Open Sorcery: Sea++

This game is more polished and more comprehensive than Abigail's previous game (Open Sorcery). Like their previous game what is unique about OS - Sea++ is the writer's creative fingerprint. The world of OS is hard to describe, it is our world in the current day overlaid with a complex world of computer magic. America operates giant magical corporations, time is in flux and mythical creatures exist but people nonetheless go about their lives as normal. The world feels a little like Terry Pratchett's Discworld in that it doesn't take itself too seriously e.g. webships are steam powered, meaning that they are powered by the excitement and frustration derived from playing games. In the story the player will be going from place to place in the Web, a place where humanity's dreams become reality. This setting lends the writing a lot of freedom allowing the tone to vary wildly from whimsical to deeply sad and then funny depending on where in the web the player is and what they are doing. It is also clear that a lot of thought has gone into the nature of the world. For instance there are clear boundaries as to what magic is and what it can do. For example Fairyland (I'll avoid specific spoilers) is governed by two godlike queens, one embodies chaos and light, they ensure that the land is filled with infinite possibility. The other embodies darkness and order, they ensure that the land is totally bound by law. In Sea++ it feels as if this world has become more defined whereas in the previous game the worldbuilding felt more loose, like poetry. I get a sense that the author is having fun and this lends the work a real energy and playfulness. The characters are well thought out and feel grounded in the world. In particular the story surrounding the 3 ghosts made me tear up. There are still issues in the game, particularly in a slight bit of moon logic with certain puzzles and the tedious word puzzles. However these elements don't diminish the overall experience This is a great game and shouldn't be missed. there is plenty of quality content for the £11 price point and I've gotten my money's worth. I'd encourage people to pick up the game at full price. If the game goes on sale I would strongly encourage anyone that likes good worldbuilding and storytelling to pick the game up its a hidden gem. EDIT - Having completed the game I can confirm that the writing gets even better, some of my favourite parts of the game were in the late game. The game's only really big flaw is the lack of indication or instruction as to what the player should do to progress at times. As such I'd recommend that people play with the community guide available to fall back on when stuck.

The starting area (after acquiring the first spell) was a lot of swim north / south / east / west with basically empty descriptions in 90% of the grid. I was expecting more from the positive reviews. If I'm spending my time seeing the same text over and over as I swim from one direction to the next while I'm ferrying objects from one location to another, what that tells me is that the game has too much empty space between locations and it doesn't value my time.

I'm not sure what I expected - this is very much a text only game, with clicking on text and navigation "go north" style being pretty much the only gameplay. That's not a problem, though: visual novels have less gameplay and can be engaging. I guess my issue is the writing. The setting is some strange Jungian collective consciousness style ocean that's operated by... code? The idea is very appealing, but the way it's presented is... not. It's a mixture of self-reflective poetry and programming. I should love this: I dabble in poetry and code for a living. Maybe it's because the writing feels very alien and self-focused. Arrogant, perhaps. The protagonist's train of thought doesn't fare too well on the tracks of my mind. Shame. I'm not recommending this, but this is a very subjective opinion - based on the fact that me and the text of the game didn't really click. Maybe take a look? Who knows, maybe it'll click for you.

If you like text adventure games, Open Sorcery: Sea++ is an incredibly fun game to play. There are plenty of puzzles and choices to do in the game due to its flexible magic system. My favourite part of it is probably its respectful depiction of physical disability. For anyone that is unsure of getting this, I can highly recommend the first Open Sorcery as both games are quite comparable in storytelling quality and the first game is much shorter - albeit less comprehensive.

Abigail Corfman has done it again, with a massive follow-up to one of my favorite Twine games ever, Open Sorcery. This time, rather than a magical creature as in the first OS, you play a human -- one of the titular "open sorcerers", who specializes in blending magic and C++ code to work her will on the world. Sea++ also takes the opportunity to flesh out the world of Open Sorcery to a truly vast degree. Some of the highlights, for me, included: -- taking tea with a very eldritch spider -- convincing an angel to use gender-neutral pronouns for God -- teaching small forest creatures to dismantle the magical equivalent of fracking equipment -- navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of the faery domain to win ADA compliance Oh and did I mention our protagonist, Pisces, has a refreshingly complex relationship with her own disability? (She's [spoiler]paraplegic[/spoiler].) The core of the story is as much about determining what sort of person she has been and will be, in the form of how she responds to the fixed events in her life (and in the game), as it is about her larger struggles against the forces of late-stage capitalism. Overall, Sea++ has thrilled me and made me eager for the tantalizing hinted conclusion to the planned story arc. Disclaimer: I am credited in the acknowledgments as an early access tester but did not receive this game for free or any other compensation or incentive for this review.

Link to review: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2021/02/video-game-review-open-sorcery-sea/ https://backloggd.com/u/RedBackLoggd/review/1039008/ Tl;dr You get a throwback to a genre that died for a reason- sure visual novels were birthed from the ashes of them, but they’ve at least added an extra dimension that freshens things up for a sect of the gaming populace. Pure text-based adventures feel cheap and outdated, and OSS goes out of its way to make those facets worse than they already are through limited artwork, a sparse score, and inconsistent SFX. The writing, which should have been the saving grace, throws half its lot on identity riddles that rapidly lose their emotional momentum via being poorly strewn in the hub, while the other half is focused on an odyssey hampered by some of the worst filler I have had the misfortune to experience. As the title implies, you get a number of puns in the script that relate to the literary and compsci fields, making it fun to read (if you’re familiar with those topics), and the personalities you encounter on your voyage can be even more fun to get into dialogues with. But they are spaced out between objectives that are a chore to complete courtesy of their compartmentalized sub-goals that depend upon menial labors and external memorization/penning. If you find text-based adventures appealing and were one of those guys who drew their own map of the original Legend of Zelda from the 80s, then perhaps you’ll like what Open Sorcery: Sea++ has to offer. For the rest of you, steer clear.

I don't have experience with old-style text adventure games, which is a thing I'm starting to regret now. This game feels to me like it may be similar to such games and I'm saying it as a complement. It really does feel like an adventure. Unlike modern games, it forces player to think, make the right decision at the right time and manage resources. It's not unfair in that, though. Some riddles are hard but the solutions are logical and can be found without trial and error. You won't get a perfect ending on the first run but you may get a pretty good one if you put your backbone into it. Regardless, you will have fun along the way. After the initial run, the game transforms from an adventure into a puzzle. You need to uncover all the secrets, map all the outcomes of your decision and plot a path that will allow you to achieve all the goals in a single run. Honestly, it's a challenge even with help of community guides. (I'll get there eventually.) As for graphics, well it a text-based game so don't expect photo-realism but backgrounds are good enough to immerse you in the world with a little help of imagination. For the most part it doesn't feel like just reading a text. Music, on the other hand, is very good and very atmospheric. It brings locations to life and don't get annoying even after listening it on repeat a long time. Obviously, there are some problems but they are not significant enough to change my opinion about the game. So, do I recommend the game? If you've read the above and haven't gone to look for some shooter instead, then yes, you should definitely try it. Should you play the first game before this one? Well... This entry is a definitive improvement over and expansion of the mechanics. However, I still did enjoy the first one and it does tie to the overarching plot of the series. I'd said you should probably play them in order but you still can start with this one if you're not sure if this is a genre for you and want to check out with the stronger entry. While some of the skills and knowledge acquired by playing the first game may be useful here, the second one does a good job of teaching a new player everything they need to know.

A great game, in general. If you have difficulty with the text-based nature of the game, just think of it as a point & click without pictures. The difference is minimal, you'll just have a lot more freedom of action (and the branching paths which come with it) than with traditional point & clicks. Buying this game was a no-brainer for me since I loved the ideas introduced in the first Open Sorcery. I just wanted to see more of the world introduced to us in the first game. And Sea++ delivered. If you have even surface knowledge of computer science, you will find a lot of creative puns to enjoy. And those who like fantasy will find a refreshing take on the genre. Time-wise, this game has a lot of replayability thanks to the freedom of actions given to the players. The community has estimated an average of 30h of gameplay as of the date of this review. As for the gameplay itself, while it strives to give as many options as possible, don't expect anything ground-breaking. The minigames, while simple, can be fun. Just remember that you can skip new puzzles of a type you have already solved. Also, this game heavily encourages you to take notes, or be very attentive at least : you can miss on a lot of the game if you don't look at everything. Also, did I mention you could play anywhere on the genocidal-pacifist scale ? All in all, definitely a hidden indie gem.

Playing with a guide because this game is WAY too smart for someone like me I have a pet octopus and I named him Goony :)

An absolute gem of a game. Blows me away on so many different levels. Sea++ is one of my favourite games of all time.