Lets Review: Metamorphosis - How do you solve a mystery when you've turned into a bug?
4I tremendously enjoyed Ovid Works' newest game 'Metamorphosis' which is a surreal puzzle game inspired by stories by Franz Kafka and not just because it features a person named Gregor Samsa who one day woke up turning into a bug.
You can get Franz Kafka's work here: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/class-materials/Franz_Kafka.pdf
And find out more about Ovid Works here: http://ovidworks.com/
Full Review:
Metamorphosis is a surreal puzzle game inspired by Franz Kafka's work. The game was produced by Ovid Works, an independent Polish video game studio based in Warsaw.
The plot is a bit of Kafka's Metamorphosis and a little bit of The Judgement, if you want to read up on those, by the way, Kafka's work is public commons and can be downloaded for free, you can find the link in the liner notes of this video.
Anyways, we wake up as Gregor Samsa but something is not quite right and we soon discover that we turned into a bug. On our way to our dear friend Josef, who might be able to help us, we find out that Josef is equally in a bind as some weird policemen try to arrest him without telling him anything about the charges.
Meanwhile, a weird organization called "Tower" promises us to turn us back into a human if only we help them with a few errands. But to get to Tower in the first place, we have to traverse through human living rooms and wondrous bug locations.
The gameplay is quite simple, as Gregor we walk, run and jump through different locations, have to overcome hurdles and sometimes can even use sticky substances to walk vertically along surfaces. We solve puzzles which are relatively easy once you figured out how they are structured. That might be a little of a bummer for anyone who wanted challenging experiences but to be honest, the game itself is such a delight that it shouldn't hinder you from enjoying it in all its glory. The only negative thing that I experienced was a mild motion sickness, so anyone who suffers from it as well, especially in video games, is advised to take breaks between chapters.
The real genius of Metamorphosis lies in the imagery and the worldbuilding. Every environment is wondrous, detailed and feels like a weird Gregor Samsa in Wonderland fever dream. We meet numerous bugs that create a big bug society, including sailors, mayors, gangsters and even some mysterious femme fatales.
There are oodles and oodles of dialogues to listen to and take part in, some might be a bit repetitive but the writing all in all is pretty amazing considering that at times you overhear conversations from humans in the background that go on and on and on and on without repeating themselves.
Yes, the translation might be a bit wonky ocassionally and there's some awkward dialogues at times but since the game is a fun romp anyways, it doesn't really matter.
Ah yes, the humor. Metamorphosis will offer you a massive amount of bug and insect related puns and sight gags, from soldier bugs with walnut hats to Bug Dylan who will sing you a rendition of one of his greatest hits.
Even though the story is pretty linear, you can solve puzzles in different ways, do some minor side missions, collect or rather crash a weird collectible and explore the bigger locations. I'd say, Metamorphosis is therefore a great game for any replay because there are so many different things to see, listen to and do that it seems impossible to experience everything on your first playthrough.
The plot seemed quite simple at first and appeared to mostly side-step Kafka's rather depressing views on capitalism and corruption but the further you're into the game, the more you realize how many stories revolve around the absurdity of beaurocracy, corrupt politicians, absurd societal standards and a dangerous political system that keeps the weaker citizens in check. It's a pretty impressive feat to create a game that is so fun, colorful and silly but simultaneously does invoke Kafka's The Judgement as well as other novels about the riduculous nature of evil systems, like Nabokov's Bend Sinister, for example.
This is also a game that works for kids (maybe not too young, but 12 and up should be fine) and might even be a great way to introduce them to Kafka's literature as well as some political history (but it doesn't have to, you can just enjoy it for what it is without the homework).
If you like to just stumble into a weird world of bugs, enjoy puns and don't need difficult puzzles to have fun with a wildly imaginative game, then I highly recommend Metamorphosis. I had a blast.
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