Trackless

Trackless is not a perfect game, but as an experience, I really enjoyed it. Although the endings are a bit of a letdown, the whole journey to The Object is worth taking. There are VERY good reasons for this. The biggest one is that Trackless shows that there is still so much unknown ground to explore in video gaming. There is just nothing quite like it in terms of gameplay, art design, environments or storytelling. It is simply a pleasure to explore the great looking environments, meet some people, listen to some ambient tunes and continue your journey. Now, for all the good that Trackless does, there are some misses too. The puzzles are basically just typing the verb of the action that is needed to interact with the object. At its best, this is an engaging way to connect with the gameworld. At its worst, this is an annoying way to make the player guess what the designer was thinking. Even native speakers might cuss at some spots. Also, the walking speed is frustratingly slow. Which is made worse by the fact that you can get an upgrade just when the game is about to end. It is a real kick in the ding dong kind of design. This game is a treasure. Despite it shortcomings, I liked it a whole lot. I will give it a perfect score, because it inspired me to step into the unknown. 5/5

Στα [+] • Τά λιτά γραφικά μαζί μέ κάποιους πετυχημένους φωτισμούς. Στα [-] • Τό βασικό (καί καθοριστικό) μειονέκτημα τού παιχνιδιού είναι η ανάγκη γιά τέλεια γνώση τής αγγλικής γλώσσας. Οι "γρίφοι" του εστιάζονται αποκλειστικά καί μόνο στήν πληκτρολόγηση τού κατάλληλου ρήματος κάθε φορά πού ο ήρωας θά πρέπει νά δράσει. • Η πλήρης απουσία πραγματικών γρίφων, η ό,τι νάναι ιστορία καί τό βαρετό πήγαιν-έλα μιάς χωρίς καμιά λογική διαδρομής, είναι αυτό πού θά συναντήσει όποιος καταφέρει νά προσπεράσει τό εμπόδιο τής γλώσσας. • Τά ηλίθια μηχανήματα πού υποτίθεται ότι "αναβαθμίζουν" τό κινητό σου τηλέφωνο, ενώ στήν πραγματικότητα τό μόνο πού κάνουν είναι νά σού χαλάνε τήν οθόνη του καί νά μήν μπορείς νά διαβάσεις τά μηνύματα πού εμφανίζονται κάθε τόσο... http://adventures-index-2017.blogspot.com/

"i think i've got lost again"

Trackless is one of those gems of a game in that it doesn't overstay its welcome. It knows the story it wants to tell, and tells it at just the right pace and length. A single playthrough takes around 3 hours, depending on how thorough you try to be, but a complete run will net you another 3 to 4 hours, if you're super concerned about length-cost justifications. However, hashing out whether or not it's worth it does it a bit of a disservice, considering not only is it not expensive, but it's far more valuable to find a game that respects your time, and does its own thing aesthetically. Easily the best part of Trackless besides it being short & sweet is that it has an art style typically reserved to some visual novels, insofar as characters go, but further distinguished in its environments and vehicles. For the most part, it all looks like it fits together, which even in some visual novels isn't necessarily the case, wherein you have 2D characters alongside 3D models textured in a different kind of art style. In Trackless, characters, objects, environments, and vehicles all feel part of the same whole, making it all the more impressive. As to the gameplay, it's also rather distinct, in that it calls back to classic text adventures. Where in a text adventure you had only a text description of the space you were in and some commands/verbs to attempt, Trackless is able to shed much of the descriptive text of the whole space with its visuals. Yet what it retains is the classic command/verb form of interaction, surfacing a text entry field with each object/obstacle to interact with, typically relying solely on verbs for each interaction, aside from one specific optional case, which the game makes clear upon encountering it. Interestingly, this works better than one might expect! It's certainly unusual, and in some cases one might feel it leads a little too much to guesswork, but in most circumstances it's not too difficult to determine what the game is going for to simply interact. The part that makes it feel more like guesswork at times is that the game does evaluate the terms you're attempting to use, rating them as great, ok, or meh. Any of these should work, but you'll receive less money in return for that are only ok or meh, which given that money is used only for some optional tasks and the game seems to be pretty generous with it, isn't much of a concern. There's even a fun moment where, if you're feeling a bit strapped for cash, you can completely work around it through some clever interactions. Oh, and before I forget, the game is fully voiced, which I had accidentally missed in my first run by inadvertently disabling the voiceovers. Frankly, the voice acting is a tad hit or miss outside of the main characters, but it's never downright terrible either, so it was fun to play through again and realize that apparently you're playing a man, and also just how to pronounce some of the characters' names. Nevertheless, if the voice acting doesn't do it for ya, you can easily switch it all off via the phone's sound option. On top of all this, Makeup and Vanity Set did the soundtrack for the game, and if you've not heard their work, you're in for a treat. This isn't by any means their best work, but it absolutely fits the game, and strikes all the right notes for it, which Makeup and Vanity Set always seem to do a great job of with their soundtracks. So, yeah, I absolutely recommend this game. It's a strange scifi world with some charming characters, slick aesthetic and sountrack, not terribly expensive, and just the right length with some replayability, what's not to dig about it?

Trackless is such a rad and clever hidden gem.

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trash

Gameplay design is unique, and the art direction does a great job for what seemed to be a relatively low budget. Really gives a mood. And there's a good amount of collectibles, secrets, and alternate endings. But you will find MANY moments of trying to guess what it wants you to specifically type. That ferry puzzle can go to hell, and the voice acting/mic quality is incredibly inconsistent and often low. It was mostly added for those who don't want to read the text. But still. Regardless, it's a solid and unique experience, though you MIGHT want to wait for a sale, like I did.

A nice adventure walking simulator where you type command for interaction. This feels like a field trip, so its pretty nice.

Truly excellent.