Gray Skies, Dark Waters

This game tries to create an atmosphere similar to games like Life is Strange, or Kentucky Route Zero, a bleak but indie-hopeful kind of vibe. The writing does a pretty good job in this regard, and I do have to give a lot of credit there, because unlike in Life is Strange, there's no forced teen slang. The music is also on the right track, and though not completely polished, it sets the mood well enough. I think it's unfortunately the graphics that let the game down. They might be fine for some people (and I know I'm in the minority on this), but I was distracted throughout by the cheap-looking backgrounds. Though they definitely have a style, and there's potential in the watercolor-esque direction they're aiming for, most of the time they come across too much like traced-over 3D models. It's a real shame that this project couldn't reach the $3000 goal it needed to improve them, because a lot of potential ambience and artistry were lost. I didn't have as much of a problem with the 3D character models as some of the other reviewers here, though they were a bit awkward, and some better animations would've done a lot for them, I was mostly annoyed by how far away the camera was from many of them during dialogue scenes. I would've liked to see more close-up views. As others have also mentioned, the voice acting is hit or miss, though I liked Robert's performance throughout. He became my favorite character. The characters are pretty memorable overall, though oddly I found Lina to be the weakest one, even though it's from her POV and we're in her head the most. But that may be because she has to take on more of an audience surrogate role, due to the nature of the branching paths. Finally, the story. The branching narratives were a good idea, but occasionally it felt like I'd somehow wandered onto another path (more so at the ending). I wasn't all that invested in what was happening until a certain reveal 75% of the way through the narrative. Once everything became clear, it became much more interesting. I think that's because the game is mostly filler for the first 75%, a series of fetch quests that give out information in tiny, tiny chunks. It's not all bad, and the fetch quests do help flesh out the world in an interactive way. I also appreciate how easy they are, after banging my head on a wall for hours while playing Grim Fandango. However, it can also seem less like you're participating in a story, and more like you're checking events off a list (literally). So, in short, I think this game has something important to say, and whether you stick around long enough to hear it will probably affect how you view it overall. That's why I'm recommending it — the flaws are things that will bother people to varying degrees. If you like what you see in the trailers, then you should play it for sure.

I loved this game. Disclaimer: I am a total noob to games and gaming, and i was a Beta tester. My favorite part of the game was the mythological story. I’m a huge fan of European mythology and this was a very cool retelling of a very old classic fairytale. The artistic style of the backgrounds really fits with the fairytale story. Everything is dark and dreamy and dreary in a pretty, mythical sort of way. The music, art style and story are very cohesive, and build a very lovely world. There were a lot of aspects of the game that really resonated with me. I grew up with a family member who has depression. It’s hard, and it really surprised me how much I emotionally connected with the main character and how angry I was at Robert. I can really relate to being the older sibling trying to take care of younger siblings in this sort of situation. If you or a family member has dealt with depression and loss, I think you will really like the game. I wasnt bothered by issues with the voice acting/sound quality, but like I said above, I am new to gaming. This is definitely a choice driven game, with the story changing pretty dramatically depending on your dialogue choices. I would recommend replaying it at least once to get all the bits of story you missed and maybe a different ending. Minor criticism: That is definitely not a lot of onions. PS did anyone get the jokes in the fake science papers?

Vypadalo to nadějně, ale potenciál se nenaplnil. Grafické 2,5D zpracování vypadá příšerně, příběh je plytký a neuvěřitelné předvídatelný. Hra sice nabízí více konců, ale to mě osobně nemotivovalo hrát znovu. Podrobnější recenze bude brzy dostupná na zing.cz

For once, an indie game I unreservedly consider a hidden gem. In a word, powerful: says more than it shows. The influence of literature is clear and it has that quality; design and music are also lovely. Production can be amateur (not that I care) and I only completed it once (has multiple ending) but to any tolerant indie fan this gets a resounding recommend. Edit: after replaying some years later, just to add that despite any flaws, it is beautifully written.

Nice, wholesome little game with a deep and interesting story and beautiful art. The characters are well done and the voice acting adds to the immersion. However, like many other reviewers have pointed out, I also don't like the 3D characters, who don't fit into the beautiful 2D backgrounds and just have dead, hollow expressions. I think the story would've been much better served with fitting 2D characters. But it's okay, the story and overall experience is still great.

The best way to describe this game is 'small, but perfectly formed'.

I like the mechanics that drive this game forward with very few fetch quests and the like, instead concentrating heavily on dialogue and atmosphere. Some say GSDW is a short game. On one hand it is, but it manages to tell a complete story during its short stay. The way I see it, this game appreciates the players' use of time. It doesn't try to stretch the game duration needlessly, there are no extra filler sections and there's even a very efficient fast travel system. GSDW is simply as long an experience as it needs to be. And I like it a lot for that. The characters are life-like, likeable and interesting. The voice-acting is actually fine by me, but the voice quality is a bit modest - it has that "boxy" studio booth effect to it. Plot-wise, I loved the duality between realism and some fantastical elements and also how your character's attitude and interpretation towards what she discovers actually affects the way the story is concluded. There's a really nice balance of open-endedness combined with concrete conclusion. It's hard to explain thoroughly without spoiling the experience, so if you decide to play it, you'll see for yourself. ;)

Juego corto pero con historia interesante. Si lo encuentras con descuento es una gran opción. Eso sí, el juego es lento, hay que tenerle paciencia, sobre todo al principio.