Unrest

Got this game on sale @ the humble store. Pretty enjoyable, I haven't finished the game yet, but I like it. It's got a nice vibe to it. Wouldn't recommend it at $16.99 unless you really like the theme/story games like this. For the price I got it, I'm quite happy, and I'm not someone that typically really likes these kinds of games. I've enjoyed the characters so far and the world is quite interesting.

Fun little Game of Thrones-esque story with decision making, except in Ancient India, an appreciated change of setting from the usual.

On one hand, this plays like a slightly more complicated choose your own adventure novel. One the other hand... I really like that? Choices matter, story lines matter. I just wish there was more!

A story rich indie game where you get to play from the point of view of several characters. Great music and character development.

I was pretty excited about this game when I first saw it on Kickstarter and backed it, but to be frank I wish I could get my money back. It wasn't at all what I was expecting out of it. Of the stories contained in Unrest, only the one about navigating choices surrounding a betrothal feels like it is truly fleshed out and developed. Everything else is abrupt, like slices of a novel that never quite gel together in a satisfying way. It has neither the narrative power of a visual novel or adventure game nor the gameplay chops to be anything else, so it is, sadly, largely uninspiring. The finished game feels more of a demo than a proper release.

It's a good story that felt a little Shakespearean in its power struggles and attention to fate and fortune. But with unfinished bits and pieces. Kind of like an unfinished tapestry with fringes on all sides. Good artwork. As mentioned in another review, some sub-plots felt simply dropped. The story, told from the perspective of different characters, felt like everything was suppose to converge on one climatic moment. Most did, some didn't. Maybe the developers ran out of time or money. As a game, I wish my choices had more effect on the outcome but they didn't seem to. The best dialogue options seemed to be saved for the war general in the second last chapter or perhaps by that time I, too, wanted to take a more blunt and wry stance. Technically, games like this need a Fast-Travel option. Also, two different characters collected a bunch of 'books' in-game and I could not find a reason for this or find a way to read them? Well, the game was interesting enough, despite feeling unfinished, to get me to finish it in one evening.

Well, it is certainly not for everyone. It does feel rather short and abrupt, and is essentially a choosing simulator. That said, I do not regret my time with it. It was a very interesting little story with many effective and thought-provoking moments. Moral ambiguity (which is not the same as immoralism, necessarily) is difficult to pull off well, but in my opinion they succeeded. The villains can certainly still be condemned as villains, but they are entirely believable villains, which is something that is all too easily lost in political stories. The worldbuilding I found intriguing. I have no idea if it is remotely possible, but I would greatly enjoy a sequel or another game or _something_ in this setting.