Overseas

I like it so, so much. [i]Overseas[/i] isn't really a walking sim, it's a collection of surreal scapes — more [i]Yume Nikki[/i] than [i]Dear Esther[/i]. Surreal walking experiences are a dime a dozen — so what sets this one apart? I think it's a combination of genuinely interesting audio and visuals, subtle humor (the game doesn't have jokes, but also doesn't take itself all too seriously), and, most importantly... just good ideas. Every scape here has [i]a thing[/i], a point, an idea — that's neither too obscure nor too on-the nose. They all hit that sweet spot for me and made me go "huh, I get it." Each scape has an objective. None of those are explicit, but waiting, experimenting, and reading achievements will guide you enough. (Kudos for using achievements as a sort of guide — I think it's a very fun idea, underexplored by experimental games.) [b]Tlon[/b] Tired of all that digital chatter surrounding you? You can always turn in off. The catch it, you'll find yourself in perfect silence — and there'll be only one thing left to do. [b]Forest[/b] The weakest one, I think. The idea is to plant a tree and experience nature taking hold, growing exponentially and drowning you, th…

Impressive use of sound design and high-definition visuals, the spaces are uniquely immersive. Tlön was my favourite episode. Plus, best main menu ever

Overseas is an experience. Each of the games that are part of it have their own ambiance and feel. Honestly, the devs could expand on this model into a whole world of worlds that you navigate through. For the brief moment that Overseas is, it was enjoyable. A certain rain achievement evaded me until I stumbled across it and was very pleased. I look forward to if/when the devs make this into a VR adventure, because that would be wicked cool.

Collection of 4 short artgames where you, uhh.. experience art. Pretty cool.

I played this game with friends, and I think overall, none of us were particularly enthralled by it. I appreciate that it's an art game, and thus it must be judged on what it is rather than what it's not, even then, I find it hard to recommend it to anyone. Out of the four games on offer, I only enjoyed one (the shamanistic one, that was cool!), the others just made me too unnerved to really decode any meaning from them. Maybe that's the point, I don't know. If this game were a dollar, I would be more willing to recommend it, but as it stands now, it's almost $5 AUD, which for a game that has less than an hour's worth of content is a bit steep. That being said, bringing something new to the table is always commendable, so if you happen to see this game when it's cheaper at Christmas or something, then maybe go for it, otherwise, nah. 3/10.

Cool WS