator is already getting on my nerves. They read as quite whiny and immature, and it kind of detracts from my ability to identify with them. I understand where this characterization is coming from, but so far, the only personality trait that’s coming across for me. Yes, the home life is less than ideal. But, if this is to center around family and relationships, one would expect a fair balance of memories both positive and negative. All this to say, I do not like the writing or the narrator so far. I hope to change my mind as I continue to play!
The UI is okay but that’s about it
Sat Jun 27 2020 sjajkaoalxjnfLet’s start with something nice, the UI is decent. But that’s about it, and let me remind you this is not Monument Valley nice, just regular paid game decency.
Here are the thoughts: I hated this game in 5 mins. The way the rooms turns and how the game doesn’t provide a full map and expects you to remember all the rooms is ridiculous. Very tedious to change from room to room, can’t jump on certain room. Annoyed. And by the way, the iPad version is even worse. I hope the developers actually played the game at least once before putting it on the market. Cuz I felt like I was playing a beta version on my iPad and a inconsiderately designed version on my iPhone.
absolutely fantastic
Mon Jun 29 2020 kale 🎨this game is one of the coolest puzzle app games i have ever experienced. the gameplay is immaculate, the color palette is distinguished and takes the ambiance of each setting into term, and the puzzles aren’t impossible, but they’re challenging enough to feel an accomplishment when you solve them. and i haven’t even mentioned the storyline yet! the whole idea of a little girl looking into her past (and technically future) life, uncovering secrets about her parents, and later grandparents, through a click-to-clue format is so original, and such a cool concept. i 10/10 recommend this game to any person that likes puzzle game apps and relate to more mature topics. what an amazing gameplay.
Incredible game
Fri Jun 26 2020 RevlisCharmThe storyline as well as the gameplay were incredibly immersive, and kept me hooked while I played. The visuals were gorgeous to look at, and the music was astounding as well. Absolutely play this game, it truly is one for the ages. In addition, while some puzzles were challenging, they all in all weren’t impossible to figure out.
Sad Escape Rooms
Sun Jul 05 2020 AwesomeNick94I really liked the graphical and audio presentation, and the puzzles in The Almost Gone. I think there’s probably a great story here, but it’s partially buried by the English localization being a bit awkward pretty often, and a vague ending. It also got a little too tedious to swipe through the rooms by the last couple chapters, I wish you could get where you wanted to go quicker.
why doesn’t it save across devices?
Wed Oct 16 2024 Tiff11Jaei played this game for 6 hours straight and the next time i opened it (the next day) i was back at the beginning. i went to my phone where i had it downloaded and my progress wasn’t their either. i don’t even want to continue playing if my progress can’t save. i originally was playing this on netflix but then it started glitching so bad on the tv. i tried exiting and returning. i tried restarting the tv to no avail but i like it so much that i decided to pay for it but even the paid version is glitching. the purchase hasn’t even been processed that’s how fresh my purchase is. it hasn’t even been 24 hours and i can’t get a refund. when i go online to report a problem through apple i can’t even get to the developers website. this is a mess and a huge disappointment.
