People said this over and over so I picked up the game a year ago on sale. I can’t say I like the “twist”. It just filled me with dread and anxiety, >!especially the sun changing color and getting bigger,!< without explaining anything.
!the sun changing color and getting bigger, without explaining anything!<
Well, a big part of the game is figuring out why that’s happening, by exploring the system and piecing together its past. The game certainly doesn’t hold your hand in that, but it’s fair in letting you discover it on your own. I get that this kind of mystery might just not be for everyone, though.
Haven’t played the DLC either yet, not sure if that adds anything, but:
[Spoilers for mid-game]
!While you play, you’ll encounter clues that point towards the sun station being the reason for the sun dying, as it was built to make the sun go supernova and use the resulting energy to find the eye of the universe.!<
[Spoilers for late- to endgame]
!Later on, it turns out that the sun station is actually not the reason, as it just didn’t work as the Nomai planned. The sun is actually going supernova because the universe is dying as a whole, as you can actually see all around you, with loads of supernovae going off in the sky. Now sadly, there’s no explanation given for why that is happening much earlier than everyone expected, iirc. I guess that’s a final mystery that’s indeed left unanswered.!<
!Stars don’t go from yellow to supernova in 22 minutes. I’m with the Hearthians and the Nomai who are confused AF that the universe is dying. Drum guy was wrong that the universe is older than we thought, that’s a theory he came up with in 22 minutes because he had no time to investigate further. If you come back early in the loop and say the universe is old, he doesn’t believe you and tries to find an alternate theory, because that hypothesis just doesn’t make much sense.!<
!Stars don’t go from yellow to supernova in 22 minutes!<
!I mean, the rules of physics and biology are in general being bent quite a bit by the game. Even just the existence of the Hearthians, a species that developed on a planet that’s tiny and harbors, what, like 30 individuals total? That just falls under stuff that doesn’t make sense in the real world, but I’m willing to accept in order to enjoy the game 🤷!<
!I would agree with you, if not for the fact that the hearthians AND the Nomai don’t. They’ve actually researched this and detemined that what’s happening isn’t normal.!<
So, yeah… As other comments have pointed out, figuring out why that is happening is the point of the game.
But also, yes, there’s going to be a lot more dread and anxiety. This is a much darker and more serious game than the art style implies. It contains some of the most effective moments of pure horror I’ve ever seen in a game. The ending, especially, is profoundly sad, and beautifully hopeful; an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.
If that’s more intensity of feels than you’re looking for from your entertainment, it’s probably not your thing.
If you don’t mind spoiling yourself and want to see what the fuss is about, this video is a pretty powerful summary of why people care about this game so much - https://youtu.be/Hr6WGu3omUI?si=qag5GchJp11Qk6Q3 (cw: frank discussion of a family member dying of cancer).
People said this over and over so I picked up the game a year ago on sale. I can’t say I like the “twist”. It just filled me with dread and anxiety, >!especially the sun changing color and getting bigger,!< without explaining anything.
I stopped after 4 hours and haven’t gone back.
Well, a big part of the game is figuring out why that’s happening, by exploring the system and piecing together its past. The game certainly doesn’t hold your hand in that, but it’s fair in letting you discover it on your own. I get that this kind of mystery might just not be for everyone, though.
Haven’t played the DLC either yet, not sure if that adds anything, but:
[Spoilers for mid-game]
[Spoilers for late- to endgame]
So, yeah… As other comments have pointed out, figuring out why that is happening is the point of the game.
But also, yes, there’s going to be a lot more dread and anxiety. This is a much darker and more serious game than the art style implies. It contains some of the most effective moments of pure horror I’ve ever seen in a game. The ending, especially, is profoundly sad, and beautifully hopeful; an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.
If that’s more intensity of feels than you’re looking for from your entertainment, it’s probably not your thing.
If you don’t mind spoiling yourself and want to see what the fuss is about, this video is a pretty powerful summary of why people care about this game so much - https://youtu.be/Hr6WGu3omUI?si=qag5GchJp11Qk6Q3 (cw: frank discussion of a family member dying of cancer).
Edit: This video - https://youtu.be/Ga-oMRAcWCY?si=sHDjzJJhHyTqqwS6 - is a more direct summary of the game if you just want a compressed play through.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://piped.video/Hr6WGu3omUI?si=qag5GchJp11Qk6Q3
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.