Grotto

This just like the last game, Silicone Dreams, kind of started off strong and lost me somewhere before the end. I dug the art at first, but, there is only so much variety and all of it comes by way of characters. It's something akin to a choose your own adventure story. You are a soothsayer that reads stars and deceits the fate of your tribe. I should add just like in Silicone Dreams, this is really meant to be played more than once, but I think once was enough for me for now. It's move like a more involved visual novel. It's a unique experience that's bordering on being more of an artistic experience than a game. It's got a unique art style and unique music. Overall a nice little package in my book, but definitely not something you could just recommend to anyone. This is very much for particular people.

If being unable to communicate with people effectively because they misinterpret everything you say was a game this one would be it (i died inside every damn time, send help) 😭 PS The Mountain is my wife and i'm not taking any criticism 🙄

If concepts like divination, the limitations of language, the clash of cultures, religious beliefs and the afterlife spark your interest: please, go play this one!! The player, as an impartial soothsayer, will take part in how a strange society forced to change develops, as its members turn to you in search of direction. Not only what you say will have an impact on them, but also how you say it and how well you employ the limited words that the stars grant you to deliver your message as clearly as possible. Misunderstandings do happen and that's a crucial factor to consider here, never becoming frustrating, but encouraging you to really listen and get to know both the characters and the constellations so you'll be able to communicate effectively. However, every character is unique and holds their own beliefs, independently of your actions. It's always fun to watch the conclusions each of them reaches when trying to decipher you. The game's not too long - a full playthrough took me ~5h. Even though there's some replayability here, given the amount of choices you actually make, it seems a bit lengthy for that. When I saw how I was wrecking havoc with some of my choices, I was fearing that I'd feel obliged to replay it all again, but I ended up pretty satisfied with how the story unfolded, owning my flaws as the local startamer and all. I really felt like one more character inside Grotto. Grotto is one of a kind, it's been really interesting to play and I'm shocked that it went mostly unnoticed. The price tag is more than fair: 100% recommended!!

Pretty nice story, [spoiler] I especially liked the ending, or at least the ending I was able to get [/spoiler]. I liked the writing and the narrative puzzle elements. It was a bit frustrating when their interpretations were sometimes the polar opposite of what I wanted to tell them, but I eventually realized/remembered that that was the point.