Verne The Shape of Fantasy | Complete Gameplay with commentary
4#keymailer, #vernegame, #indiegame
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1424600/Verne_The_Shape_of_Fantasy/
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co
My memory sucks and I thought this was a classic point and click adventure at first, and yeah it certainly isn't. So, moving past that misconception I'd just like to say this is one of the best adventure games of 2023.
It's linear, and fairly straight forward with progression. I think there are some areas that could have been a bit different, with trying to find certain people on the Nautilus where you may not remember where they were and no clue as to where they are. It's a minor frustration and won't add too much time to your playthrough I think. There were only a few puzzles that left me scratching my head, as most of them are fairly easy to solve.
Story wise: I don't really want to spoil anything, so I'll just touch on a few topics. The overall story is good, with interesting characters and locations that you'll explore and lots of lore you'll collect and can read over time. Some of it will be specifics about different writing and books, but others will pertain to the game's world. I do think this is a rather excellent implementation of characters from Jules Verne stories.
Graphics: Great pixel art. There is a ton of detail in every scene, and some really beautiful locations.
Sound: Good music and Sound effects, and the voice acting is superb.
Gameplay: It's story focused and very streamlined with getting you from point A to point B. There are a handful of puzzles, but outside of a few of them I can't imagine them causing anyone too much trouble. There are a few stealth sections of the game that I thought were a bit cumbersome, but at least narratively they make sense.
Overall: I finished the game in just under 3 hours. I read faster than they talk, so that certainly cut some time out of my playthrough. I also did not find/collect every item that could be collected, which means there were some things I didn't have the opportunity to read. If you're a fan of anything Jules Verne I really do think you should pick this up, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.