For instance, you could choose not to use the flotation devices, or decide to let the sea monster attack you. Though there are a few elements that could charitably be described as puzzle-like, such as finding flotation devices or discovering how to keep a sea monster from attacking you, the real fun comes from experimenting with different decisions and exploring their results. As explained by a comment from one of the Beard brothers, this code is meant to be entered at a special, hidden webpage (revealed in-game), which gives you the opportunity to preorder a physical copy of that particular story (currently set to ship on December 31, 2016), an intriguing effort to bring the storybook qualities of the game into the real world. This might seem rather anticlimactic if not for a mysterious code shown on the spine of each book. Some paths are mutually exclusive, with earlier decisions often changing the exact events you’ll encounter later on.Įach time you discover a unique story, a book containing that story’s map is placed on a shelf in the barista’s coffee shop which you can go back to and examine between journeys. It should be noted that both the beginning and ending events of each journey are the same for every playthrough, though I will avoid spoiling these outright for players who wish to discover them on their own. At the end of a journey, when the Beard brothers have returned to their village, the map discovered at the very beginning of the game shows, in icon form, what path you took and the choices you made. Perhaps you want to try diving in after the enticing mermaids, or maybe you’ll decide to intentionally lose the race a certain character challenges you to win, just to see what happens differently.Įach adventure, or story, lasts around ten minutes or so, and the whole game takes between one to two hours to complete, depending on how quickly you discover new ways to proceed. There are a total of twelve different stories that can be told, each of which comes about as the result of making different choices as you set out from the village. In contrast to other games that have one or two different endings and call it a day, the decisions you make throughout alter not just the ending, but various points along the way. Once a bit of intentionally-vague knowledge on the subject is obtained from the local barista (because obviously no good fishing village is complete without a coffeehouse), the player can proceed, which means hoofing it back to the ship and setting out again to discover just what adventures the game has in store for you.īurly Men at Sea’s gamebook-style approach means that most of your participation involves making decisions about how to handle the various twists and turns in the story. Unsure of what to do with the map they find inside, the brothers take it ashore to find someone in their village who can offer some insight into the map and its possible meanings. The story follows the adventures of the Beard brothers, three rough-and-ready sailors who, in the opening moments of the game, catch a bottle in their fishing nets while out at sea. There’s a lot to like in this minimalist folktale, with its clean graphical aesthetic, clever writing, and enjoyable score backing up a story centered on discovery and exploration. Having the ability to make different decisions to see what the outcome will be is very compelling to me, and I was happy to discover that Burly Men at Sea, an indie adventure game from husband-and-wife developer Brain&Brain, is this kind of experience. Rating: 64.I’ve always enjoyed choose-your-own-adventure books, where you read a story and are able to determine how the tale proceeds by selecting what the characters will do next.It would be a very frustrating experience if you will be struggling to understand the story instead of just following it. I own it on mobile and I think the best way to play it is with children :)Īlso can recommend to check if game supports a language you are comfortable with, otherwise you won't enjoy the game. It is more of an art project, sort of interactive fairy tale. Be aware: With an overall Metacritic score of 82 and a multitude of awards this game still might be boring for you (even if it can be beaten under 30 minutes).
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