A Painter's Tale: Curon, 1950

[h1]A Painter’s Tale: Curon 1950 [/h1] [b] A gentle and interesting historical tale that doesn’t really hit any emotional high points. [/b] [h1] Story 📕 [/h1] A Painter’s Tale tells the true story of the village Curon which became submerged under the waters of Lake Reschen due to a dam being built in 1950. In 2021, a painter called Tomasso visits Curon Venosta, the new town built after the flood. When approaching a strange light in the lake, he is dragged under water and wakes up in Curon before the flood took place. Tomasso is eternally grateful to the villagers for saving his life and soon becomes attached to the locals in the village. Along with the townsfolk they try and stop plans for the dam to be built. Can Tommasso change history and stop the village being destroyed by the dam? https://youtu.be/aNz_kCdGN-E [quote][b]A Painter’s Tale is pretty linear but it is pleasant enough to play with a nice soundtrack to accompany the cartoon looking characters. The inhabitants were charming, but I was waiting for the game to move up a gear and it never did. I found the story quite interesting, especially as it was true, but it just lacked the excitement, drama and emotion I was hoping for. [/b] [/quote] [h1]Gameplay🕹️[/h1] Exploring the old village of Curon, as reconstructed from the scale model preserved in the Alta Val Venosta museum, you walk around talking to villagers and performing basic tasks. In your inventory is a diary which contains your objectives which you’ll need to follow to progress. They are mostly very simple fetch quests. Talking to characters, completing tasks and examining objects earns you either a painting, a drawing or a historical document which you can read and refer to in your inventory. It gives a bit of background to the story. Occasionally, you are offered a multiple-choice option in the dialogue which can affect gameplay slightly. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2458818178 [h1] Overall Impressions🤔 [/h1] A Painter’s Tale is overall quite charming with a better than average sound track and some interesting characters. The village is very small, which it was in real life, but this limits the amount of exploration you can do. The tasks you are required to perform are mostly boring, like pick up some cheese from the inn, or go visit the padre in the church. There are only a handful of places to visit. Conversations between characters aren’t very deep or meaningful. The text dialogues are never very long and although they touch on some interesting topics they’re never really developed or expanded on. It felt like there were a lot of unresolved story lines and plots. Rather than concentrate purely on a documentary style game, we are introduced to a time travelling fantasy version which doesn’t quite sit right. Although the game has an interesting story it fails to deliver the emotional content I would expect from such a traumatic event. You do get a sense of comradery between the villagers and you do feel for their plight, but the events never really tugged at my heart strings until I saw the credits with the real-life photos of the tragedy. Maybe it was the cartoon like characters with hardly any emotion on their faces, the lack of voice acting, or the simple dialogues that kept the emotion low, but it never really moved me. The soundtrack and sound effects were the most successful tool at creating any emotion but it mostly concentrated on melancholy rather than drama or excitement. The paintings and drawings added a bit of character to the story and I enjoyed reading the historic documents. The historic documents and the real-life pictures invoked a lot more emotion in me than the game did, but there weren’t enough of them, and I wanted to search the internet for more information. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2459130287 [h1]Graphics 📺[/h1] The characters are drawn in a cartoon fashion which makes them look cute but arguably clashes with the tragedy of the story? Environments in places look quite nice with good use of light and shadow but in other scenes can look decidedly basic. [h1] Sound 🎵 [/h1] There is quite an atmospheric soundtrack in places, with sounds of nature prominent. A nice piano arrangement is played throughout which might be over used slightly. [h1]Conclusion🍳 [/h1] [quote] [b]A Painter’s Tale[/b] is a gentle, linear, but charming tale about an awful event that happened in Curon, 1950. Although it doesn’t reach any emotional heights, it was still a pleasant experience and an interesting one which made me want to know more. The story felt a little misguided at times and felt unresolved in places but if you can get it on sale, I would recommend giving it a chance. [/quote] [table] [tr] [td]If you want to read more reviews like this then visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url][/td] [/tr] [/table]

There’s an awkward place in the industry for video games framed as educational tools, and A Painter’s Tale falls squarely into that category. Even though its tale is a fictional one, it’s interwoven into the history and memory of a small town named Curon, which was flooded in the 1950 to make space for a dam. As history is a weird thing, changing faces depending on who you ask, contested, opinionated, divisive, clichéd “written by the victors”, and prone to all kinds of outbursts, undertaking a project such as this is always a dicey proposition. All of that still didn’t stop Monkeys Tale Studio from injecting a fantasy tale into a real world tragedy, and even shuffling the order of events a bit, to perhaps better highlight personal misfortunes, and the clash between tradition and progress. Let’s call this a historical walking simulator which puts you in the shoes of Tomasso, an Italian painter visiting the new village that was built after the flooding. Experiencing a bumpy first date with the Lady of the Lake, he wakes up in the old town of Curon, built from a scale model which is kept in the Alta Val Venosta museum in South Tyrol. What comes out of this is Tomasso thrust into a tale of tragedies, memories, communities, and voices silenced from above. The plight of the small man is at the forefront here, with love and betrayal taking center stage. At first I thought that the awkward Minecraft characters juxtaposed against the serious backdrop of the story and the more detailed scenery would cause this to fizzle out emotionally, but surprisingly it didn’t. It still manages to come off as an affecting short story, helped by a journal filled with drawings, paintings, and information about real world events. Some seriously heart-stirring moments pop up in its short runtime. The gaming side is also here, featuring some quick, small puzzles, and allowing you to make choices that will change how the game plays out, even if the outcome is already known. There are some slight issues with the game’s old school adventure tank controls, which make interacting with items a bit of a chore, and there’s no mouse support, but all the other things more than compensate for them. It’s definitely a slow burner of a game, which might sound a bit weird, considering it can be finished in about two hours, but it’s all about the vignettes it serves. I also find it a wonderful educational tool for all ages which, maybe unintentionally, poses some heavy questions about what happens when all the witnesses of an event pass on, and all their memories become digital fragments on exhibitions and pixels on our screens. If you’re of a similar mindset, do take a look at it. [quote]More off the beaten path games, wonders and failures at the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37838664/][b]Cabinet of Curiosities[/b][/url].[/quote] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30168383][b]Follow the Average Achievement Hunter Curator for reviews and useful information on Steam achievements[/b][/url]: All achievements are story ones.

Curon was a real place in Italy near the northern border. In the 1950s the town was intentionally flooded after construction of a dam for a hydroelectric plant. The only remnant being the bell tower that peers above the surface of the lake. The game starts in 2020 where you play as Tommaso who gets transported back in time to when the town was still inhabited. I’m more ambivalent towards this game than actually ‘not recommending it’. Whilst there is a wonderfully intimate story about community and loss to explore, it’s very hard to actually connect with any of the characters. Subsequently, any pivotal moments often fell flat. It really doesn’t help that the game is visually confused. The voxel based characters and buildings are childish and don’t suit the story being told, combined with the attempt at more realistic scenery surrounding the town there is a bizarre juxtaposition presented. The soundtrack however is enjoyable and able to hit the right melancholy moods without being overly invasive. There’s no mouse controls as far as I could tell, not too much of a problem outside the menu as the camera follows the player at fixed angles. Interacting with objects was very temperamental, if you weren’t exact then nothing would happen and you also have to be patient for the animation to line up when it does work. Personally, even though I’m not keen on this as a game, I think it is still worth a look for the research done into the historical setting. The notes and photos about the town provided after completion were a really interesting part of the package.

An utterly moving piece of art. Honestly, I'm a bit lost for words. I went into this game blind, not knowing what to expect, and I can say I'm very glad I did. It is basically a walking sim with a strong narrative that is almost novel-like. At this low price point, I highly recommend experiencing this hidden gem for yourself. It's brief but haunting and will stick with you long after the story is done. Bravo!

Incredibly deep expression of a very sad event in the history of the world. Excellent game and time well spent!

As a South Tyroilian, I was excited about this game! The screenshots of the buildings look nice and the story of Curon is certainly well-suited to a Edith-Finch-like game. Bu then I saw the human characters. They do not fit into the quasi-realistic enviroments and remind me too much of Minecraft for a serious story. The writing is also rather strange.

An art story about Curon, visually very pleasing and charming story. Would suggest to try it out!

Un piccolo gioco della durata di 2 ore o poco meno, che racconta l'avventura di un pittore che si ritrova catapultato a Curon quasi un anno prima che il piccolo borgo venga sommerso dall'acqua del lago vicino. Durante questo viaggio indietro nel tempo parlerete con gli abitanti e assisterete alla "storia" di questo villaggio, facendo anche alcuni mini giochi. Ogni tanto durante i dialoghi dovrete scegliere la risposta ma non cambia l'esito della storia, che, come un walking simulator vi prenderà per mano fino alla sua conclusione. Solo in un caso (minigioco) dovrete scegliere le risposte giuste. La musica e gli ambienti son veramente belli, peccato per i personaggi, che stonano con l'ambientazione. Perchè hanno dovuto usare i set di minecraft, per raccontare questa piccola storia ? Di certo con questi personaggi solo gli appassionati del gioco cubettoso potrebbe spingerli ad acquistare il titolo, per tutti gli altri potrebbe essere un punto a sfavore. Altro problemino riguarda il salvataggio, oltre ad essere automatico, avviene solo tra gli atti. E se capita che il gioco va in tilt, come mi è successo 2 volte, sarete costretti a ripetere l'atto, sperando di superare il pezzo dove si è bloccato. Per il resto, anche grazie a un prezzo popolare, lo consiglio, ma solo se chiudete un'occhio sui personaggi cubettosi e sul fatto che è un walking simulator, senza sparatorie o enigmi, solo piccoli e facili minigiochi. Ovviamente è sottotitolato in italiano, ci mancava anche che non lo fosse. Essendo un gioco creato da una s.h italiana. ^^; P.s: Menzione d'onore al minigioco del cartello, veramente divertenti le scelte, per completare le scritte. Tra cui un riferimento puffoso. :P

https://youtu.be/f3QkHsazx3k (REVIEW in deutsch) Ich bin aufgrund des ungewöhnlichen Settings auf das Spiel gestoßen und bin sehr froh es gespielt zu haben. Das Dorf Graun (Curon) ist wunderbar und liebevoll in Voxelgrafik nachgebaut, die Geschichte ist glaubhaft geschrieben und zieht kontinuierlich an. Am Ende war ich sehr involviert. Den Menschen und dem Ort von einst wird hier ein mit viel Bedacht gebautes Denkmal gesetzt. Viel Gameplay sollte man nicht erwarten, es ist ein narrativ Game und wenn es dann mal Gameplay gibt, ist es nicht sehr gelungen. Aber das sind nur 2 kurze Abschnitte. Für Fans storygetriebener Spiele ist A Painter's Tale: Curon, 1950 ein Geheimtipp, der definitiv mehr Aufmerksamkeit verdient hätte. Es tut mir fast weh zu sehen, dass das Spiel gerade einmal 6 Userreviews hat.

**NOTE:** This review is part of my steam curator review and is the extended version. Check my steam curator page at https://store.steampowered.com/curator/39607348-Random-Game-Reviews-by-Labprofess/ . Follow appreciated! --- This game is what I mean when I'm saying I wish there would be a game to learn [subject]. But seriously, this game is an amazing history teacher. Of Course history is a big subject and cant be portrayed in just one video game, but a segment of history can. This game focuses on the Italian city Curon. Never heard of it? Neither have I, prior to this game. The city of Curon is interesting in that it is basically Atlantis 2.0 by being submerged underwater due to a new Dam having been built overflowing the city with water. Sadly, Curon had to be the sacrifice and be the bridge for the technological advance the damn brought to it. Experience the city of Curon before the flooding including its historical background and how its people have reacted and started to prepare for a completely new life, leaving behind their homes and belongings. The game does this by introducing accurate real life facts into your notebook to read about including portraying various emotions by the NPC’s you can interact with and that play a vital role in the development of the game story. In addition, this game also loves its paintings and charcoal drawings! There are a range of paintings around Curon for you to discover including sketches of various things such as its townspeople, the bell tower and the scenery. As someone who is not heavily interested in art however, I cant talk a lot on these paintings and their importance to the story but I would hint on it due to the popularity of realistic art during the time. Even as a non-art type person, they are still very nice to look and be impressed by! Moving to the game performance. This game performs amazing. The graphics of this game are smooth and better than I have expected from an Indie game. Bright colours including realistic shading really make Curon, and you the player, feel alive. This game map is if not a completely accurate model of Curon before the flooding. As good as it can get at least. Further, this game makes use of classical music throughout the story to convey certain tones, whether it be of its people including how events are unfolding and will do so later on. This game also features multi dialogues. That means the player, you, is able to shift the story of the game the way you want it by choosing what to say and do. A very nice twist that more games should adopt. Every choice you take will change the progression of the story. I personally feel like this aids in creating self awareness whilst playing in being more focused on the story and what one is doing. The story is also very neat throughout and does not progress too slow or too fast to bring across its tone. This game’s goal is to leave the player wondering about the last days of the people of Curon and their struggles they endured, but also the city as a whole in being forgotten and its people having had to sacrifice everything and not be compensated for it at all. As if they were forgotten by their own government to fend for themselves - as if they were not viewed as people to begin with but as a nuisance to the path of the Dam. Lastly, I will come to the highlight of my review, and its the question of whether this game is worth it. Yes. This game is totally worth it. Some would say wait for a sale instead, but even without one the games story makes up for its price. This game can be played by people of all ages and uses a mix of German,English (which you can change in the setting) and minimal Italian, which is another plus point if you know all languages to fully enjoy every aspect of the story and appreciate the diversity and situation of the time. However, this game does have two glitches I noticed. Nothing hefty or game changing, but a glitch nonetheless that one would notice if they paid enough attention to it. First, this game sometimes flickers minimally in some locations in that the top of the screen and the bottom dont interline. This is barely noticeable and lasts for a few seconds only (keep in mind it's only triggered at certain spots)` but still mention worthy. Secondly, sometimes cutscenes between scene changes are slow. When moving across the map and a piece has to load in, it sometimes takes a few seconds for the screen to turn black. Which isn't a problem as it is loading the map at that time, yet it would be neater if it turned black quicker just to display the ‘loading’ screen. Thirdly, which is just a improvement tip is too at the beginning of the game tell the player to walk by making visually showing this on the screen with literal words as ‘use [letter] to walk’. A fun story is that I stared at my screen for around 1 minute wondering what's gonna happen, just to accidentally touch my joystick (its controller supported, yey) and being surprised I can walk. The transition between cutscene and actually being able to play wasn't very clear to me. So that everything has been discussed now, and you, the reader of this review, now know what the game is about including how it performs and what you should be aware of, I would say, go ahead and get this game. Learn about a piece of history you otherwise would have never known about (maybe?). It's never the wrong time to learn: even when you're gaming. Having fun and becoming smarter? Heck yes!