To reprove or approve?

Posted on Mon 25 Aug 2008 by Keira Peney under Design , Game Spotlight .
[Link]

A few weeks ago, I was sent a copy of a game to review. The game was called Le réprobateur (The Reprover), and to an extent, it calls into question exactly what we define a ‘game’ as.

The Reprover is a story, told in verses. Each verse is a puzzle piece, and each has further embellishment hidden inside it. Clicking images, small videos, and the verses allows you to discover more of the story, until eventually you will be able to piece the entire narrative together - or at least your version of it.

The game is the opposite of commercialized. This is a tricky word puzzle, and focus is required to piece it together. Although game is not the right word - the player makes no appearance in the story, and does not assume command of anyones actions. It is more of an interactive novel, that has been torn up and left to you to put back together.

The various media in which it dabbles are all done well. The writing is poetic and formal (in English, I cannot comment on the French version), a long way from the usual video game fare. The videos are subtle and understated. The artwork is cartoonish, but somehow matches the formality of the rest. It feels gentlemanly and student-ish, both at the same time. It discourses on sex, music, marriage, the end of love, work and life. It’s grown up, a bit wry, and definitively new.

It clashes many things together, which we are used to seeing as separate. It combines literature with film and art, and then wraps it all in an interactive package.

The danger of a project like this is distracting from the central story, or having one section be less polished than the rest. However, everything works fairly neatly, clicking pictures changes the text, hovering over the text changes it, hovering over the pictures changes them, and playing the movie… well, plays the movie. Clicking a picture twice moves you to the next ’scene’. You even have the option of controlling the music, adding layers of looped tracks at your own discretion. Confusing at first, you adapt quickly to this way of ‘reading’.

Immersion into a plot-line is not really the point. This is a non-linear, multi-faceted thing, which changes every time you look at it. It attempts to make a story a living, breathing, evolving object - one that you can pick up and play with. There are frustrating moments, particularly if you are expecting a ‘game’, in the conventional sense. There are also ‘a-ha!’ moments, when two loose connections finally join up. Some people will love it, and play with it for hours. Others will hate it, and drop it quickly.

In essence, it reflects a new way of absorbing information, which was pioneered by the internet. We are no longer expect linear web-pages. We easily switch from video to commentary, and we follow links from one site to another, ending up at different places. This is not a new way of navigating, but it is a new way of navigating a piece of fiction - one that would not have been possible ten years ago. People unfamiliar with the internet would most likely be hopelessly lost - but this game isn’t meant for them. It’s meant for a certain type of person who is interested in media, and the impact media has on our interpretation of a story.

That I had the translated version, added another layer to the whole thing. Translating changes things, and a story like this relies quite heavily on changing meanings through word-choice and media-choice.

The story itself makes you work hard, but it is worth it. It would still be a good short story, even in a linear form. I won’t give any of it away here, but if you did want to find out you can purchase the whole thing for 16 Euros at the website.

21 Responses to “To reprove or approve?

Ad Infinitum Says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:30 am

Reading about this reminds me of the time when games actually were original and not refurbished clones of things that were. It’s good to know there are still people capable of thinking of new things out there.

RIsEoben Says:
December 5th, 2008 at 2:17 am

SEO ZONE is a search engine optimization(seo) firm, provides seo, seo article, seo tools,seo news and seo related informations,helping companies leverage the internet to increase revenues and profits.

SiDart Says:
August 5th, 2009 at 2:40 am

Добавлю в избранное, написано не плохо

Plovdiy Says:
August 10th, 2009 at 3:40 am

Неплохая подборка в блоге, хорошо сделано, автору спс.

Meleni Says:
September 9th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

Мне интересно, сколько средств вложили в раскрутку этого блога. Кто как думает?

Adler Says:
September 18th, 2009 at 6:39 am

Вроде все в порядке, только по ссылке почему то не могу перейти

SeregaDertin Says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Полностью все усироило меня в этом блоге, нашел все что хотел. Везде бы так делали.

myspace.on.girls.up.pick Says:
September 30th, 2009 at 11:01 am

Hi, nice article, you placed still if you don’t mind I’d sum few remarks about approaches young ladies or guys. Especially it can be hard when it follows to man woman relationships. The significant matter is your posture, which should be close and active. If you have an position like that, any soul shouldn’t see any difficulties that you have addressing as pointing. When you start a conversation, you normally require to ask safe questions that are true not to cause her any soreness. Once the conversation takes some momentum, you can ask more individual queries. A good illusion is to memorize some interrogates she made a point of so whenever the conversation decelerates, you can bring up one of these questions.

men.attracted.to.feet Says:
November 8th, 2009 at 5:32 am

Hi meticulous post. I think these tips might be functional too. Now the genuine pick up describes are the ones that flatter the woman. Right Away several of the lines might just be in all respectable fun to help discover the ice. That is great and it can finally lead to finishing up in sleep together with her at the end of the night. Heck what man doesn’t want that, but learned what to articulate and how to pull it off can demand a bit of exercise. A good pick up draw will get you in the door but from there you have to be assured enough to support the conversation active.

Thorton Says:
January 12th, 2010 at 10:39 am

Great reading material. I’ve learned a lot by reading here. Thanks!

Жиртрест Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 11:16 am

Как умело вы пишите, наверное давно свои навыки оттачивали?

Gerard Barranger Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:01 am

Anyway, this is a fascinating perspective on this subject. I’d love it if you updated your blog regularly! By the way, can your readers to send in questions they would like to personally ask you about? Right now I have a specific question on this topic because I am going through a frustrating situation with a girl I like and I’m just not sure how to move forward. I’d really like to ask for your comments…or perhaps someone can suggest a book that I ought to check out?

Dante Gionfriddo Says:
February 18th, 2010 at 5:07 pm

Hello Im looking to find some good hug coupons . Got any advice ?

ubot Says:
February 26th, 2010 at 9:45 am

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my MSN News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

Coy Benedith Says:
March 27th, 2010 at 2:24 pm

Hey everyone, greetings from Dublin. This is a cool blog. Does anyone have any advice about staying out of the friend zone with girls? I’m really tired of women telling me they just want to be friends. Maybe I’m being too much of a nice guy?

гадание Says:
March 28th, 2010 at 5:16 pm

Классный у вас у блога дизайн

BelorusochkaDina Says:
April 29th, 2010 at 9:12 am

Спасибо большое!!!

EasemPresee Says:
June 15th, 2010 at 2:14 am

I to you am very obliged.

EasemPresee Says:
June 15th, 2010 at 2:52 am

I can suggest to come on a site where there is a lot of information on a theme interesting you.

Hacker Says:
June 28th, 2010 at 5:07 am

Форум по хакингу и сетевой безопасности,хакерский портал.

Furiya Says:
July 6th, 2010 at 2:30 am

купить афродизиаки для женщин, мужские духи с ферамонами