Sea of Solitude

[regemond]

Just to let you know what you're in for, Sea of Solitude starts with this screen:

 

 

It's a beautiful game in places, similar in visual style to Rime. The introduction sees you in a boat in the titular Sea of Solitude. Playing as a young girl who's quite literally overtaken by darkness (seriously, she just has facial features, the rest of her form is just black and a little undefined), you're given a guiding light in this sea of darkness, and that provides the only source of light around you. It's a platformer in nature, so from time to time you have to leave the safety of your boat and walk around the flooded city its set in. When you do climb out of the boat the world around you becomes dark and stormy, and there's a creature that stalks you in the depths of the water.

 

Basically, everything feels like a very heavy-handed discussion on depression. As you work through your problems and face your difficulties, you eventually bring light to the world around you. This is where the visual beauty kicks in, because it becomes bold, vibrant and just stunning to look at in a very stylised way.

 

One touch I adore - you have to remove corruption from the world (this is what makes the world brighter again), but your character's backpack gets more and more full as the game progresses. Again, a very obvious metaphor, but one that's done in a subtle way. It was only near the end of my session last night I actually noticed it.

 

This isn't a game that's ever going to set the world on fire - the controls sometimes feel a little loose, the story has less than zero subtlety, and the graphic design is an acquired taste (but exactly the kind of thing I love). But given that it's a very stark look at the different aspects of depression, it also feels quite brave in a way. I also don't want to give spoilers away, which is why I haven't discussed any of the main story beats, just given a little overview.

 

It feels relatively short, I reckon I'm about half way through it - but I'm really enjoying it at the moment. As much as you can 'enjoy' a story about a young girl's crippling depression.

[DisturbedSwan]

I playtested this game at EA quite awhile ago and thought it was very mediocre. 

 

Obviously I played a far buggier and unfinished version than what you're playing but back then I didn't rate it at all really. I just got lost all the fucking time and it got really annoying, there was this guiding light you follow but me being me - or it was buggier back then - I sometimes lost sight of it and ended up stumbling about around the level for ages before asking the adjudicator where I had to go next.

 

It did have some cool moments but it was just a bit heavy handed with the metaphors for me along with the gameplay just not being there at all. 

[regemond]

Oh I'm definitely not argue against it being average in the gameplay department, but this feels like more of an experience than a game in the traditional sense (same with Rime), which is why I'm willing to forgive some of its... 'looser' moments.

 

I've not had any issues with navigating the levels, except for once near the start. As soon as I realised how linear it is I've had pretty consistent progress.

[regemond]

Finished this last night. It's a game you could finish in a day if you started late afternoon. Gorgeous style, the story went exactly where I thought it was going, but the look and little touches running throughout really caught me.

 

It's nowhere near as effective as Rime, but that could be because I don't identify with the story quite as much. Certain parts got me (specifically the section where you have to dodge the explosions of heat as you climb a skyscraper - hey look, that's a metaphor for avoiding someone's anger), but others didn't quite pull it off.

 

Achievements seem easy enough if you want to get them all - I missed two for the collectibles and two for dying in certain ways.

[Maryokutai]

So this launches today on Switch as a Director's Cut and from what I've seen the port seems sublime. I'm rather interested in it but there's one thing I'm a bit worried and that's the "sea" part in its title and how it is portrayed in the game world. I have a horrible case of thalassophobia that for some illogical reason extends to media ─ the stuff I've seen from this game with the little boat floating around a half-sunken city doesn't bother me too much. But I don't want to skim through a playthrough and spoil the entire experience so I was wondering if someone who has played this could tell me if there are open spaces of water with large sea creatures or possible underwater segments in this game? @regemond maybe? 

[DisturbedSwan]

32 minutes ago, Maryokutai said:

open spaces of water with large sea creatures or possible underwater segments in this game? 

 

It has been a few years since I played it but I'd say there is definitely the former, the latter I'm not too sure on but I think there are some underwater segments too.

[Maryokutai]

Turns out there is a demo available. Didn't trigger anything bad on my end so I carefully added it to my wishlist. Will decide whether or not I'll risk it at another time.