Lone Survivor Is Survival Horror At Its' Best
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Video Games
the-boxman — 9 years ago(December 23, 2016 12:14 PM)
I recently replayed Lone Survivor and it's probably my favourite horror game of the last few years. Yeah it shamelessly rips on Silent Hill and David Lynch but it does everything so well (all the more impressive that it was made by just one man). I love how each play through is different and that you never fully feel like you're in control of your characters mental state.
My favourite thing about the game though (beyond the amazing atmosphere, music, open gameplay, visual design and puzzles) is how vague the game itself actually is. You spend ages trying to look after your character, never really knowing what keeps him sane and what drives him insane. You aren't given a hunger or a sanity meter (even though those systems are in place) and yet you are compelled to do certain things like take specific drugs that give you vivid dreams, find cooking utensils, gas, coffee, etc. I would make my character coffee every in game morning, desperately try to find and cook good food, get a good nights sleep, spend useful batteries (for the flashlight) on using the characters in game games console or music player, water the hallway plant and even talk to the cat plush hoping it would keep him sane while questioning if I was actually just making it worse.
I haven't played many games as vague as this about how well you're doing and it's a really interesting mechanic. It made me want to stay in "your" apartment only to find myself out of resources (you're always low on resources in this game) and in need of venturing out of safety into the buildings, basements and streets of the game. It reminds me of Dark Souls as you brave getting further and further from your apartment to find more useful items much like venturing far from each bonfire. And shock, it's also really scary.
If I had more of an inclination of how to make video games, this is the sort of game I'd like to make. Jasper Byrne (who also curated the Hotline Miami soundtrack) is something of a genius as far as I'm concerned. -
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Doc-Gib — 9 years ago(December 23, 2016 12:52 PM)
Nice post - agree completely. I haven't completed it myself or even dug that deep into yet as I got distracted by something else. Now I really want to get back in there. Thanks!
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe -
Kamina85 — 9 years ago(December 24, 2016 05:25 AM)
Only put a few hours into the game a while back but I do want to finish it someday. Question: can you make the game unwinnable if you go through too many of your resources? While I get the appeal of that sort of element it personally drives me crazy.
Just have faith in the you that believes in yourself.
(formerly doctordoom85) -
Christopher_Smilax — 9 years ago(December 24, 2016 03:06 PM)
My favourite thing about the game though (beyond the amazing atmosphere, music, open gameplay, visual design and puzzles) is how vague the game itself actually is
That particular element was what surprised about the game. I remember going through, and doing everything I thought was helpful (Watering the plants, talking to the cat etc.) Only to find via the results screen that they contributed to a not so ideal ending. Was curious enough to explore their relevance and ponder why some contributed positively and others negatively on a 2nd and 3rd play through.
I loved the music, the atmosphere, and I even found myself invested in the protagonist's dreams with the mysterious girl. The plot generated an emotional response outta me only a game like Silent Hill 2 (A game it shamelessly rips off as you mentioned) could. Excellent game, indeed.
I wonder when Jasper Byrne will work on another game. I think he just released an album so he's still active, but as far as games go, I think he shelved an RPG-esque game had been working on for a couple of years or so
Howard Hughes was Italian?