Indie Game You've Never Heard Of and Will Never Play is My GOTY Cause I'm Cool and Hip Like That
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
I've played many games over the course of my life: Myst, Half-Life, Ultima, Wasteland, Maniac Mansion, Dues Ex, among many other very fine games. But few come to the artistic level of Artsy Fartsy: Tales From the Other Side of Nowhere, Chapter 1: Everywhere. This has to be one of the most compelling games of the year and no doubt will be my choice for Game of the year.
AF:TFOSN Ch 1 is a 2D Action Adventure, point and click, puzzle platformer. It's very experimental with its mechanics incorporating the best of every genre you can think of. It can be a bit confusing sometimes, but that's the point as it blends seamlessly with what the main character and you experience, confusion.
The Game is about a non-binary trans-queer athlete who is dreaming, or dead, or in a coma (Depends on how you interpret it) who is in limbo world known as Fog World. In here they meets a variety of characters who are in the same position. Some of those are hostile and attack you, but not with traditional weapons, but with the weapons of this world: words.
The game gives you the autonomy to decide what to do to the characters, and the choices you make determines the ending you get, there are over 20 different endings. The sheer amount of endings serves as an example of how compelling the game is with the choices you make. Even losing battles has major consequences and will affect the ending of the game.
AF:TFOSN Ch 1 also incorporates ideas and themes of 4th dimensionality, Judeo-homo-Christianity, multiverse theory, time travel, afterlife, Subliminal advertising, antidisestablishmentarianism, String Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Race Theory, Biopsychiatric Science Theory, and Flat Earth. I kept my phone on hand to make sure I understood every reference the game was making, the game is definitely for high-minded individuals.
I can understand how the layman won't get everything that's going on, but that's ok it wasn't made for them. They can play Call of Duty, Fortnite, or whatever low-brow game is in season right now. Only those with a degree, like me, will be able to understand what's going on in AF:TFOSN Ch 1. If you don't think it deserves an award, or even a nomination, then you clearly didn't understand what was going on.
I hope to see more games like this in the coming year and look forward to Chapter 2. But I highly doubt it.
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