apartment: a separated place

I bought and played through the game yesterday and enjoyed it quite a bit. Nick and May's storylines were incredibly emotional and very endearing. May's brought tears to my eyes live on stream lol. Nick's story I found not only relatable but a lot of things he would say were also things I found myself saying post-break up. If the entirety of the game was like this, I'd be able to give it my full recommendation but sadly there are three other storylines that just don't hit quite as hard and have a hard time with a comforting resolution. Most of them just sort of end without any concern for what happened to the rest of the character's. I would have liked to have seen more in Jim's and Rose's stories but they both seemed to end so quickly just as they were starting to pick up. I'm not sure if the lack of a real life counterpart made it more difficult to develop a cohesive story for the other characters but they just sort of felt unfinished. I should also say, I was not a backer of the project. I hadn't heard of it until its release yesterday and decided to play it because of the premise. Another thing I found kind of irritating was John's game mechanic wasn't really made too privy to me. Maybe I was just a blind bat but I walked the level back and forth twice before I noticed what I was supposed to be focusing on. The design of the apartments is nice and the feelings that the ambiance and the characters invoke is very touching and heartfelt. The soundtrack is also excellent. Overall, I'll say its a good game filled with a lot of raw emotions with some minor setbacks in some story elements and gameplay mechanics but I can easily say that if you enjoy that kinda thing then you should probably give it a looksy.

First review I've ever written. This game doesn't have much replay ability. However, when enduring a lazy day and need a one shot game to pass the time, this game did it. I enjoyed the art as well as the soundtrack. Thought the story telling was phenomenal. 9/10.

This game made me want to call up old friends to see how they were doing. That's how you know it's good.

This is one of my favorite indie games. I'd best liken it to a surreal Gone Home - it's a walking sim that explores the relationships and lives of people dwelling in several neighboring apartments. This is strongly experiential and emotive, with an artistic and innovative storytelling method that uses text as a way to draw your eye around the spaces you explore as well as almost an object in the world. The writing, music and art are all fantastic, and the minimalist 'overworld' style keeps the focus on the more inward nature of the stories being told. This game is about 2 hours long, which is the perfect length for it as it doesn't overstay its welcome but likewise doesn't feel rushed. You're looking into snapshots of peoples' lives and memories. Some have a resolution to them while others do not, just like in life. This is a creative and engaging little game that I'd recommend to people who love strong character-driven focus and experimental narrative style.

Beautiful game, great typography and sound design. a * part * ment is deeply atmospheric. I've never had a game deliver a creeping sense of claustrophobia as well as this did when my character was locked at a computer screen typing away in enforced solitude while someone who loved them was moving around behind them, in and out of the house, as the sun rises and sets. Excellent reason to wear headphones. The main viewpoint character, Nick, comes across as one of those very caring jerks who try to do the best for people around them but keep tripping over themselves. Large and varied amount of interface shifts packed into the game, although the central loop of collections becomes natural after a few repeats. I don't know how much my choices matter in the other stories besides Nick's, and I'm kind of worried about that. If there are possible different endings across the segments, I'd appreciate the developers adding in some Steam Achievements to reflect the various options. If there's not, at least the unlockable pictures showing my progress are nice. Some small graphical glitches like light shining through cracks in walls. The camera movement with the mouse was slightly odd, something I could probably adjust if I was more patient. My view jumped randomly in the winter tree sequence and I couldn't tell if it was the camera moving or the character. Some great design choices, some odd ones. Some interesting ones where you realize that not every object that has a collider in the 'real' world has it turned on across all modes of play. This comes across as a slightly shallow game with a huge breadth covering many moods and tones. The heavy focus on the interface and how things respond to your movements means that this is a low-choice linear narrative game that seems genuinely more fun to play yourself than watch on YouTube - which is an interesting challenge to pull off. Even though it is at a base level a hidden object walking simulator, the game does an excellent job at conveying the sense that you are a participant in the story rather than just a casual observer. I recommend trying a * part * ment - and I'm looking forward to seeing what this studio does in the future.

Apartment is a poignant, pensive walking simulator primarily focused on the main couple's story, but featuring vignettes of their neighbours. A couple of the neighbour's stories were sentimental enough to evoke a few tears. The music and writing were top notch, with the graphics and gameplay serving the atmosphere of each individual story. The game did not feature much choice but the overall experience was definitely worth trying.

I love this game. I have feels. :)

There are a lot of 'break up' games and this is by far one of the best I've ever played. There's a sophistication and maturity to the storytelling that's hard to find. Relationships are never simple and each of the vignettes explore the complexities of relationships that fall apart, never come together, or eventually find a way to work. The design of each vignette combined with the story it's telling is one of the best aspects of this game. There's a meditative quality when playing--where I found myself reflecting on my own relationships as I played. May and Rose's stories were probably the most moving and interesting--with truly unique interactions exploring losing or finding the person for you. Overall, if you want a thoughtful game with interesting interactions and a lot to say about relationships, definitely worth the time!