Katie

"It's time to move on I shall miss it all But we shall go forth And we shall go forth brave." Wanna weep through the credits of a video game? You've come to the right place. An inspiring adventure to take with you on your journey in the real world. 10/10 have played twice so far and cried both times

This is a "games as art" retro pixel 3D non-game. Wander around and click on retro pixel 2D characters in a 3D environment to get inane chunks of "I'm 14 and this is deep" quotes so you can quietly golfclap at the sheer genius of the developer. Or not, because this is some serious rubbish shovelware. Ugly graphics, resolution fixed at a very low level. No gameplay, just wander around and click on things. At least it's 3D and not a 2D pixel platformer. Still not worth $4.50. Steam is for games, this isn't a game, so thumbs down.

The creator is a very special person to me so I have intended to play this game for a while now but I think I have just been scared up until now. I knew this game involved a lot of deep and retrospective ideas and like many of the people in the town, I wasn't ready for that kind of self-reflection. However, I am very glad that I have finally sat down and played. Katie is a character that even if you do not relate to her own personal story, you will relate to the feelings that she felt. From both the beauty in the music and the scenery, the atmosphere of the game enables you the perfect state of mind and place to take a moment and truly think. I am definitely going to play again and write down some the quotes I felt a connection to. I look forward to the other games in the Lonely Frontier's future!

Katie is a very simple, short, dialogue based story game. It's not be the most interesting or well written game but I feel that it's a unique storytelling experience unlike any other game I have played. While yeah, most of the game is just looking for Katie and then talking to her, Katie has some AI of her own and sometimes will find you on her own accord which took me by surprise, and the few moments where Katie leads you to a new place really feels like you are participating in an experience. Not your character. These interactions and the first person perspective and the few simple stuff you have to do to move the story along help a lot to put *you* into the game and making it feel like you're sharing a personal moment with Katie. It's pretty nifty.

I’m going to make my case for Katie, because I really enjoyed it. It’s a walking sim first person kinda game, but it has little space exploration like yer Gone Homes and Firewatches. And it is a game about relationships where u don’t get to talk or choose lines or even… see an actual conversation between two characters, that goes back and forth. And at first my instinct was to keep my guard up about that, because these are genres I really like and its best traits were kinda… taken away. But a wise man named Davey once told me to see games for what they are, instead of what they aren’t, and here’s what it is. Katie is a game that takes place in a town where people go to run away from something. A painful lost, an ugly fight, and so on so forth. It’s filled with interactive citizens, that will talk to u a little. And when I say a little I mean a couple new phrase every day. I don’t think that’s bad per say, since I didn’t walk in expecting a fallout game, where I can hang talking to Easy Pete and ask about how scavenger life is. They fill in the universe in a nice enough way, and I did learn to appreciate their company, even if for short periods of time each. But the name of the game is Katie, and she’s the one you get to hang out with. She’s this game’s Chloe, if you may. As I said before, your character doesn’t have lines. Or a name. So Katie is essentially monologuing. Which I’m typically against in games, I don’t like this Battlefield Story mode like thing where your character, your gateway to that universe, is an empty shell that everyone likes for some mysterious reason. It’s done so the player can put itself on the character’s shoes and increase immersion or something, but it feels like a shortcut for relatability, which serves the same purpose but works better. But here, I actually liked it. This game is… about Katie. Not about you, and you might as well be an imaginary friend, a coping mechanism or just a quiet person. But… this game talks about how important it is to be there for others, and when Katie is the one taking the brunt of relatability (after all, she is the one we relate to) it feels nice to… be there for her and listen. This is the main thing, in the end. This game feels nice. It feels intimate, like a rant of its creator that we get to listen to. It has this comfortable atmosphere, because this town is comfortable. Avoiding yer ♥♥♥♥ is comfortable. Dealing with it is the messy part. And you see all these people walking around and soaking in the comfortability of it all and… You understand. I’d be walking around there all day too. Because dealing with stuff is… hard. But it’s easier if you have someone there to listen to you, and hold your hand through it. And I don’t know how personal this game is to its creators, and how much they relate to what Katie is going through. But I’m… really glad that they moved on, if they did. And I hope they had someone to listen to them too. I… was glad I was there for Katie, and hoped she was okay once she left. And that made me forget that she didn’t even exist hahaha. At least not her as in *her*. But if you caught yourself so empathic towards a character, it’s a good character. And if a character focused game has a great written character, that’s a great game. That’s what I think anyway. I’m glad it was made, and that I got to play it. So thank you, for sharing. I’m glad I got to stop and listen. Looking forward to more by Lonely Frontier. I hope y’all find what you are looking for.

It's hard to say a lot about Katie without potentially spoiling it, but what I can say is that I wholeheartedly recommend it. Katie is a story of friendship, loss, and moving on set in a small town. The game is melancholic but sweet and funny at the same time. The player doesn't serve as a traditional protagonist, but instead as a facilitator for the game's main character, Katie, to tell her story. It's a story of ups and downs and can be quite touching. I couldn't help but reflect on some of my life experiences. There isn't much in the way of 'gameplay' in Katie. Your time is spent wandering the town, chatting to the other inhabitants, and looking for the titular character. The game is pretty in a retro way and this really adds to the atmosphere and experience. Despite the initially simplistic looks, there is some genuinely very nice art and animation here. Some of Katie's sprite work in particular can be pretty funny. The music is great too; though it is infrequently used, it adds to the setting rather than detracts. Katie is an interesting look into the mind of the game's solo dev (Josiah at Lonely Frontier Studio) and is a strong first release. I wish the game had received more attention, as it wholly deserves it. In the end, I can't say a lot more without taking away from the game itself. It's not a long game by any means, but it's worth spending the hour or so needed to get through it. Because of the style of story being told I don't know if I will ever replay it, but I'm glad I did play it. I suggest you do too.

[spoiler]Just [strike]Monika[/strike] Katie[/spoiler] Пришла из-за графики, осталась из-за сюжета и возможности крутить карусель. Хорошее интерактивное кино, которое даёт возможность задумываться, но не очень на этом настаивает. Пара технических проблем: 1) не очень удобно играть в оконном режиме; 2) в самом конце после титров игра просто вылетает (хотя это может быть и нарочно).

-Beautifully written -The atmosphere is very well-realized and complements the theme of the game nicely -The music is lovely -Loved the Lion King reference in the campfire scene, nice subtle nod to the real fans -Could stand a settings menu w/ FOV and mouse sensitivity slider Overall a really impressive debut.

Bad

Great Game! Great story! Wish it was a little more longer though. I got really into the story.