The Wake: Mourning Father, Mourning Mother

I've thought really hard about whether I can recommend the game, and unfortunately the answer is no, which is heart-breaking in a way. The story is very moving and personal, and I wanted to keep reading. The music lends well to the atmosphere of the game and is a lovely addition to the emotions from the story. I like the simple design of the game, and I don't mind the way that the words wrap because it lends to the belief that you're working with a cypher box. However I just didn't get the cyphers from chapter 3 onwards. I don't think I'm particularly stupid, but they puzzles were all too complicated for me. I decided to check the other reviews before leaving mine in case it became clear that I am just not built for deciphering things (although I don't often have problems in other game/puzzle books) and seeing that others have had issues has reassured me a bit. Because I couldn't work them out for myself I ended up using a guide, and the game was reduced to a very simple visual novel. That's the reason I can't recommend this game, because once you take out the puzzle element it is just reading a story, and as great as the story is, it leaves the game short.

a very well written telling of the authors experience during their grandfathers wake, worth it alone for that, most of the ciphers are fairly simple being things like ceaser cyphers, but some will still give you a challenge if you are unfamiliar with cyphers, the only thing i disliked was the execution of the game aspects really and it's mostly minor things like the sound of the letters fliping into place being a constant repeating noise which i found irritating and the presentation being very nice looking but not being very intuitive.

ngl if u struggled to read this u probably have a learning disability

interesting short game that wants you to solve its ciphers to truly unlock the whole story. each chapter has its own version of a cipher, and the game does well with its variations. for the full effect i recommend finishing to read a chapter before attempting to solve the ciphered pages! the story itself is very personal thus i'll refrain from commenting on that. the way the letters are presented are a little meh to me personally, and i got a headache from looking at it. turning on subtitles and reading those helped however! anyway, this game is difficult to recommend tbh. due to the private nature of the story, i felt somewhat of a voyeur reading through a journal i wasn't meant to read. the gameplay itself was almost more like a visual novel and while the ciphers added a neat element, i didn't feel particularly challenged. i'd say im very neutral towards this game.

The game feels like a chore to get through. Turning on subtitles to bypass the text animation only alleviates this slightly. The puzzles aren't particularly interesting or fun. It is nothing like the developers other games categorized together in the "guilt trilogy," which is part of why I feel let down by it, but I would not find it intriguing or enjoyable lacking that context either. The story and music are fine, but the packaging is all wrong.

The gameplay mechanic and interface is interesting but the puzzle and hints are too confusing at times. Thankfully the story made me intrigued until the end, and the short length feels just right for me.