Betweenside
Ed Curtis-Sivess · 2018 · Indie, Dark, Choices Matter, Story Rich, Exploration
PC
4 user reviews75% · 4
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About Betweenside
A piece of interactive fiction that you rewrite as you play.
The patriarch of a once-respected house is dead, survived only by his late sister's children. Bequeathed to them are his worldly and unworldly belongings, along with the fate of their family. Set entirely within the uncle's private chambers, you are tasked as the family lawyer to see the correct items go to their intended place.
Each object tells a story, of the uncle or of his family, and the room has intentions of its own...
Betweenside is a Gothic fiction game set in interwar Cornwall. Explore the private abode of a secretive aristocrat, where each object narrates the mystery of his family's demise through written interactive fiction.
Rewrite the past and change the future, while trying to survive the present. A failing lighter is all that stands between you and the dark.
Programme:
- A short, unnerving tale of power and legacy.
- Explore a Gothic chamber and learn its history.
- Rewrite the story and see those changes alter your surroundings.
- Wander a small but detailed space where nearly every object tells a story.
- Pierce the dark with your fickle lighter.
- Inspired by Gothic fiction, especially the works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and H. G. Wells.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
✦ AI summary
Players appreciate the game's innovative interactive storytelling mechanic that lets them rewrite gothic narratives and see their changes reflected in the environment, with praise for well-written stories and atmospheric creepiness. However, critics point to significant audio design issues including an eerily silent soundscape lacking music and ambient sound effects, along with confusing UI that makes it unclear who is speaking during vignettes and how much of each story players are actually rewriting, raising concerns about whether the game currently justifies its price.
So I wanna start this review off by saying that this game is gonna need some work in order to be worth the money. I don't think that this game has shown to be worth the money at this time. I'm also sorry to say that it equally was not a fun ride from the time I've spent with it. That being said, I'm giving it a recommendation because I feel as though the developer(s) will be receptive to feedback. First and foremost the immediate problems are very obvious to me. It is very eerily quiet, uncomfortably so. It doesn't give you any ambiance or sense of foreboding, because there isn't any sound effects that accompany it. We desperately need music to be in the background, since the game mainly takes place in the same location and most of the objects are entirely static. The next problem is, there is far far far, too much reading. Now don't get me wrong I adore games that require a significant amount of reading, but normally the reading is often accompanied by music, interesting visuals, or something different. But the reading had basically nothing accompany it, other than *spoilers* floating text. Developers, I strongly suggest you look into games that play like stories (such as wh…4 found this helpful
5.5/10 Although I recall writing a paper on "Gothic" literature in college, I can't recall any hallmarks of the genre. I thought the idea of "rewriting the story" was a neat one, and was amused by the way that some of my revisions were then featured in the game's environments (on a trophy or on posters). The game involves moving from object to object revealing brief vignettes, choosing whether to rewrite this part of the history and which of Victor's family members to bequeath the item to. However, I had difficulty figuring out who was speaking during the game's vignettes, and therefore had difficulty choosing exactly how I might want to rewrite the situation. In addition, the game did not communicate exactly how much of each story I would be rewriting. I might want to alter one line, but upon choosing the rewrite option, almost the entire vignette was erased. Lastly, I just didn't like the personality of the family lawyer that I was playing. His views on the importance of a military career and the incompetence of a more sedentary career clashed somewhat violently with my own. From time to time, the room will go dark and you'll find yourself holding a lighter. As stated in the g…2 found this helpful
This game is awesome! Explore a richly detailed environment and enjoy well-written gothic stories. Write them yourself and watch your words come to life. I experienced a couple of visual bugs but nothing game breaking. Super creepy, super well-done. I love it. https://youtu.be/EWz44ehOt1U1 found this helpful
So far, so good! A chilling and intriguing little Gothic tale with some innovative ideas on interactive storytelling. I will update this review as I keep playing and have more things to say.
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