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Should You Get...
Thirty Flights of Loving
Thirty Flights of Loving is an... odd game to say the least. In some ways, it might be
what some people disparagingly term an "art" game. There's no "gameplay" to speak of, no
shooting or jumping or puzzle-solving- but that in itself is fine. If you've watched
my review of Dear Esther, you know how I feel: a game can stand on its own as an interactive
story.
And this game definitely has a story, an actually pretty interesting one at that, involving
an apparent heist, love, betrayal. It's never upfront or very clear about it, though, letting
you piece the story and the characters together from the environment and the situations presente
to you in a nonlinear fashion. It's a bold and interesting move, and honestly, I applaud
it.
The abstract, minimalist style is something I'm fine with- video games are great because
as a visual medium, you're free to explore unique ways of visualizing things, and a simple
style suits this game and the way it tells its story. Moreoevr, the game doeslot of interesting
thing stylistically that I really liked, that really work very well: it's just fascinating
to see how reducing a scene to nothing but a single color and silhouettes can give it
an intense, dreamlike feel. And I have a LOT of praise to offer the music- it's truly fantastic
and does a lot to set the mood and the atmosphere of the game and the scenes therein.
But as a whole, I think the game falls short. The story is TOO disjointed and vague. The
game is WAY too short for its cost. Ultimately, in a word, I would call it... dissatisfying.
The game did interest me when playing, I cared about the story, I liked the style, the presentation,
and the way the game told its story. There are so many elements it does interesting and
unique things with, things I would like to see done again and improved upon, and it really
gets you interested in seeing what comes next, what's going to happen, what neat trick it
will pull next.
Since the game is focused on the story and the visual presentation, that's where any
judgment has to focus on. And the fact is, as a story, the game is flawed. It drew me
in but left me wondering what was going on, what happened, what became of the characters-
it was vague in a way that felt dissatisfying rather than mysterious and thought-provoking.
And then it's over. As a whole, it kind of left me feeling like it was telling me "I'm
deep and artsy; the fact that you don't understand me proves that!" Two scenes in the game really
contribute to that: the "gunfight" where your wounded companion shoots at video cameras
on tiny parachutes while birds fly in a clock formation overhead, and the ending, where
you transition from a car crash to a museum exhibit on the game itself.
The game also includes Gravity Bone, and all the same positives and negatives apply. The
story as it was interested me, I liked the style, I REALLY liked the chase scene, but
altogether I was left unsatisfied. I wanted more, more things to do, or at the very least
a story that wasn't QUITE as vague. I appreciate that I didn't know much, that the story was
told through the actions I took and through the few options available to me- but it ends
abruptly and feels wanting.
I couldn't recommend the game for very much; catch on it on sale if you find it. But if
you do, given that the game has generally received high marks, it's worth taking a look
at so you can form your own opinion of Thirty Flights of Loving.