The Life and Times of Daniel Vastberaden

[h1]A story of horror and tragedy...[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]The Life and Times of Daniel Vastberaden[/i] is a story-driven, point-and-click game with mini-puzzles developed and published by Master Suite. In all of the chapters (except for the epilogue), you take on the role of Daniel, narrating notable events from his life, such as the early moments with his wife and daughter, as well as his family and philosophical thoughts. It's based on the fictional biography under the same title, written by Bernadette Brooks. I won't reveal a lot about the story since it would definitely fall under spoiler territory, but it ends with Daniel's death, along with an epilogue by his daughter. Also, the story is quite emotional, with plenty of tragedy and a bit of horror. As for the gameplay, it mainly consists of point-and-click elements in which you have to explore various rooms and pick up items. The items are needed to complete various mini-puzzles, which can vary from reassembling picture puzzles to making potions. There are a total of eight chapters, along with an epilogue. Steam achievements are present, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited". [h2]Review[/h2] On occasion, I enjoy games that have a good story and point-and-click elements along with puzzles, which [i]The Life and Times of Daniel Vastberaden[/i] delivers. The story intrigued me from the start, and upon reading the first page of each chapter, I'd get drawn into Daniel's world. I only wish that there was more to the narrative part of the story beyond the first page, but if you click on a couple of right arrow buttons on the page, you'll either be taken into the gameplay aspect of the chapter or skip to the narrative part of the next chapter. As I enjoy reading a lot, it would have been nice to have been able to read more pages of the chapter. However, the story is captivating, with plenty of tragedy. Daniel definitely had his fair share of troubles, all eventually leading to his death. Although there isn't a lot of romance, a bit is hinted in which [spoiler]Daniel and his wife's ex-lover are in a yaoi relationship[/spoiler]. Regarding the gameplay, I didn't run into bugs with a lot of chapters. However, a few bugs are present, particularly with chapter four. It turns out that if you don't do certain steps in order, you'll get locked out of completing the chapter, which is a bit annoying. Of course, there are solutions to get around this, but hopefully, the developer will get to fixing them. Also, no save function is present. Normally, I'd find this to be a problem, but each chapter is short and can be completed in less than one sitting, so saving isn't really necessary. You can play a chapter, take a break from the game, and then get back to it afterwards. It's probably best to play the chapters in chronological order, but you can choose to play them out of order. All Steam achievements unlocked for me. Most achievements are tied to completing chapters, but a particular one is tied to doing so without [spoiler]Daniel losing his head, so the chapter in question would probably need to be played twice[/spoiler]. Also, I should note that even though you can toggle between full-screen and windowed mode, the latter has awfully small dimensions, so having the option for bigger ones would have been nice. As for the art, I like that it has this hand-drawn style, and it gives off that feeling that you're in the late 19th century. The colors are chosen well, and I really like the art style when the beginning of a chapter is shown, the drawings only being in black and white to complement the narrative writing. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3485621428 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3485621575 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3485621679 Before I forget, I should give a trigger warning, so I'll put the following in spoiler text. [spoiler]There are depictions of death, Daniel's beheading, and blood.[/spoiler] With the music, I enjoyed listening to the tracks that are present. They are all instrumental, have a great variety, and make you feel like you're in the 19th century. The occasional sound effects add a great touch. Even though no voice acting is present, I think it's not necessary for there to be any. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Would I recommend [i]The Life and Times of Daniel Vastberaden[/i]? If you're looking for a short point-and-click game with mini puzzles and a story that is tragic and has slight horror and/or you want to obtain fairly easy Steam achievements, it's worth taking a look. The game has a low asking price although the average gameplay time is on the short side. It took me over an hour to complete all of the chapters and get all of the achievements. To be fair, though, I did consult a Steam user guide (which is totally excellent, so it's worth checking out if you get this game), so if you play completely blind, it may take longer. Still, you can wait for a sale. Finally, I'd like to give a special thanks to the developer, Master Suite, for the review key. It was quite the journey to follow Daniel's story. It definitely deserves more recognition, as it's a fun point-and-click game all around. ^^ [quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]

Tragic story with easy puzzles and some annoying bugs. The game is a series of levels or chapters that you choose from a book. There are multiple chapters, and you can begin with any of them, but starting with the first is the only reasonable option because they still follow a narrative. Each chapter contains one simple image on the left page and a story on the right. Sadly, the story is cut short because the sentence ends abruptly at the bottom of the page. Turning the page simply takes you to the next chapter, and the only other piece of story is included in a diary within separate chapters that is difficult to read owing to the handwriting. Completed chapters are not marked and don’t really lead to much. Epilogue is already revealed and all you get for completing a chapter is an achievement. Once within a chapter, you must complete it in one sitting because there is no saving. Furthermore, you cannot quit or return to the main menu. The only way to exit the game is to force quit it using the Alt and F4 keys, or to close the game's window by pressing the x key. It turns out that having all chapters unlocked right from the start is a good thing because of a few annoying bugs. For instance, the fourth chapter crashes the game when you try to use an item. Then, in a different chapter, you can’t leave a room. There’s also one chapter where you can collect an item through a locked container, but this doesn’t prevent you from completing a chapter. The gameplay is simple. You click on things on the screen and collect those you might need. First thing you need to do is click on various containers, such as drawers or closets, as well as doors to adjacent rooms. A room only has one screen so the camera cannot be rotated. The fact that each chapter takes place in the same house adds to the simplicity. Hotspots are not identified or labeled, so you must click on everything. Fortunately, there are not very many objects on the screen. If you come across something you might need, you will collect it and store it in your inventory. To use an item, you first activate it by clicking on it, and then click on the desired location on screen. Because an item remains active until you leave the area or deselect it, you can quickly attempt to combine it with everything. Puzzles are not difficult and make sense. There are only a few rooms in the house so you will not have many options. A chapter may also include one logical problem in which you move objects around to construct a pattern, a locked container requiring a code, or a puzzle in which you use your head. In the first chapter, you are involved in an accident and lose your head. However, you do not die because you merely bandage it and tie a scarf over your neck to conceal the scar from others. When necessary, you can detach your head and use it as any other inventory item. This creates some morbid situations, such as placing the head on a broom or using it to connect pipes.

Haunting and tragic generational tale with a great mysterious atmosphere, fans of Rusty Lake shouldn't miss this game. The puzzles are simple but good, and the surreal "detach your head" mechanic creates some very interesting moments. Currently there are some bugs that should be fixed, but most of them aren't bad. The exception is chapter 4, which has several issues, but I wrote a post in the forum explaining how to avoid them. After you finish it be sure to visit the developer's Itch page to enjoy some more content related to the game (all of them free), including a sequel game.

The Life and Times of Daniel Vastberaden has a nostalgic feel reminiscent of the early Rusty Lake games. It offers an intriguing experience with well-designed puzzles woven into a strange and captivating story. However, the game does have its fair share of bugs, so I’d recommend picking it up on sale. That said, it definitely deserves more recognition!

A throwback to those surreal, Rusty Lake era flash games

The game seems interesting and the story kind of intriguing. It seems to be going for a Rusty Lake vibe. However, the actual gameplay is very badly designed. To start, once you enter a chapter there isn't any way to save, or even to *exit*. You either have to complete the chapter or force quit, the former of which can be impossible to do. The actual triggers in the chapters keep messing up. I had to restart chapter IV five times because the trigger to talk to your son simply wouldn't activate, and you can't give him the needed item unless you load that conversation first. Certain item triggers can be repeated, but if you're not meant to do so the game will just CTD. The puzzles themselves aren't interesting enough to make up for these problems. By the end of chapter IV I was frustrated enough with the game I just stopped playing, and wish I could get a refund for it.

very interesting story, but easy to softlock yourself. the controls aren't entirely working, and there's no ay to exit or save once you've entered a level.