[h1]Overview:[/h1]
'[i]Tobit[/i]' is a first person walking simulator that takes the player on a hike through a forest while someone in the background narrates a biblical tale. That's it, there's nothing else to it and if I have to be completely honest, this game swayed me in a way that I would've never expected it to (and not in a good way, my god not in a good way). The tale in question is about the story of a Jewish man named "Tobit" (hence the title) and his family all to whom had been living as exiles after something called the "Assyrian Conquest" took place. I could go into detail about the Assyrians and Tobit himself and his sons journey blah blah blah but I'll save you the complexity of it and just summarize it like this: The idea from the story pretty much revolves around the idea of what acts God does based on how one reacts in particular situations. Whether it's testing the faithfulness of a particular individual or answering the prayers of someone suffering.
[h1]Gameplay:[/h1]
Honestly, I'm not into biblical tales of [i]any[/i] sort and find them unbearably boring to listen to, read about or even watch so you could imagine how bored I got playing through this game. Although it's made clear that the game is a biblical narrative combined with a walking simulator, I still enjoy walking simulators and am relatively open to giving games that [i]may[/i] not suit my fancy a shot. Unfortunately it was a huge mistake when it came to '[i]Tobit[/i]' and for a couple of reasons solely due to preference. I won't dance around the fact that listening to a story from a bible will forever bore me to death, but if the narration is done well and isn't stretched out, then there's at least some hope that it'll be at least tolerable.
Sadly, the narrator who's supposedly a professional voice actor presents the entire story in such a lifeless, expressionless and disinterested tone that it honestly feels like they're void of any interest in the actual story being told. Pair that with a walking simulator slower than molasses and you have yourself a game that functions better as a sleeping aid than an actual game. I'm not kidding, I went through a roller coaster of emotions throughout my entire playthrough and the first half started with me literally almost falling asleep a good number of times. The last half consisted of me almost going insane, laughing out of boredom because of how badly my senses were being deprived. I can't even fathom how boring this game is and I can understand having a slow walk so the narrator can finish reading the text but even when he finishes, you're still left walking a good 10 seconds or more before he starts talking again. It just becomes a trudge within the first 5 minutes of gameplay and ultimately makes you wonder when the game will be over.
Don't get me wrong, the game might not be as bad as I say but you seriously have be a specific type of person to be able to enjoy this. Someone who's interested in biblical tales told in biblical style narration as well as someone who enjoys deathly slow walking simulators while listening to said stories. But this is a very particular demographic and if you can't stand stuff like this, you won't enjoy '[i]Tobit[/i]'. But I will at least admit that the story is very rich and does hold some okay parts, if only it was narrated with a little more love. The entire ordeal also lasts between an hour and a half to two hours to finish so if you think you're able to walk incredibly slow while listening to an emotionless narrator talk about a bible story for two straight hours, then by all means, give this a go.
I think the one thing that absolutely killed it for me was honestly the environment. On top of an already boring story told by a bored sounding narrator, you're also placed in a forest that despite being beautiful, is the [i]only[/i] thing you see. Even with two different instances of forest scenery, it's still just trees, grass, bushes, plants, mushrooms and dirt that your eyes can embellish and it gets old [b]fast[/b]. There's nothing else of interest and to be frank, had there been a decent variety of environments to walk through, I feel like this game would at least be bearable to play, but it's the same thing over and over again with zero changes. Everything just felt so dead that I honest to god (no pun intended) couldn't focus on the story no matter how hard I tried as every time more text appeared (especially in a long paragraph) and the narrator spoke again, I just groaned in annoyance rather than listen to what came next in the story.
I really want to reiterate that this is coming from someone who isn't into bible stories but is into walking simulators. But '[i]Tobit[/i]' doesn't execute either areas well because they're both boring and drag on and on and on making the player wonder when they'll finally reach the end. And if somehow you [i]do[/i] make it there, the game doesn't even fully end, there's no credit scroll, ending cutscene, fade to black, not even a boot back to the main menu, nothing. The narrator just finishes the story with "Amen" and leaves the player at a dead end on top of a small hill. That's it, the players themselves have to put two and two together and figure out that the game is finally over, even though the game does [b]nothing[/b] to indicate this. I still can't believe I was able to endure that highly stagnant journey.
[h1]Controls:[/h1]
Fortunately there isn't much to say here since all you do is walk through a fixed path for eternity while using your ears to listen. Controls work fine enough but man do I wish there was a sprint button, alas it would disrupt storytelling aspects so I can understand that. But jeez, couldn't the player walk even a [i]little[/i] faster?
[h1]Graphics:[/h1]
Now this is kind of where the cream of the crop is but I say "kind of" because of how repetitive it gets. The two forests presented to the player are both beautiful and only differ in lighting (which is also beautiful), the first having an orange tinge while the second has more greenery. The quality is amazing and has so much detail that it even takes the game time to load in the desired textures and resolutions. The issue lies within the fact that this is all you get. I don't mind walking through a forest for a certain period of time, but it's [b]all[/b] there is for the entire 2 hour duration of the game making the scenery get old and tired extremely quick.
[h1]Audio:[/h1]
Putting the voice acting aside since I've already talked about it, you also have the faint sounds of nature and a softly played guitar track. They're both calming enough and don't disturb the story being told but doesn't change how boring and drowsy the game as a whole feels. The game [i]does[/i] advertise itself as being relaxing which I can definitely vouch for because I swear had it not been for sheer commitment, I would've knocked out over 10 times.
[h1]Conclusion/TL;DR:[/h1]
'[i]Tobit[/i]' is a first person walking simulator with heavy storytelling elements. All you do is walk [b]extremely[/b] slowly through a detailed but repetitive forest for two whole hours while a lifeless narrator tells you a story from a bible. It's unfathomably boring for anyone uninterested in biblical tales and walking simulators but might, [i]just might[/i], be okay for people who are interested in bible stories and walking simulators alike. But even with that, the game as a whole is still a [b]huge[/b] slog with gameplay so unhurried that you'll either quit before you even make it halfway or spend the majority of the time either laughing maniacally as your sanity slowly diminishes or continuously complain to yourself the length of the game and when it'll finally be over.
