https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848231500

Gist:
For all you know, you play as one character in this unthinkable dystopian wasteland where crime is even more rife! Everyone seems to be in their own unlawful line of work looking out for number one… What is going on? Did that really just happen? Who is behind it all? These are but a few questions that may be unentertained~


Arguably its most ordinary element in an otherwise extraordinary entry. It is lodged somewhere in between a full-on walking simulator and a punchy yet slowly unfolding thriller. But with a plethora of spitting out and circling of dialogue, cruising on a scenic highway, hiking on a should-be closed off area while snapping some birds and… I guess that’s it. Not in the mood to sugarcoat it; a whole lot of “doing nothing” going on!

That said, I did appreciate its undying commitment to letting the rest of the work speak for itself. It’s one of those titles where gameplay gets thrown in the passenger seat in favor of the grippingly bleak setup and ruddily mysterious atmosphere taking the wheel. Consider this your friendly disclaimer- if you’re looking for a lotta action or puzzle solving, this ain’t it, so you better steer clear.

However, if you can welcome the fact that gameplay here is but a vehicle to drive the other aspects home AND you love tuning into your analytical, film-buff and video essay mode. Then this one-hour at most thriller, that’s including having shot for all the achievements and a second playthrough, will be worth it, hands down! Now stick them back up again~

7.5 / 10


I am ripped apart, left in the middle of two polarizing appeals that don’t necessarily agree with each other and yet they do. On the one hand, it assumes a very audacious and unapologetic approach, a staple in film but hardly ever done within games, that I know of at least. I’m referring to, of course, the out of order unfolding of events that may come across as mind-screwy and it doesn’t help clarify things.

On the other end, when you pair it with a Lynchian-Cronenbergian style of revolt plus dreaminess, that’s when all hell breaks loose. Both demand a ton of inferring to be done and no force-feeding of answers here. Interestingly enough, the game is literally a side-by-side and word-for-word demonstration of the in-game fascination, even obsession with the contents of the contraband tapes. Think about it, you’re given bits and pieces, not in chronological sequence and you’re left to rewind-wind them for yourself.

The plot is a splicing of previously underrated works that have since gotten their slice of the pie like Videodrome (1983) or Lost Highway (1997) and instantly revered ones such as Twin Peaks (1990). Their perturbing influences flow through three short stories, but really, it’s one interconnected storyline in a big mess of a world that despite having so much clarity, it’s still so disorderly. How? You’d better play to figure that out, unhelpful I know~

8.5 / 10


Now we’re truly getting in there, which is what I assume the creators of the tapes had in mind as well when they decided to illicitly distribute them. From a visual standpoint, it’s not about what you see than it is how you’re presented them that makes them pop. The ‘90s-pixelated look channels the old-school charm that just so happens to coincide with the decade of the films I brought up earlier!

Coupled with the fact that transitions between scenes are so sudden, it’s like your head is strapped tightly and you’re periodically shook as you’re viewing a series of shocking images. Which, by the way, don’t give you the luxury to process them until you decided to replay them or you recorded them beforehand. Then before you know it, your melon would have split wide open…

From long-abandoned sites that give you a glimpse of the unblemished nature, to equally less popular and trashy stops until finally a sense of overexposed normalcy on an unending stretch of mildly despairing highway. Its teasing nature and invitingness are so potent that your eyes, or is it lizard brain, will be glued to the screen. One can’t avoid from wondering if there will be a sequel- even if it would dampen the impact of Paratopic. Even if it would clear up all the mysteries purposefully left indeterminate…

9.5 / 10


It did occur to me that maybe the idea behind the game was more of an afterthought compared to the soundtrack itself. Because, really, I think it was an excuse to give us something to gawk at and play around with while the music does its mind-controlling and lulling thing! Even though the overarching motif for the tracks was to evoke an “undeniably unruly yet erratic” vibe in the guise of sci-fi droning but it still was able to convey a good and creepy time altogether.

Not to sound like a certain isolated character, but it does and wholeheartedly sound as if it was composed by someth- someone beyond this era and planetary body. And that you were constantly under watch to observe how you would react when played a particular song. Sound design-wise, you best believe it is rattling, with dialogue being made to seem as if they were just merely played back on a loop and with English words, albeit heavily distorted ones, even guttural but then again, they’re not? Every trait of this game, minus the gameplay, has a way of translating into uber eeriness that burrow into your flesh and they don’t come out easily~

10 / 10


Nothing all that notable to mention, except they played their respective parts well. There was that by-the-book customs officer whose hobby includes power tripping, the half-sane smuggler fixated on professionalism, the nosey neighbor addicted to the unknowable contents on the godforsaken tapes and a gas station attendant theorizing on the game’s fallout. A most fittingly run-of-the-mill cast, if there ever was one, existing only to serve the agenda, so on and so forth~

8 / 10
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848231988

Perhaps the scariest thing about it is how all of the aforementioned criteria gang up to produce this ravishingly exciting and off-putting world starved of straight explanations. All that remains are crumbs and little slivers of plausible truths that you can find and attempt to piece together, but good luck with that! If the protagonists don’t see any of it coming until it’s way too late, then what chance could you possibly stand?

Also, it may well leave you unfulfilled by the revelations (or lack thereof) moments before the credits start to roll. I don’t think it was ever meant to give an open-ended or definitive ending; it just is what it is. You shoulder the role of these characters, then experience stuff as they go down, happen to you, and that’s that. It’s a disappointingly sick and unfortunate place that you pray you’ll never run into again… but a teeny tiny part of you yearns for it~

9 / 10


x Son of a gun, I couldn’t see any!


~ No reason as to why it shouldn’t save your progress or employed checkpoints.


https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848237948

VERDICT: OVERALL
You’ll either worship or condemn this repugnant and ambiguous realm. With its artistic quirks, short attention span and plot “gaps”. I’ll give it the finger, by that, I mean a thumbs up~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #186[/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]"OH SHUTTERBUG UP!!”[/h1] https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848231500 [u]Gist:[/u] For all you know, you play as one character in this unthinkable dystopian wasteland where crime is even more rife! Everyone seems to be in their own unlawful line of work looking out for number one… What is going on? Did that really just happen? Who is behind it all? These are but a few questions that may be unentertained~ [h1]GAMEPLAY:[/h1] Arguably its most ordinary element in an otherwise extraordinary entry. It is lodged somewhere in between a full-on walking simulator and a punchy yet slowly unfolding thriller. But with a plethora of spitting out and circling of dialogue, cruising on a scenic highway, hiking on a should-be closed off area while snapping some birds and… I guess that’s it. Not in the mood to sugarcoat it; a whole lot of “doing nothing” going on! That said, I did appreciate its undying commitment to letting the rest of the work speak for itself. It’s one of those titles where gameplay gets thrown in the passenger seat in favor of the grippingly bleak setup and ruddily mysterious atmosphere taking the wheel. Consider this your friendly disclaimer- if you’re looking for a lotta action or puzzle solving, this ain’t it, so you better steer clear. However, if you can welcome the fact that gameplay here is but a vehicle to drive the other aspects home AND you love tuning into your analytical, film-buff and video essay mode. Then this one-hour at most thriller, that’s including having shot for all the achievements and a second playthrough, will be worth it, hands down! Now stick them back up again~ [b]7.5 / 10[/b] [h1]NARRATIVE:[/h1] I am ripped apart, left in the middle of two polarizing appeals that don’t necessarily agree with each other and yet they do. On the one hand, it assumes a very audacious and unapologetic approach, a staple in film but hardly ever done within games, that I know of at least. I’m referring to, of course, the out of order unfolding of events that may come across as mind-screwy and it doesn’t help clarify things. On the other end, when you pair it with a Lynchian-Cronenbergian style of revolt plus dreaminess, that’s when all hell breaks loose. Both demand a ton of inferring to be done and no force-feeding of answers here. Interestingly enough, the game is literally a side-by-side and word-for-word demonstration of the in-game fascination, even obsession with the contents of the contraband tapes. Think about it, you’re given bits and pieces, not in chronological sequence and you’re left to rewind-wind them for yourself. The plot is a splicing of previously underrated works that have since gotten their slice of the pie like [b]Videodrome (1983)[/b] or [b]Lost Highway (1997)[/b] and instantly revered ones such as[b] Twin Peaks (1990)[/b]. Their perturbing influences flow through three short stories, but really, it’s one interconnected storyline in a big mess of a world that despite having so much clarity, it’s still so disorderly. How? You’d better play to figure that out, unhelpful I know~ [b]8.5 / 10[/b] [h1]VISUALS:[/h1] Now we’re truly getting in there, which is what I assume the creators of the tapes had in mind as well when they decided to illicitly distribute them. From a visual standpoint, it’s not about what you see than it is how you’re presented them that makes them pop. The ‘90s-pixelated look channels the old-school charm that just so happens to coincide with the decade of the films I brought up earlier! Coupled with the fact that transitions between scenes are so sudden, it’s like your head is strapped tightly and you’re periodically shook as you’re viewing a series of shocking images. Which, by the way, don’t give you the luxury to process them until you decided to replay them or you recorded them beforehand. Then before you know it, your melon would have split wide open… From long-abandoned sites that give you a glimpse of the unblemished nature, to equally less popular and trashy stops until finally a sense of overexposed normalcy on an unending stretch of mildly despairing highway. Its teasing nature and invitingness are so potent that your eyes, or is it lizard brain, will be glued to the screen. One can’t avoid from wondering if there will be a sequel- even if it would dampen the impact of Paratopic. Even if it would clear up all the mysteries purposefully left indeterminate… [b]9.5 / 10[/b] [h1]TONE:[/h1] It did occur to me that maybe the idea behind the game was more of an afterthought compared to the soundtrack itself. Because, really, I think it was an excuse to give us something to gawk at and play around with while the music does its mind-controlling and lulling thing! Even though the overarching motif for the tracks was to evoke an “undeniably unruly yet erratic” vibe in the guise of sci-fi droning but it still was able to convey a good and creepy time altogether. Not to sound like a certain isolated character, but it does and wholeheartedly sound as if it was composed by someth- someone beyond this era and planetary body. And that you were constantly under watch to observe how you would react when played a particular song. Sound design-wise, you best believe it is rattling, with dialogue being made to seem as if they were just merely played back on a loop and with English words, albeit heavily distorted ones, even guttural but then again, they’re not? Every trait of this game, minus the gameplay, has a way of translating into uber eeriness that burrow into your flesh and they don’t come out easily~ [b]10 / 10[/b] [h1]CHARACTERS:[/h1] Nothing all that notable to mention, except they played their respective parts well. There was that by-the-book customs officer whose hobby includes power tripping, the half-sane smuggler fixated on professionalism, the nosey neighbor addicted to the unknowable contents on the godforsaken tapes and a gas station attendant theorizing on the game’s fallout. A most fittingly run-of-the-mill cast, if there ever was one, existing only to serve the agenda, so on and so forth~ [b]8 / 10[/b] https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848231988 [h1]HORROR:[/h1] Perhaps the scariest thing about it is how all of the aforementioned criteria gang up to produce this ravishingly exciting and off-putting world starved of straight explanations. All that remains are crumbs and little slivers of plausible truths that you can find and attempt to piece together, but good luck with that! If the protagonists don’t see any of it coming until it’s way too late, then what chance could you possibly stand? Also, it may well leave you unfulfilled by the revelations (or lack thereof) moments before the credits start to roll. I don’t think it was ever meant to give an open-ended or definitive ending; it just is what it is. You shoulder the role of these characters, then experience stuff as they go down, happen to you, and that’s that. It’s a disappointingly sick and unfortunate place that you pray you’ll never run into again… but a teeny tiny part of you yearns for it~ [b]9 / 10[/b] [h1]BUGS: GRADE S+[/h1] x Son of a gun, I couldn’t see any! [h1]NITPICKS[/h1] ~ No reason as to why it shouldn’t save your progress or employed checkpoints. [h1]"THERE’S ‘END’ & ‘WEIRD’ IN REWIND. JUST THOUGHT I’D SAY IT~”[/h1] https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2848237948 [b]VERDICT: OVERALL[/b] You’ll either worship or condemn this repugnant and ambiguous realm. With its artistic quirks, short attention span and plot “gaps”. I’ll give it the finger, by that, I mean a thumbs up~ [h1]8.75 / 10[/h1] [code][i]Watch out for that [url=https://gtm.you1.cn/groups/UnpluggedGiveaways]Unplugged![/url] They’re wonderfully strange! I’m Indebted to them for the platform and collab[/i][/code]