By Adam Smith on September 28th, 2012 at 4:00 pm.
Oh look, some brief descriptions of games. The Mass Effect trilogy is a space opera RPG about a crew of aliens attempting to stop a great evil and occasionally having sex. The Secret of Monkey Island is a comedic point and click adventure with insult swordfighting and a piratical theme. Ho hum. Aha, this one is new. “Middens is an exploration game using collage and original pixel art in tandem that takes the perspective of a drifter traversing a veritable x-zone. Roving its interminable wastes the nomad chances upon a sentient revolver beside an ominous pile of remains.” And it’s free! My interest isn’t the only thing that’s piqued.
Look, here’s how this is going to work – you have the description up there, I’m going to put a trailer just down there and there’s a download link back there. Here’s another one in case you missed it. If you don’t feel compelled to try this out (for free!) then nobody will judge you, except for me and I will totally judge you. I’ll bang a gavel and wear a wig and everything.
It’s like Harlan Ellison driving a Yellow Submarine into a dying sun.
There are some marvellous games that fit neatly into genres and which could be described in ways that make them sound as dull as a 300 page legal document that’s fallen into a puddle of particularly non-descript ditchwater just outside Grimsby on a Tuesday. Something as wilfully different as Middens deserves to be seen though. There are rare voices in every medium and, from the little I’ve seen of this, it comes from a rare voice indeed. They’re often the ones we should all be listening to.
Despite having what can best be described as a banquet of delicious, big budget games laid out in front of me, I’m going to save some attention for Middens in the next couple of weeks and I might well have more to say later.
I mean, how could I not?
28/09/2012 at 16:21 zebramatt says:
What the fuck?
28/09/2012 at 18:36 TechnicalBen says:
Actually looks like a normal day to me (that is the time spent asleep reaming. Darn those dreams).
29/09/2012 at 00:29 Caiman says:
I really hope you meant to say “dreaming” there.
30/09/2012 at 19:46 Lucifalle says:
Oh… yes… those dreams o_0.
28/09/2012 at 16:25 DyvimTvar says:
‘So, what kind of game is it?’ I’d ask, hoping for a genre or mixture of genres as response, but you hint that it can’t be classified that easily.
28/09/2012 at 16:39 Adam Smith says:
It’s sort of an exploration based SNES style RPG but then it really isn’t that. Zebramatt, above, may have identified the true genre.
28/09/2012 at 16:51 brulleks says:
In a similar way that Anachronox was sort of an exploration based SNES style RPG then?
28/09/2012 at 18:03 DyvimTvar says:
Not at all.
This is a RPGmaker RPG, but completely abstract.
If there is a story, I don’t think it’s made to be understood.
28/09/2012 at 16:33 TheFlameBeneath says:
My eyes hurt just by opening the official site
28/09/2012 at 16:33 Tinus says:
Yes! Finally something strange! There’s too little strange. More strange, please.
The music in the trailer really did it for me, downloading now.
28/09/2012 at 17:08 Dances to Podcasts says:
And some weird too, please. Odd and off-kilter welcome as well.
29/09/2012 at 08:56 Hunchback says:
Keep an eye on Little Inferno then, if you are looking for strange and weird.
Also, Salad Fingers!
28/09/2012 at 16:43 Shooop says:
Never before have I ever felt the “LOL WUT” pear would not only be an appropriate reaction, but also fit perfectly into the subject I’m reacting to.
EDIT:
The FAQ answer to what the name means actually helps it make sense.
28/09/2012 at 17:08 Dave says:
This might have been the end result if Salvador Dali would’ve made the Secret of Monkey Island.
I will always try something strange-looking with a spooky OST, much like The Dream Machine.
28/09/2012 at 17:10 lordcooper says:
Downloading it now. Thadam :)
29/09/2012 at 10:51 Zorn says:
I wonder if you should have lunch before trying it out. Just in case my mind goes on a journey, forgetting that my body still there waiting, maybe lying on the floor, again. Or just sitting, staring.
28/09/2012 at 17:25 noom says:
Marvelous. See, this is where gaming was supposed to go; we just lost the path back in about 1993.
28/09/2012 at 18:08 cptgone says:
sounds fascinating and looks lovely. will play ASAP. thank you very much, devs!
28/09/2012 at 19:23 SkittleDiddler says:
Kinda looks similar to the art style in Fantastic Planet.
28/09/2012 at 20:51 Tatourmi says:
Yes, it is rather beautiful and original, but does it play rather beautifuly? Creating that kind of art style is “rather easy” (Meaning, commonly done), what I want to see is a gameplay fitting the art style.
30/09/2012 at 08:26 Jackablade says:
I’m noticing some ugly early Final Fantasy style UI elements popping up in a few of the screenshots, so I’m suspecting maybe not. Could still be an interesting ride though.
29/09/2012 at 07:02 E_FD says:
To be honest, this looked great at first, but after fifteen minutes or so, I was kinda hoping some sort of point or complication or gameplay would emerge beyond “Look at all the weird stuff”, and it didn’t, and I just felt bored.
29/09/2012 at 09:35 Yojimbo says:
This game is full of surprises.
29/09/2012 at 10:51 SuperNashwanPower says:
Judge not, lest ye be eaten by a pack of delinquent flesh eating squirrels
29/09/2012 at 15:17 zhanbao12 says:
http://au81.com/3iAnA3
29/09/2012 at 22:44 AlwaysRight says:
Midden Palettes!