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6 people found the following review helpful:
Heed the Disclaimer, December 1, 2013This game presents a muddled and incorrect theological perspective, that isn't particularly illuminating or enlightening. This leads to the only flaws in an otherwise well-written and engaging experience.
The shoddy theology makes it hard to recognize your choices as such, but the game makes great use of your choices, so it is frustrating that the developers limited understanding of Christian theology provides some inconsistent and illogical implementation. I recommend saving and using restore/undo as needed.
The actual mechanics of this game are fairly brilliant, and the writing is excellent. There are a few minor bugs (characters aware of events that haven't happened yet), but you can avoid them--and improve the overall experience--by restricting yourself to using "talk to character" instead of the more open-ended "ask".
Some of the puzzles are quite clever, and almost all of them involve multiple outcomes. Keep this in mind as you play; you are not restricted to the most obvious solutions. In this, the game does get closer to a proper Christian theology, although it still misunderstands the significance of this decision.
I enjoyed this game quite a bit and think it is well-done. Yes, there is some unsettling imagery, but I would rate it as "less disturbing than CSI".
- PrincessKitten, November 11, 2013
- grainne6, October 26, 2013
- Adam Myers, September 19, 2013
- wrathofthomas, July 31, 2013
- kala (Finland), May 15, 2013
- Danielle (The Wild West), April 18, 2013
4 of
5 people found the following review helpful:
Ewww. Catch 22., April 17, 2013
I'm starting to think games with a Christian component really aren't for me. I always end up feeling dissatisfied and conflicted, that ultimately, I'm somehow to blame for having an IF mindset or an ethical code. I understand that in Vespers' case, it was kind of unavoidable, but I'm still left feeling like I've been judged unfairly. Maybe I am just angry that none of the endings I found were really to my liking.
The best thing about the game was how the monastery and monks change over time. You really get a sense of how inexorable their fate is. However, implementation is uneven. I enjoyed the changing scenery but then would fetch up and be thrown out of the story when I asked someone about something and got an answer that didn't make sense considering what the PC knows or how he's interacted with the person. I also felt like some of the disgusting imagery could have been toned down, that it served little purpose but to be revolting. I'm aware the Plague is going on, but it was just so raw and unrelenting. Not to mention none of the characters are really likable.
This was one game I did not need hints for. That was nice. There are plenty of ways to die, and some timed puzzles, but if you cultivate a habit of saving games, it's not that much of a problem. It's not like you have to play really far back. They are just sections that take trial and error to get past. Somehow, this was not frustrating, since every time you die, you get clued in on what you did wrong. So the puzzles were satisfying and logical.
In the end, I don't feel very edified by this game's experience. I would not replay, even though there are other ways through it. (Spoiler - click to show)I got the middle path, but you can also be excessively evil or try to be the Christian your character is. My advice: Heed the disclaimer in the game menu. I made the mistake of thinking the gore wouldn't be so bad. It gets worse as the game progresses.
- dk101 (London, UK), March 2, 2013
- ptkw, March 1, 2013
- Stewjar (USA), January 29, 2013
- piehole, January 29, 2013
- verityvirtue (London), January 24, 2013
- platy, September 10, 2012
- iffotun, July 3, 2012
- Relle Veyér, March 2, 2012
- amciek (Opole), December 18, 2011
- felicitations, December 11, 2011
- katz (Altadena, California), November 22, 2011
- Marco Innocenti (Florence, Italy), November 17, 2011
- MonochromeMolly, November 8, 2011
- The Xenographer, November 2, 2011
- calindreams (Birmingham, England), July 6, 2011
- Nemansphere, July 3, 2011
- Cheerpants, June 9, 2011
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