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Proteus |OT| A Game by Ed Key and David Kanaga
- Thread starter Zia
- Start date
Messofanego
Banned
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
"Who the hell is John Muir"
Never change, youtube commenters. smh
I love to see experiments with the medium, I think they are essential. If anything could suck me in and have nothing else to offer, it would be a pure exploration game. It's just that, time and time again, there comes a point where I think, "I can't imagine how awesome this would be if they built a deeper game inside of it."
I guess I'll just have to give this a shot and see if this is the one that I'll get something more than the usual out of.
Never change, youtube commenters. smh
I love to see experiments with the medium, I think they are essential. If anything could suck me in and have nothing else to offer, it would be a pure exploration game. It's just that, time and time again, there comes a point where I think, "I can't imagine how awesome this would be if they built a deeper game inside of it."
I guess I'll just have to give this a shot and see if this is the one that I'll get something more than the usual out of.
Played this last night. It's really great. It is probably the most immersive experience I've ever had. When it shifted from day to night I actually felt cold and when it started snowing I got goosebumps.
My favorite animal I discovered was a frog like creature. I followed a few of them for at least 5 minutes just because I liked the music they made.
Overall it's just a really great experience.
My favorite animal I discovered was a frog like creature. I followed a few of them for at least 5 minutes just because I liked the music they made.
Overall it's just a really great experience.
Messofanego
Banned
British Monsoon
Member
Here's the stuff I've found so far;
Stone circles -
standing in the circle at night causes time to speed up, and when you enter the glowing ring of light on the ground the season will advance
Marker stones -
when approached they release a few white floating lights, at night these will head in the direction of the stone circles
Totem stones -
standing between the totems at night causes the stars to grow unusually large and the colour of the sky will change depending on the season. I went there in Autumn, the sky turned red and clouds of light appeared at my feet. I sat down and the cloud shot up into the sky - I left the stones to get a better look, and another cloud started to form, with a shadowy figure inside! The shadow man thing ran when I approached, leaving a cloud of lights in his wake. I tried to follow, but couldn't find him
Castles -
when you come into contact with a castle ruin it will transport you to the next castle in the chain
Bees -
running through a swarm of bees causes them to carry you at fast speeds, plus it's possible to chain together multiple swarms to go even further afield
Frogs -
will jump away from you when approached. Different coloured frogs seem to jump further, while sometimes glowing white frogs that make a single, giant leap can be found
Owls -
the only nocturnal animal I've found so far, although apparently there are also bats. Not sure if owls are a season specific spawn
Squirrels -
appear during day in Summer or Autumn
Crabs -
appear on beaches in Summer or Autumn, can be seen hibernating inland during other seasons
Incidentally, I only just realised today that you can sit down by pressing the space bar. I'll have to see if sitting around near any animals that normally flee from your presence causes them to exhibit other behaviour.
Exactly my thoughts. I think they are overpriced when most of them are 1 or 2 playthroughs then you're done.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
Spent a very long time with it last night, my thoughts as follows (I couldn't help but gush at it a little, fair warning):
When I was younger my eyes crossed paths with an advertisement on the back of a game manual (I think it was on the back of the Metal Gear Solid NA release, if anyone can get a picture I will be eternally grateful) which depicted a tree obscured by a thick foggy haze, illuminated to almost white out condition by an overbright flashlight beam and surrounded by blurry snowflakes. It was such a striking image, powerful enough that it dug a small ditch into the back of my brain and planted a seed. From that seed grew the desire to come across this tree, approach it from the darkness and meet with my abstract friend. I often sat and wondered what it was about this scene that drew me towards it, analyzing all the small details about the image. At times I even considered learning how to code in an engine in order to recreate my trunked comrade, a lone map for me and only me that could put this twisted wonderland closer to reality than my imagination would allow. That seed had grown over the years into the tree from that ad and it rustled around on top of my brain. To this day I still find my obsession with this tree inexplicable, borderlining on irrational. But it has fueled a craving for a pure wandering experience in games and Proteus is the closest I will ever get to this fantasy.
Perhaps what Proteus does for me is equally as unexplainable as my bark-layered buddy. On its surface all it offers is a semi-randomized island that you can cross in a minute and a half with less graphical detail than a professional Quake 3 players maxFPS config. But to lean on such assumptions, to actually compare it as a whole against what most people consider games would be to miss the point. Proteus instead borrows from the Dear Esther camp of wandering aimlessly, albeit with more freedom and no weighty prose spouted by a suffering Englishman. It takes Minimalism to the extreme, stripping away any semblance of gamey elements in order to encourage pure exploration. Theres no goal at hand, no mission riddled with confusing dossiers to browse and no radio contact to fling objectives at you. Just you, the island and a few inhabitants which go about their lives as you drift from place to place.
Upon opening your eyes for the first time to the isle of Proteus, youre waist deep in sea water a little ways out from the shore. Deep but distant rumbling ambient drones soothe the senses and draw you into this dreamlike world. As foot touches to sand, the drones mix out into a cheerful little number, trees and nearby plants provide plucks of digitized instruments which layer effortlessly into the mix. The soundtrack is now much more structured, a song more along the lines of Brian Eno or Robert Richs works. You can choose to sit here and soak in the spring air some, or move until the scene fits your picturesque view. With everything framed differently, the song changes a little bit to reflect your distance from different parts of the scene. Moving elsewhere will give you new pieces of music every few feet you move, hand crafting sound through scenery. It calls to mind other music oriented games like Rez, but the lack of interaction and mechanics pushes it closer to Electroplankton.
When the night fell, everything now had a new tone, giving me more reason to explore under the stars glittery light. Serenity befell the island and the music illustrated this just as well as the gorgeous and ever changing pastel palette. Soon I discovered how to change seasons, which brought new wildlife to chase and an entirely fresh set of sounds with appropriately changed colors. There is an eventual end and a barely there something-or-other that isnt quite a plot. Most of what the island has to serve up is less for the upfront part of the mind and more towards imagination. Theres a nearly perfect synergy between exploration and feedback while just moving around which I can only compare to playing outside as a child and the innocent bliss such an activity provided. Once in a while, Proteus was able to get my jaw to dislodge from its grumpy and stubborn position and plant it firmly on the edge of my desk in awe. Thats just what kind of power it holds over those who the experience will appeal to.
Not everyone will find Proteus experience to their liking, preferring to spend their time with the usual gaming affairs. But Proteus succeeds in standing apart because it brings something fresh to the table, a relaxing trip you can truly lose yourself in so long as youre willing to let go of the fact that you have no jump button, no interaction button, and no things to shoot. It fills a void by being devoid, a bold statement drawing yet another line in the sand in the Games are Art! argument. Ill be returning to that island rather frequently I feel, seeing that my first run took me 4 hours when others blew through it in 40 minutes. Ill touch toe to shore again and again emerging from the sea, my soul burdened by the heft and stress of life now cleansed by Proteus zen-like journey. And I hold out hope that maybe, just maybe Ill get to see my tree again.
When I was younger my eyes crossed paths with an advertisement on the back of a game manual (I think it was on the back of the Metal Gear Solid NA release, if anyone can get a picture I will be eternally grateful) which depicted a tree obscured by a thick foggy haze, illuminated to almost white out condition by an overbright flashlight beam and surrounded by blurry snowflakes. It was such a striking image, powerful enough that it dug a small ditch into the back of my brain and planted a seed. From that seed grew the desire to come across this tree, approach it from the darkness and meet with my abstract friend. I often sat and wondered what it was about this scene that drew me towards it, analyzing all the small details about the image. At times I even considered learning how to code in an engine in order to recreate my trunked comrade, a lone map for me and only me that could put this twisted wonderland closer to reality than my imagination would allow. That seed had grown over the years into the tree from that ad and it rustled around on top of my brain. To this day I still find my obsession with this tree inexplicable, borderlining on irrational. But it has fueled a craving for a pure wandering experience in games and Proteus is the closest I will ever get to this fantasy.
Perhaps what Proteus does for me is equally as unexplainable as my bark-layered buddy. On its surface all it offers is a semi-randomized island that you can cross in a minute and a half with less graphical detail than a professional Quake 3 players maxFPS config. But to lean on such assumptions, to actually compare it as a whole against what most people consider games would be to miss the point. Proteus instead borrows from the Dear Esther camp of wandering aimlessly, albeit with more freedom and no weighty prose spouted by a suffering Englishman. It takes Minimalism to the extreme, stripping away any semblance of gamey elements in order to encourage pure exploration. Theres no goal at hand, no mission riddled with confusing dossiers to browse and no radio contact to fling objectives at you. Just you, the island and a few inhabitants which go about their lives as you drift from place to place.
Upon opening your eyes for the first time to the isle of Proteus, youre waist deep in sea water a little ways out from the shore. Deep but distant rumbling ambient drones soothe the senses and draw you into this dreamlike world. As foot touches to sand, the drones mix out into a cheerful little number, trees and nearby plants provide plucks of digitized instruments which layer effortlessly into the mix. The soundtrack is now much more structured, a song more along the lines of Brian Eno or Robert Richs works. You can choose to sit here and soak in the spring air some, or move until the scene fits your picturesque view. With everything framed differently, the song changes a little bit to reflect your distance from different parts of the scene. Moving elsewhere will give you new pieces of music every few feet you move, hand crafting sound through scenery. It calls to mind other music oriented games like Rez, but the lack of interaction and mechanics pushes it closer to Electroplankton.
When the night fell, everything now had a new tone, giving me more reason to explore under the stars glittery light. Serenity befell the island and the music illustrated this just as well as the gorgeous and ever changing pastel palette. Soon I discovered how to change seasons, which brought new wildlife to chase and an entirely fresh set of sounds with appropriately changed colors. There is an eventual end and a barely there something-or-other that isnt quite a plot. Most of what the island has to serve up is less for the upfront part of the mind and more towards imagination. Theres a nearly perfect synergy between exploration and feedback while just moving around which I can only compare to playing outside as a child and the innocent bliss such an activity provided. Once in a while, Proteus was able to get my jaw to dislodge from its grumpy and stubborn position and plant it firmly on the edge of my desk in awe. Thats just what kind of power it holds over those who the experience will appeal to.
Not everyone will find Proteus experience to their liking, preferring to spend their time with the usual gaming affairs. But Proteus succeeds in standing apart because it brings something fresh to the table, a relaxing trip you can truly lose yourself in so long as youre willing to let go of the fact that you have no jump button, no interaction button, and no things to shoot. It fills a void by being devoid, a bold statement drawing yet another line in the sand in the Games are Art! argument. Ill be returning to that island rather frequently I feel, seeing that my first run took me 4 hours when others blew through it in 40 minutes. Ill touch toe to shore again and again emerging from the sea, my soul burdened by the heft and stress of life now cleansed by Proteus zen-like journey. And I hold out hope that maybe, just maybe Ill get to see my tree again.
I doubt there will be any kind of demo, so if you can't make it to an event you may be out of luck. Videos don't really do it justice, but I'd say if you enjoy sound toys, and music like Boards of Canada, Fennesz, or Brian Eno at his lushest, and can lose yourself in hyper-minimalist graphics, you may enjoy this. It's only a game in that there's a sense of progression and a definitive ending. There's no challenge; exploration for explorations sake.
Thoughtful writeup. Interesting comparison to Electroplankton. I think that may honestly be its closest "mainstream" relative. But, whereas Electroplankton is kind of like aural finger painting, Proteus is like an interactive, exploratory installation, expertly designed so that the results are always gorgeous. An evolving sound garden.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
I also just discovered you can walk with the left click on your mouse... has that always been there? Its a pretty handy feature. I play this game mostly with the 360 pad though.
Messofanego
Banned
Bob Ross: The Game
HappyBivouac
Member
This game.
This.
Game.
This.
Game.
Would have been amazing to play for an hour then take it with you while you're out and about. They have plans to update the game, perhaps with mods and features, so maybe we'll see something like that.
I tried it for like 30 minutes yesterday and while I really love artsy games, I didnt really "get" this game. Having music barely audible seems to be missing the point apparently though. Guess I'll try again with music and consider it more an Electroplankton musical thing, and not an explorative open world game.
I want to go back to this, but I am dissapointed.
Only two genuinely surprising and awesome moments and 40 minutes of meandering. I want to go back becuase it was a nice ambiance and I want to see more island seeds.
Small spoiler about the details of my big spoiler:
Only two genuinely surprising and awesome moments and 40 minutes of meandering. I want to go back becuase it was a nice ambiance and I want to see more island seeds.
Small spoiler about the details of my big spoiler:
The ending
Looking at the Aurora borealis was incredible. I wanted to get down from the mountain, but then realised I was floating in the air, god it was go awesome.
Played and explored for a while earlier this week. Will go back in over the weekend to try and see the rest of the content.
It's a very pretty pixel world with a couple of cool moments, I enjoy being there taking screenshots.. but not gonna lie, the extremely limited amount of interactivity is a real bummer. I like the idea of affecting a game world by where you are in it, but it feels like Proteus barely scratches the surface of that general idea (and Antichamber, which I'm also playing, runs with it at 1,000,000 MPH). The way the game handles music cues is neat, if fleeting. Could have been a cool audio toy if they went further down that route, but it's much more restrictive than even an Electroplankton as is.
Feeling a bit burned paying close to full price honestly. It's something I'd want to see in a next-gen After Dark collection, would be a standout if that were the case. As an interactive art piece it's not bad, and as a $10 game it's disappointingly underwhelming. Ah well, at least it's something new.
It's a very pretty pixel world with a couple of cool moments, I enjoy being there taking screenshots.. but not gonna lie, the extremely limited amount of interactivity is a real bummer. I like the idea of affecting a game world by where you are in it, but it feels like Proteus barely scratches the surface of that general idea (and Antichamber, which I'm also playing, runs with it at 1,000,000 MPH). The way the game handles music cues is neat, if fleeting. Could have been a cool audio toy if they went further down that route, but it's much more restrictive than even an Electroplankton as is.
Feeling a bit burned paying close to full price honestly. It's something I'd want to see in a next-gen After Dark collection, would be a standout if that were the case. As an interactive art piece it's not bad, and as a $10 game it's disappointingly underwhelming. Ah well, at least it's something new.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
I got to the end but I didn't see any
.
Aurora Borealis
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
I really liked it. On a few occasions during a single play through the game really surprised me in a nice way. I do consider Flower to be better though, even though it's not exactly the same kind of thing.
It's possible that you just had to turn around. I saw it only after I turned around.
Ingueferroque
Banned
Makes me wish Minecraft had some of these aesthetics, like the beautiful shimmering water at night..
Ingueferroque
Banned
For a similar but less interactive experience, but free and with amazing music, check out EXO by Gatekeeper (Artist): http://e-x-o.com/
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
I bet. I'm sure I'll see it at some point. (Aside from screenshots I've seen.)
Is this game randomly generated?
I'd imagine it would work quite well - just "being there" would be a satisfying reward, and the lack of interactive content would matter less. A nice, abstract place to visit (but not to touch).
Neuromancer
Member
Yes the islands you appear on are, and the music and sounds you hear are based on whats around you. Different plants and animals and landmarks make different music every time you play. It's very Brian Eno-esque.
I just played the game for a bit, its weird but I enjoyed it.
Messofanego
Banned
Oh boy, the creators had to defend calling it a game.
http://www.visitproteus.com/what-are-game/
Anyway, what I agree with most is this quote:
http://www.visitproteus.com/what-are-game/
Anyway, what I agree with most is this quote:
It's a shame, because they never attempted to position it as anything except exactly what it is. Completely unpretentious, but its mere existence seems to be driving a lot of people, particularly on the Steam forums, nuts. I hope it does well, regardless. It's one of my favorite games ever.
Scarecrow
Member
Wondering if someone could help me out here. When I try to play the game in full screen mode, it sort of zooms in too much, despite my monitor being able to display in 1080. Looks like this:
I can play it in windowed mode fine, and full screen that, but it still leaves the top bar on the screen. Any idea on how to solve this?
I can play it in windowed mode fine, and full screen that, but it still leaves the top bar on the screen. Any idea on how to solve this?
Just wanted to let people know that after your first playthrough (which is restricted in some ways to make it balanced) the island gets more interesting. Apparently, this will be expanded on in a future update. Speaking of which, there's a bunch of ideas floating around for future content updates. Like smaller clusters of islands instead of just one large one, starting the game at different seasons, infinite mode, and so on. I'm also crossing my fingers that we'll get mods.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
Anything they do to help expand upon this already amazing idea is fine with me. I want to come back and be surprised for the first time again, even though I know I won't be able to.
Visualante2
Member
It'd be nice if you could lay in a boat and float along a river, or a lily pad or something.
I don't know, you guys. I hate to be so negative, but it seems awfully... artsy fartsy tryhard indie stuff. I loaded it up and played for an hour figuring it'd be the perfect game to play when I'm sick as I am, and was just incredibly bored. I was hoping it'd be like Journey with even less structure, but the world just seems so static. I climbed the top of a mountain and saw a tower in the distance, went to it and it was just a giant black stone rectangle. Whoopie...
I found a graveyard at one point, which was really cool, but aside from that saw little of interest. I dig the art style and the music kicks ass, but it's just so one-note. Maybe I'll give it another go later.
I found a graveyard at one point, which was really cool, but aside from that saw little of interest. I dig the art style and the music kicks ass, but it's just so one-note. Maybe I'll give it another go later.
There are definitely some interesting things to see, but for the most pat it is very low-key. I definitely wouldn't call it artsy fartsy, though. I never felt that it was pretentious, the two guys that made it just wanted to make a simple relaxing world for you to get happily get lost in.
I do think the game world needs more stuff in it though. The more times you are surprised while playing Proteus the more you'll enjoy it. Fortunately there will be content updates.
Deputy Dangle
Member
Just finished my first run a few minutes ago. I'm someone who is open to all types and forms of games. When I saw this pop up on steam prior to release, noticed all of the accolades, and positive word of mouth from plenty of people here, my interest was piqued. It reminded me at first glance, as well as many others, of last year's Dear Esther which was a game that I enjoyed playing as much as I enjoyed piecing together its story and savoring its pretty landscapes.
Proteus isn't much like Dear Esther at all. Sure, they're both what some may call, "walking simulators", but for me, Proteus provided a far more palpable, emotionally charged journey than I was expecting. This is definitely a game that I would recommend going in blind is the best way to experience it.
My first day/night cycle left a lot to be desired. I wasn't quite sure of what to make of the game, but I did like the little things that I noticed like the falling leaves on a tree, the sparse animals living on the island, and the subtle animation of those very trees blowing in the wind. Little did I know, the game was just starting to sink its hooks into me.
During the second night cycle, I decided to climb one of the mountains again. I noticed some sparkling lights gravitating toward the ground off in the distance. What I discovered led me to figure out how to change the seasons on the island. As I kept playing and exploring the same areas that I traveled to time and time again, I discovered new creatures and how the environment was dynamically changing around me.
Seasons would strike different emotions in me sometimes even on the fly as the music absorbed me in deeper. It felt as though the island was figuratively and literally dying around me as the seasons passed while building up this strange tension within me that climaxed when
. When I finally reached Winter, my sudden fear quickly turned into mild depression upon seeing all of the dead trees and snow in the dim light accompanied by a more slowed down, somber track that acted as the icing on the sad cake.
There was a strange sense of beauty about it all as walked through the snow and towards a mountain ahead. When I reached the top, there was a white blanket as far as I could see with only a single mountain top barely visible off in the distance. I had seen every inch of this island, and yet, it still felt like a mystery to me. I gave this little game a chance, and it struck a cord within me that only a small few games have done before. I implore anyone willing enough to give this game a shot to do so because Proteus is truly something special.
Proteus isn't much like Dear Esther at all. Sure, they're both what some may call, "walking simulators", but for me, Proteus provided a far more palpable, emotionally charged journey than I was expecting. This is definitely a game that I would recommend going in blind is the best way to experience it.
My first day/night cycle left a lot to be desired. I wasn't quite sure of what to make of the game, but I did like the little things that I noticed like the falling leaves on a tree, the sparse animals living on the island, and the subtle animation of those very trees blowing in the wind. Little did I know, the game was just starting to sink its hooks into me.
During the second night cycle, I decided to climb one of the mountains again. I noticed some sparkling lights gravitating toward the ground off in the distance. What I discovered led me to figure out how to change the seasons on the island. As I kept playing and exploring the same areas that I traveled to time and time again, I discovered new creatures and how the environment was dynamically changing around me.
Seasons would strike different emotions in me sometimes even on the fly as the music absorbed me in deeper. It felt as though the island was figuratively and literally dying around me as the seasons passed while building up this strange tension within me that climaxed when
the sky turned bright red while on top of the mountain with the multiple totems
There was a strange sense of beauty about it all as walked through the snow and towards a mountain ahead. When I reached the top, there was a white blanket as far as I could see with only a single mountain top barely visible off in the distance. I had seen every inch of this island, and yet, it still felt like a mystery to me. I gave this little game a chance, and it struck a cord within me that only a small few games have done before. I implore anyone willing enough to give this game a shot to do so because Proteus is truly something special.
I don't really know how I feel about it. I will have to go back and explore the game some more. I'm not sure if there are multiple endings, but
I just walked out onto the frozen ocean and walked into the sky. Is that how its supposed to end? I could barely make my way around it winter, so I'm not sure if I missed something on the island.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
My run through as well as Nerd^3's ended
while walking down from the top of a mountain. All of a sudden you're floating slowly into the air. I guess it can end anywhere as long as the season is "over".
Messofanego
Banned
Wow, that was quite the adventure! Figuring it out and seeing for yourself in an hour, in one sitting, is the best way. All you should know is there is an ending and you'll figure out how to progress forward with no need for a tutorial. I didn't expect an ending. But what an exquisite and jaw-dropping one it was.
It was kind of cool how you didn't have to follow the main path through the vortex cycles. Just chilling, looking at the shooting stars, taking loads of screenshots. Kind of non-linear unlike Journey which clearly wanted you to move on.
You can press Q for auto-walk, truly an evolution from Dear Esther
It's a great season simulator, the audio design is fantastic. Hearing the windy breeze on top of a snowed mountain, creatures chirping tunes, and then it giving out in serene moments.
Can't wait to sit down my friends and family to play this by themselves.
Did anyone encounter this tree hanging creature? Don't think it's a squirrel.
I'm sure everyone here has already played the game, but I made a video of me running through the first two seasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZQeIUxaLSM
I'm trying to do videos that show exploration in games without gameplay, but with this one it was sort of cheating.
I'm trying to do videos that show exploration in games without gameplay, but with this one it was sort of cheating.
Messofanego
Banned
Messofanego
Banned
More people need to try this game. Shameless bump.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Proteus is the daily deal on Steam today, on sale for $5:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/219680/
I think I'm gonna buy it, the "game" has always looked interesting to me, and most people rave about the experience of it. Plus, it's like the price of an Arby's sandwich, and I'm sure I'll get more value out of this, lol.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/219680/
I think I'm gonna buy it, the "game" has always looked interesting to me, and most people rave about the experience of it. Plus, it's like the price of an Arby's sandwich, and I'm sure I'll get more value out of this, lol.
Triggerhappytel
Member
So, I've been thinking about buying this game on my Vita, but I'm not even sure what kind of game it is. Like an abstract first person exploration game, where different things in the environment create different sounds or music? Sell it to me GAF. I usually like quirky indie games, but I'm terrible for buying and not playing them.