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Arthouse indie games are an interesting genre. Sometimes, they have no gameplay at all, where
things are almost just a cinematic movie for you to feast your eyes on, a visual experience
for the mind. Others are completely story driven with no gameplay. Basically, the recurring
theme with arthouse games is that there is no gameplay. Proteus does not go against the
grain with this.
Proteus is an interesting little indie game that pits you on an island and... that's about
it, really. There's nothing to do � no shooting, no jumping, no interacting � except to walk
around and see what's on the island. It's just as simple as it sounds. It's an interesting
concept, but one where I think some interaction with the things around you, even if only very
minimalistic interaction, would go a loooong way. You do see some things that stick out
occasionally; there's a cottage, random graves, a broken down tower, all that look like they
have some interesting story to them, but a story that's never mentioned. Proteus does
leave things to your imagination, which can sometimes be even more fun than the opposite,
so I will give the game that.
The most interesting thing about the game, however, is how the island actually is, in
all its glorious mysteriousness. Everywhere you go there's some sort of magical little
creature or... magical tree that dances when you come near. Yeah, this game is a mix of
an acid trip and a crazy *** child's dream.
I guess it's unfair to say there's absolutely zero interaction. Every night � yes, there
are day and night cycles, which is a decent little touch � there's a spot on the island
where a bunch of... stars? Swirl around and make a portal to what appears to be the next
season in the cycle of life. Deep, dude. I feel like this game might be trying to tell
me something, but whatever it is, it's lost in all the vagueness that's presented to you.
It is very visually minimalistic, even more so than a game like Minecraft, but for what
the game is, it does fit it, and it's actually kind of beautiful in its own weird way.
Would I recommend this game? Eh.... eh. Unless you like games like this, you probably will
find it a waste of time. A waste of only one hour, granted, because the game doesn't last
any longer than that, but a waste you will still feel it is. I don't necessarily regret
playing it, but it's not something I'd go back to again any time soon. So this is Jon,
wishing you good Dear Esther, good Journey, or whatever makes you happy.