Strangeland

Marktplatz

Plattform: PC Veröffentlicht: 25.05.2021

12,49€

Preis Update 08.03.22

You awake in a nightmarish carnival and watch a golden-haired woman hurl herself down a bottomless well for your sake. You seek clues and help from jeering ravens, an eyeless scribe, a living furnace, a mismade mermaid, and many more who dwell within the park. All the while, a shadow shrieks from atop a towering roller-coaster, and you know that until you destroy this Dark Thing, the woman will keep jumping, falling, and dying, over and over again.... Strangeland is a classic point-and-click adventure that integrates a compelling narrative with engaging puzzles. For almost a decade, we've been working on a worthy successor to the fan-acclaimed Primordia, and we are proud, at long last, to share our second game. Strangeland is a place like no other. Even in the real world, carnivals occupy a twilight territory between the fantastic and the mundane, the alien and the familiar. In their funhouse mirrors, their freaks, and their frauds, we see hideous and haunting reflections of ourselves, and we witness the wonder and horror of humanity in just a few frayed tents, peeling circus wagons, dingy booths, and run-down rides. Strangeland, of course, is most definitely not the real world. Indeed, figuring out where—and who—you are is one of the game's many mysteries. As you explore Strangeland, you will need to gather otherworldly tools and win strange allies to overcome a daunting array of obstacles. Forge a blade from iron stolen from the jaws of a ravenous hound and hone it with wrath and grief; charm the eye out of a ten-legged teratoma; and ride a giant cicada to the edge of oblivion.... Amidst such madness, death itself has no grip on you, and you will wield that slippery immortality to gain an edge over your foes. Navigating this domain of monsters and metaphors will require understanding its denizens and its enigmas. Unlike many adventure games that offer a linear experience and single-solution puzzles, Strangeland lets you pick your own way, your own approach, and your own meaning—one player might win a carnival game with sharpshooting, another by electrical engineering; one player might unravel a strange prophet's wordplay while another gathers visual clues scattered throughout the environment. Ultimately, Strangeland's story will be your story. You are not the audience; you are the player. Features:

Approximately five hours of gameplay, replayable thanks to different choices, different puzzle solutions, and different endings
Breathtaking pixel art in twice Primordia's resolution (640x360—party like it's 1999!)
Dozens of rooms to explore, with variant versions as the carnival grows ever more twisted
An eccentric cast, including a sideshow freak, a telepathic starfish, an animatronic fortune-teller, and a trio of masqueraders
Full, professional voice over and hours of original music
A rich, thematic story about identity, loss, self-doubt, and redemption
Integrated, in-character hint system (optional, of course)
Hours of developer commentary and an "annotation mode" (providing on-screen explanations for the references woven throughout the game)

At Wormwood Studios, we make games out of love—love for the games we've spent our lifetimes playing, love for the games we ourselves create, and love for the players who have made all of those games possible. We know that players invest not just their money and time in the games they play, but also their hope and enthusiasm. And we want to make sure that players receive a rich return on that investment by creating games that provide not only a fun, challenging diversion for a few hours, but also lasting memories to keep for years. We think the best way to achieve that with Strangeland is to adhere to the genius of the adventure genre: the marriage of challenging puzzles and thrilling exploration, on the one hand, with an engaging narrative, on the other. At the same time, we've tried to remove the punitive aspects of adventure games (deaths, dead ends, illogical puzzles, pixel hunting, backtracking, etc.). Within this framework, we add uncanny visuals, memorable characters, and thought-provoking themes. The result for Primordia was a game that has received thousands of positive player reviews, and we have refined our approach further with Strangeland. We hope it will not disappoint the players who have given us such great support and encouragement over the years! And we hope that it will find a place in the hearts of new players as well.

Deutsch (1)
Englisch (44)

349 Produkte im Account

30 Reviews

Empfohlen

256 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.06.21 13:56

Ein großartiger Alptraumtrip mit genau der richtigen Spieldauer.

84 Produkte im Account

4 Reviews

Empfohlen

414 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 02.04.22 17:20

It's more about the story than the puzzles. A really enjoyable game.

1215 Produkte im Account

201 Reviews

Empfohlen

183 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.02.22 14:03

I honestly don't have much to say about this game other than that it is a very interesting one. It's fun, it has multiple choices and endings, it's quite peculiar (but in a good way), it's full of great quotes, it has puzzles of an easy to normal difficulty, and it has a magnificent storyline with hidden meanings. Great job, developers! Till next time, don't forget to point & click!

426 Produkte im Account

73 Reviews

Empfohlen

698 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 18.02.22 17:19

An intriguing adventure game. The setting is great, dialogue and voice acting are well done, and the puzzle design is good. I really enjoy that there's an in-game hint system - more adventure games could use that. I did find the ending on the predictable side, but overall enjoyed my time with the game.

369 Produkte im Account

19 Reviews

Empfohlen

276 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 16.02.22 07:02

This game is honestly fantastic, I loved the atmosphere, the characters, the story, all of it really. Not to mention that the Developers are active and interact with their community! I asked for the script of the game and they went out of their way to deliver! Honestly I cannot recommend this game any higher.

267 Produkte im Account

8 Reviews

Empfohlen

190 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.02.22 22:49

Lovely, lovely point-and-click, as usual from the devs. Looking forward to your next game!

59 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

Empfohlen

461 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.02.22 03:33

Super fun and lots of good creepy horror. If you loved Thimbleweed park and Unavowed you will love this game!!!!

213 Produkte im Account

32 Reviews

Empfohlen

506 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 16.01.22 17:48

Let me start by saying that I own almost all of Wadjet Eye Games point & click adventure titles and they are an insta-buy for me. If you're a fan of them you'll probably enjoy this one, too. It has many of the qualities you can expect from their games like top notch voice acting (incl. Abe Goldfarb, probably the only voice actor I know by name) and absolutely solid puzzle design with some very unique ideas. Having said all that, Strangeland is, well, strange (and bleak and surreal). It's hard to explain why and how it is strange without spoiling too much and this is best experienced blind. So, I'll just say that the core game requires you to go through the (almost) same scenarios many times. The storyline is very opaque and open to interpretation. The latter is not a bad thing per se but it means (and this might very well be intended because it fits the story) that you feel a bit lost because you don't know what you're actually trying to accomplish, although the genius of the game design is that you still kinda know what you have to do right at that moment (and if you get stuck there's a brilliant in-game and in-character help line, quite literally: There's a phone booth where you can call the operator who'll give you hints). Strangeland is definitely a memorable experience, well worth playing but it is certainly not everybody's cup of tea. I recommend it to more experienced adventure game fans who are willing to embrace a bit of strangeness.

296 Produkte im Account

17 Reviews

Empfohlen

245 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.01.22 02:16

It was awesome

433 Produkte im Account

6 Reviews

Empfohlen

336 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.01.22 00:04

A dark Carnivale of the mind that explores the impacts of trauma on the human psyche. Sexy artwork and a compelling story that doesn't outstay its welcome at five hours in length. Looking forward to seeing more from these devs.

541 Produkte im Account

10 Reviews

Empfohlen

289 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 28.12.21 18:08

Pros - A dark world to get lost in - About 5 hrs of gameplay. Just about what I want from a lite point and click adventure. Something you can play in one sitting with a friend. Cons - Not quite as much charm as Primordia, but it's hard to expect that from a game that's meant to explore a twisted liminal space.

519 Produkte im Account

14 Reviews

Empfohlen

358 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.12.21 16:36

I'm excited to see what Wormwood Studios cooks up next because Primordia and Strangeland have been really great. ...And you can (technically) pet the dog in this game so it's a solid recommend from me.

753 Produkte im Account

207 Reviews

Empfohlen

287 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 04.12.21 16:43

A very dark point & click adventure about grief and guilt - and salvation.

280 Produkte im Account

45 Reviews

Empfohlen

192 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.11.21 16:04

Less than an hour into the game, I already got this PS:T vibe. And surely I gotta pause for a minute to leave a thumb-up. kudos kudos kudos

780 Produkte im Account

16 Reviews

Empfohlen

211 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 29.11.21 19:08

pretty good

157 Produkte im Account

24 Reviews

Nicht Empfohlen

821 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.11.21 06:12

Short version: Not as good as Primordia, but since Strangeland is a psychological horror, it is as recommendable as Sanitarium or Layer of Fear. Uh...I'd rather prefer Layers of Fear. though. Long long version: Uh...I can't decide whether I like or dislike this game. To me, it feels like eavesreading a personal diary which is filled with deep grief of loss and self destructive narcissism. I think...the worst part of grievance is when your heart is broken, your body also feels hurt - like headache or chest pain. And this Strangeland is like, the gamification of that symptom. It made me physically hurt - not because of its disturbing images, but because of its abyssal sadness. And though it must be dedicated to the lost one, this extreme sadness is a bit...self-immersive. Even narcissistic. That also made me physically sick. Well, I know it's eventually about the healing and the light, but why this should be this painful? H.R. Gigeresque artworks are not very appealing(but maybe that's just because I'm not a fan of Giger), and the overall game is a bit overstuffed with homages and metaphors. The commentaries and citations are interesting and enlightening, but make Strangeland like a kinda philosophy textbook. I still don't understand some references...oh, and the credit is unskippable. Well if the genre 'psychological horror' means 'the game which is filled with grotesque self images', Strangeland is the one...but I expected some more...or less...I don't know, but not Gigeresque thing. I can't explain. Sorry! Anyway, I can't recommend this in a light mood, but it is still recommendable. Puzzles are logical, items are adequately located, and writing reminds me some Greek tragedies and Jewish poems. Abe Goldfarb's voice acting is somewhat exaggerated, but still brilliant. If you've experienced the loss of loved one, I could recommend this, but also I couldn't recommend this. Because it's like the healing process through self-harm. This path to the light in the sky is only reachable through many falls. I rarely rate the game by stars, but this one is 7.5/10 good and bad.

278 Produkte im Account

89 Reviews

Empfohlen

241 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 31.10.21 20:18

Great game. Good length for the price, more game should have this kind of content. As someone who doesn't normally like point and click adventures I have learned to love Wadjet Eye Games at the very least.

244 Produkte im Account

10 Reviews

Nicht Empfohlen

219 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.10.21 14:07

Such a disappointment after Primordia. I recall the only flaw in that game being the ridiculous amount of things to keep track of by the end, all of it piling up into a bit of vagueness. That applies 100x here. This game is just filled with so many vagueries and metaphors that it's really easy to get lost (not in an enjoyable way). The set pieces by themselves are great but nothing in this game connects or provides a real sense of its vast world, more just a pile of ideas randomly sprung together - which i guess was partially the point, but it doesn't make for an enjoyable experience. There is no sense of adventure and progressing towards something like in Primordia, just a gradual descent into more and more nonsense. There is not a single real character to talk to that provides any understandable dialogue or a role besides plot-necessary info or mocking the protagonist. I recall a robot waiting to be saved in Primordia that didn't serve any narrative purpose and wasn't related to any puzzle, it was solely there to add to the atmosphere. This game lacks things like that. Some puzzles offer multiple solutions, but the larger ones mostly depend on a signular absurd solution. With so little that is understandable or clear, it's impossible to really care about anything going on. Everything feels purposeful, yet so vague. I just spent most of the game scratching my head about what is going on. The story is a generic 'you have to save her' plot with abstract elements that come with exploring the main character's psyche, but the guy himself is so uncharacteristic and has absolutely nothing interesting to say, it's impossible to care for them aswell. Combine this with a vague dud of an ending where nothing feels resolved in any way and nothing is explained in the slightest. The puzzles also, in comparison to the story, feel extremely 'adventure-gamey'. I was half expecting there to be the classic key-stuck-in-lock puzzle. In this completely alien bizzare mysterious metaphoric world i was expecting to do the same puzzle I had to do in the most common room escape games - that's how much the puzzles undermine the real game. There is even a hint system, which seems like it had a tremendous amount of effort put in it, yet comes across as lazy in execution and i think shows a lack of confidence in the puzzles actually making sense. Art great, music good, but it doesn't amount to anything enjoyable, I really wish it did. But I really really hated it. Just play Primordia instead.

1437 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

Empfohlen

274 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 25.10.21 16:11

Another poetic masterpiece of art from Wormwood Studios, that will hit you with It's own style and atmosphere tightened to perfection. Something what you hardly see these days. It will make you think and question your own mistakes. It will hit you with a great humor, that will make you laugh. It might hit you with feels, that let you cry. Just about right mixture of ingredients for those, seeking adventure experience, that will not let you go so easily..

692 Produkte im Account

3 Reviews

Empfohlen

236 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 28.09.21 19:01

This was a thoroughly weird, and intriguing experience. It's not hard as an adventure per se, I kinda missed a screen but otherwise it was quite possible to breeze through, but it was such a strange and intriguing story. I'll be thinking about this for a few days, that's for sure. It's a solid recommendation from me, if you're looking for a few hours just experiencing this. And sure, it took me about 4 hours on the first playthrough, and if I wand the other endings, it'll be another 2 hours with some tactical saving. But that's entirely expected from an adventure, quite honestly. Especially if it is this graphically intense. There is a lot of hand drawing in here and very few re-used animations. But all in all, this is another year in which I find myself fully confirmed that I'll buy whatever wadjet eye publishes every year. And Wormwood Studios is a developer to keep an eye on. One of the last point+click producers out there.

236 Produkte im Account

11 Reviews

Empfohlen

241 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 18.09.21 13:28

THIS GAME BOGGLES THE MIND The hidden mythology and symbolism is amazing! The artwork is phenomenal and disgustingly intriguing. Gameplay... Well it's a point and click game but, and this is a big stinky but. Unlike most mindbuggers, you don't need a walkthrough for the game as it has it's own clue system! Also! synonym for strangeland is Oddworld. Reference maybe`? I came to Wadjet Eye through Unavowed and noticed that they are reaaaaally not subtle to advertise their inspiration subjects! And honestly I like it. It elevates the source as well as the game how well they use their inspiration. I really don't wanna say much about the game since it was such a mindbuggering moment to figure out stuff. So take this recommendation with a grain of salt and try it yourself. You'll be disgusted, horrified, intrigued and amazed.

324 Produkte im Account

3 Reviews

Empfohlen

301 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.09.21 23:05

please keep making games bc i need more point and clicks like this and primordia in my life

419 Produkte im Account

164 Reviews

Empfohlen

540 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 14.09.21 18:41

Wow. This was a very interesting and surreal experience about grief, loss, self reflection and even self acceptance maybe? It's dark stuff man... I do like these type of games and was not dissapointed by Strangeland. Easily on the top 10 of memorable point'n clicks I've ever played. Puzzles, while indeed strange, are reasonably logical considering where the story plays out. There weren't any long stretches of aimlessly trying everything on anything just to solve a puzzle. And I think that making the puzzles any harder wouldn't have done justice to the story. Difficulty is fine where it is. There's also an in-game hint system which is very well incorporated into the story itself. Very unique. While being a relatively short game, it's was fascinating from start to finish. Lots of symbolism in dialogs, which might not be everyones cup of tea. Personally, I enjoyed every second of it. Loved the art style, the story it was telling and most importantly, *how* it was telling the story. Voice acting was great for the most part. Murmur was exceptional. A very solid game and a must-have if you like dark-themed adventure/puzzle games. Really enjoyed this one.

1297 Produkte im Account

106 Reviews

Empfohlen

281 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 09.09.21 22:36

A very gripping, interesting experience. Strangeland has a wonderful atmosphere, great writing, phenomenal art direction, perfectly fitting soundtrack and the kind of imagery that will stick with you for a long time. While the story presents itself in a way that makes it look more complicated than it really is, to me the real interest was trying to figure out how each of the game's segments, environments and characters fit into the larger narrative. If you like to try and find meaning in symbolism and interpret a story according to your own sensibilities, you will have a field day with Strangeland.

847 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

Empfohlen

248 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 03.09.21 13:57

I don't usually leave reviews

491 Produkte im Account

61 Reviews

Empfohlen

263 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.08.21 09:49

Wormwood knocks it out of the park again. Well worth the wait.

354 Produkte im Account

100 Reviews

Empfohlen

434 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 25.08.21 09:36

+ Graphic page,audio/sounds are great combines with well done animations. + Dumb fun ideas,you can kill your self with knife or drink snake poison or jupm to well etc. + Scenes are great,i get lot of great pics. + Worth buy in full price. + Game lenght 7.2 Hours. + Some fun puzzles. + Few game endings but they looks same to me. +-Maybe story?Saving girl with golden hairs.. -Well i need wait on new cool dark game. Pro tip:Never trust crowns.

806 Produkte im Account

57 Reviews

Empfohlen

479 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 25.08.21 01:39

Another phenomenal point and click from Wadjeteye and Wormwood. Wormwood somehow managed to craft a moving, cerebral story full of metaphors that still manages to make sense on a surface level. This is a true triumph, not just in videogame storytelling, but storytelling writ whole. Highly recommend to fans of well crafted stories, and fans of point and click adventures.

1076 Produkte im Account

39 Reviews

Empfohlen

429 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 21.08.21 20:00

From my Linux point of view: I played the native version of the game. Beside everything the game does right, like graphic, story and voice acting. This doesn't help much if the game crash several times, and it does. I streamed the game on twitch and in one hour it crashed at least 6 times... . The developer fixed the bug and I played it again from a point in the game there I encountered a lot of crashes. The patch fixed it and I finished the game once again without a game crashing bug. Therefore I changed my review from a negative to a positive.

15 Produkte im Account

6 Reviews

Empfohlen

547 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 25.07.21 23:38

I don't think any other game has spoken to me on as deep a level as this game has. If you are even slightly interested in point-and-click adventures, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot

432 Produkte im Account

52 Reviews

Empfohlen

220 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.07.21 17:02

Fantastically surreal and disturbing visuals, combined with sometimes challenging, sometimes just plain fun puzzles. Also, the voice actors do a great job (with is on par with all games published by Wadjet Eye Games). If you've played the classic adventure game Sanitarium, you'll see some common threads, though Strangeland feels more personal and twisted. As a fan of both point-and-click and horror - I loved every minute!

56 Produkte im Account

28 Reviews

Empfohlen

252 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.07.21 11:34

A unique, surreal experience. Strong Planescape: Torment and Sanitarium vibes. Thanks a lot, Wormwood Bros!

304 Produkte im Account

6 Reviews

Empfohlen

237 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 13.07.21 22:10

Thank you, Wormwood Studios for a memorable experience. I completed the game this evening in one sitting. Engrossed at the subject matter - living in the world in this time... full of its horrors... death and depression... thank you for shining a little bit of light (you can probably guess which ending I chose) in the darkness. Loss is immeasurable, but so is the love left behind.

464 Produkte im Account

274 Reviews

Empfohlen

292 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 11.07.21 12:22

There are two points to discuss here. One. Adventure game design Context: I've never been a point-and-click adventure game player. I can understand the appeal of FPS, RTS, blobbers and RPGs of old, but the solution-finding process in classical adventure has always frustrated me. I could never get the feel for consistency of puzzle logic in any of the games in this genre that I played - with probably the sole exception of Loom. Now that I've said it, at no point did Strangeland frustrate me. All the threads that your mind should pick up are clearly communicated, you are never left without at least some sort of direction, never forced to just roam around clicking everything or trying all of your inventory on every object in the world. Does it mean Strangeland is the best point-and-click adventure I've ever played? Well... Yes. I'm not a connoisseur, but yes. There's also an ambiguous matter of a phone booth. At literally every moment and every step of every puzzle you can pick up the phone, dial up 0 and the voice on the other end will just blatantly spill out what you have to do. I understand why the author would want it in the game: to give the soft modern player an option to simply skip the puzzle. But... I found myself using it a bit too often in the second half of the game. And I know why. Because of blunt laziness. I know for a fact that if I'd put in a tiny bit more effort to remember my options (or in a few cases any effort at all), I would have solved the puzzle without help. Not calling for help requires a certain degree of adventure game ethic which I know I lack. It would probably be a good idea to limit access to it with... Something. I don't neccessarily mean objects like coins to be found in the world, but maybe a negative aesthetic change in the player model? Or a phone booth entourage? A rude mockery of the protagonist who calls way too often - by every character in the game? Something to psychologically discourage the player from abusing the hint system would be needed. Two. Everything else I didn't like the objective narrative behind the allegories. There's way too much unneccessary talk in this game in my opinion. The protagonist voiceover is mixed: sometimes he sounds half-hysterical and out of breath which is good, but sometimes he's confident and even witty which is just out of place. That being said, let me describe the feeling I got from playing this game. It's as if I'm lying down on my back and my abdomen is open, and it's a filthy ocean without bottom - with unidentifiable chunks of something sporadically floating up to the surface. And somebody is stirring it all with a huge wooden paddle-like ladle and occasionally feeding me with it. Logocentrism be damned, this is a game to live through. It's loathsome crippling self-consumption made into an interactive experience. Perhaps, it lacks true XXth century-style inhumanity to go all the way, but other than that it's as far as it can go. And also Jungian tradition is strong with this one. Although narratively I would like it to be even less polished, even less consistent, even less streamlined, even more spasmodic, even more guttural, but atmospherically it is all of those things and then some. And also the best point-and-click adventure game I've ever played, whatever that means.

941 Produkte im Account

52 Reviews

Empfohlen

561 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 09.07.21 13:07

Atmosphere, sight and sound all come together to deliver a fantastically dark narrative about peering inside one's self. While I did have some mild complaints here and there (such as stiff, awkward animations during the odd cut-scene) most of everything else here ranges from being on point to the exceptional.

704 Produkte im Account

32 Reviews

Empfohlen

341 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.07.21 03:44

Makes me miss depression

5426 Produkte im Account

77 Reviews

Nicht Empfohlen

249 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 28.06.21 05:37

This point and click adventure game has a killer aesthetic and a few of the puzzles are clever, but the story resolution is the absolute most boring one you could pick for this scenario.

1463 Produkte im Account

171 Reviews

Empfohlen

164 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.06.21 18:59

Almost as horrible as the real world haha 5/5

75 Produkte im Account

15 Reviews

Empfohlen

205 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 14.06.21 23:51

great game! :)

821 Produkte im Account

36 Reviews

Empfohlen

350 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 14.06.21 20:53

Highly recommend this and all other games by Wadjet and Wormwood - always high quality, well written and directed point and click games. This one probably the most trippy and surreal story of all - i'm still processing it - but it flows so nicely, doesn't overstay its welcome, and help is literally a quick phone call away ;) Can't wait for the next one!

525 Produkte im Account

27 Reviews

Empfohlen

883 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 13.06.21 19:22

A point & click adventure into a surreal world - an amazing experience. As if waking from a dream, you are in another kind of reality, this absurd carnival, where you see a woman jumping into a well ... you want to stop that, but cannot and have to relive it over and over. Soon you realize, you cannot win against all the odds in your way. But, you will not give up. Finding allies or just figures, who speak in riddles, you will persist in your struggle to save that woman. And piece by piece the player gets an idea, that this fight is more than just a fictional story. I was very touched by it, as I could relate Loved every minute in the game !

446 Produkte im Account

70 Reviews

Empfohlen

368 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 12.06.21 08:48

Dark, stylish point’n’click with heavy themes explored through surrealistic horror. You’re awaken in a straitjacket in what seems to be abandoned, neon-lit carnival in hell. It’s a great start already, but let’s not stop there – you also realize that you have no idea who are you, why are you there, and who is this mysterious woman that keeps jumping in the well as you helplessly watch her for the umpteenth time. Increasingly bleak atmosphere and the universe full of bizarre creatures and odd, chill-inducing rides makes you think that straitjacket just might be a smaller part of your problems… The narration of “Strangeland” is as surrealistic as the overall plot. It’s expressed through cryptic writing full of aphorisms, riddle-like statements, allegories, metaphors upon metaphors, and while it’s almost poetic, it also can be quite dense at times. There are references to religious writings, Norse mythology, historical places and many literary works abound to make you ponder and overwhelm a bit. All the dialogues, including internal, appropriately support dream-like plot and are intelligent and thought-provoking but might not quite be as easily digestible, layered on top of the already odd story. The core of which, by the way, will always be partially dipped in confusion. You’re going… somewhere, saving (or are you?) … someone and talking to … some creatures to move on to another bizarre level of the Strangeland. There’s a thread that makes you keep going forward (and things somewhat coherent), though, so you never entirely lost in the grand scheme of things, but still, be prepared to float in a weird dimension where some things are so strange that there’s no point of trying to make sense of them, but rather marvel at them and experience everything as a part of the dark journey which will be extremely personal, yet open to many interpretations. Puzzle element is nicely balanced, although a seasoned adventurer might yearn for a bit more challenge from developers of “Primordia”. There are classic inventory and environment manipulations, a few logic-based ones, and some fun (although out of place in some instances) puzzles based on wordplay. All of them combined provide for a smooth uninterrupted flow of the gameplay – not too difficult to stump for long, not too easy to just breeze through already rather short adventure, but just right. A few tasks will be of the same disturbing nature as the surrounding universe, so be prepared to do quite grotesque and unsettling things to move forward. Grotesque and unsettling are the words that could describe pretty much 90% of “Strangeland”, starting from plot down to actions of the Stranger and visuals. And these visuals are fantastic and dark and horrifying and beautiful, pushing AGS to its very limits and, quite probably, taking it beyond. Despite the game's largely muted colors fitting to a gloomy atmosphere full of despair, bright purples and yellows in neon-lit lights bring an interesting element to awe-inspiring pixel art, and even intense macabre creations have an underlying beauty to them. Smooth animations and overall dream-like liquidity of the picture make it a homerun for Wormwood Studios in a graphics department. There’s quite splendid, high-quality voice-over work present, and every actor did great job with their part. The nature of dialogues (dream-like, highly allegorical base that underlines them), however, might make certain statements from a main hero seem a bit too dramatically mechanical (or maybe mechanically dramatical) as the Stranger traverses this bizarre land, full of peculiar beings, but it is easily offset by phenomenal voice-work behind the character of clown head and all the supporting cast. Soundscape in “Strangeland” is quite minimal, but whatever is there works wonderfully. Slow, ominous electro-synthesized tracks and sounds underline heavy atmosphere yet keep it stylish, just like the lit-up signs strewn around this dark carnival do. It’s a moody, disquieting musical component that can equally disturb or plunge you into a melancholy. More of it would seem like an obvious request, but the nature of the game might actually be complete precisely with this minimal level of the top-notch sound. “Strangeland” is beautiful, well-made by a talented team point’n’click that nonetheless won’t be for everyone. Disturbing atmosphere calls for many actions that would be fitting only to that nightmarish world, and the overall darkness of the themes explored (nothing is explicitly stated unless you’ll be playing with commentary and annotations) could be too heavy for some. There’s intelligent writing chock-full of metaphors and allegories that might either prompt research and deep discussions or seem quite burdensome to get through, depending on your preference and even mood. “Strangeland” is a gorgeous work of oppressive art, polished and wholesome, but in this case, such is the world of the game that recommendations are largely secondary to the way you feel reading about it or looking at the screenshots. If you do decide to take up this surrealistic, chilling journey alongside the Stranger – remember, you also have his fate in your hands, and it’s a responsibility even he himself shunned for a long time, so proceed at your own risk. Find more awesomeness in our group! Coalition of Point & Clickers

2200 Produkte im Account

250 Reviews

Empfohlen

333 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 10.06.21 03:33

I can certainly recommend the game on the basis of its wonderful art, great puzzles, and fine voice acting, but I'd be lying if I said the heavy-handed metaphor didn't sour the whole experience for me a little. Yes, I know -- it's glaringly obvious in the first minute what kind of world this is, but I kept hoping against hope they'd do something novel with the narrative. They did not.

222 Produkte im Account

27 Reviews

Empfohlen

401 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 09.06.21 17:48

This game is awesome. As a previous Primordia player, I can now say with certainty that Wormwood studios are on the right track, and their games are thought provoking, engaging and fantastic. Being highly atmospheric and featuring beautiful art, this game is well worth the price. It tells a unique story with a main protagonist who is visiting the mysterious Strangeland. The puzzles aren't arbitrary, and are perfectly woven into the story-line it tries to tell. I am not too big into point-and-click, or puzzle aspects of the games, but dying to know more about the what's happening kept me going, which I guess how this genre is supposed to feel. You can tell that the game is written by someone who is well educated and knows the human condition well, as the philosophy of it doesn't feel rushed, oversimplified or pretentious. This is one of those games, where I play it, finish playing, and then think about what just happened for an hour. I wish there were more games by this studio. I highly recommend finishing the game, and then replaying it with the commentary on, so you understand all the references. The games dark topics might not be for everyone, but I strongly recommend that you give it a try, as it has multiple endings. 10/10!

1907 Produkte im Account

151 Reviews

Empfohlen

1445 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.06.21 01:52

Sublime, fully voiced point & click! Very player minded, disturbingly surreal and anxious; a must for lovers of the genre!

Story of Strangeland?

Our protagonist spawns at the end of a dead-end road, with a big directional sign 'Strangeland' next to him. Next to the road is nothing... a void. He has no idea who he is, so some people call him 'The Stranger'. He walks down the path, where he encounters a gate, which is also a giant mouth of a clown, who tells him a joke? You know, those gates that can be found in amusement parks or a carnival. The stranger sees no other way than directly into the mouth, with a plethora of signs to convince him that that is indeed the correct way! He walks over the clowns tongue into a room with in the centre a well, and a woman. The Stranger feels he has to save her, but the woman throws herself down the well! A crow tells that the woman keeps on returning, in order to to throw herself in the well, over and over, to save him?? Our Stranger is determined to save the woman, and the rest of this story filled with mindgames and metaphors I'll leave for you to find out!

Very player minded

The game is very smooth, almost all of time it's clear what needs to be done, and if you're unsure what to do, you can dial 0 on a payphone to receive a hint. Basically a walkthrough inside the game. Your inventory is kept pretty small, so there is not a lot to combine. Everything that can be carried has a function. The game has a standard P&C structure: at first you can choose or find several objectives that can be done in any order, and after that the story becomes linear. You never have to travel far, and even then you still have the option to skip the walking animation by clicking two times on the next zone. Pretty neat feature!

Audial and visual design

The voice acting is wonderful! It's of a very solid quality! It makes it so much easier to follow and enjoy the story! The sound effects are good, and the music is pure atmospherical I think, I can't remember any melody, except a maddening organ tune. Everything fits really well. The pixelart is good, but many parts are obscure, which is absolutely fine. The cinematics are not fully animated, but that's not needed either.

Involved developers

The devs respond alot to discussion topics, but I have also seen them in a stream I always watch that covered the game briefly. And I have played this with a group of players, with them reading our reactions and providing help where requested.

Conclusions

I love this game, even though I had some problems with acquiring the achievements. Some demand being done in one playthrough for example, while not stated in the achievement, and one requires reflexes of a competitive FPS game. I am certain they will finetune this in the upcoming weeks. This game is carefully polished, and knowing that Wormwood Studios consists of only three people, chapeau! Some people might find it a bit short with an average playthrough of 5-6 hours, but I personally like that. The price reflects that, I think. You could also criticise that the story is slightly generic. For me this game is an instant classic, especially because of the voice acting! 89/100 [/tr]

If you're interested in playing games like this simultaneous with other friendly and mature people on a scheduled basis, drop a line in the comments below!

[/tr]

More reviews at Omnivore Gamer, games that are easy to control (for handicapped gamers).

Sammlung

Über das Spiel

Systemanforderungen

Steam Nutzer-Reviews

Story of Strangeland?

Very player minded

Audial and visual design

Involved developers

Conclusions