The Blackwell Convergence

[buddha]

Well that was another great game in the series, Dave! Nice voicework and music, it sucked me right back in. My only real complaint is that I have to wait for the next chapter haha :'(

[Dualnames]

Sorry to quote an image..

http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/mayoco/project/media/conv_shot12.png

but this one looks greatly amazing!!!

[Ozzie]

I also liked the bonus material

There's bonus material? Yeah, it was also referred to in the commentary, but I couldn't find it. So, where is it? 

[thomasregin]

Well that was another great game in the series, Dave! Nice voicework and music, it sucked me right back in. My only real complaint is that I have to wait for the next chapter haha :'(

Hi Buddha,

Glad you enjoyed the game and the music!

Thomas.

[Dave Gilbert]

I also liked the bonus material

There's bonus material? Yeah, it was also referred to in the commentary, but I couldn't find it. So, where is it? 

Pay attention to the final credits.  More specifically, the "special oogle code"

[m0ds]

Basically, do something sexual with Dave Gilbert and he'll tell you about the special material.

Well done on the release, I'll probably play the game myself when I'm 40 and have some money

[Ozzie]

Ha, I saw that mention of the oogle code the first time around, but I thought that it was still part of the credits! Like the password is the name of a forum member here.

Anyway, thanks for another great game! Storywise it's the best so far, and we finally get to warm up to Rosangela a bit more. I kinda had hoped that the gameplay wouldn't have been so...slight, though. It feels like a backwards trend, taking elements away instead of adding anything to it. That was a bit disappointing.

It was unquestionably great entertainment though, even played it a second time to listen to the commentaries and look how things might turn out slightly differently.

[Andail]

Heya Dave, just played the demo and will probably buy the game soon, just to support a fellow game maker.

The game so far looks pretty polished, with a nice atmosphere and lots of efforts into music (great soundtrack by the way), gorgeous artwork, and professional-sounding voice acting.

I have to say the demo probably wasn't a 100% up my alley, probably because the game play was a bit too "chatty" for my taste (I've never been a fan of this constant hero-sidekick bickering/joking, but it's probably a part of contemporary american jargon). And also:

Spoiler

Since it was very obvious that the guy on the window ledge was the one in the obituary, the process of combining the notes just to reach this conclusion was a bit painful.

[close]

Then again, the option to switch characters and utilise Joey's ghostly abilities seems very promising.

[Ozzie]

Well, the demo is an old one, the graphics look different, are less detailed. I think except for the inventory GUI all graphics changed. I just started the demo again to examine the differences.
Maybe Dave Gilbert should make a demo of the final game? Because even gameplay-wise this work in progress demo is misleading. You can't combine clues in the final game anymore, so you won't feel any pain there.

[Dave Gilbert]

Andail's comments mirror the feelings of many others, which is why I removed that note combining interface in the first place.  The sense of "I figured this out, why isn't ROSA figuring it out too?!" really frustrated a lot of players, and they would often forget the note combining feature was even there.  After three games of using it, I realized it was not very intuitive.  Maybe it'll come back for the next game.

I really do need to update that demo.  It's on my to-do list.  I am so burnt out from getting this game done that I am taking a break this week.

[voh]

That. Was delicious!

I'm glad I shelled out the measly 10,68 EUR to play what I can only call another amazing game in the Blackwell series.

After four games, I still have the feeling that I just want more. MOAR!

There is, however, a tiny typo in the lighthouse geriatric's text, at some point a 'But' is simply 'ut'. But given that that's the only thing I can whine about, hey, good job!

[loontje]

Playing Blackwell Convergence was like reading a good book that you can't put down until you've finished it. Apparently other people share that opnion. I liked the references to the two previous games, they made sense and put everything in a context. Now it's on to the bonus material for me 

[Dave Gilbert]

Woo! Reviews!

Jay Is Games calls it "a rare treat" and that Rosangela Blackwell is a "heroine we can relate to."

Yesterday's Salad calls it a "joy to play" and "hard to put down."

There are other reviews, but they aren't in English.  Will post 'em when I get them translated!

-Dave

[SSH]

Also, thanks to the pound being the highest so far this year against the dollar, its cheaper for Brits than ever! 

[Vince Twelve]

You also had a review on IndieGames.com.

I finally finished the game over the weekend and started it again to have a run through with commentary.  Unlike other people who ran through it all in one sitting, I had plenty of trouble finding time when I could play, and so had to play through in five one-hour-ish sittings. 

I loved the story and how it brought together a lot of threads from the previous games and started some new ones to be followed up in the upcoming games.  Voice acting, as always, was first-class.  And the updated graphics were amazing!  ProgZ nailed those character graphics (naturally) and Big Brother's portraits were fantastic.  All around a solid game well worth my moneys!

Thanks!

[Snarky]

I just played Convergence. It's definitely a solid, well-built title. The graphics and the music and the voice acting is all very much up to par. The Blackwell series is starting to feel a bit same-y to me, though, and I think I'm losing interest in these characters and the mysteries that remain. Also, the game is really very, very easy, and that makes it feel even shorter than the first two installments. There's just not a whole lot of gameplay here, not a lot to do. I'm getting the impression that this game is being targeted towards a casual audience, or at least not at hardcore adventure gamers. And that's fine; Wadjet Eye has to appeal to the market that will support the title. It does make the game less appealing to players like me, though.

If there's one thing I appreciate about the Blackwell games, it's the way they seem really grounded in New York, drawing both on specific locations and neighborhoods and on the history of the city. Similarly, even many of the non-historical characters (such as Monique) seem like they're based on real people. Even if famous New York eccentrics or smalltime gallery openings aren't really among my personal interests, that stuff feels a lot more genuine and a lot more compelling to me than all the mystical mumbo-jumbo and by-the-numbers ghost-punchouts and soul-freeing.

But despite the game not being quite up my alley, congratulations on the release! I'm looking forward to Puzzle Bots, and will be interested to see what else Wadjet Eye Games has to offer in the future.

[Igor Hardy]

If there's one thing I appreciate about the Blackwell games, it's the way they seem really grounded in New York, drawing both on specific locations and neighborhoods and on the history of the city. Similarly, even many of the non-historical characters (such as Monique) seem like they're based on real people. Even if famous New York eccentrics or smalltime gallery openings aren't really among my personal interests, that stuff feels a lot more genuine and a lot more compelling to me than all the mystical mumbo-jumbo and by-the-numbers ghost-punchouts and soul-freeing.

This was my favorite aspect of the game as well. Although I did very much enjoy the whole package.

I didn't feel the puzzles were too easy, but there could be more of those that don't rely on searching things in the computer and asking things around.

[Dave Gilbert]

"A must have!" says Unigamecity

"Unforgettable!" cries Gamezebo

"Touching and smart!" exclaims Rock, Paper Shotgun

Even more reviews here.

It also has gone up on Big Fish and PlayFirst, so if you are a member of their respective game clubs you can get the game for cheaper.

[blueskirt]

Andail's comments mirror the feelings of many others, which is why I removed that note combining interface in the first place.  The sense of "I figured this out, why isn't ROSA figuring it out too?!" really frustrated a lot of players, and they would often forget the note combining feature was even there.  After three games of using it, I realized it was not very intuitive.  Maybe it'll come back for the next game.

Interesting, I didn't see it that way. I would understand if you decide to not use it again. If it doesn't come back, I hope you will come up with a new interesting mechanic to replace it, without the note combining aspect not much gameplay remains except Oogle and Joey your way through puzzles.

[Dave Gilbert]

"Joey your way through puzzles."  - hah!

I knew removing the notebook interface would be a controversial move, since it's almost a Blackwell/Wadjet staple at this point.  But, in the end it seemed more like a hinderence than a help.  While the critics touted it as being a cool, innovative thing, most of the players found it incredibly annoying.  Andail's experience above is a prime example of the feedback I got. 

So, in the end, I decided to remove it altogether for this one game.  It does remove some of the challenge, but I do believe it makes the overall experience much more pleasant.  I'll be working on reconciling the two camps for the next installment.