The Sea Will Claim Everything (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/fc1Ts.jpg
This is an adventure game where you travel in a fixed perspective from screen to screen. Right at the start you're made aware that you, the character, aren't part of this world (the Land of Dreams) but instead get to see it through a screen. Therefore, the player-character doesn't have a personality, as you never ask questions directly, but choose answers from a list of topics as you talk to the dozens upon dozens of characters. The art-style, like in Kiratzkes earlier works is all hand-made drawings. It may not be to everyone's liking, but the sheer oddity and distinctiveness of it all, the bold use of colours you seldom get to see in games, make it a really original experience.
As for the gameplay, one can say it revolves almost, if not entirely around fetchquests. Of course you still have to think where you might find, or whom you might ask for certain items, and some of them will take a bit of time and skill to decipher. Later on there's also potion-crafting. The game is never hard as even though you rack up a really big number of things to do, they're all noted down on your journal so you don't forget it.
The big thing about the game though, is the sheer quantity of text you can go through, as every character (and there are really dozens of them) has a lot to say, painting you a very vivid picture of the world you're looking at. While talking to so many, and visiting so many places (later on you get a boat and get to go to various islands, all of them unique), the one trouble is sometimes remembering the names of the characters or what they wanted, but that ends up being a smaller detail.
The writing per se, is also surprisingly good, considering this is an indie game with a very short staff. In the hundreds of pages of text the game probably has I did not note any sort of grammatical mistake or miswording. Furthermore the game is peppered with little nods to literature, current events and (of course) Monty Python, but all in the subtlest of manners.
Finally, the music combines greatly with the settings. Even though it's basically the same in every area, it never feels grating (because there are a lot of different areas, and because hearing a new song is a big part of the feeling of discovery when you reach a new area).
The story is revealed gradually but its merits lie in the fact that, while the environment and characters are so otherwordly, the story isn't. In fact, it's the most current story I've read this year, and ends with a very positive message, which games seldom do.
It's also a very decent length for an independent adventure, and one who's going for $5 at that...
A demo is avaiable here: http://landsofdream.net/games/the-sea-will-claim-everything/demo/
The Shivah (2006)
http://i.imgur.com/L0t3w.gif
I had got this game ages ago, but troubleshooting games from Adventure Game Studio is always a pain, so I only sat to beat it now.
The main draw of the game, of course, is that you play a rabbi, Rabbi Stone, who somehow sees himself in the middle of a murdercase.
The gameplay is classic Lucas Arts style, although there's no interaction with objects. You mainly conduct your investigations through questioning (and there are a couple of instances that can cause you to get a "game over"), which almost always includes a "rabbinical response". spoiler: Later on, in good old fashioned Monkey Island/Full Throttle style, there's even a bout of fisticuffs for the sharp tongues.
The puzzles themselves are often done through logging in a computer and searching for what you need (being that you need to figure out specific passwords, etc). The game boasts very few locations and characters so you can get stuck if suddenly you can't ask anything new or can't figure out what you need to do. On the other hand the game is very short, and can be finished in an hour (and much less with a walkthrough).
The soundtrack is quite good, with jazzy and jewish songs (israeli noir would probably be the apt description), but the voiceacting is the worst part. Thankfully the Rabbi himself, whom you'll hear the most, is the best one.
All in all, a very decent Lucas Arts-style game, with an interesting premise that emcompasses all the rabbinical honour code in its story. Being so short, the story ends up a little disappointing, but it presents some very interesting and certainly unique issues.
A demo is avaiable here: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/the-shivah.html
A Grain of Truth (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/OGwLa.jpg
For a free browser game, this one reeks professionalism. Being the labour of two brothers, it really feels at home with the so called "modern adventure game" crowd. It presents a very dreamlike world, in a japanese style, dealing with floating stones, cloud gatherers and the like. Its puzzles mainly concern finding specific items hidden away, which would be a bit of bore were it not for a button that displays, for about 2 seconds, all the "clickable" spots.
Sadly, while the world is beautiful and soothing, there's something amiss. The characters you interact with are mainly dull and unremarkable. The puzzles, too classic and unoriginal. Its main original gameplay comes from the ability to learn words so you can use them later in a "fill-the-blanks" conversation. Problem is if you miss one you have to search frantically for what you're missing, all over the world.
The story in itself isn't anything to write home about, although midly enjoyable. The cast of characters is very small and just don't reveal enough of themselves for it to be worthwhile.
Overall, while the production values and graphical and stylistic detail is incredible for a free game, what lies beneath is a very undistinguished game. Still, it's free.
http://www.zamolski.com/agot/
Proteus (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/11xaE.jpg
Less of a game than an experience, Proteus is a delight to indulge in.
Without further explanation, you open your eyes in the middle of the ocean, with an island barely visible in the distance. Without nothing else around, you decide to reach for its shores. And thus, slowly but surely, silence grows into music. Thus you realise that as you explore this island your auditory senses get assaulted with little rhythms and musical lines - a veritable light synthesizer. While just going around a very decent-sized island as you hear the different voicings that come from rocks, trees or castles would be good enough, you start to realise the sun is setting, and in the night things change. You see fireflies, then perhaps some clouds will gather and rain will trickle down. And in the morning, rabbits (or frogs?) will hop around for you to follow, and you've been there for half an hour, creating a symphony, just by walking and exploring.
The only action you can take is actually sitting down and enjoying the world around you and, when you've had enough, you just close your eyes back again. It's a wonderful experience, and a wonderful musical toy.
http://www.visitproteus.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NFAiGF73_U