| 5 star: | | (21) | | 4 star: | | (57) | | 3 star: | | (15) | | 2 star: | | (3) | | 1 star: | | (2) |
| Average Rating: 
Number of Ratings: 98
Write a review |
Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All - Artran (Taipei, Taiwan), February 10, 2024
- Edo, August 17, 2023
- aluminumoxynitride, August 3, 2023
- Kinetic Mouse Car, August 1, 2022
4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Extraterrestrial Diplomacy, March 19, 2022(Nothing in this review gives away solutions to puzzles or tells you what choices to make. However, if you want to experience the contents with a completely open mind, skip this and play first.)
The Colonist's homeworld faces an imminent global freeze-over. The High Company back on Earth, in its benign and charitable friendliness, extends a helping hand.
For a price.
The Ambassador on the Colony has been removed from his duties. He had gotten a little too friendly with the natives to the Company's liking. You are to replace him and negotiate a satisfactory agreement about the evacuation of the Colonists and their resettlement on Earth. You have received rather precise instructions as to what kind of deal is acceptible to the High Company and how to get the message across.
Of course, you are on a planet orbiting a distant sun. Back on Earth, they might have taken you for an easily manipulated handpuppet, but there is not much the Company can do to keep you from investigating alternative options...
You start off exploring an overwhelmingly beautiful world. The natural splendor of your landing spot gradually gives way to a once magnificent city, now rapidly falling to ruins. The descriptions reflect the breathtaking surroundings without lapsing into purple prose.
During this first exploration you are nudged along to find your quarters at the embassy and perform some official duties there. Once you have done those, you can take all the time you want to wander around.
Apart from the readily accessible and very clear instructions from your superiors from the High Company, you can find out the opinions of other people about what should be done with the Colonists. Finding out these alternate opinions constitutes the only real puzzle-solving in the game.
This is necessary if you want to have a full understanding of the situation to base your decision on, but you do not need to solve any to get to an ending.
Your diplomatic decision is to be made on Gift Day, a ceremony of exchanging symbolic gifts. Because of the language barrier, the only means available to you to communicate your chosen agreement is through a combination of the clothes you choose to wear and the object you wish to present as gift.
There are notes and recordings to be found that can inform you about the meaning of the clothes and the gifts. The end-puzzle therefore is not a puzzle at all, but a well-considered choice on your part.
I followed my ideals on the first try and got a bittersweet epilogue, that I have to admit is more realistic than the happy ending I had in mind.
The same goes for the other endings you can reach through different choices of gift and apparel. This made me very aware of the ethical repercussions of my choices as ambassador to all involved, my superiors at the High Company, my fellow humans back on Earth, the Colonists in need of help whom I've gotten to know, and my own conscience and ideals. Each choice can be argued for with strong arguments, even though some may run counter to impulsive feelings of empathy or self-defense.
The ethical consequences of the game's choices could spark a night-long philosophical debate in the real world about humanity, identity, refugees, personal responsability, climate change and how to face it,...
Or one can just savor the experience of dressing up as a sci-fi diplomate and enjoy the delightful writing and surroundings.
Either way, a magnificent game.
- Zape, August 8, 2021
- nosferatu, July 4, 2021
- Laney Berry, September 24, 2020
- newtonja, August 31, 2020
- Ry (Philippines), June 9, 2020
- kierlani, March 22, 2020
- Bartlebooth, February 18, 2020
- Kommissar Verboten, June 21, 2019
- dgtziea, April 1, 2018
- eme, January 24, 2018
- Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), November 17, 2017
- E.K., August 24, 2017
- Sobol (Russia), July 11, 2017
- lkdc, March 30, 2017
- jenzwick, October 4, 2016
- Teaspoon, January 30, 2016
- Guenni (At home), January 24, 2016
4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
A game of negotiation and understanding in a scifi setting, August 6, 2015This is my favorite Short game. This game is set in the future, when a colony from earth has developed gene-altering technology. The setting is not really important, however. What is important is the negotiation and the recording features.
Negotiation: The main purpose of the game is to work out what will happen between earth and the planet. Your job is to communicate this, but you have to understand the symbolism of the settlers. The bulk of the game is focused on figuring out what to say and how to say it.
Recording: This is actually not even necessary to the completion of the game, so some players have missed it. There are several recordings in the game which can be 'processed' to one of several different modes, such as a cartoon mode, a scientific mode, etc. It was hilariously fun, and unique among games I have played.
One of the great sci-fi games.
- chux, May 20, 2015
- Thrax, March 11, 2015
Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All | Return to game's main page