speaking, without
March 16, 2012 10:04 PM   Subscribe

In Way, two strangers learn to speak. A game (download/installation required) in which you are one of those strangers.
posted by arsey (21 comments total) 34 users marked this as a favorite
 
Interesting game, but my early performance could be summed up by this:
"Shaka, when the walls fell"
Sorry, other dude.
posted by chambers at 10:21 PM on March 16, 2012 [9 favorites]


I
posted by threeants at 10:23 PM on March 16, 2012


Er, sorry for the weird posto. For some reason I can't get past the screen with "1" and "2"...what a I doing wrong?
posted by threeants at 10:24 PM on March 16, 2012


Perhaps late night was not the best time for this post!
The other stranger is a real live person, that has to be waiting at that same "1 and 2" screen that you are. If there isn't one of those then I guess you'll be waiting at that screen for a while, sadly
posted by arsey at 10:42 PM on March 16, 2012


The 'prize' at the end was worth it. A Redditor and I worked together to solve the game. See? We can all get along, just as long as we're not given the chance to be snarky first.

So, in essence, it's "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel"

/cue 'Shiny Happy People'
posted by chambers at 10:46 PM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Sign in to Twitter and you'll get connected to someone soon.
posted by waxpancake at 11:29 PM on March 16, 2012


Man, and I was just checking MetaFilter one last time before going to bed... so much for that plan, I guess. (COME ON GAME DOWNLOAD FASTER I WANT TO PLAY)
posted by naturalog at 12:16 AM on March 17, 2012


This game made me feel good about other people and empathize with a complete stranger in a matter of minutes. Indescribably good.

Also, the end made me seriously miss my pen tablet.
posted by thebestsophist at 1:00 AM on March 17, 2012


That was the most human a game has ever made me feel. If only my stranger hadn't left me inexplicably in the middle. I thought we had something!
(Ok, maybe not inexplicably. I did get them crushed by blocks a bunch of times. I'll take your bunch of chaotic arm waving at the end as a goodbye.)
posted by lookoutbelow at 1:23 AM on March 17, 2012 [2 favorites]


Lookoutbelow, I'm almost positive that was you and me playing together. I got tired of being crushed, and directing possibly you into being crushed, over and over.

Fun game, and it definitely has something going for it- I genuinely felt guilty to leave before we were finished, and it's a rare multiplayer game that can do that- but the controls were really unresponsive to the point where I had to quit.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 1:43 AM on March 17, 2012


Yeah, I just got abandoned in mid-game myself, but I'm sure that was partly because I completely sucked at it. Now I'm just stuck in the middle, darn it.
posted by litlnemo at 2:00 AM on March 17, 2012


My stranger quit on me. I think we were almost at the end : (
We got to the place with the platform switches.

Fun game though :D It takes LittleBigPlanet's gesture system and makes it central to the gameplay.

Ah!! I was just reminded by this game that Journey (by the people the brought you flOw and Flower) for the PS3 was just released! Apparently it's quite the game.
posted by lemuring at 2:10 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Wow. That was surprisingly delightful. So much so that I played twice. Found out my partners were from Western Europe and Texas. Texas even proclaimed his/her love for me on the free write wall at the end. Drew a flower and everything. (Well, at least I think it was a flower.)
posted by Kevtaro at 3:52 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Got stuck where the symbol looks like someone looking up and right. I don't know which of us was an idiot.
posted by cmoj at 11:48 AM on March 17, 2012


PS, the lead designer behind this game also worked on Journey, though I believe both projects arrived at their gameplay independently.
posted by archagon at 1:41 PM on March 17, 2012


:o
posted by lemuring at 2:17 PM on March 17, 2012


Finished it first time through with a partner from Japan. Interesting to reach the end and find out we could still only communicate with hand waving and drawing pictures. Very cool game.
posted by CarolynG at 2:22 PM on March 17, 2012


Somebody play with me pretty please. I have no Twitter followers.
posted by Defenestrator at 3:07 PM on March 17, 2012


It took awhile for it to find somebody but I just got through this with Shadowkeeper (only figured this out at the end as I thought the chances were good my teammate came from here). It was a really fun time, although there was quite a bit of crushing thanks to my not so great guidance.

I tried playing it with the "Windowed" option (default) and it kept glitching out (I couldn't see my screen). I switched to full screen and everything worked normally.

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend it if any of you are hesitating because of the necessity of the download.
posted by Defenestrator at 4:46 PM on March 17, 2012


This was fantastic. I got abandoned four times total (FOUR! I was even being helpful!) but then I got with someone who stuck it through with me even after that horrible last part, giving little 'ah!'s of approval and support all the way. I feel like it made all the difference on both sides having a partner who was responsive, regardless of if they were expressing happiness or frustration/anger.

The end was definitely worth working for. I'd help out any desperate people who need an if-not-good-then-at-least-persistent partner.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 10:54 PM on March 17, 2012


That was the most human a game has ever made me feel. If only my stranger hadn't left me inexplicably in the middle.

If anything, this statement is a damn good example of video games being able to deserve the status of 'true*' art: In this case, by creating a situation and experience that can express a piece of the joy, and tragedy, of the human condition. Not to say that there is just one sole 'requirement', surely; but this is a great example to add to the argument that video games can at times rightfully be 'art', in the old school traditional manner.

The more I think about this program, the more promise I see in the future of innovative, quality game designs. I'm very eager to see what these designers will bring to us as their careers progress.

* cf. Roger Ebert's blinkered (IMHO) view of what constitutes 'art' re: video games.
posted by chambers at 11:51 PM on March 17, 2012 [4 favorites]


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