Galatea

by Emily Short profile

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Conversation with a statue, January 25, 2015

Galatea is all about interaction. You talk to a statue. She tells you things. You don't go anywhere, you don't solve any puzzles. You talk. Well, sometimes things can happen to finish the games that aren't just talk.

The statue herself, Galatea, is still one of the most sophisticated NPCs in IF. It's possible to exhaust her responses to certain topics, but there are always more topics. At least, I think there are. I haven't tried every single word I can think of. Galatea gets somewhat irked if one types the same thing again and again; IF players will do that to try and exhaust all topics. Good for her.

While the game may sound limited, the whole goal (I would say) is to tease out the emotional states of the statue and of the player. It's possible to do this in a fairly natural way, and this is the core strength of the game. There are some hints about the impact of Galatea's responses on the player character, but they tend to be muted. The effect on the human player is really up to personal taste. I found some themes dull (Spoiler - click to show)(animate vs. non-animate) and some powerful (Spoiler - click to show)(the goddess Aphrodite). In the end, you have to play the game yourself to decide.

On balance, I think the game transcends its deliberate limitations (a static conversation) to achieve some kind of catharsis (appropriate given the ancient Greek context). Yes, it's an exercise of style, but one that I think is worthwhile. As in much IF (and traditional fiction), the effect bordered on the manipulative, but for me it succeeded. (Spoiler - click to show)(In few games does one try so hard to see if the NPC can die - you have to decide if that's a good thing.)

The game has aged well and hits home. I can't think of a very similar follow-up; maybe I need to play more games.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
different and interesting, November 6, 2014

At first this game didn't do much for me, because I like plot-driven games, puzzles, etc. But after a little time, I realized how much depth there actually is beneath the surface. Upon closer inspection, it truly is a very well-written and nicely crafted psychological study. Worth playing more than once.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A uniquely beautiful experience, July 16, 2014
by Alyssa Barstow (California)

I must have played through Galatea for at least two hours exploring all of the options. It was beautiful, intriguing, surprising, and sweet. I am still amazed at how it felt like a real conversation rather than playing a game. The first and only IF I have played that had no story progression, only exploration. Parser is polished. Overall a stunning must play on IF.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Behind the curtain, January 31, 2014
by scottmbruner (alameda, california)

I have a lot of thoughts on this piece that wouldn't fit in a review. It's so well written, such a fascinating concept - and perhaps the best IF I've ever experienced that takes place completely through conversation and the haunts of memory, and desire...

...but I was disappointed in how un-Eliza it felt, that I kept approaching the animate Galatea as I might a computer program or Exploratorium exhibit to poke around in and never believed she was a living, breathing NPC. I didn't feel like the things I did had any real effect on her emotions - even though I knew that they did (considering Emily Short's IF talent and other works) and I also grew frustrated that so many of the things I wanted to chat about I couldn't...and then, when I peeked (after a few interesting endings) at a walkthrough, I noticed so many things I hadn't thought of...

...but I was also frustrated I never knew to say get down (instead of leave, step down, come with me) though the one "true" desire I'd had during the experience was a wish to get her off the pedestal.

That being said, Galatea does offer a markerstone experiment for how NPCs can react and be dynamic, though the lack of context and conflict make me wish so much to see her again with a story for me to truly be invested in.

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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Galatea Little Brute, October 16, 2012

Ha! I had to laugh when the statue typed back to me. Good one!

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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Great Premise, September 9, 2012

CAVEAT: IF player here who prefers games heavier on narrative than puzzles.

I admit, I started out a little frustrated. I would ask Galatea about senses. She would list a bunch except for pleasure. So, I would try and ask her if she felt pleasure. Nothing programmed for that. She would tell me that the artist gave her away. I would try and ask how that made Galatea feel in a number of different ways. Nothing programmed for that.

It seemed everything I tried that I thought was relevant to what we had been talking about did not exist in the program. I found myself crying out, what do you want from me, Emily?

I realized I was approaching this the wrong way. I was thinking about the spaces between. I was thinking about what was implied in the conversation rather than what was said. Couldn't see the trees for the forest kinda deal.

Once I learned how to limit my thoughts and expectations to searching for key words in the conversation to trigger the game to move forward is when I started to really enjoy it.

I liked it so much, I ended up playing through it three times in a row to test out where various responses led. I will definitely be playing again to explore some other avenues of conversation with Galatea.

Loved the premise of the piece, too.

Don't forget to ask Galatea about cheese :)

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
One I'll Return To Many a Time, August 12, 2012

As a new IF player, I often find myself stuck, lost in an unfamiliar world where every step could get me killed. This one, I think, came at just the right time not too long ago.
It's not a difficult game to "beat"--though I use that term loosely--but every move, it seems, generates a different ending, rather than a different death.
And what amazing endings they are.
I was very impressed by the writing in this, first and foremost. Every description, detail, action was described so eloquently that I couldn't help but get caught up in it. Not to mention that I'm quite a fan of Greek mythology, and the use here fascinated me.
One of the few things that struck me as not so great is the limited amount of things to do. Personally, and specifically for this game, I think it works. However, if you're looking for a sprawling map and a lot of places to explore... But really, I didn't think that was much of a problem. It's simple, and I liked that.
So, in short, brilliant ideas for the endings, wonderful writing, and an accessible and fun game. What's not to love? Great for a quick game, when you have a little spare time to enjoy a really cool bit of game.

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1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Puzzling, September 5, 2011
by Deboriole (San Diego, CA)

I literally had no idea what to do when I started this game. After having finished it, I still don't fully understand it. I just kept asking questions and hoping Galatea would reply. I found it interesting that the game would end whenever I would start divulging personal information, so I tried to just keep asking questions rather than telling stories. It's an interesting concept for a game, for sure. I found it challenging but there really is no right or wrong way to play.

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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting as a concept for NPCs, May 25, 2011
by ZUrlocker (Traverse City, Michgian)

Galatea is interesting as it makes a point of emphasizing story telling through interaction with an NPC. While I think it's a great concept and will help illustrate the level of sophisticated interaction that can be done in a game, I think it's more of an interesting exercise for authors than necessarily a superb standalone work. I admit the Pygmalion reference was lost on me and I had trouble figuring out the right interactions with Galatea. Sadly the story ended just as I thought it was getting interesting. Still, a breakthrough in its time and Emily Short has done tremendous work to push the envelope in IF.

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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting Experiment, June 9, 2010
by tggdan3 (Michigan)

There are two ways to take Galtea- like there are two ways to take most IF nowadays: as a game, and as an experiment.

As a game, this offers very little. You try to come up with things to ask Galatea, and she will respond, and you can ask her more, or tell her things.

As an experinment in NPCs, this goes very deeply, and offers a lot for a writer of IF to learn when programming his own NPCs.

There is very little to do except to speak to the statue, and the statue (as far as I've seen), doesn't speak to you on her own, except for before you speak to her, kind of as a hint that this is what you're supposed to do. The author provides a good RECAP command to help you learn what topic you've covered and if there is more to cover on the subject.

The NPC is tragic, and you can't help but feel for her- which is the point, I suppose. It gives a lot to live up to in form of an individual NPC, and it's something anyone thinking of writing IF should play, if only for inspiration, and anyone interested in IF as an art form should definately look at. People who prefer games over story might be disappointed.

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