Even the Ocean

I think one of the reasons I like platformers as a genre is that they're... fun. It's really simple, sometimes you just want to control a little pixelised character and make them jump around and solve puzzles. It doesn't really matter if the story is good (although if it is, then great!). People like the devs of say, Celeste, understand that you don't have to sacrifice the story to elevate the gameplay, or vice-versa. I'm not so sure the devs of Even the Ocean really get it. I have played two acts and have tried to get into the third which would probably mean I'm midway into the game but I just can't get into it. The controls are kind of weird (although they can be remapped) and the pacing feels extremely off to me. Basically, after dragging myself through a very uninteresting hub with equally uninteresting NPCs (bar one), i have to go through the same motions (oh the main path to the power plant is closed, now do this very unintuitive side quest) every time before arriving to the platformer part which is fine but not worth it imho. I know there is a "plant" mode that lets you skip the "story". But I followed the dev recommendation by taking the default mode and as it is, I can't really recommend it.

不死鸟传说低配版

More straightforward than the other Analgesic games I've played, but no less of a perfect shot right into my heart, Melos and Marina have done it yet again with this one. It seems that regardless of the exact flavour of the style that's approached with these games, a lot of core facets stay intact that lend themselves to the completely one of a kind identity they're steeped in. In this case we have something far more verbose and easy to grasp on a surface level compared to the typically expected cryptic nature that shines through, but it's one with enough depth and nuance to it to really stick with you, or in my case, make me cry a little. The way this is balanced with the deeply evocative, ethereal atmosphere and a lot of fascinating explorative mechanical tendencies is what ultimately make Even the Ocean a very special game for me. I'd say that the most immediately striking aspect of this game is how unique its systems are despite the game being near nonstop feeling in its dialogue, with the typical expectation of this being a purely narrative focus being subverted. The game certainly is rich in its phenomenal writing, but the way that the basic platforming is handled and how that is able to intersect is what truly sets this all apart for me. I haven't seen something quite like the energy system present here, with the constant pull and push between the vertical and horizontal movement of Aliph being considerably more compelling than a more standard HP system within the context of this level design. There's so much minute decision making that this mechanic introduces both for movement purposes and also defensive purposes, since rather than dying after a certain amount of hits, you only lose if you overload one type of energy within you, making for an experience that encourages a constant back and forth between extremes as a response to your surrounding environment. This intrigue is compounded by the way that rather than a pure sense of escalation, much more focus is placed on exploring all sorts of edge cases and interactions with your energy, very rarely feeling like an active increase in difficulty, but always throwing some sort of curveball at you to fully reinforce the depth present here. This more exploratory nature present in the gameplay also forms the backbone of the atmosphere that envelops everything here. Never has a game made me so constantly sleep before, but distinctly not in a bad way, it's just such a dreamy, beautiful storybook of a game that I can't help but sink into the comforting nature present in even most of the more intense sequences the game offers. Just walking through beautiful, lonely landscapes and listening to all these people with their offbeat rambly musings about all walks of life, while the sweeping backgrounds make the world feel endlessly large. This sense of warmth then being contrasted with a lot of the power plant stages feeling so cold particularly struck me in how it captured that sharp change in mindset once you're at the workplace, especially when everything else present feels so human in all its different forms. I want to exist in the feeling that this game exudes, it all feels so desolate, yet so connected and dreamy, I love those more whimsical elements such as the starfish or the giant buffalo, the way it's contrasted through emphasising the mundane, it all feels in balance and all feels so much greater than one could ever imagine from an individual perspective. Really does always strike me how perfectly these games always seem to hit my sensibilities... 9/10

Melancholic Relational Platforming. There's a sort of doomed yet beautiful vibe that permeates this game. Play it for the wonderful platforming, stay for the intriguing post game developer commentary. Really good stuff.

Not my favorite Analgesic game, but still a good one. Ideal for people wanting a more relaxed or story-based experience, because the story is where this game really shines, and I actually think it has the best story out of all Analgesic games so far. The platforming is relatively simple, and I wish they did a bit more with the level designs as there were a lot of neat ideas, but it is fun for an 8ish hour experience. Music and visuals are a treat and the controls feel pretty good. Definitely check it out if you like other Analgesic games 8/10

As a platformer, it introduces original and fun mechanics that can carry the game alone. But the superb worldbuilding, combined with the thought-provoking dialogues and the dreamy setting and landscapes, is what makes this game unique and memorable. Can't recommend this enough.

I really enjoyed this game. I'm usually not good with platformers, yet the mechanic was accessible enough for me to feel challenged yet not frustrated! And the pixel art??? Wow. The Geomes were absoluttely stunning. I remember having a few critiques while playing it, yet I forgot them all because the story is amazing. I could really feel the love and effort the devs put into it. Good job, y'all made me cry.

Extremely good 2d platformer. Movement feels slick and I really like how the energy mechanic can lead to a bit of min-maxing lol. A bit on the easy side, for me at least. Maybe would have been nice to have some options to make it a bit more difficult but its whatever. Music and art are top notch with the artwork particularly being a huge selling point, simply a gorgeous game. With the story, I always like it when an action-focused genre like platformers have other stuff to do outside of the platforming and structure to guide the rest of the game on. The story does both of these and I think it does it quite well! It may be a bit "preachy" for some, but the moment-to-moment character reactions are really good and add some nice depth to the world and its characters. It also has an entire scrapped prototype of an earlier version of the game as post-game, which is awesome to see, even if I would have preferred it be a bit more guided than it is, but the fact its even there is so cool. Overall huge recommend.

出乎意料地高于预期，温馨的美术，不出彩但扎实的剧情和比较丰富的互动内容，以及偶有巧思的友好难度关卡设计，一周目体验很不错

One of the best and most original platformers out there. The gameplay is solid and the story is amazing. An underappreciated gem.