Gathering Sky

[h1]*Gathering Sky* - Fly, fly away…[/h1] Bei "Gathering Sky" gibt es kein Ziel, keine Aufgaben. Alles was du tun musst, ist fliegen! Wir starten als einzelner Vogel. Treffen wir auf andere Vögel, können wir einen Schwarm bilden, der schnell größer wird, dann aber auch schwieriger zu kontrollieren ist. Wir können unsere Flugbahn selbst bestimmen, oder wir lassen uns einfach mit den Luftströmungen ins Ungewisse treiben. Aber seid auf der Hut, der Himmel gehört uns nicht alleine. Unter uns ziehen farbenfrohe Landschaften vorbei. Grüne, dünn besiedelte Wiesen und Wälder, herbstlich eingefärbte Felder, kristallblaues Meer. Auf Sonne folgen dichte Wolken, dann bricht ein Gewitter über uns herein. Jede Stimmung wird durch die gelungene Musikuntermalung noch verstärkt. Wo wird uns unser Weg am Ende hinführen? "Gathering Sky" ist mehr ein kleines Kunstwerk als ein Spiel und der Chillfaktor ist hoch. Wer dem hektischen Alltag mal für eine halbe Stunde entfliehen und sich frei wie ein Vogel fühlen möchte, ist hier genau richtig. Vielleicht noch eine kleine Anmerkung: ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass sich hier bei anfälligen Personen "Motion Sickness" einstellen könnte, wenn man von den Luftströmen zu sehr durchgewirbelt wird. 👑 Powered by HoI 4 Deu Curators group in German / English 👑 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30388691/] Follow Main group [/url]// [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40282064/]Follow Second group [/url]

This is a good game that unexpectedly hit hard. It didn't give me what I anticipated or wanted but it gave me something valuable. It takes a half hour to get through, has very simple mechanics to the point where it's more experience than game, has very pretty and complementary art and music (the soundtrack is a crucial part of the experience and it's an impressive technical achievement the way it adjusts what's playing to match your pace), and discovering the game's content & arc for yourself may give you some unexpected stuff to feel about. you can pick it up for a dollar right now and it's worth it Very spoilery thoughts below When it turned from summer to autumn I was hooked, the art is gorgeous and I was excited to see a full 4 season cycle of gameplay. I like those whole-year-timelapse videos of nature that people put together, but often they start in winter or spring and end in fall or winter. I don't want to end in fall or winter, that's a bummer! So the thought that this would conclude in the beauty and optimism of spring was a welcome thought, enough to make me satisfied and eager to see the rest. But this game is not so idyllic as it first seemed. There's a lot of open ended symbolism that unfolds, and the effect it makes on you is a reflection of the sort of thoughts you bring with you. It confronts you with some harsh stuff but in an honest and kind way and never loses its beauty or fun. A hawk divebombs your flock and you feel pretty powerless to dodge or escape and you must just endure, keep up the frantic heat of your own wings as winter turns into deeper winter. There are playful and curious artistic elements to the game that you can interact with as much as you want but ultimately it's about the flock; the flock is everything worth fighting for and in time even that too will be transient. But for now you can keep your flock together if you choose to; you wait for them, you risk for them, caught beyond their walls or islands or sent off by the tones of willowisps and if you seek them out and are patient and your flock stays with you, or you with them. There is a chapter that is peaceful in action but the landscape below is just a vague blur completely obscured by grey clouds. This is a hell of an effect because of its precision timing and context, and just one more example of how the game presents a series of very simple premises to provoke an emotional introspection but in a fair and generous way, without dictating or sermonizing or playing tricks. I yearned to see the landscape beneath the clouds but we never do in that chapter. In the next chapter your birds leave little trails in the clouds and you can faintly see the landscape below. There are breaks in the clouds so can just fly through those and see it clearly, but you might choose to look through these little easy to miss glimmers given to you by the beating of your own wings. Again, it leaves the impression of a mentor showing you something hard about the world but lovingly and honestly and without diminishing its potential for beauty and joy. Before the game enters its final chapter you already know bittersweetly that there will be no spring. You enter a thunderstorm and the wind that used to bring you together scatters you apart. For a time you can fight even these winds even something as big and uncaring as nature itself you can sneak past hard won still somehow along with those who have flown with you but at last in the darkness between crashes of lightning you are split apart and left alone. You leave the storm but your world is still and dark and solitary, even though your wings still flap. And then oh man holy wow that moment. When you are rejoined from the edges of night slowly by ones and twos your flock comes gliding back to your wing or you come back to theirs. That's the good stuff. And the place you finish is not the earth maybe not even the sky, it is strange and pretty and aches. Your flock leaves you but not violently this time, in sweet clear notes and it's not that they're gone. They have all been somewhere on winds of their own. I mean their flight and yours are both real even when they are not together. Now they are there ahead of you on the tree and you will join them there & you can fly again, to spring

An absolutely charming and absorbing experience. The ease with which I found myself caring for my little, ragtag flock of birds, beset by the environment, jagged rocks and forces that would tear us apart was frankly surprising, helped in no small measure by the incredible soundtrack, which would be worth the price of admission even without the visuals or the gameplay. At the beginning, I simply wanted to play with the air currents and gather more birds in a traditional gaming fashion, as the "story" progressed I found myself feeling responsible for my flock's well-being and felt sad when I lost a single member. I'm not sure I'd call it relaxing, given that, but I'd definitely call it good.

I feel like kind of a grinch for disliking this. It's clearly a labor of love and it looks and sounds real pretty... but I don't think there's enough meat on its bones to even justify the possibly hour-ish (guessing) it takes to 'play' this to the end. There's just not a lot to engage with here. It practically plays itself, there's no story, the art is pleasantly soporific. I think it wants to be a meditative, relaxing experience, but the score is seemingly soaring and triumphant and in-your-face 100% of the time. Being freed from the straitjacket of the typical conventions of mainstream games allows some arthouse games to do some interesting, amazing things with the format. Other times it's a crutch to prop up something half-baked and hollow. Unfortunately this is the latter (imo).

I want to start off by stating two things. 1. I never write reviews for games even for those that have touched me the most like FF7R, Nier Automata and Stardew Valley. and 2. I was extremely skeptical when I was purchasing this game even though it was on sale for 0.62$ CA. As I opened up the game I did not think much of it. I was honestly worried I just wasted money. But as soon as I heard the sounds and music it started to change and once I found my second bird I was mesmerized. While playing I genuinely thought about life, about my values, work, etc. All the while, my worries washed away. It was amazing, truly relaxing. I wish I could always feel like how this game made me feel it was captivating and an intense feeling of warmth and relaxation. I also really enjoyed the artwork and painted backgrounds and found myself wanting to paint birds and a beautiful sky many times throughout the game. Spoilers: There is a moment in the game where you find this ball-like object I have no clue why but I grew attached to it I wouldn't let it go and I made sure not to lose it. It was really comforting. As you collect birds you feel kinda close like one big family and even though they were just a few pixels on my screen I made sure not to leave a single one behind. Thank You so much for this experience I beg of anyone who sees's this to give the game a chance it is incredibly charming and beautiful.

I was considering doing a Let's Play video of this game. However, I don't want to rob anyone of the experience of playing it as a brand new experience. This is a beautiful work of art, especially for someone like me who loves birds, flight, and music. This experience combines all three into a lovely event which you owe it to yourself to sit down with on a nice, quiet evening. Dim the lights, find a quiet room, and play Gathering Sky. If anyone still thinks that games cannot be art, this would be the first conterexample I would suggest. Be kind to your mind, relax, and enjoy this experience.

Only giving a thumbs up because it would be kinda rude to downvote a game that does exactly what it says it does, and didn't give me any technical problems. I didn't like it much, however. The gameplay is somewhere between confusing and pointless. The music is ok, but it didn't stand out to me. It's very short. It does look pretty but that's about it.