FrenchMovieTheme
Member
Is this just puzzles/exploration? Any combat/leveling/etc?
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STASIS |OT| An isometric sci-fi horror adventure game inspired by Alien & Sanitarium
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
wanderingprostheyltite
Member
Welcome to point and click adventure games!
Yup, puzzles, exploration, and story. If you appreciate good atmosphere this is fantastic for that too.
FrenchMovieTheme
Member
I'm fine with either, just wondering. Planning to buy it after I finish witcher 3 and mgs.... whenever that is :/
I'm pretty near the end at 6 hours clocked. Got stumped on a couple puzzles for a bit but I'd wager most will be in the 5-8 hour range.
Perfect, thanks!
JensenBeeswax
Member
Picked this up last night. Think I played about 2 hours, just
. Loving the atmosphere so far. Excited to dig in further over the weekend.
Seems like at the current price tag, this game's easy to recommend.
crashed a train
Seems like at the current price tag, this game's easy to recommend.
Haunted
Member
The craft in the environments is apparent, but I actually really appreciate the amount of custom animations Chris created for the main character. So many pnc games with basically just one or two "interact" animations, but Stasis has a ton of custom animations fitting to the specific thing John is doing.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Gotta force a lower refresh rate, I guess.
CyberPunked
Member
Oh, and this exchange:
How far in is that part?
Coriolanus
Banned
I still don't know if by THE PART they mean the s
or the c
.
One's halfway through, the other is... 80-90%?
pine surgery
hild getting splattered.
One's halfway through, the other is... 80-90%?
Soyongdori
Member
Beat the game last night. Probably one of the best point and click games I've played.
Yeah, could be either one.
Phat Michael
Banned
When does the game start to click? Bought it today and played about half an hour but really not feeling it so far.
Vlodril
Member
That's always a weird question people ask. How would we know. Its depends on your taste. maybe another 30 minutes, maybe never?
More_Badass
Member
What puzzle?
FaustsBoon
Member
So, I am asking in all sincerity... are people really happy with the writing of the game? I think it does a lot right. I think its audio and aesthetic production is sound, and the macro-plot is fine enough. Its a decent attempt at body horror I suppose.
That said, the moment to moment, try-hard, writing is abysmal. It attempts to be character centric but then has some of the worst characterization I have ever seen, across the board, and features mustache-twirling Saturday morning antagonism at best.
I continuously got taken out of an otherwise solid experience by the bad writing. I feel like if our medium wasn't choked with bad writing much of the time, this game would get laughed out of any serious discussion.
A friend and I had this debate, but I feel like coming off of Until Dawn creates an awkward comparison. I have to choose between a game which aspires to be smart, but executes VERY poorly, or a game that is self-aware ham, but that executes perfectly.
Stasis just really left me wanting.
That said, the moment to moment, try-hard, writing is abysmal. It attempts to be character centric but then has some of the worst characterization I have ever seen, across the board, and features mustache-twirling Saturday morning antagonism at best.
I continuously got taken out of an otherwise solid experience by the bad writing. I feel like if our medium wasn't choked with bad writing much of the time, this game would get laughed out of any serious discussion.
A friend and I had this debate, but I feel like coming off of Until Dawn creates an awkward comparison. I have to choose between a game which aspires to be smart, but executes VERY poorly, or a game that is self-aware ham, but that executes perfectly.
Stasis just really left me wanting.
More_Badass
Member
Oh, man, now that you mention it, that was my biggest gripe with the game. The main villain is a non-character, no personality besides "evvvilll!!". I think the story would have been much better if the devs hadn't added a human bad guy. He felt pretty unnecessary considering how dangerous the dilapidated ship is. The bad guy added nothing to the story; everything that happened could have happened without that character in the game
Soyongdori
Member
My problem with writing of this game is some of the stuffs mentioned in the game aren't nonessential.
? Like, what was the point of that? I honestly thought it was some kind of plot device to make the player feel more uncomfortable with the entire setting, nothing more. Also, what was the deal with
? They practically abandoned that plot after building on it since the beginning of the game. Oh yeah, and that Saturday cartoon villain...
Not too pleased with the writing of this game. They kind of dropped the ball with that one.
Fungus
Samantha
Not too pleased with the writing of this game. They kind of dropped the ball with that one.
More_Badass
Member
I had no problem with those. They were side-stories giving the puzzles some structure and relevance to the setting, and for the PDA narratives in the different sections of the ship
I don't think the game was trying to do anything else with those, and I don't think that's a bad thing
Soyongdori
Member
I honestly disagree. They didn't really explain the whole infection thing and why they are there. It made me question more but the game ended.
Coriolanus
Banned
Samantha was just a way to
show how the clones started to develop and become more complex life forms. It's expanded pretty much only via PDA's.
initially just a fungus, but people in hydroponics tried to create another mutant fungus to fight it, the experiment went wrong and the thing ended up developing intelligence and going on an expansion craze. Again developed pretty much only via PDA.
opportunistic bastard that played the scientists around him, which were pretty much all amoral cretins, including a legid 85 year old psychopath, was far more interesting.
Honestly, aside from the moustache twirling and the PLOT TWIST at the very end that everybody saw coming from a mile away, the game features mostly ok writing. There are like, 3-4 pda stories that i'd even call legit good. Shame that there's so much of the passable stuff.
If it doesn't click by the time you clear the crematorium and take the tram, it's very likely that it won't click at all.
drangleic tourism
Member
I'm pretty sure they explained all that, more or less...you just had to sift through all the emails and PDAs meticulously. It mostly made sense to me by the end, but I had to fill in some of the gaps with speculation.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
Need some help. I'm at the part where
Where the hell is John? I can't click on anything and I can't see him whatsoever.
I've heard about a game glitch if your refresh isn't set right, but I just checked mine and it's 60 hz. Is that the correct rate or do I need to refresh it?
you're in the VAT tube area and you first start learning about the specimens, including Samantha. You use the makeshift grappling hook on the beam to pull yourself up and then the field map expands.
I've heard about a game glitch if your refresh isn't set right, but I just checked mine and it's 60 hz. Is that the correct rate or do I need to refresh it?
Stasis pod puzzle.
afternoon delight
Member
I give myself a half an hour before I look up a hint.
Just wanted to say this story is grim. I love what I think is happening but daaaamn it is dark. Really excellent.
Just wanted to say this story is grim. I love what I think is happening but daaaamn it is dark. Really excellent.
Soyongdori
Member
That's the thing. I read basically all the PDAs I found throughout the game and it still didn't give clue about the origin of these fungus. They are basically PDAs of people dealing with fungus and their reactions. As for Samantha, why even bother make the player feel vulnerable and keep mention her in PDAs when she is only going to "show up" once and never bother to show up again? Hence the missed opportunity.
I enjoyed this game but the writing is just pretty atrocious and filled with past tropes that has been done to death in games like System Shock and Dead Space.
HereticusAlpha
Neo Member
Just finished it and loved the atmosphere, although the end felt a little bit off in terms of the designs of the environment to the rest of the ship. Still minor things when I really enjoyed it overall.
I think it was implied that the fungus was the
I think it was implied that the fungus was the
remnants of the hybrids that hadn't been combusted thoroughly and just sent through the recyclers - hence it developed into the hive... tbh I was a bit disappointed at the hive being revealed and being a very quick area to pick up a few items but that comes into the rushed ending in general
drangleic tourism
Member
Yep, I'll agree with you on the tropes thing. I think I posted earlier in this thread(or the spoilers thread) how burnt I am out on audio logs/journals for story advancement. There were a few moments where it reached Metroid Fusion levels of dread and isolation, but the emails/logs just killed it for me.
As linear as Metroid Fusion was I think it really set the bar(at the time) for feeling alone and scared for your life on a space craft/station.
Just finished it, really enjoyed the game.
It has been forever since I've played a point and click and even longer since I've finished one so I was worried about getting stuck every five seconds but it wasn't so bad, only ended up looking up puzzle
.
Loved the visual style and the story was good.
It has been forever since I've played a point and click and even longer since I've finished one so I was worried about getting stuck every five seconds but it wasn't so bad, only ended up looking up puzzle
the friggin stasis pod
Loved the visual style and the story was good.
John and his family 
jim-jam bongs
Member
Just finished it, great game which is somewhat hindered late in the second act with "bizarro adventure game logic". Saw the ending coming a mile away, but the journey was great so I didn't really mind. Your discomfort level throughout the game just steadily rises, with scant few moments of levity or relief; it sets out to make you squirm, and succeeds.
And the fungus
And the fungus
was the result of hybrid DNA accidentally splicing with the experiments going on in hydroponics, pretty sure Dr Gray's PDA logs explained that.
Ok, let's be honest.
I had great feelings about this game. I waited for the evening and started the game.
Ok, no resolution options. I knew that but it's terrible btw.
Clicked new game....
BOOM!! (be aware, you're eyes could explode)
http://i.cubeupload.com/Tb216g.jpg
Man, I remember Freespace 2 intro 16 fucking years ago using old bink codec... memories.
Don't worry, is only a bad compression artifact. Take a deep breath and don't think how youtube has quality a few light years above this.
A ship is moving. A ship is moving from the left. Ok,..... mmm... wait a minute. That's not a ship. It's a jud... juddd.....juddder ... judder... judder some... judder .... thing moving...
Really? A 25 fps intro in a 60 hz tv. Don't worry, I will quit the game and change the refreshrate to 50 hz... that's ok. ALT + F4..... ops. So ALT + F4 doesn't quit the game, only the intro and I'm seeing my character. That's not good. If I want to quit the game I don't want to see what happens after the intro.
Changed refreshrate to 50 hz and starting again.
Shit, intro stuttering is exactly the same. Fuck this, I will skip that intro, doesn't matter. ALT + F4. A robot is talking to me. Wait, these senteces can be skipped. I've already read them but can't skip them. Wait. Wait a little bit more. Finally my character can walk. Woah, really? No animation between walk and stop. ALT + F4.
Maybe next month I have a better day to play this game because surely will be a good game underneath.
I had great feelings about this game. I waited for the evening and started the game.
Ok, no resolution options. I knew that but it's terrible btw.
Clicked new game....
BOOM!! (be aware, you're eyes could explode)
http://i.cubeupload.com/Tb216g.jpg
Man, I remember Freespace 2 intro 16 fucking years ago using old bink codec... memories.
Don't worry, is only a bad compression artifact. Take a deep breath and don't think how youtube has quality a few light years above this.
A ship is moving. A ship is moving from the left. Ok,..... mmm... wait a minute. That's not a ship. It's a jud... juddd.....juddder ... judder... judder some... judder .... thing moving...
Really? A 25 fps intro in a 60 hz tv. Don't worry, I will quit the game and change the refreshrate to 50 hz... that's ok. ALT + F4..... ops. So ALT + F4 doesn't quit the game, only the intro and I'm seeing my character. That's not good. If I want to quit the game I don't want to see what happens after the intro.
Changed refreshrate to 50 hz and starting again.
Shit, intro stuttering is exactly the same. Fuck this, I will skip that intro, doesn't matter. ALT + F4. A robot is talking to me. Wait, these senteces can be skipped. I've already read them but can't skip them. Wait. Wait a little bit more. Finally my character can walk. Woah, really? No animation between walk and stop. ALT + F4.
Maybe next month I have a better day to play this game because surely will be a good game underneath.
Been playing it for a couple of hours. I like it so far. Good old point & click adventure game in isometric view. It's very atmospheric and I like the horror aspect. It isn't going to scare the shit out of you, but it feels very oppressive. I've died in some really painful ways, too.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
One-man dev crew. $141,000 budget (most probably for the music score and voice acting).
Keep that in mind...
That's an excuse for lack of proper animation blending.
But compression artifacts and incorrect framerate for cinematics, unskippable dialogs or ALT + F4 for skipping cinematics are all really bad dev decisions. No excuses for that, sorry.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
Sounds like you're just nitpicking and drudging up flaws. The question is are those shortcomings enough to make it a bad game?
I don't do bandwagon stuff often, but the overwhelming majority of people who've played the game say no, they're not.
I don't do bandwagon stuff often, but the overwhelming majority of people who've played the game say no, they're not.
Because the core game is surely awesome. Can't I be sad because easily fixable problems are littering the game presentation and first impression and then rage quit the game?
This is my opinion about simple facts. I can't understand how in 2015 every streaming service/site has more quality videos than a local game cinematic.
Good for you if you don't care about it. Inmersion is fucked for me if all I can see are juddery compression artifacts for minutes.
afternoon delight
Member
The opening cinematic is maybe two minutes long. And it's a ship... Floating... With Mark Morgan music. immersion breaking? Really?
For true immersion imagine it's borked security footage decompressing after years of stasis.
When stuff like this gets in people's way of playing a game then imo they didn't really want to play it all that much in the first place.
When your backlog is several hundreds of games, maybe you're a bit more sensitive to such problems. I will play the game, but you're excusing things that should not be excusable.
JudgmentJay
Member
Yeah, no. Your complaints are extremely minor nitpicks in my opinion.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
You're complaining about the cutscenes! The parts in the game where you don't actually do anything but sit back, and watch. Imo none of the complaints are valid because if it isn't the cutscenes that bother you, then it'd be something else like the quality of the 3D graphics, so on and so forth.
Immersion is partly what you make of it. I can play a PS1 game and still be completely immersed, b/c I let my imagination fill in parts of the game the game itself technically doesn't, for whatever reason. Stop expecting AAA quality cinematics out of an otherwise highly polished mid-tier indie game and use your imagination to fill in the blanks.
B/c if the cinematics bother you, I'm sure reading through PDA logs probably will too, unless you're in a better frame of mind while playing.
Bullshit. I don't need Blizzard quality cinematics. I'm talking about compression and judder. Those things you can do right independently of your budget.
Okay, then shelve the game and move on? Can't believe this thread has degraded into this drivel. Lordy.
Anyway, looking forward to starting this later tonight.
I explained my first contact with the game. The derailment came later because people can not accept even the slightest criticism. Great.
Servbot #42
Unconfirmed Member
fuck i was totally gonna buy this game today because the discount ended today, i had a massive headache so i forgot, dammit.
Chance Hale
Member
I don't understand why one can't complain about technical issues without being jumped at. It's a terrible first impression when you're greeted with microblocking. Not to mention the art in-game is also horribly compressed and the game doesn't scale to modern resolutions at all. Sanitarium's art looks better at times although of course it isn't in a widescreen ratio.
Buy the game from Nuuvem, official games seller and well trusted on neogaf. I've used them dozens of times.