SERPENT AT THE VERNISSAGE

this game is a very sincere attempt at really showcasing an experience. it really does run like a movie. it does a good job at being surreal. it feels real but in a weird dreamy way. still room for polish. i put in almost 2 hours though, got 25% of the game complete. when i loaded the game, i was put way back on the island- and got bummed it didn't load me into where i saved, in the portal somewhere. i wanted to see how far i could get. i was getting pretty far and i felt kind of screwed over by the game because it didn't load me where i saved. which would be fine if there was a reason for me to retrace my steps to where i wanted to continue from (but im not sure if there is because i didnt try). that being said i will probably try again. i Genuinely want to see where this story is going- it has a lot of potential to be interesting. it does have epstien island lore vibes, but also weird futuristic astral stuff? the scene-scape definitely looks like the astral plane. #vaporwave. this game has home made vibes and you can tell it was made by one person, which is always cool to be able to notice.

Overall positive about my experience, but I sent in some feedback in the Discussion forum where I think a few rough edges could be smoothed pretty easily.

I really enjoyed my time with this game. Pros - Gameplay. It's an explorative walking sim with platforming, shooting and swimming elements. Mostly walking, but it's all about exploration. - You'll also be zipping around the archipelago with a speedboat which is neat. - Visual design is interesting, it's low poly with a mild pixelation filter and it still looks good. Bright purple/red hues and plenty of bloom. Very vaporwave. - Music and the ambiance are great. Music from the developer too! It's electronic ambient stuff, and quite fitting. - Worldbuilding and narrative are very interesting. Infiltrate and explore a hideaway for the super rich, pilfer its treasure. That's cool. All the worldbuilding is pretty charming and I enjoyed it. - Exploration is great, there's plenty to find. You can flip through records in a record store, they each have a little synopsis/description and I thought that was very interesting. That's the only example I'm giving but there's much more here. - This was made by one guy. I love a solo developed work. You can feel the personality and unity of vision throughout the whole game. - I really like the look of the UI and inventory screens. The designs of …

I don't usually write reviews, but I wanted to put at least a little bit of effort to at least write something because of reasons. I stumbled onto this game during the most recent NextFest and decided I wanted to see where it went. It IS a relatively short game, but feel like it's worth the play regardless. The aesthetics are nice, the music is calm and relaxing, and the overall story took a couple of twists that I did expect, and a couple I didn't. I enjoyed my time here, and I think I agree when the game refers to itself as a "trip" lol

very cool

Peak