http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4059/peekabootitle.png
Cleril's Peekaboo, an RPG Maker VX game.
The most challenging part of a story is to translate the working of a single mind into a universal experience. To break out of one brain, and still make it legible to the populous at large. The reason this is challenging is because no two minds work alike. Every story that's left somewhat ambiguously open is stricken with a lot of speculation after the fact. Even among games, the true meaning and events of Final Fantasy VII are too liquid to be agreed upon by even closed fan-groups, and certainly less concrete to the general population.
Which is what makes this indie game, by escapist Cleril, so difficult to judge. Ambiguity and implied plotlines are what make up the entire draw of Cleril's title, and are simultaneously the game's biggest shortcomings.
The plot, what little is given, is about a news writer named James, who visits a mansion in order to write a ghost story. What little we discover of James won't fill a paragraph, nor does the rest of the world around James ever come into sharp relief. The largest plot piece, the setting, features a manor which James must explore and understand. The only thing the player is told about the house is that the police do not allow trespassers. Whether or not the police are there as a form of witness protection, or because of a murder, or theft, or anything, is left unstated. In fact, very little is said completely openly about the game's events, and anything that comes of the game is left to the player's interpretation.
Its what makes the game, the plot, the central element to the whole game. From wall to wall. Sound plays an important part, so playing the game on silent or off of fullscreen significantly reduces the effect. Given that the cinematography is limited by the RPG Maker medium, a lot of the game relies on the player's effort to feel a part of the story. Even if it's occasionally sabotaged by the writing.
This is aided substantially by the music and sound, which help set and keep a tone throughout the goings-on in-game. Sounds rely on heavy chords and shifts, peaks in volume commanding the attention, and dramatic lighting shifts help pull the player in, which is the strength that helps the game not only build its audience, but keep it. As best as the medium and the player's imagination allow.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4433/peekabooscreen2.png
However graceful the music and sound work in-game, the direction and writing pull everything together in a clumsy way. Though the atmosphere handles itself rather well, the result of the gameplay feels hastily put together. The game highlights a myriad of ways to die, often without warning, resulting in a game mechanic that punishes creativity and exploration as much as it demands it. The inconsistent ride, more often than not, will kill the player for having the audacity to explore. In a game where there is another, more prevalent mechanic, that can be forgiven, but Peekaboo offers no other mechanic in which to find solace, and also refuses to apologize for what it puts its players through.
This is further inhibited by the writing. Failing to follow a direction either has the consequence of killing the player seemingly haphazardly, or having no effect. While this sometimes entrenches the player in the psychological mind-altering nature of horror games, it more often assaults the player's immersion.
Couple this with the game's various endings, which continue the trend of stating nothing definitely past the breaking point. A player can sit down and piece together the images that the game presents, and let the player come to the same conclusion that James did. However, because the tease is so understated, it's also likely that the player will wonder where James' story came from, or why it is laid out the way it is.
Peekaboo is part an exercise in playing with gaming as a genre, and sees equal parts success and failure. However, given the length, and the gravity of the failures, it feels like the sort of game that is better left for experience than the events. However, given the gravity of the writing in a game of its type, it's almost impossible to disassociate the game from its narrative.
Bottom Line: It's hard to classify Peekaboo as anything but a failed attempt. It does what it does well, but it doesn't do enough to really merit the thought it demands of its audience. Worth the experience, but will likely lead to more frustrations than benefits.
[sup]Keep in mind that this game is almost entirely about what the player takes from it. So, regardless of anything, player mileage will vary greatly.[/sup]
Cleril's Peekaboo, an RPG Maker VX game.
The most challenging part of a story is to translate the working of a single mind into a universal experience. To break out of one brain, and still make it legible to the populous at large. The reason this is challenging is because no two minds work alike. Every story that's left somewhat ambiguously open is stricken with a lot of speculation after the fact. Even among games, the true meaning and events of Final Fantasy VII are too liquid to be agreed upon by even closed fan-groups, and certainly less concrete to the general population.
Which is what makes this indie game, by escapist Cleril, so difficult to judge. Ambiguity and implied plotlines are what make up the entire draw of Cleril's title, and are simultaneously the game's biggest shortcomings.
The plot, what little is given, is about a news writer named James, who visits a mansion in order to write a ghost story. What little we discover of James won't fill a paragraph, nor does the rest of the world around James ever come into sharp relief. The largest plot piece, the setting, features a manor which James must explore and understand. The only thing the player is told about the house is that the police do not allow trespassers. Whether or not the police are there as a form of witness protection, or because of a murder, or theft, or anything, is left unstated. In fact, very little is said completely openly about the game's events, and anything that comes of the game is left to the player's interpretation.
Its what makes the game, the plot, the central element to the whole game. From wall to wall. Sound plays an important part, so playing the game on silent or off of fullscreen significantly reduces the effect. Given that the cinematography is limited by the RPG Maker medium, a lot of the game relies on the player's effort to feel a part of the story. Even if it's occasionally sabotaged by the writing.
This is aided substantially by the music and sound, which help set and keep a tone throughout the goings-on in-game. Sounds rely on heavy chords and shifts, peaks in volume commanding the attention, and dramatic lighting shifts help pull the player in, which is the strength that helps the game not only build its audience, but keep it. As best as the medium and the player's imagination allow.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4433/peekabooscreen2.png
However graceful the music and sound work in-game, the direction and writing pull everything together in a clumsy way. Though the atmosphere handles itself rather well, the result of the gameplay feels hastily put together. The game highlights a myriad of ways to die, often without warning, resulting in a game mechanic that punishes creativity and exploration as much as it demands it. The inconsistent ride, more often than not, will kill the player for having the audacity to explore. In a game where there is another, more prevalent mechanic, that can be forgiven, but Peekaboo offers no other mechanic in which to find solace, and also refuses to apologize for what it puts its players through.
This is further inhibited by the writing. Failing to follow a direction either has the consequence of killing the player seemingly haphazardly, or having no effect. While this sometimes entrenches the player in the psychological mind-altering nature of horror games, it more often assaults the player's immersion.
Couple this with the game's various endings, which continue the trend of stating nothing definitely past the breaking point. A player can sit down and piece together the images that the game presents, and let the player come to the same conclusion that James did. However, because the tease is so understated, it's also likely that the player will wonder where James' story came from, or why it is laid out the way it is.
Peekaboo is part an exercise in playing with gaming as a genre, and sees equal parts success and failure. However, given the length, and the gravity of the failures, it feels like the sort of game that is better left for experience than the events. However, given the gravity of the writing in a game of its type, it's almost impossible to disassociate the game from its narrative.
Bottom Line: It's hard to classify Peekaboo as anything but a failed attempt. It does what it does well, but it doesn't do enough to really merit the thought it demands of its audience. Worth the experience, but will likely lead to more frustrations than benefits.
[sup]Keep in mind that this game is almost entirely about what the player takes from it. So, regardless of anything, player mileage will vary greatly.[/sup]