(http://snakes.hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/title.png)
UPDATE!: This is version 2.01 - an entirely new experience + fixed bugs from ver. 2.0!!!
for the newest info and answers to your questions - go to the snakes site: http://snakes.hardydev.com
OVERVIEW:
Snakes of Avalon is a dark comedy point & click adventure game about alcoholic incapacitation and people obsessed with murdering their other half. It mixes the style and atmosphere of Hitchcock suspense films with a surreal game world inspired by your favorite trippy movies.
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/snakes.menu_.png)
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/snakes.interior3.png)
HISTORY:
Originally an "one month, one room" MAGS competition entry, Snakes of Avalon nearly beat down Eternally Us in popular vote, as well as won considerable media acclaim.
http://www.slightly-deranged.com/?page_id=1389
http://www.slowdown.vg/2010/05/16/mags-april-part-iii/
But this was then, and things got even better. Our new, fuller version enhances the game with more content, better interactivity, further developed characters and story themes, as well as an original soundtrack by Thomas Regin (Blackwell Convergence).
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/snakes.screen4.png)
Features:
- an unique, never-before told tale of murder and deceit in 4 exciting acts
- countless hallucinations
- several brutal killings
- ugly toddlers
- a tragic story of love between a man and a fish
- constantly changing environment filled with dirt, booze, piss, and disgusting bugs
- time-travel
- scratchy, but classy Jazz recordings
- cannibalism?
- and much more
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/snakes.screen5.png)
You can download the full game using the...
DOWNLOAD LINK!!! (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1357)
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/snakes.teaser.png) (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1357)
CONTROLS
left click - walk/look at/choose inventory item/use inventory item
right click - look at
Esc/F5 - Menu
FULL CREDITS:
Designed and Written by: Ascovel and Baron
Music: Thomas Regin
dialogs: Ascovel
sprites & animations: Baron
background art & additional graphics: Ascovel
Dirty Beer Mug: Baron
scripting: Ascovel
beta-testing: qptain Nemo
beta-testing: ddq
Yes, it is true. I've come out of unofficial retirement to collaborate on a game :o. Ascovel's idea of creating an adventure from the perspective of a drunkard who has a hard time discerning reality from hallucination, and past from present was too compelling for me to pass up. Can you foil the murderous plotters without compromising your dignity (too much, anyway....)? Can you count all 500 sprites that I drew for this project? Can you honestly look yourself in the mirror in the morning without thinking God, what was I playing last night?
What are you waiting for? Download now!
This game is funny, surreal, and just plain bitchin'. Nice and whimsical, none of that lovey-dovey relationship crap, except for the whole love-triangle murder scheme. In which case, it's more crazy-wazy relationship crap. PLAY THIS GAME AND I'LL STOP TALKING.
A very good game, so funny and I really liked the story and how it played out. The puzzles were enjoyable and all rather straight forward - once you get used to the game's logic. Top notch humor too! Oh, and the walking animation of Jack was great!
You did a fine job there, Ascovel & Baron! :)
Very surreal. I like the fish a lot. And the moose. I was sad when their parts in the game ended.
Good work, Ascovel & Baron. 8)
Just finished it. Can't wait for Frantic Franko!
Thanks for the kind words, guys. I'm glad you did enjoy Snakes so much.
I think we had really great results staying spontaneous and trying to top ourselves all the way through the development. Baron's work on animations kept blowing my mind while we were progressing - I never expected a MAGS title could be this animated. There was no limit to what kind of surreal hallucination scenes he was able to do.
For the first time when I was stuck for some time after that lifted pool, I thought what the hell ::)
BUT when I realized what to do next - to go down to a couple ;D
then I managed to beat it
and
my
verdict is Excellent
Unbelievable what you guys have done with ONLY one room. This sure be "A MUST PLAY"
so funny, so pretty and the very original plot you made
You made tough job for the players to choose who to vote for :) :)
Thank you :D
I really enjoyed it!
Great dialogues, great setting and great puzzles and characters. The Fish rules! So does the Moose!
Thanks for this genuinely funny and innovative game that made my afternoon, it really did!!!:) :) :)
QuoteSnakes of Avalon (FREE BEER inside!!!)
Ah, that explains all the sudden interest!
I am glad people are beginning to appreciate this game. Ascovel & I kept trying to one-up each other effort wise, resulting in a better game than either of us had anticipated in the beginning (in my opinion). Alas, this month's MAGS competition has some of the stiffest competition I've ever seen, so do spread the word that Snakes is worthy of consideration.
ough! what on earth was I playing yesterday
It's one of the most random games ever! Really great though!!
I really enjoyed the dialogs. And it had some very nice surprises!
Version 1.138 Released!
Updates:
- decided to bring in the overhotspot text for clarity
- we're proud to present: the flying piss animation
Quote from: Dualnames on Thu 06/05/2010 10:12:35
And it had some very nice surprises!
- and more nice surprises!
Oh man, it really sucks that I am reading about the new release now, after just playing it today...
Ok, my thoughts:
I really enjoyed the game, it's my kind of games, funny, quirky and with a talking fish, what more could you ask?
The sprites and animations were really nice, the background was a little off-putting at first. I got used to it after a while, but it wasn't at the same level of the characters...
I liked all the cut scenes, really gave the game depth. The puzzles were just about right, and the story was nice too.
I missed the hotspot label, but looks like you already fixed it, and some default comments for interactions could be replaced with something more meaningful...
Some glitches with the z-ordering but forgivable considerable it's a MAGS game.
Overall great job!
Thanks, tzachs!
Quote from: tzachs on Fri 07/05/2010 19:18:36
the background was a little off-putting at first. I got used to it after a while, but it wasn't at the same level of the characters...
That's because Baron was doing the animations, and it was me doing the background
sss. But at least I managed to make the bar look properly filthy and rotten. Once I get a tablet my photoshop drawings should get more pleasant.
Quote from: tzachs on Fri 07/05/2010 19:18:36
Some glitches with the z-ordering but forgivable considerable it's a MAGS game.
Anything particularly annoying you'd wish me to correct?
Well, basically the hero can walk on some of the objects/characters.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1518/examplehf.png (http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1518/examplehf.png)
Also, for something more specific, when the fish burns, you can see the fire when you're in the top part of the room, but not the fish, which was weird (but hey, it's weird game, so maybe it's intentional ;)).
Quote from: tzachs on Fri 07/05/2010 20:35:24
Well, basically the hero can walk on some of the objects/characters.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1518/examplehf.png (http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1518/examplehf.png)
Also, for something more specific, when the fish burns, you can see the fire when you're in the top part of the room, but not the fish, which was weird (but hey, it's weird game, so maybe it's intentional ;)).
Yeah, I didn't have the patience to perfect all of the walkbehinds. Very tedious part of the development. And those chairs were the main challenge. Probably I should sit down and do it properly.
The first sign of fire was intentional, just to signal what Jack is seeing from the distance before he gets to closer to the pipe. But from this perspective it does indeed look a bit weird, so I don't know - maybe I should remove it.
Dunno what you were smoking, but I want this stuff to :o (even if I don't smoke). ;D
Also I played the game and I like it. It is kinda sick. ;) and about everything happens SUDDENLY.
Well done! :=
PS. Weren't you thinking 'bout selling offering the soundtrack as separate product?
Quote from: yarooze on Sat 08/05/2010 20:02:50
Dunno what you were smoking, but I want this stuff to :o
Funny, a lot of people are asking me for the name of the substance.
Quote from: yarooze on Sat 08/05/2010 20:02:50
PS. Weren't you thinking 'bout selling offering the soundtrack as separate product?
Not a bad idea, who knows what will happen in the future...
I really wish we had some Jack-holding-the-fish figurines like Tzuko (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=35070.msg501210#msg501210) from Necroquest or The Dung Shoveler (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=36196.msg508210#msg508210) from Besieged.
Quote from: tzachs on Fri 07/05/2010 19:18:36
The sprites and animations were really nice
Quote from: Wesray on Tue 04/05/2010 12:47:30
Oh, and the walking animation of Jack was great!
Thanks guys! I'm happy that everyone is enjoying the plot and gameplay, but the animation was my baby on this one so I wanted to say a special thank you for the kind comments about that.
I am also especially pleased that players seem to be having a lot of fun at this game, while also getting thrown by its random trippiness, and yet also come to appreciate the serious message that is embedded within it. This kind of hazy layering was kind of what we were striving for. Ascovel and I debated how people would think of Jack in the end: to you, is he merely a comic figure? a pathetic figure? A tragic one? A hero? A victim, or a villain? I'm interested in hearing how players perceived him in the end -did we get it right? Let us know!
Or, you know, just leave us in the dark but vote for the game anyway. Whatever floats your boat.
Quote from: Baron on Wed 12/05/2010 03:01:53
I'm happy that everyone is enjoying the plot and gameplay, but the animation was my baby on this one so I wanted to say a special thank you for the kind comments about that.
You shouldn't make it sound like you weren't involved in the creation of gameplay and plot. A baby is not your baby any less just because you have to share credit for it. :)
Quote from: Dualnames on Thu 06/05/2010 10:12:35
It's one of the most random games ever!
It's interesting for me to read how many people consider the events in the game "random". I mean, we tried hard to make everything appear this way, but I'm still surprised people don't tell me things like "I can see why this needed to happen that way in this particular moment" and similar. Because in reality everything that is connected to the murder plot happens the way it happens out of necessity - to realize to the fullest way possible the main ideas we had for the whole tale and its finale. Of course we could have made a shorter, less developed version, but what for? ;)
Spoiler
For example, the consciences were introduced after Baron's suggestion that they would help us greatly with showing Jack's internal struggles. However, if they were presented exactly how the player expects from other stories, and didn't have a larger (and stranger) role besides slightly teasing the player, they would have been rather anticlimactic, so...
No, really! I would break the game into 4 acts - each one having a specific function to fulfill in the whole story.
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 09/05/2010 14:46:51
Quote from: yarooze on Sat 08/05/2010 20:02:50
PS. Weren't you thinking 'bout selling offering the soundtrack as separate product?
Not a bad idea, who knows what will happen in the future...
I really wish we had some Jack-holding-the-fish figurines like Tzuko (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=35070.msg501210#msg501210) from Necroquest or The Dung Shoveler (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=36196.msg508210#msg508210) from Besieged.
Unfortunately I have no possibility to sculpt the models now. My tools are far away from me... (I'm working in another city and my tools are stored somewhere at home) :'(
But I think, I'm not the only one who sculpts figures here. The game is brilliant and it deserves some merchandising... 8)
Good work, guys! (http://i40.tinypic.com/2i0rn6f.gif)
I tried to hid the fact that I'm a self important jerk and think of me testing this game as of a really big deal by not posting in this tread... but I think somebody blew my cover.
So anyway.
When I stopped fooling Ascovel and really played the game I found it to be real fun. So should you. Dopey humour and outright adventure gamey self-mockage are present, so what's not to like, eh?
Well, maybe except the toilet guy. He's real jerk. I'm nominating him for the best NPC in AGS award this year.
Quote from: yarooze on Thu 13/05/2010 18:24:46
Unfortunately I have no possibility to sculpt the models now. My tools are far away from me... (I'm working in another city and my tools are stored somewhere at home) :'(
But I think, I'm not the only one who sculpts figures here. The game is brilliant and it deserves some merchandising... 8)
Too bad - your models are excellent. Maybe at least you're finding some time to progress with the second part of NecroQuest, eh?
Quote from: qptain Nemo on Fri 14/05/2010 16:07:22
Well, maybe except the toilet guy. He's real jerk. I'm nominating him for the best NPC in AGS award this year.
I wonder what would people say if I revealed the toilet guy's identity... :=
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 16/05/2010 16:06:58
I wonder what would people say if I revealed the toilet guy's identity... :=
Save something for the sequel ;)
Just thought of an idea: you can make a spin-off, make the toilet guy the hero, with the whole game taking place in the toilet at the same time of the "Snake of Avalon" events, to explain a bit better what that guy did there all that time...
Quote from: tzachs on Sun 16/05/2010 23:20:35
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 16/05/2010 16:06:58
I wonder what would people say if I revealed the toilet guy's identity... :=
Save something for the sequel ;)
Just thought of an idea: you can make a spin-off, make the toilet guy the hero, with the whole game taking place in the toilet at the same time of the "Snake of Avalon" events, to explain a bit better what that guy did there all that time...
That WOULD be awesome!!
I really liked this game, was pretty hard to understand at times, but i guess it was on purpose, to act like a drunk
Quote from: tzachs on Sun 16/05/2010 23:20:35
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 16/05/2010 16:06:58
I wonder what would people say if I revealed the toilet guy's identity... :=
Save something for the sequel ;)
Just thought of an idea: you can make a spin-off, make the toilet guy the hero, with the whole game taking place in the toilet at the same time of the "Snake of Avalon" events, to explain a bit better what that guy did there all that time...
Hmm... Baths of Avalon.. really cool idea, tzachs!
Though I would worry that having a separate plot inside (pretty much) the same location and going on at the same time would be
distractive distracting. Like, while playing Snakes, you would not focus on Jack's problems, but want to be able to switch between the two games in real time - checking what the other character is doing at the moment.
Anyway, those ideas are for the more distant future, and for now I can say the Snakes haven't hissed their last hiss yet, and there is a reason why the game hasn't appeared in the database so far...
Ha! Now I can get more mileage out of my dung-shoveler poop animation!
On a more serious note....
Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 17/05/2010 18:55:20
also, sorry, but THe winner IS Actually not eternalJy us, but instead the prize gOes to snaKEs of Avalon.
This is because someone pointed me out to check my spam folder (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=40476.msg538829#msg538829). Congrats Ascovel and Baron!!! :D
Ben and Calin don't reply with a pm. Ascovel and Baron I've sent you a pm.
Wha-?? ?? ?! :o
Anyway, it would have been nice. Thanks to everybody who did vote -we almost made it (legitimately, that is). It is true that we are planning just a few upgrades before releasing the final -FINAL!- version. So stay tuned.
Just had a beer and finally played the game, haha.
A very satisfying experience, although halfway through I got the feeling I might as well be watching a short movie instead - actually, the game plays a lot like it was based on a movie script - certain things have to happen in a certain order to get you deeper into the next stage of hallucination (or reality, up to you to discern those); also the animated cutscenes (Great work on those, and on all the animations, Baron!)
I enjoyed the setting, particulary because it allowed for fantastic things without being fantasy - the obsession with insects felt pretty kafkaesque to me, which is - in my opinion - basically the only way to portray surreal things without trashing realitiy at the same time.
I would have liked some more interactive dialogue, though. I obsess about this sometimes, but I guess that's also one of the reasons why I felt like watching a movie at some point (The puzzles were very nice, I didn't have any problems even with my inferior puzzle-solving skills, haha). I think you really used the on room concept in a very smart way, sticking to the traditional definition of "room" in an adventure game, yet expanding the room through the mind of a not very reliable main person.
Thanks for the very nice comment, kaputtnik!
Quote from: kaputtnik on Thu 20/05/2010 19:12:27
I enjoyed the setting, particulary because it allowed for fantastic things without being fantasy - the obsession with insects felt pretty kafkaesque to me, which is - in my opinion - basically the only way to portray surreal things without trashing reality at the same time.
Yes, it's certainly no coincidence. I have a great fondness for both Kafka and certain movie scenes which make terrific use of the buggers.
And now a little announcement...
The download is taken down for now, because we're going to work some more on the game.
We're going to revamp Snakes in several important aspects. It will be all enhancements, so people who played the MAGS version shouldn't worry that we will take out any elements that they already liked and exchange them for flashier or completely-different versions. However, some of those additions will be definitely things you shouldn't miss, and the game should provide considerably deeper experience as the result of having them.
And in the meantime read and vote for your favorite trippy Broken Telephone Chain Stories:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=41001.0
Wow, now that's interesting! When will you release the updated version?
Glad to hear you're interested.
The date is not definite yet - we will settle it sometime mid June. However, before that I should reveal more info about what the enhancements will entail.
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 30/05/2010 20:42:22
However, before that I should reveal more info about what the enhancements will entail.
So
what will they entail? ;D
All in due time. :)
Hi..strange-there is no topic in Hints..
Is it all so clever and just played Game without any help?
As for me i cant move on after pool..Any WT?
I came near Lady and man talking -i see head of animal -thats all//
Is it the end of Game?
It's just the beginning of the game.
But I also don't understand why no one started a topic in Hints.
What you have to do is...
Spoiler
Sit at the table near the pipe. This will allow you to listen to what the couple is talking about.
Apparently no one got stuck yet..
And yes, there is a walkthrough (http://gamesolutions.efzeven.nl/snakes-of-avalon-walkthrough-alex-van-der-wijst-igor-hardy2010/). :)
Quote from: Leon on Mon 31/05/2010 16:59:50
Apparently no one got stuck yet..
I did, lots. Dunno why.
I thought this game was brilliant! Can't wait for the polished version :)
Thanks, Mark. :)
And yes, quite a few people got stuck at different points in the game, but they asked for hints through email, skype and twitter, or in the April MAGS thread.
Quote from: markbilly on Mon 31/05/2010 21:31:46
I thought this game was brilliant! Can't wait for the polished version :)
btw besides the polished version, there will be also a Polish version some time later
Not that anyone reading this thread would need one. :)
I was going to make that joke in my reply but thought against it! ;)
An all new trailer! http://www.vimeo.com/12800581
Though it uses the old version footage, there is a couple of surprises inside...
...most notably the new, original music composed by Mr ***** ******
(watch the trailer, and go to the address given at the end to find out by who ;P )
Hey the download link page is 404 inactive....
Looks good, watched the trailer. Keen for download when its fixed ;D
Nice trailer, and Woohooooo for the music guy!! Still wondering how you got him ;)
Quote from: Big GC on Sun 27/06/2010 08:21:38
Hey the download link page is 404 inactive....
Looks good, watched the trailer. Keen for download when its fixed ;D
I took the download down for a short while because we're preparing an enhanced version, which will be actually also the final/complete version.
The release is planned for the 15th of July. Meanwhile you can follow all updates here: snakes.hardydev.com
Quote from: Dualnames on Sun 27/06/2010 13:00:21
Nice trailer, and Woohooooo for the music guy!! Still wondering how you got him ;)
There's actually no great mystery behind it, but for the sake of mystery, I'll pretend there is one. Does this make any sense? ;)
Enjoyed the game overall. The sprite graphics were excellent, very cartoony - great music - the whole thing was pretty surreal, which I liked, some good (and quite unusual) puzzles - it felt less restrictive than a lot of one-room games as the characters kept changing, good animation, made me laugh quite a few times, hare-brained but interesting plot (the hare-brained bit is also a plus point, btw!)
What I wasn't so keen on - I'm really not a fan of bad language or gross-out humour, so you can guess what parts I wasn't thrilled with!! :P, and to me the impressionistic background graphics didn't really fit in with the quite detailed sprites.
Possible bugs? - One of the characters didn't show up as a clickable (might have been deliberate - the guy snoozing on the table at the left of the screen), when I tried to throw the honey at the hole in the pipe with steam coming out it just made me walk to a spot - interaction wasn't recognised at all?. Guy never comes out of the toilet!!! (Okay, that's probably not a bug...)
The only other thing I thought was that it might be nice to have an inventory item to start with - I spent ages trying to work out how to access my inventory and only realised that it stayed static on the bottom of the screen after I'd actually picked something up. Maybe it's just me being dense though... ::)
Interesting idea and amusing development of the murder plot.
Please release this tomorrow. I don't play many AGS games but I'm actually interested in playing this one!
I'm really happy to hear there's interest in the game, but I need to confirm that Snakes is going to be delayed a bit. Life in Avalon is full of unexpected events unfortunately.
Anyway, the release will happen during the early days of August. Hopefully, we haven't ruined anyone's July with this.
EDIT(09.08): Had some hardware problems, but now it should be just 1 more week before we release the bastard! And the game is already great!
The final, improved version of Snakes is really close to release despite hitting all sorts of unexpected bumps along the way. Stay tuned.
Another bump... To happily announce I'm finally done with implementing all the new content. We just need this weekend or so to polish the new dialogs and a few rough edges.
Quote from: Ascovel on Fri 03/09/2010 17:50:09
Another bump... To happily announce I'm finally done with implementing all the new content. We just need this weekend or so to polish the new dialogs and a few rough edges.
Glad to hear it's nearly ready! ;D
I can vouch for the fact that Ascovel has put a LOT of effort into polishing this game, adding new scenes and puzzles, menus and WTF moments. From a moderately long MAGS game this project has evolved into a full-fledged (and fully original soundtracked) medium length adventure game. I've seen the latest builds and I am amazed how far along it has come -fans of the original MAGS game will be equally impressed, and new players will be blown away by the hallucinogenic surrealism. Good work, Ascovel!
Yeah, I helped a bit. A couple dozen extra animations, and a few plot suggestions. But Ascovel was the real work-horse behind this gem.
Baron
We're testing the "gem" like mad right now, so stay put, people!
And thanks very much, Baron! Part of the reason I wanted to do this "special edition" was for the rest of the game to measure up to your original animations and character design.
I heard a rumour that this game is being re-released tomorrow in it's final version of awesome amazingness. Who's ready for Friday night at the bar, baby?!?
See you out there.
And it's away... I mean released.
I'm too ruined by the crunch time to write anything enticing, so hopefully this beautiful shot of the main menu screen will suffice:
(http://hardydev.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/snakes.menu_.png)
Can't wait to push those twisted buttons, eh? You can download our masterpiece (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1357) from the database, HERE (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1357)
My thanks to Baron, Thomas Regin, and everyone who took part in creating the game in some way!
More mirrors and goodies tomorrow.
MIRROR (http://www.vanwijst.com/games/april_MAGS/snakes-avalon.rar)
Nice upgrades to the intro, Ascovel! Many congrats on getting 'er done. Cheers!
Well done Ascovel!! Downloading now... though I'm deep into a uni assignment so will have to hold out until later tonight to check it out :'(
Again, congrats on the release!
HOORAY, DOWNLOADING!!! :D
Quote from: DualnamesNice trailer, and Woohooooo for the music guy!! Still wondering how you got him
LOL.. No hocus pocus there. Igor just happened to catch me at exactly the right time! :-)
Hope my music does the game justice.
Thomas
I absolutely love the game's theme song. Fits it perfectly. Downloading the finihes version.
Due to the Snakes of Avalon release we got interviewed by CaptainD's PC Gaming Blog: http://captaind-pc-gaming.blogspot.com/2010/09/captaind-interviews-esteemed-agsers.html
Also, if anyone here doesn't have a PC to play Snakes on, here's 2 minutes of footage from the very beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnFIJBBzB5E
I heartily second that even if you played the game, to do so again. It's like watching a movie. And a bloody good one.
Just letting you know I completed it last night and was extremely impressed. Such a unique treatment of narrative, I was completely drawn into Jack's world and the shifting nature that he put himself into. I particularly loved the moment when
Spoiler
he came to and the screen span around, back to front then upside down before correcting itself - really recreated that drunken feeling
The style of animation was great, I'm not very familiar with it but I do recognise it from places such as Radiohead's Paranoid Android video (sorry to be a bit ignorant on this) but it really fit perfectly with the story and the characters. Very unsettling, carries a sense of a stylised realism that I really loved. The characters themselves were really well done, dialogue was particularly impressive (though I would say, as much as I enjoy the references made, they broke the game world's illusion a little at times).
Well done Ascovel! And to Baron too, of course :D
Trippin'! :D
It was completely worth the replay, cool extra puzzles & backstory (I had to resort to the Hints and tips to work out the bulbs puzzle).
I was hoping for the fish to live, though I guess it was not meant to be. At least he got the respect he deserved now, though.
The music was equally brilliant..
Thanks very much guys!
Also, found a nice conversation about the game on MetaFilter that I really like how it points out Snakes' various key characteristics: http://www.metafilter.com/95848/Snakes-of-Avalon
Wow, that scene with Jack's subconcious is really awesome! ;D Reminds me of Psychonauts, especially Milla's secret room and the Milkman Conspiracy!
By the way, I didn't understand:
Spoiler
If Jack's father was murdered by his mother in Jack's childhood, why did Jack talk to him after Bob's dial?
Quote from: Cyrus on Tue 21/09/2010 14:06:36
Wow, that scene with Jack's subconcious is really awesome! ;D Reminds me of Psychonauts, especially Milla's secret room and the Milkman Conspiracy!
Thanks, I'm happy making the additional segment of the game paid off.
The Milkman Conspiracy level in Psychonauts was a brilliant concept and it has certainly impressed me.
If you are looking for more of these kind of subconscious focused (but more serious) adventure games I recommend Mental Repairs Inc (freeware), The Dark Eye and A Bad Day on The Midway.
Quote from: Cyrus on Tue 21/09/2010 14:06:36
By the way, I didn't understand:
Spoiler
If Jack's father was murdered by his mother in Jack's childhood, why did Jack talk to him after Bob's dial?
Spoiler
There are a couple possible interpretations, but I don't want to be too specific...
I'd just want to point out that:
- both the father and the husband are based on Jack's sprite.
- one of the people in the intro that Jack converses with looks like the husband, but his words suggest he has known Jack for a longer time
- right after the moose eats the fish, he refers to a tragedy caused by Jack's negligence (actually the event remembered in the nightmare) and also says that Jack spoke earlier on the phone to the sole survivor of that event
We got picked at IndieGames.com :D
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/09/freeware_game_pick_snakes_of_a.html
Glad to hear you finished this! :) I'm playing through slowly at the moment - loving the new title sequence and the whole 'Acts' thing you've got going on.
P.S. I will be interacting with EVERYTHING.
Quote from: markbilly on Thu 23/09/2010 16:21:09
Glad to hear you finished this! :) I'm playing through slowly at the moment - loving the new title sequence and the whole 'Acts' thing you've got going on.
P.S. I will be interacting with EVERYTHING.
On purpose I left a couple unexpected dead interactions just to annoy you. As well, as some non-custom "Get stuffed!" messages. ;)
Nevertheless, I hope you'll find the whole game reasonably interactive.
Hey guys!
I updated the game files to version 2.01 and I really recommend downloading it (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?category=101&action=download&game=1357) instead of the old one.
It fixes a rather messy bug with the bulbs in Act III - nothing game breaking but doing things in a certain order made visible objects that weren't supposed to be.
+ a few minor fixes
Whee! Finally I took some time off from my creative endeavors/duties and played the game :D One of the most - if not THE most - trippy game I ever played. I mean, seriously, Max Payne, eat your heart out :o I thought the personifications of good and bad conscience were the peak of insanity. Oh how wrong I was! ::)
The strange thing is, I could really relate to Jack's weird visions and distorted perception. They looked and functioned much like a dream does. False memories, confusion, objects appearing out of nowhere, darkness and obscurity - and most importantly, stimuli from the outside world (the conversation in the background) getting picked up by the subconscious and being immersed into the dream reality seamlessly. Oh and building the time machine! The way that one was done reminds me of how you can do things in lucid dreams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream). The mythological motif also struck a chord with me. And last but not least, the game with colors. Made me think of the good ol' Goblins 3.
Speaking of puzzles... They confused the hell out of me at first - probably more so because I started playing the game late into the night yesterday - but once I understood that logic is nothing more than a handful tool here and not the governing rule, it all got so much easier. Quite intuitive, really. I could even anticipate some solutions before I could make them work. I do wonder if there was any significance to the birds - other than what they replaced in the dream world. Same with the piano. Or the name of the doll. I thought it signified the piano keys - since both words are codewords for letters in military jargon.
I really REALLY liked the graphics. Made me think of old Polish cartoons. They weren't all cutesy and disneyish - but they had their STYLE. Especially the moose looked eerily familiar. And the blonde dude with the mullet looked kinda like an 80's version of Johnny Bravo ;) Another great thing about the graphics were the smoke clouds - or whatever they were - obscuring the view as you go to different parts of the room. A rather simple effect - and yet it emulated the smoky atmosphere so well and added to the trippy mood.
...and so did the music. One of the many things that made the old Mafia game so amazing was the music. Took you back in time. Same here. I froze and frowned when the tune ended and faded out one time.
All in all, a GREAT game! Loved it!
Having finally gotten around to playing this (got stuck for a little while on the
Spoiler
colored bulb sequence puzzle
, but eventually managed to figure it out), I can now try to answer a question you posed on the first page...
Quote from: Baron on Wed 12/05/2010 03:01:53
Ascovel and I debated how people would think of Jack in the end: to you, is he merely a comic figure? a pathetic figure? A tragic one? A hero? A victim, or a villain? I'm interested in hearing how players perceived him in the end -did we get it right? Let us know!
Hmm... I think my impression overall is that he's sort of a pathetic and tragic figure... but I think there may still be something (or several somethings) I'm missing. But a deeper analysis requires getting into some spoilers, so...
Spoiler
Okay, so, at first I thought at the end of the game that the whole murder plot was in Jack's imagination... but then there came the coda with everyone (except Jack) eating the salt and dying. Right after which it repeated the intro (which by then I'd forgotten) establishing that in fact there were bodies found at the bar... so apparently this part wasn't Jack's imagination. So it seems the salt was poisoned... which means the murder plot was real, but in attempting to save the husband's life Jack was inadvertently indirectly responsible for the deaths of Bob and a number of bar patrons instead. Though some of the fault here may have been Bob's, for convincing Jack that it wasn't real and that he wasn't really saving anyone; if not for that, Jack may have taken the threat of the poisoned salt more seriously and gotten rid of it before anyone ate it. (Then again, given that he's not exactly a pinnacle of responsibility, maybe not...) Hence the patheticness... not only can he not tell his delusions from reality, but when he actually does try to do the right thing it ends up going horribly wrong... as well as the tragedy.
As for his seeing the couple at the end as his own mother and father... I'm pretty sure that was just his hallucination again. The couple really were as he saw them at first. Even how he initially saw the husband didn't look like how the husband looked on the other end of the phone call, and was probably part of the hallucination... maybe he was at first seeing the husband as a younger version of his father, but didn't recognize him until he saw him as his father as he is now.
But, as I said, there still seemed to be something I'm missing... I thought I'd figured out how it all fit together, until I reread this thread, now that I'd finished the game and didn't have to worry about spoilers, and I saw this post (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=40799.msg554448#msg554448), which raised a good question... which you replied to (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=40799.msg554579#msg554579), but without fully clearing up the question it raised. So... I'm still not sure about the answer to that myself. What I now think may be the case... but I'm still not sure... is that it wasn't that the mother killed the father, but that the father killed the mother (which is, after all, what it looked like was going to happen in the first place). Sure, the figure behind the door said (s)he was Jack's mother, but obviously Jack's memories of the event aren't completely veridical, and certainly he'd be able to tell his parents' voices apart.
Still, even if that's true, it raises a couple of other questions. Why, in the vision, does the figure claim to be Jack's mother? And what is Jack's own culpability in this; why does the moose refer to his negligence? For the first question... ah, I had a tentative explanation, but I just thought of a much better one. In the case of the couple he's currently dealing with, the wife is plotting against the husband; therefore in his distorted recollection of his own family tragedy, Jack switches the genders to match them to this situation. (After all, he does in the hallucination in the end equate the couple to his own parents.) As for the second question... well, it could be that something Jack did enraged his father and precipitated his violence; the fault wouldn't really be Jack's, then, but as a child he could easily have seen it that way and exaggerated his own guilt. For what he did, the possibility most hinted at in his vision is that he perhaps (accidentally?) burned his father's "precious collection of fishing magazines"... he does remark afterward that that might be why his father is so angry; he doesn't say he's responsible for their burning, but it could fit with the moose's remark about his negligence. Though it might also have something to do with the birds? Actually, though, the fishing magazine thing could even fit in with why the fish appears as Jack's bad conscience... he associates the fish with his father, who would, given his crime, certainly be considered "bad"... yet Jack doesn't really want to acknowledge the crime and still feels for his father, which is why he's so reluctant to give the bad conscience up. (Why a moose for the good conscience, then? Well, maybe just because that was another trophy that happened to be handy (the fish started as a trophy on the wall, after all), so it made for a good match.)
So, anyway, I dunno; that's my take on what really happened and how all the pieces fit together, but I could easily be wrong.
Hm, one thing i'm still not sure of, though; one detail I haven't quite fit in yet: Jack asks Bob how he knew his father's number, and Bob says that's for Jack to figure out. Which seems to imply there's some significance to the fact that Bob knew Jack's father's number... but I'm not sure what the significance is. Unless... and here this is just a total wild guess, and by far the most speculative part of my interpretation (well, okay, it's all pretty darn speculative)... Bob knew Jack's father, and was in on the murder somehow, or at least helped Jack's father cover it up; this may even extend to Bob actively trying to keep Jack a useless drunk so he won't be in a position to try to bring his father to justice. In that case, Bob's death at the end might be a bit of poetic justice, though not so the deaths of the other bar patrons, I suppose...
Phew. Don't know how much of that, if any, is remotely close to what you had in mind, but that's the best I can make of it, anyway.
Oh, and Fitz...
Quote from: Fitz on Sun 26/09/2010 18:15:28Or the name of the doll. I thought it signified the piano keys - since both words are codewords for letters in military jargon.
Oh, I'm pretty sure the name of the doll does refer to
something (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=906)...
Fitz, Alun, great lengthy and most positive comments! Thanks very much!
I'm glad the game's layered storyline has struck a chord with so many players.
I'm very much tempted to start explaining everything in detail from the designer's point of view - the conclusions you've made are almost all closely connected to my and Baron's intentions. However, I'm afraid that for me to start to truly reveal things, the way they are, would ruin the spontaneous perception of the story, so I'll better be very careful of what I say.
One important aspect of the game's story is that, of course, we didn't want that all of its secrets neatly wrapped up for the player at the end like in an Agatha Christie mystery. Consequently, it's possible some small parts of the overall puzzle are missing from the game, others got twisted a bit. The intention was to suggest at least 3 different interpretations of what Jack experiences, and each one gives a deeper understanding of the events and characters, but at the same time none is supposed to be entirely satisfying on its own. Still, the player should decide which interpretation is the most convincing - there is something real underneath it all.
As for Bob dialing the father's phone number, it doesn't have to seem so strange once you start to wonder if we are really sure how did Jack obtain the scrap of paper in his inventory...
QuoteAs for Bob dialing the father's phone number, it doesn't have to seem so strange once you start to wonder if we are really sure how did obtain the scrap of paper in his inventory...
Hmmm... I haven't thought of that :o As you go, you kind of accept the insanity of it all and have to really focus to think straight again. And what comes to mind is: "There is no spoon..." Brilliant!
A quick round-up of new Snakes coverage, reviews and interviews:
- Snakes picked by PC Gamer (http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/09/28/septembers-best-free-games/) as one of September's best
- the 2nd interview with me and Baron, this time on Cultural Zest (http://www.culturalzest.com/2010/09/21/snakes-of-avalon-interview/)
- great review of the game at Wing Damage (http://www.wingdamage.com/review-snakes-of-avalon/)
In Polish:
- interview at Adventure Zone (http://www.adventure-zone.info/fusion/articles.php?article_id=1191)
- review at The Independent Gamer's Blog (http://nbg.net.pl/snakes-of-avalon-czyli-zbrodnia-alkohol-oraz-zimna-ryba)
- review at Przygodoskop (Adventurescope) (http://www.przygodoskop.pl/underground/67.htm)
More to come... That's what I hope at least.
Wow, that's a great coverage. For a game so short (don't be offended) the coverage is great.Quality over quantity. Well done Mr. Hardy.
Thanks, Dual.
Quote from: Dualnames on Sun 17/10/2010 16:23:27
For a game so short (don't be offended) the coverage is great.
But are you sure longer playing length is that often appreciated or wished for? From what I see in the media, the shorter and more focused on one clear theme a freeware adventure game is, the more chances it has for comments, positive coverage and being actually completed by a number of people. Think 15 minute games like Little Wheel.
To be honest when I recommend Snakes to players, I tell them it will take only 90 minutes to finish as an additional encouragement.
Quote from: Ascovel on Sun 17/10/2010 18:07:38
Thanks, Dual.
Quote from: Dualnames on Sun 17/10/2010 16:23:27
For a game so short (don't be offended) the coverage is great.
But longer playing length is that often appreciated or wished for? From what I see in the media, the shorter and more focused on one clear theme a freeware adventure game is, the more chances it has for comments, positive coverage and being actually completed by a number of people. Think 15 minute games like Little Wheel.
To be honest when I recommend Snakes to players, I tell them it will take only 90 minutes to finish.
Yep, it lasts around there. One hour to two.
New review! :D This time on Gnome's Lair: http://www.gnomeslair.com/2010/10/snakes-of-avalon.html
If anyone got a few nice words to spare about our game... Snakes got onto a collection of 10 indie games' "advertisements" (or "begging-for-supper songs") on Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Every nice comment in the comments under the article will make the game more desirable for those who haven't played it yet.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/11/04/the-indie-supper-singing-spectacular/
New review on CaptainD's PC Gaming blog: http://captaind-pc-gaming.blogspot.com/2010/11/snakes-of-avalon-review.html
Thanks, CaptainD!
Just beat this game the other day and gotta say I loved it. Very quirky and original. The talking beer mug cracked me up big-time. Whoever did the voice acting on that deserves big cred! Genius writing and performance. ;D
My only gripe would be that the art in many places felt rather slapped together and unfinished. Sadly, I feel publicity-wise that the game will suffer from this and receive less attention than it deserves because of it. I loved the titles though, the main menu with its design and music rocks my socks off!
Great job!
Thanks, theo! :D
As for the talking beer mug scene, it was all invented, written, animated and voiced by the one and only Baron!
EDIT:
And now someone has extracted the mug from within the game! Seems like it has a life all of its own:
http://animatedpng.net/apng/1166/talking-beer-mug
Hey, if anyone would consider voting for Snakes in this year's IndieDB's comp, we will be most grateful:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/snakes-of-avalon
Also, GameZebo seems to really like our game (http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/snakes-avalon/review).
I've voted.
Quote from: Cyrus on Sat 27/11/2010 15:39:22
I've voted.
I've also voted. :D Good luck Igor!! ;)
Thanks, guys! :D
Hey that's some awesome coverage you landed on gamezebo! Good job, man. 8)
I saw a hobo today at the central station i Gothenburg who looked just like Jack in every single way one could possibly wish. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Odd experience. I hope he had his fish/moose in order. ;D
You didn't take his contact details by any chance? We could use him for the FMV sequel. ;)
EDIT: btw Thanks for everyone who voted. In the end Snakes didn't get nominated on IndieDB though - no traditional adventure game did as a matter of fact (Amnesia and Adam's Venture might be considered to represent the genre in the contest)
Zombie Apocalypse approves Snakes of Avalon (http://blog.zombieapocalypsetoday.com/2010/12/02/drunken-delusions.aspx)!
I just played this game(I know, I'm slow) and I think it was awesome! Great atmosphere, fun characters(especially the fish and moose) and entertaining dialogues.
Thanks, zyndikate! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
For anyone who might be interested, the soundtrack release (which includes bonus and extended tracks) should appear here either tonight or tomorrow night.
And so here's our early/late Christmas present for you all! The Snakes of Avalon Holy Grail! The Soundtrack! (http://snakes.hardydev.com/?page_id=189)
Don't forget to donate at least 60$ for it - it will all go towards our alcoholic needs (which enhance our game-making skills).
(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7296/soundtracksmall.png) (http://snakes.hardydev.com/?page_id=189)
Includes such contemporary hits as Blood Blood Blood, Evil Fishes, Life Flashes by Before The Alcoholics Eye and The Salty Aftertaste of Revenge.
As well as the most controversial song of them all â€" Girls Are Bitches by Ashley Johnston.
It also includes extended and alternate tracks from the game.
Tell us what you think of it after listening.
looping the soundtrack at the office today:) Love it. An incredibly moody mix that really, really complements the dark freaky world of snakes!
Thanks, theo! I'm glad to hear you're listening through the whole soundtrack and that it manages to recreate the strange world of the game. While I am happy with how we combined and ordered the music, I was still a little bit worried that without visual reference the contrasts between the moods of specific tracks might come off as too extreme and disconnected.
GREAT!
Now the only thing I would like to have is the back cover for the jewel case, containing the track list. If you could offer this, I would print it and put the CD into my cd shelf, directly beneath the New Beginning Soundtrack. Deal?
Quote from: neon on Thu 23/12/2010 12:38:48
GREAT!
Now the only thing I would like to have is the back cover for the jewel case, containing the track list. If you could offer this, I would print it and put the CD into my cd shelf, directly beneath the New Beginning Soundtrack. Deal?
There is a track.list image included in the soundtrack archives (I'm attaching a miniature below). However, this was supposed to be on the back of the front cover and the back cover is an entirely different image (also included the archives). Does that make any sense?
(http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8296/soundtracklist.png)
I didn't see there are images in the package, thanks!
But that's not what I mean. I mean a back cover with the labels for the side of the jewel case, so you can still read it when the CD is standing in the shelf. But I can also copy the track list image into the NERO cover designer and fill in the labels by myself, so don't care about it.
Great soundtrack btw.
Glad you're enjoying it, neon. And it's really cool to know that someone's going through the trouble of printing these covers and actually putting them in a jewel case and on a soundtrack shelf.
On an unrelated note, I botched up getting the issue of PC Gamer UK that has Snakes on its cover disc (issue 221). Unfortunately it seems like the bookstore-chain I knew for having game press imports from US and UK no longer sells them. Anyway, since the 22th, there's already a new PC Gamer (with Technobabylon on it), so getting the older one will be a bit more difficult now.
I was wondering if anyone of you British people out there would be interested in selling their copy of 221 to me and sending it over via mail (I will pay for it and for the mailing expenses)?
An image of my heart's desire courtesy of LimpingFish:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QTXhsrj0HZE/TP6aPH0NR_I/AAAAAAAAAEA/0FjBnlkCrbo/s1600/9848484.png)
The last interview of the late Dualnames is US!
http://ags-ssh.blogspot.com/2010/12/dualnames-last-post.html
I remember a lot thought went into it, so it might be worth reading despite the lack of graphix!
Also, here 2 other interviews I'd like to remind of:
http://www.culturalzest.com/2010/09/21/snakes-of-avalon-interview/
http://captaind-pc-gaming.blogspot.com/2010/09/captaind-interviews-esteemed-agsers.html
Each one has completely unique content and info, so you should read them all if you want to win one of those Snakes of Avalon and Mad Hatter's Guild Productions quizes.
I'm kind of ashamed that I played the game just now. Sorry.
Wasn't what I expected, it was strange and it was intriguing. I liked the soundtrack as well. At first I thought the style was kind wierd but it grew on me. :)
My only remark might be that a bit too many ideas were crammed into the game of that lenght, but that can hardly be a big problem.
Thanks, anian! (+ Special Thanks in the game's credits :) )
Quote from: anian on Wed 05/01/2011 18:44:44
My only remark might be that a bit too many ideas were crammed into the game of that lenght, but that can hardly be a big problem.
I guess the player might miss some of that stuff if he hurries through the whole game. Still, making huge (or even medium) games is a lot of work, so I definitely prefer making shorter games, but full to the brim with ideas.
This is definitely one of my favourite AGS adventures, good work guys! I'm sure Snakes of Avalon will crop up in future "games as art" debates on the forums. The transition from one part of the room to the other is one of my favourite aspects of any game.
Because I like it so much I want to offer a bit of constructive criticism. I think the weakest aspect of the game was visual. Although the animations and particularly the cutscenes were quite dynamic, the overall look wasn't as coherent or bold as other aspects of the design. I could see the game really benefiting from a cut-out style like the land of the living in Grim Fandango, or some of thecatamites games.
I look forward to more like this!
Quote from: Ali on Mon 17/01/2011 16:56:14
This is definitely one of my favourite AGS adventures, good work guys! I'm sure Snakes of Avalon will crop up in future "games as art" debates on the forums. The transition from one part of the room to the other is one of my favourite aspects of any game.
Wow! Great compliments! Very much appreciated, Ali!
And it's quite funny how things can get interconnected around here... because without Nelly Cootalot there probably wouldn't be any Snakes of Avalon (my interest in AGS was very limited before I played Nelly) nor even hardydev.com (I had a NC review written and didn't know where to publish it), so in a sense you provoked it all yourself!
Quote from: Ali on Mon 17/01/2011 16:56:14
Because I like it so much I want to offer a bit of constructive criticism. I think the weakest aspect of the game was visual. Although the animations and particularly the cutscenes were quite dynamic, the overall look wasn't as coherent or bold as other aspects of the design. I could see the game really benefiting from a cut-out style like the land of the living in Grim Fandango, or some of thecatamites games.
I think Baron's sprites have a rather striking, powerful look and allowed us to have great animations, however, I wish my backdrops were bolder and had more sense of style. Unfortunately, I'm not much of an artist. I didn't even have a tablet to do the art, so it was a bit of a murder in 640x480.
Well, for the first version of the game I tried doing something more stylized and extreme (as seen in the trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MFvV6vdyQ8)), but I didn't know that well what I wanted to achieve and it ended up looking mostly just primitive and sloppy (which was part of the idea, but it has gone too far). So after MAGS ended I gave up stylization and kept adding and adding detail... Trying to make the bar look dirtier and more atmospheric at least.
Oh, and as you mentioned Grim Fandango's cut-outs... one of the concepts we were throwing around early on was to have the "unimportant" patrons that sit and stand around the bar to look like the humans from GF's land of the living - like they belonged to another reality beyond the parameters of Jack's drunken perception. Jack would even comment that they are strange, unreachable and like frozen in time. But there wasn't enough time or gameplay related reasons to go into that direction.
Hey guys,
Please vote on Snakes of Avalon (or The Journey Down, or Puzzle Bots) in the annual Jay is Games Best of The Year compo:
http://jayisgames.com/best-of/2010/indie/adventure-or-role-playing/
And if possible, vote every single day for the duration of the compo - that's one of the crazy rules they have there.
A cool metaphor-packed review appeared on qeek.ru (http://www.qeek.ru/1939-snakes-of-avalon-pyan-podzabornaya-ags-igry-1.html). Big thanks to Anatoly Shashkin of www.dosnostalgia.com for translating it to English:
Snakes of Avalon â€" A drunken bum adventure
What is it? “Snakes of Avalon†is a daring independent short adventure game made with the freeware “fits-all-adventures†AGS engine.
Who made it? For the most part Igor Hardy (a colorful representative of the indie-adventure scene from Poland, and a creator of a gaming blog “A Hardy Developer’s Journalâ€) and Alex van der Wijst (a jack of all trades, a man of many interests and professions, who currently lives in Canada)
The creative span of the project is truly impressive â€" it’s a ballad of a spiritual battle between a hardened drunk and the rest of the world, a small detective mystery that takes place in the static setting with its own (and a very personal) skeleton in the closet, a hallucinogenic trip diluted in situational comedy, a bloody thriller about relationships between fathers and sons, a parable about the inner demons that have read plenty of science fiction in their spare time and have gone nuts for time travel… And if Futurama’s Bender made stealing the coolest of all crimes in his time, then “Snakes of Avalon†can be recognized as an almanac of one’s soul redemption though a prism of intoxication, and one more way to do a reality check using just a glass of stale beer… The mechanics and the execution of the idea are quite simple â€" an adventure with a sloppy graphic style and no inventory overload + humor that’s not crude + memorable characters + non-stop jazz & soul.
That's disappointingly clear to read and understand. I prefer the Original Google Translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=rul=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qeek.ru%2F1939-snakes-of-avalon-pyan-podzabornaya-ags-igry-1.html) for its poetic weirdness.
So as usual I only get around to playing most AGS games when the AGS awards come around.
I'm glad I did, because this was pretty great. With the naivistic graphics and nonsensical puzzles and weird lurches in tone it shouldn't work, but somehow it does. I think that's mainly because the game knows so well what it wants to be, and is exactly that thing (whatever it is) - so you just kind of go with it. This is probably the most distinctive AGS game I've played since my favorite, Linus Bruckman (which it reminds me of in a couple of ways).
Compared to Frantic Franko, I felt like here I understood why things were so surreal, so it was easier to grasp the rules that apply. (Like in Franko, some of the dialog was a little clunky; with a bit of editing of the English translation it would read more naturally.)
It still took me a little while to get on the game's wavelength (about up to the start of the first act), but after that I really enjoyed it. I did get stuck on a few puzzles, but as strange as the actions involved were I always felt like the solutions made sense. Biggest problem for me was that I wasn't always clear on Jack's motivation or what I should be trying to achieve. That always frustrates me, but the game was small enough and the number of possible interactions limited enough that I was OK with just experimenting until something happened.
The storytelling with the unreliable narrator and hallucinatory conflation of past and present was one of the most compelling aspects for me. Childhood dream-flashbacks are always very interesting (though I think the nightmare style in this section was one of the less original parts of the game). Psychonauts absolutely came to mind. And, for me, a less positive association: Shutter Island.
I also like that you didn't clear everything up at the end of the game. The ambiguity and multiple possible interpretations makes it stay longer in our minds. Here are my thoughts:
Spoiler
I was thinking many of the same things Alun wrote, so I'll just add some alternative explanations to that.
When you're told there was only a single survivor of whatever you were responsible of, doesn't that mean you were the only survivor? If so, that would indicate that both your parents are dead. Of course, if Jack was anywhere near as young as he's shown in the dream when it happened, he can't really have been responsible in any meaningful sense. I guess the burnt paper might hint at Little Jack starting a fire, but I think it's more likely one of his parents killed the other and then themselves. Jack's conversation with his dad in the present must then be a hallucination.
My other thought is that Jack is truly crazy, and was not just imagining the murder plot, but subconsciously arranging the murders himself. That would be what the moose is talking about when it warns him he's starting to hurt people again. He placed the poison in the salt shaker, and he was probably involved somehow in his parent's or parents' death(s).
Anyway, I'm not too worried about piecing it all together. Holding the various interpretations in my mind is more fun. (I think a film like Mulholland Dr. suffers from losing most of its intrigue once you know how the pieces fit together.)
Oh, and finally: I love the integration of the main menu as an object in the game world. Very creative and cool!
Thanks very much, Snarky. For compliments and for detailed feedback.
I'll better not comment on the story any more than I already did in the past posts, but I have to say it's very interesting and rewarding to read players' interpretations.
I'm currently applying the last bits of polish to the Polish translation of the game and I need volunteers to have a look at it before it goes public. Anyone interested? PM me.
Well someone has to dredge this thread up, and it might as well be me. If you don't spend a lot of time on the Competition & Activity board you might have missed that Snakes of Avalon has won MAGGIES 2010 (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=43053.msg573678#msg573678)! Many thanks to everyone who voted for our game. For those of you who have sat on the sidelines waiting for this game to win some sort of official recognition before playing, this is your cue to download!
So all of a sudden, 6 months after its release, Snakes is the 3rd best rated game on Gamejolt :D : http://gamejolt.com/games/best/
Is this a good occasion to ask for more player votes both on Gamejolt and - more importantly - in the AGS database (13 votes vs. 5300 downloads)? Of course only if you didn't forget how amazing Snakes really is already ;) , but if you're going to be harsh, then so be it.
Anyway, next update should be finally about the release of the first translation.
Man I wish I could get this game to work.
Sadly I have no idea what stops Snakes from working on Win7. I'd love to hear some ideas about that.
Anyway, in the newest boring news, I'm migrating the Snakes FB page to a new one, because the old one turned dysfunctional. Please like us here, if you can/want:
http://www.facebook.com/Snakes.of.Avalon
In much more exciting news, if you visit that FB page linked above, there's actually a rather cool announcement/teaser of something earth-shattering coming in the near future.
Quote from: AGScovE3l on Mon 20/06/2011 17:30:31
Sadly I have no idea what stops Snakes from working on Win7. I'd love to hear some ideas about that.
Anyway, in the newest boring news, I'm migrating the Snakes FB page to a new one, because the old one turned dysfunctional. Please like us here, if you can/want: http://www.facebook.com/Snakes.of.Avalon
In much more exciting news, if you visit that FB page linked above, there's actually a rather cool announcement/teaser of something earth-shattering coming in the near future.
Ooh, nice! Be looking forward to this version. Anything else being changed?
Quote from: Sslaxx on Tue 21/06/2011 23:34:16
Ooh, nice! Be looking forward to this version. Anything else being changed?
Besides the various fixes I added since the initial release, nothing in particular. However, if everything goes right, the talkiness should enhance the experience quite a bit on its own.
When it goes for completely new stuff, Baron is working on
Curses & Castles (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=43099.0) and
Draculator II (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=43340.0) and I'm currently preparing for announcement a new and unrelated project of mine (should happen even before the talkie's release).
The talkie is a bit late, but I finished my own Polish translation (finally!). Here it is - a separate release, set to Polish by default:
http://www.przygodoskop.pl/snakes_of_avalon_pl.htm