"Without spoiling too much, this game will show you a bit about yourself and humanity."

February 3, 2010 1:04 PM

Strangers is a very short (~5 minutes to complete) Windows platform game, "which has an interesting twist that you may or may not see coming." Download and forum here, with an admonition to "play this song while playing."

More games from the creator.

posted by jbickers (19 comments total)

Hmm. Mouseover for spoilers
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 1:22 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hey, post number 88888. Neat!
posted by Paragon at 1:28 PM on February 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Yeah, does the song make it different ? I have no audio on me.
posted by cavalier at 1:38 PM on February 3, 2010

Didn't get it -- I walked right all the way round the planet talking to the monster. Then I did the same thing shooting everyone. The ending was the same both times. Twist??
posted by beniamino at 1:42 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

the twist is...

IT'S A TRAP! designed by mac people to identify and waste the time of PC people
posted by Solon and Thanks at 1:44 PM on February 3, 2010

Hey you guys know what that song is about? Its about the aliens. We're the aliens man, we're the savages. We're the savages man.
posted by Babblesort at 1:49 PM on February 3, 2010

Twist??

I went around the planet without shooting anyone and it made me feel bad when I met the big alien thing and found out I was supposed to have shot everyone and felt bad about shooting them. So I restarted the game and this time, I blasted everyone into pieces. It was oddly satisfying.
posted by daniel_charms at 2:09 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Uh, one way of playing it is fun.
posted by unSane at 2:11 PM on February 3, 2010

It just kept throwing runtime errors every two or three frames when I tried to play it. I dutifully read every error beginning to end, thinking that that must be the twist: a game with its diegetic exposition carried out through error dialogues.

Turns out, no, it's just broken.
posted by 256 at 2:19 PM on February 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

a school project, and hopefully it tells you something about humanity

They can make terrible videogames? They can expect you to read more than the author has put into a piece of work? They respond poorly to demands that they have a certain reaction?


All apply, I feel.
posted by litleozy at 2:28 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

From the description of one of the author's other games: "A new approach to puzzle games. You play as a hitman who has to kill people."

Hmmm.
posted by verb at 2:34 PM on February 3, 2010

'Not a valid Win32 application'. Nicely weird song though.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 2:35 PM on February 3, 2010

Reminds me a bit of this. And yeah, that trope is kinda old...
posted by PontifexPrimus at 2:47 PM on February 3, 2010

Didn't look at the game but the song is by called "IPT-2" by Battles. It can be found on their EP C but I suggest picking up the re-release with EP B, appropriately titled EP C / B EP so you can hear the original track "1PT 2" that this remix was based on.
posted by inoculatedcities at 3:11 PM on February 3, 2010

I walked right all the way round the planet talking to the monster.... Twist??

The twist is that the planet is a Möbius strip. When you think you've walked all the way around, you're actually on the opposite surface.

OK, so technically it's only half a twist.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:37 PM on February 3, 2010 [5 favorites]

i don't use windows... what's the joke?
posted by przxqgl at 3:39 PM on February 3, 2010

What I Learned About Humanity: They insist on making Windows-only games, even when the technology exists to make games available to everyone for no additional cost.
posted by DU at 5:22 PM on February 3, 2010

it's only half a twist.

does it at least come with lime?
posted by litleozy at 5:32 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hey, post number 88888. Neat!

I WAS ROBBED
posted by 88888 at 5:36 PM on February 3, 2010 [8 favorites]