More like "you were in the MOMA the whole time..."

This is dumb. The reason it is dumb is that you can have similar experience in any open world game. Only, other open world games have things that you can do. Lack of things to do is not an intriguing concept by itself.

Now before one of you jumps down my throat about artistic statement and experience as its own reward blah blah et cetera, I am not against minimalist game design. Miasmata, for example, looks really cool and plays on similar themes of independent exploration. The difference is a level of player engagement. Proteus, by the looks of it, gives you nothing.

@HerbieBug said:

This is dumb. The reason it is dumb is that you can have similar experience in any open world game. Only, other open world games have things that you can do. Lack of things to do is not an intriguing concept by itself.

Now before one of you jumps down my throat about artistic statement and experience as its own reward blah blah et cetera, I am not against minimalist game design. Miasmata, for example, looks really cool and plays on similar themes of independent exploration. The difference is a level of player engagement. Proteus, by the looks of it, gives you nothing.

Try it, its really nice.

@jettpack: You boot up Just Cause 2 and drive yourself over to one of the mountains. Get out of car and hike around mountain. Go to summit, watch sunrise. Jump off mountain, open parachute, float around and experience.

I bought this like a year ago when it was in an early alpha state and completely forgot about it. Happy to come back to it now and see what has changed.

I would love to play this! I would love to not spend 10 dollars on this!

Like Brad, said, glad stuff like this can exist, but it is simply not for me.

I want to ask what's the point... but I feel I might just be missing the point... maybe that IS the point...

I feel like going hiking is a much more fulfilling alternative to this.

You collect energy for a spirit bomb but use instant transmission instead, all so you can chase Clefairy. Got it.

God forbid someone makes a game that isn't for you, please complain more about it. I'm dying to hear it.

LESS SNARKY EDIT: Okay, but really, here are a few things worth reading. As per the Proteus FAQ, here is a link that goes over a sort of philosophy behind what Ed Key, the game's creator, was inspired by. Definitely worth a read.

And here's a quote from him on having goals incorporated into the game:

I’m not religiously against it, and am very interested to hear peoples’ thoughts on this, but probably not. The main idea here is a for the exploration and discovery to be motivated by the enjoyment of finding new things for its own sake. I found a strange effect when something goal-like was introduced, where players would latch onto it and it dramatically changed the atmosphere of the game.

All of which I think is very commendable. I guess the mindset lends itself to boring reductionist insults like "haha this is like an interactive screensaver," but all that shit sucks. Almost everything can sound terrible when you simplify its intent to a large enough degree. And for me, I think Proteus is a wonderful experience.

@HerbieBug: Don't play it because it's similar to other games? What a dumb argument.

It's an enjoyable 40 minutes.

so its minecraft except you dont do anything. yet jeff enjoys it.. okay

@RVonE:

Lydia: Oh look, a cave, I wonder what's inside?

You: Cave? It's a patch of black on this hill. There is no interior, we can't go inside.

Lydia goes after a moving shape: Skyrim belongs to the Nords!

You: Don't bother, you'll never catch it, it's impossible.

Shape keeps moving, Lydia keeps chasing: I'll kill you if I have to!

Lydia comes back, then repeats this process.

You: Lydia, take this knife and kill yourself.

Lydia: I am sworn to carry your burdens.

@dr_mantas said:

@AssInAss said:

Whoah, no Patrick on an art game QL! :(

All games are art, bro.

That explains why he's in just about every other quicklook.

@mbr2 said:

inb4 someone wrongly using the word pretentious.

MORE LIKE PROTENTIUS. AMIRITE, BRO!? UP TOP!!

Someone had to do it...

Really, I'm with the "I'm glad stuff like this can exist in some form and I like the look, but I dunno about $10 for this." crew. That said, this 'interactive experience' seems to have plenty of potential to do something really awesome...then just sort of doesn't.

Unless it really does develop into some crazy shit after a while, it seems like it'd get pretty dull once the aesthetic wears off.

This game is a cheap but very sweet serotonin boost.

I'm with Brad, I sort of get the appeal of these 'games'. They're more of an experience than a game, but I might have to check this out. Adore the sound design, and that owl... seriously!

I can't wait to get my hands on an Occulus Rift!

This is interesting, and the idea of the exploration being its own reward is something great when done well.

I kind of hope this was somehow open-source. In other words, people could create content for it and populate the world even further, allowing for an almost endless amount of things to find and interact with.

Maybe if you keep "re-generating" the island enough times an actual game will eventually appear..

If you're interested in an actual game (and not just some mediocrely fancy screensaver), I'd suggest getting Miasmata.

@thabigred said:

"Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."

~ John Muir

Probably not true. etymonline says

late 15c., santren "to muse, be in reverie," of uncertain origin. Meaning "walk with a leisurely gait" is from 1660s, and may be a different word entirely. Some suggest this word derives via Anglo-French sauntrer (mid-14c.) from French s'aventurer "to take risks," but OED finds this "unlikely."

I'd love to give this a shot. Love the pixel art. Not sure if this'd be worth ten bucks though.

What if like, the game is within all of us maaan. Woaaah.

If your game is just about wandering around the world - that's your whole focus - you really should have something better to offer than generic heightmap terrain. At least put a little more effort into your geometry and create something with some cliffs and overhangs and caves. The whole world here is just made out of lumpy hills topped with sprinkles. And the "indie" flat pixel art is extremely low-effort.

@ILuvMsMarvel said:

@RVonE:

Lydia: Oh look, a cave, I wonder what's inside?

You: Cave? It's a patch of black on this hill. There is no interior, we can't go inside.

Lydia goes after a moving shape: Skyrim belongs to the Nords!

You: Don't bother, you'll never catch it, it's impossible.

Shape keeps moving, Lydia keeps chasing: I'll kill you if I have to!

Lydia comes back, then repeats this process.

You: Lydia, take this knife and kill yourself.

Lydia: I am sworn to carry your burdens.

Nice.

Proteus - From the same guy who shit all over flower. Jeff is a changed man...

I would love it if they make a game like this with say the Crytek engine

@Gee_rad said:

@thabigred said:

"Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."

~ John Muir

Probably not true. etymonline says

late 15c., santren "to muse, be in reverie," of uncertain origin. Meaning "walk with a leisurely gait" is from 1660s, and may be a different word entirely. Some suggest this word derives via Anglo-French sauntrer (mid-14c.) from French s'aventurer "to take risks," but OED finds this "unlikely."

Websters says it's from unknown origin from 1660s, so really nothing here disqualifies Muir's quotes as a possibility. Just from the spelling it is probably french.

This would be great on a handheld.

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep broooooooooooooooooooooo

I feel like I am in a 3D world of Kings Quest 2

Great @Brad & @Jeff put weed in it. There's a reason they call it dope fellas!

Jeff and Brad are perfect in this Quick Look. They give the game its respect, but also don't mind ripping on it a little for being a "games as art" kind of game.

EGA all up in this bitch.

Something is wrong with the audio here. Super distracting while I'm trying to listen to the game audio. Sounds like someone is walking around the office with a mic pack on or something.

I'll wait for Sexy Proteus. Though, this seems totally wonderful, like how I play The Wind Waker or Red Dead Redemption, minus the mechanics and variety of terrain that those games have.

@marbleCmoney said:

Jeff and Brad are perfect in this Quick Look. They give the game its respect, but also don't mind ripping on it a little for being a "games as art" kind of game.

Right? Contrary to popular Internet Mindset, it's fully possible to enjoy something without thinking it's perfect.

Looks like a bunch of farts and turds.

This looks like a modern Noctis with a lot prettier graphics and 70 billion fewer star systems.

This looks kinda dumb. They want money for this?

I'd hesitate to call this a game and it seems like something that would get old after a few minutes. It reminds me a lot of this "Mars.exe" program I had back in the Quake days where it'd just randomly generate a bunch of red dirt hills for you to run around in and do nothing. This is like Skyrim minus all of the systems, characters, story, and anything resembling a game mechanic.

I'd be down for someone making a game that looked like this though. 2D pixel art is super played out to me but nobody really experiments with vectory stuff like this or making games look like early polygonal games, which is a style I like.

Sale fluff if ever I saw it.

Am I missing something? Which part of this game is compelling? I mean why were they freaking out when those particle things started spinning around them. I just don't get it.

Favourite Jeff quote: "Hhhaaaaah."

The part of Proteus that makes it stand out isn't conveyed well in the QL. The player has a lot of control over the ebb and flow of the music, and it's rewarding when it has a good progression. It's not for everyone, but I appreciate audio experiments and this one is well executed.

This game seems super relaxing. I will save this for my teaching practice when I'm stressed out

As an experiment, and an experience, this is neat. As something that costs money? Eh, I'd rather 'experience' a meatball sub for around the same price.

@LiquidPrince said:

Am I missing something? Which part of this game is compelling? I mean why were they freaking out when those particle things started spinning around them. I just don't get it.

Looked like everytime he went through the portal the season changed. They started in spring with cherry blossom trees, than summer with the hot sun and in to fall with the falling leaves as the trees prepare for winter. Maybe by spending enough time some crazy shit happens as the years pass. Although I'm doubtful.

This is almost like the place where Good Vibrations and Strawberry Fields Forever are from.