Comments on: Don’t Look Back

By: Thomas Lawrence

Thomas Lawrence — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:40:54 +0000

What happened in the original myth was that he got almost all the way back, and then he looked back (the fool) and lost her forever.

By: Jetsetlemming

Jetsetlemming — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:48:43 +0000

I liked it, though I don’t remember Orpheus exploding into dust when he had returned from Hades (I don’t remember at all what happened at the end of that myth, just that he went to hell and back to retrive his lady friend, highschool english was a long time ago).

It was not insanely hard you big babies.

By: futage

futage — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:59:07 +0000

What if it was made in some dude’s office? Or a corporate basement?

By: Blaxploitation Man

Blaxploitation Man — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:37:48 +0000

Hurray. A mediocre game that only got an article because it was made in some dude’s basement instead of a corporate office.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:06:55 +0000

Would your mum still be your mum as well?

Because that’d be an odd sibling rivalry.

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:59:56 +0000

If my mum was your mum, you’d be an Oedipus man too.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:52:07 +0000

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have you down as an Oedipus man, Kieron.

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:31:20 +0000

Orpheus is the best of the myths.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:01:37 +0000

Ahh. If I’d know the Orpheus thing it would have made more sense then. Fair enough.

By: Thranx

Thranx — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:28:04 +0000

Just completed this. Fantastic.

By: undead dolphin hacker

undead dolphin hacker — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:46:03 +0000

Reminiscent of Braid, though it didn’t try so hard to be Art where it became obnoxious like Braid did. Like Braid, the ending is chilling and somewhat unexpected (I’m talking about Braid’s final, titular level — not the bizarre post-script).

In both games there’s a pervasive sense of inevitable failure, futility, and disappointment — and how both managed to work all those aspects into both a surprising and revelatory ending was really impressive.

Gameplay. Many of the jumping puzzles were similar to Megaman. Specifically Megaman 2.

If I hadn’t wasted my youth playing NES-era platformers I might have found this frustrating. But I didn’t because, hell, you respawn instantly, often on the same screen, and have infinite lives. However, I am going to lord my prowess over you. Ha ha whiners, you’re bad at the game.

The entire mechanic of not looking back after nabbing MyEurydice was great in how it deconstructed what we take for granted in platforming games, just as Braid did with its later, more complex time manipulations.

Anyway, for now, I’m waiting on the inevitable Cleansing of Sodom and Gomorrah expansion.

If we had to fart numbers I’d give it an 8/10 and throw it in the bin with Majesty of Colors and… whatever that game was with the boy in the boat and the girl on the moon and you moved elements around the screen to get different endings.

By: Sulphur

Sulphur — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:09:04 +0000

Thirith, it’s difficult but persevere-able-ish… if you know what I mean. Insanely difficult would be I Want to Be That Guy, a game which I had to quit after a coupla screens.

The concept loses a lot when conveyed in words, suffice to say it’s best experienced right to the end because of how the gameplay evokes the story.