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discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?



As the year is coming to a close, some of us take this time to reflect on the year and see all that we've done. We use this reflection as a means to better ourselves for the coming year and to make resolutions to not repeat the mistakes we've made. But how do you know it's really going to pay off? How do you know it's not all a wasted effort? What if you could gain access to visions of the future to see if your decisions even matter? Well that is the focus of this LP, for you see the game we're playing today is just that. Year Walk is someone's journey into the unknown to try to find what lies ahead and today seems like the perfect day to do so.

Let's Play Year Walk - Part 1: New Year's Eve
Let's Play Year Walk - Part 2: New Year's Day

Grimwit shows up the try ending of the game:


*also the lovely Huldra drawing is by Panzer Skank. But that's a secret.

discworld is all I read fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Jan 22, 2015

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Grimwit
Nov 3, 2012

Those eyes! That hair! You're like a movie star! I must take your picture!
It's tempting to say that the ending is yet-another-surreal-end (tm), but I'm willing to have faith the end will clear up. I wasn't expecting the credits to roll so soon.

WhiteHawk
May 5, 2009
This... Is a very special game, isn't it?
I loved the folklore and art - and though there were some jump scares , they were not cheap in the conventional sense (I feel, at least).
Well done with the minimalistic commentary, can't wait for the 2nd part.


Also really tempted to buy this...

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012
That is a really disturbing game, but brilliantly made in every sense. Jump scares still suck though.

Your commentary was perfect for this, and I absolutely enjoyed this first part. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Sir_Faolan_Hound
Aug 19, 2010
Year Walk is definitely a very good game, it's a shame I never finished it. It's creepy in ways most people don't expect, especially with how a lot of horror games tend to be nowandays.

DumbRodent
Jan 15, 2013

Heart Thumping Field Trip
BIG PANIC?
This game is totally beautiful. Something about it always got under my skin- especially when nothing was happening at all.

Thanks for LPing it, you're preserving its atmosphere really well.

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?


Let's Play Year Walk - Part 2: New Year's Day

Happy New Year.

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012
Oh man, even that end was depressing as hell. I know Norse mythology is pretty drat fatalistic, but there had been something more than that.

Brilliant writing though, and the pictures do a great job of selling his story.

e: Also it's an "point and click" adventure game that isn't obtuse and doesn't have retarded solutions, so it's already in the 99th percentile of the genre.

ViggyNash fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Jan 1, 2015

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011
You cannot escape your doom. You can only change it. I actually admire the creators for doing it like that, because in the old stories there are no happy endings, only ones where some of the people live.

ViggyNash posted:

Oh man, even that end was depressing as hell. I know Norse mythology is pretty drat fatalistic, but there had been something more than that.

Brilliant writing though, and the pictures do a great job of selling his story.

e: Also it's an "point and click" adventure game that isn't obtuse and doesn't have retarded solutions, so it's already in the 99th percentile of the genre.
If you dig this game, I genuinely recommend Superbros: Sword and Sworcery because it's quite good and I love the art in it.

Kibayasu
Mar 28, 2010

I really appreciate the excellent summary you did of the journal entries because I probably would have gone crazy myself pausing and unpausing to read them :v:

JackNapier
Jun 20, 2014

Kibayasu posted:

I really appreciate the excellent summary you did of the journal entries because I probably would have gone crazy myself pausing and unpausing to read them :v:

I did exactly that, it's honestly, it makes you feel something, not sure what, but you can almost feel the desperation as you read it word for word. I don't think I can say this enough, but Jesus Niggurath, you continue to be the reason I'm glad I got an account for the forums, thank you for another LP

Panzer Skank
Jan 12, 2004

He's a regular-crab.
Not, like, a sex-crab.

I really enjoyed seeing this game because it terrifies the life out of me. Thanks for this really neat little New Year's special. :3:

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012

Deceitful Penguin posted:

You cannot escape your doom. You can only change it. I actually admire the creators for doing it like that, because in the old stories there are no happy endings, only ones where some of the people live.
If you dig this game, I genuinely recommend Superbros: Sword and Sworcery because it's quite good and I love the art in it.

I actually do have that, and I played about a couple hours of it, but it's just frustrating. It has all these weird sequences that make it feel like it's trying really hard to be taken seriously as a game. That frustration came to a head at that one boss fight where you have to reflect the balls back at that god thing to take it down, which I never beat because I gave up.

It's a shame because I would be happy with just the great overall aesthetic of the game if I could sit back and experience it like a movie, like I do other exploration/adventure games with minimal interaction.

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?
So I've got a free copy of Year Walk from this week's Humble Bundle (https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly) and I've got nothing to do with it really....but if any of you guys would want it, then draw me something for the game. Whichever one Panzer thinks is the best will win and you have until ummmmmmmmmmmmm next Friday to enter. Cause I'll forget otherwise.

Panzer Skank
Jan 12, 2004

He's a regular-crab.
Not, like, a sex-crab.

Niggurath posted:

So I've got a free copy of Year Walk from this week's Humble Bundle (https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly) and I've got nothing to do with it really....but if any of you guys would want it, then draw me something for the game. Whichever one Panzer thinks is the best will win and you have until ummmmmmmmmmmmm next Friday to enter. Cause I'll forget otherwise.

Oh boy I love being a judge! DRAW ME THINGS, DELIGHT MEEEE

100 HOGS AGREE
Oct 13, 2007
Grimey Drawer
There was a bit of an audio glitch while you were reading the journal and I just about leapt out of my skin. I can't play these games myself because I work my nerves raw expecting something's gonna happen even if it's not a part of the game.

I couldn't play more than a half hour of Dear Esther or Gone Home because of it.

Thanks for the LP it was a nice way to spend an evening.

ComicsandSlushies
Feb 22, 2013
drat that was a tragic ending but a fitting one considering I couldn't see any way for this to end happily.

This was a pretty good game and totally worth paying for thanks for lping it Niggurath! Though does anyone know if theres a place to get the games music? It's really good.

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?

ComicsandSlushies posted:

drat that was a tragic ending but a fitting one considering I couldn't see any way for this to end happily.

This was a pretty good game and totally worth paying for thanks for lping it Niggurath! Though does anyone know if theres a place to get the games music? It's really good.
The humble bundle I linked above has the soundtrack as part of the BTA price, and I'm glad you enjoyed the game.

Thesaya
May 17, 2011

I am a Plant.
I was quite convinced that this was a real case in the beginning of a second video. The articles looked and sounded real and I know feel researching to see if there was any basis at all in reality. Also, I have never heard of Kyrkgrimmen before, definitely looking that one up.
Was kind of disappointed Skogsrået didn't have a foxtail though.

And these are all a bunch of random thoughts I just realised, in general, this was a cool game and as a Swede fascinated by Nordic folklore it was right up my alley.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
I have to give them props for working up all the, uh, props. That box looked really keen and the iconography felt authentically old.

What a weird game to find hidden inside a game.

Leinadi
Sep 14, 2009
I got this game on a whim a while and enjoyed it for what it was. Nice atmosphere.

Thought it was interesting that I'm from Sweden yet never heard of the concept of a 'Year Walk' (the swedish word for it, 'årgång', is used in a different sense nowadays).

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?

Leinadi posted:

I got this game on a whim a while and enjoyed it for what it was. Nice atmosphere.

Thought it was interesting that I'm from Sweden yet never heard of the concept of a 'Year Walk' (the swedish word for it, 'årgång', is used in a different sense nowadays).
What's it used for nowadays?

Also if anyone still wants that copy of Year Walk, then draw me a picture.

Grimwit
Nov 3, 2012

Those eyes! That hair! You're like a movie star! I must take your picture!

Niggurath posted:


Also if anyone still wants that copy of Year Walk, then draw me a picture.

Here ya' go.



PM me if I win by default.
PM me if I don't.
No one PMs me anymore.

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?

Grimwit posted:

Here ya' go.



PM me if I win by default.
PM me if I don't.
No one PMs me anymore.
I love it because you tried and because it's lovely. So you should be getting something, though I sadly don't have PM's so it'll be sent through Mech Slut.

Leinadi
Sep 14, 2009

Niggurath posted:

What's it used for nowadays?

While "Year Walk" in English implies an action (to year walk), "årgång" is currently mostly used to indicate when something was produced. Mostly wine. You could translate it as vintage I think. "A nice vintage" (if that does refer to a particular year? My English is a bit shaky here) would basically be "en fin årgång".

Again, I found it very fascinating that I'd never heard of the "Year Walk" practice before this game, neither had my girlfriend who knows a lot about folklore and such. I believe it is mentioned somewhere (not sure if it was an interview or somewhere else, in the actual game perhaps?) that it was rather obscure and hard to find information on it

Grimwit
Nov 3, 2012

Those eyes! That hair! You're like a movie star! I must take your picture!

Niggurath posted:

I love it because you tried and because it's lovely. So you should be getting something, though I sadly don't have PM's so it'll be sent through Mech Slut.

Package received. Thanks, Niggurath!


Leinadi posted:

Again, I found it very fascinating that I'd never heard of the "Year Walk" practice before this game, neither had my girlfriend who knows a lot about folklore and such.

I've checked a few interviews about the game and, Well, mostly the inspiration came like this...

Simon Flesser posted:

And so when we finished up [Simogo’s third iOS game] Beat Sneak Bandit, Jonas [Tarestad, writer] showed me his script for a short movie he called "Årsgång". The structure of årsgång or ‘year walking’ is almost like a game with rules, so it was natural that his script reminded me of a game. (source)

I actually hope this is a real myth, but if it wasn't, it is now thanks to wikiality.

Samovar
Jun 4, 2011

I'm 😤 not a 🦸🏻‍♂️hero...🧜🏻



I do know some of the mythological beings mentioned in the game are 'genuine' pagan creatures.

discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?

Samovar posted:

I do know some of the mythological beings mentioned in the game are 'genuine' pagan creatures.
Yeah, like I know that horse thing is a pretty common folk tale in many nations, such as the Icelandic Nykur:


poo poo still is super bizarre to me all around, but still super interesting. It really makes me think of something like the Kappa from Japanese folklore in that it was probably all just tales to keep kids away from dangerous bodies of water so they didn't drown.

Thesaya
May 17, 2011

I am a Plant.

Leinadi posted:

While "Year Walk" in English implies an action (to year walk), "årgång" is currently mostly used to indicate when something was produced. Mostly wine. You could translate it as vintage I think. "A nice vintage" (if that does refer to a particular year? My English is a bit shaky here) would basically be "en fin årgång".

Again, I found it very fascinating that I'd never heard of the "Year Walk" practice before this game, neither had my girlfriend who knows a lot about folklore and such. I believe it is mentioned somewhere (not sure if it was an interview or somewhere else, in the actual game perhaps?) that it was rather obscure and hard to find information on it

You are right, vintage is the direct translation.

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011

ViggyNash posted:

I actually do have that, and I played about a couple hours of it, but it's just frustrating. It has all these weird sequences that make it feel like it's trying really hard to be taken seriously as a game. That frustration came to a head at that one boss fight where you have to reflect the balls back at that god thing to take it down, which I never beat because I gave up.

It's a shame because I would be happy with just the great overall aesthetic of the game if I could sit back and experience it like a movie, like I do other exploration/adventure games with minimal interaction.
Too bad then I abandoned my LP of it before it began for real! And it seems you missed my favourite part of the game, where just for no drat reason you descend into the well, go underwater and experience a trippy thang indeed, and I had no idea why or how or what purpose it served. It's a cool experience though, maybe I'll redo it when I finally live up to Nigguraths expectations.

Niggurath posted:

Yeah, like I know that horse thing is a pretty common folk tale in many nations, such as the Icelandic Nykur:


poo poo still is super bizarre to me all around, but still super interesting. It really makes me think of something like the Kappa from Japanese folklore in that it was probably all just tales to keep kids away from dangerous bodies of water so they didn't drown.
The important thing about the Nykur is also how it is a cautionary tale about horse-theft (don't ride strange horses), being lazy (the trigger word for drowning is "Nenna" which is uhh, basically not wanting to put in effort) as well as don't go near streams, you stupid fucks, kids die there all the time.

The year walk seems to be a fairly standard vision quest sort of thing tho. All the stuff they mention about auspicious times fits with Icelandic mythology; the new year was a time to see elves and die, see trolls and die, see the seals take of their skins, then later die, get murdered by ghosts, revenants or the weather and whatnot. If you buy into the nordic "Doom" rather than "Fate" cosmology, then trying to see what it is that lies in store for you is pretty much what you see there.

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discworld is all I read
Apr 7, 2009

DAIJOUBU!! ... Daijoubu ?? ?
Going to go ahead and lock this/send it to the archive, but I want to thank everyone for watching and hoping that you'll join me for the next bit of madness.

If you're curious what that is, here is a little sneak peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75p7ZBMFd2w

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