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   Return of the Obra Dinn is a new first-person mystery game by Lucas Pope. You're given the role of an East India Company bean counter and tasked with investigating a lost ship that has somehow returned with no one aboard left alive. You have only two tools to aid you on your solitary mission:   The first is a journal that starts with a complete passenger manifest, the Obra Dinn's deck plans, and a map of her intended voyage. It also records all your findings and deductions as you advance your investigation. The second is a little more out there:  Whenever you find someone's remains or a place where someone died, you can use your skull watch to see and hear their final seconds, frozen in an explorable 3-D tableau.    Most murder mysteries name the victim right up front and ask how they died; Return of the Obra Dinn does the exact opposite, showing you the moment and manner of each crewman's demise and challenging you to puzzle out their identities by matching faces to names & fates. Once or twice you'll be lucky enough to just hear somebody's name straight out, but most of the time you'll have to carefully look and listen for all the clues you can--voices, accents, movements, possessions, duty stations, friends, enemies...there's no telling what information might prove useful.   You've already noticed the striking monochrome art style. You can choose whichever ancient CRT display strikes your fancy but the Obra Dinn always remains crisply detailed and easy to read, even in her most chaotic moments.      Return of the Obra Dinn doesn't feature any big OH poo poo plot twists but it's still a deeply engaging, solidly-assembled mystery, and every bit as unique an experience as you might expect from the man who brought us Papers, Please.  captain did it Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Oct 29, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 00:43
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The moral of the story is to don't ever steal from mermaids.
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Oct 23, 2018 00:51
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This game is fuckin' great. It's really amazing how well all the scenes are staged. When I first started The Doom, I was taken aback when I realized that Abigail hadn't just been killed by a random accident, but that a giant squid was attacking the ship. The slow realization of what's actually happening in some scenes paired with the music almost makes it a horror game. Maybe more of a dread game. Also there's this bald guy with like a striped shirt who shows up in a TON of scenes but I can't figure out his name and it's driving me insane.
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Oct 23, 2018 00:55
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Accordion Man posted:The moral of the story is to don't ever steal from Formosans. fixed Begemot posted:Also there's this bald guy with like a striped shirt who shows up in a TON of scenes but I can't figure out his name and it's driving me insane. lol that guy was one of the last I figured out too. Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 12:49 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 00:59
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Really Pants posted:fixed Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 01:02
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Most likely, but they had it handled until that jerk got greedy and hosed everything up.
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Oct 23, 2018 01:04
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pretty sure technically Spratt isn't a sailor
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Oct 23, 2018 01:16
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he occupies the most vital position on the crew  also the journal lists him with the officers
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Oct 23, 2018 01:58
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Yeah, I think he was also one of the very, very last people I ID'd, too. Also, tip -- https://twitter.com/dukope/status/1052971831655727104
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Oct 23, 2018 02:08
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imho a better tip for people who are mad about the gender of their inspector is "don't be a dingus"
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Oct 23, 2018 02:19
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Am I misremembering the sequence of events, or did they (ending spoilers) throw in the monkey after making the deal with the mermaids? Initially I thought they were throwing it in as bait, but that doesn't really make sense in hindsight.
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Oct 23, 2018 03:50
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overeager overeater posted:Am I misremembering the sequence of events, or did they (ending spoilers) throw in the monkey after making the deal with the mermaids? Initially I thought they were throwing it in as bait, but that doesn't really make sense in hindsight. Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 04:21
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Social Studies 3rd Period posted:Yeah, I think he was also one of the very, very last people I ID'd, too. Yeah, I got that in my second profile. I thought that maybe it would also change the ending a bit like maybe my fem-detective had a different personal space in the ending scenes but I guess not then. A second playthrough is worth it imho, even if you got all the identities right in the first one -- but didn't actually do the full investigation work that the game would prefer you to do. Which is to say, that you can use the game's validation of 3 fates to your advantage, so if you have two definitely correct fates you can "match" them with a unsure one and trial and error a bit with the identities (especially if you have narrowed it down to only a few candidates). But, so far in my second playthrough it looks like the game does give you the extra hints to figure out everything properly without resorting to chance. It does help to try and identify people as soon as they become unblurred, or at least try to guess at why they are now unblurred (for the three or two triangles difficulty rating cases), because usually this indicates that there are new data or hints you missed about those. I'm still not really sure about why the tattooed guy that gets torn apart is unblurred so early in the game, but not right from the start or at least from the first memory he is introduced. I thought it was because you can assume his origin/nationality from the fact that he is covered in tattoos, but perhaps it is something else I missed?. In my first playthrough I was only comfortable identifying him quite later in the game, where you get an additional clue.
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Oct 23, 2018 07:56
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I loving love this game, it owns. I announce this thread an extreme no spoiler zone so use spoiler tags for every single story bit. I must say I already don't like being spoiled that the bald guy has some sort of authority. It was completely unnecessary to reveal this, the entire point of the game is guessing names based on small clues that may be missed, come on. Anyway, what I would add to the game is the ability to write your own notes on both the list of names and the crew photos. Also an ability to jump to the already visited memory scenes directly from the journal. Other than that - I'm playing with sharp graphics, whatup.
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Oct 23, 2018 11:50
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AbstractNapper posted:I'm still not really sure about why the tattooed guy that gets torn apart is unblurred so early in the game, but not right from the start or at least from the first memory he is introduced. I thought it was because you can assume his origin/nationality from the fact that he is covered in tattoos, but perhaps it is something else I missed?. In my first playthrough I was only comfortable identifying him quite later in the game, where you get an additional clue. Nah, you didn't miss anything there. GraveVideos posted:I must say I already don't like being spoiled that the bald guy I'll fix that quote:Anyway, what I would add to the game is the ability to write your own notes on both the list of names and the crew photos. Also an ability to jump to the already visited memory scenes directly from the journal. It would own if you could get glossy fold-outs of the manifest, deck map, and sketch sheet. Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 12:46
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this game is cool as hell, but i'm probably gonna get frustrated and look all the answers up eventually
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Oct 23, 2018 17:32
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I'm assuming that noticing the hammock numbers is necessary and expected for completing the game. But hot drat did it make me feel like a real smart sherlock.
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Oct 23, 2018 18:49
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Undead Hippo posted:I'm assuming that noticing the hammock numbers is necessary and expected for completing the game. But hot drat did it make me feel like a real smart sherlock.
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Oct 23, 2018 18:53
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I've visited what I think are all of the death sites other than the inaccessible chapter and it has started raining and the boatman is trying to hustle me to leave, but I only have 21 deaths fully confirmed. Am I correct in assuming that getting back on the boat would be an endgame and therefore I should stay and keep working at this? There's definitely additional work I could do, I have just been taking it scene-by-scene so far and haven't done more than a handful of rewatches etc.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:13
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I went from "There's no way I'm going to work out any character who isn't explicitly named" to 24 fates locked in. I'm struggling to think of a more satisfying mystery game to solve. There are still a bunch that I have no idea where to even start with, but I'm in no rush. I just hope I don't hit a wall and cheat to the end like I did with The Witness.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:19
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Bold Robot posted:I've visited what I think are all of the death sites other than the inaccessible chapter and it has started raining and the boatman is trying to hustle me to leave, but I only have 21 deaths fully confirmed. Am I correct in assuming that getting back on the boat would be an endgame and therefore I should stay and keep working at this? There's definitely additional work I could do, I have just been taking it scene-by-scene so far and haven't done more than a handful of rewatches etc. Correct.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:27
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Bold Robot posted:Am I correct in assuming that getting back on the boat would be an endgame and therefore I should stay and keep working at this? There's definitely additional work I could do, I have just been taking it scene-by-scene so far and haven't done more than a handful of rewatches etc. That is correct. You can get back on the boat and only stay a bit, the boatman will give you the option to go back -- but it you stay long enough looking at him the screen will start doing that "that's all folks" fade out and you'll leave the ship with the boat. Basically, you can ignore the rain and the boatman won't keep bothering you. I'm not entirely sure what happens with a partial final report score. I've read that there are small variations on the finale, I should make note to try that. Another technical thing that is relevant is that after you finish the game you get the option to "rewind" and go back to the ship -- so it's not really a "point of no return"
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Oct 23, 2018 23:30
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There is one thing I could not get my head around: (The Doom Chapter Spoilers) I know there were two guys blasted with the cannon, but I only ever saw the one dude in the part where they died. Was the other dudes corpse blasted somewhere else? Or just, ya know, destroyed? Also, technically, that one dude had the poo poo squeezed out of him 
Unlucky7 fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 23:34
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AbstractNapper posted:Another technical thing that is relevant is that after you finish the game you get the option to "rewind" and go back to the ship -- so it's not really a "point of no return" Unlucky7 posted:There is one thing I could not get my head around: (The Doom Chapter Spoilers) I know there were two guys blasted with the cannon, but I only ever saw the one dude in the part where they died. Was the other dudes corpse blasted somewhere else? Or just, ya know, destroyed? Undead Hippo posted:I'm assuming that noticing the hammock numbers is necessary and expected for completing the game. But hot drat did it make me feel like a real smart sherlock. Reading other people's answers I was also pleasantly surprised to see the game is more flexible in accepting fates than you'd think. Sometimes some very different words will all be valid for the same victim. Chev fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Oct 23, 2018 |
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Oct 23, 2018 23:38
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Chev posted:However, doing that will make the game give you huge hints for a couple fates you may find much more rewarding to work out by yourself (and definitely have the means to), although I guess that depends on the kind of player you are. Yeah, I guess you mean the people who made it out alive. I still appreciate the option to go back to the ship will all the memories available.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:45
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Man, this was just such a great experience. I'm glad it came completely out of nowhere for me. I loved the little musical pieces too. I always looked forward to that satisfying jaunty tune when the fates get typeset. One spoilery question: were the deaths of the dudes who tried to peace out on the rowboat before the beast attack actually visible on-screen? I just kinda surmised the beast got them since a horrific tentacle beast popped out right where they lowered themselves into the ocean.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:52
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Chomposaur posted:Man, this was just such a great experience. I'm glad it came completely out of nowhere for me. I loved the little musical pieces too. I always looked forward to that satisfying jaunty tune when the fates get typeset. Yes, actually! You can see them and their boat being tossed into the air at a later part.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:55
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Chomposaur posted:One spoilery question: were the deaths of the dudes who tried to peace out on the rowboat before the beast attack actually visible on-screen? I just kinda surmised the beast got them since a horrific tentacle beast popped out right where they lowered themselves into the ocean. You can see three guys being flung out of a boat when the tattooed guy is being torn apart.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:57
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Chomposaur posted:Man, this was just such a great experience. I'm glad it came completely out of nowhere for me. I loved the little musical pieces too. I always looked forward to that satisfying jaunty tune when the fates get typeset.
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Oct 23, 2018 23:58
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Is anybody else having a pretty good time telling all the people apart except for a few clumps of guys in the same job with the same nationality? I've got the Russians figured out as a group with the topman's swashbuckling ways marking him out but I can't distinguish the two who get into the rowboats together, and one being lefty seems important but doesn't actually get me a name I've got the Chinese figured out as a group with one hammock in The Doom giving me one name but then I can't distinguish the remaining three, because as far as I know, there isn't any time that the hammocks come down or names get dropped between Figuring out the English was an undertaking, but I got it done. Thanks, hammocks in The Doom Yes there's brute force, but that's gauche and considering how the English fell together, I have a feeling I overlooked something when I did it. Also, ending spoiler, is there a way to make it so that The guys who accidentally shoot fellow crewmen aren't fined? Edit: If you're stuck in the same place I was, Look very closely at what you can see of guys in their hammock and/or their belongings, that can be used as a key to which is which xthetenth fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Oct 24, 2018 |
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Oct 24, 2018 04:22
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Also, there's a more generic trick, though accidental half of the time, which is that if you're reasonably certain about two people you can use that to validate an unrelated and uncertain third, because there's that many less permutations. The game's perfectly aware of this, too, given how it takes care to spread out some crewmembers that are very similar.
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Oct 24, 2018 09:43
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xthetenth posted:Also, ending spoiler, is there a way to make it so that The guys who accidentally shoot fellow crewmen aren't fined? You could probably leave their victims as "shot with a gun by an unknown attacker," but I don't think you can get Chapter VIII that way.
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Oct 24, 2018 12:02
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I discovered yesterday that when you're in the memory scene and hold the right mouse button when looking at a crew member - the game will overlay his/her face with the corresponding person in the crew picture. You can also just hit the journal shortcut when holding the right mouse button to dirctly jump to the person. Was this explained in some tutorial? because I only found this by accident.
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Oct 24, 2018 12:41
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I don't think it gets explained before you actually try it. You can also jump right to somebody's journal page if you open it while looking at their remains and holding up the watch. Additionally, you can click on unfilled fates in the crew manifest if you want to just match a face and name before having their page filled in.
Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Oct 24, 2018 |
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Oct 24, 2018 12:44
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GraveVideos posted:I discovered yesterday that when you're in the memory scene and hold the right mouse button when looking at a crew member - the game will overlay his/her face with the corresponding person in the crew picture. You can also just hit the journal shortcut when holding the right mouse button to dirctly jump to the person. Was this explained in some tutorial? because I only found this by accident. I found it by accident and I've found it to be ridiculously useful.
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Oct 24, 2018 14:01
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GraveVideos posted:I discovered yesterday that when you're in the memory scene and hold the right mouse button when looking at a crew member - the game will overlay his/her face with the corresponding person in the crew picture. You can also just hit the journal shortcut when holding the right mouse button to dirctly jump to the person. Was this explained in some tutorial? because I only found this by accident. This was the shortcut I used the most during my playthrough. It's a very convenient way to go from person in the scene to their "who is this and how did they die" form with minimum clicks/key strokes. I think there is a tutorial that mentions zooming on a person to see their picture in the book sketches, but trying the tab button on top of that (ie accessing the book) is maybe not mentioned there.
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Oct 24, 2018 14:14
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Unlucky7 posted:There is one thing I could not get my head around: (The Doom Chapter Spoilers) I know there were two guys blasted with the cannon, but I only ever saw the one dude in the part where they died. Was the other dudes corpse blasted somewhere else? Or just, ya know, destroyed? This is left mostly to deduction I think. In the memory just before they were blasted you can see they were both right next to each other. Seconds later, when the cannon goes off, only one corpse is visible. There's also a gun port and a fresh new hole in the side of the hull just next to where he' was standing. Lastly, you can hear a scream after the cannon goes off, which trails off a bit . the existing corpse had his head blown off, so its probably not him. So the most likely thing to assume is that he was blasted overboard. xthetenth posted:Also, ending spoiler, is there a way to make it so that The guys who accidentally shoot fellow crewmen aren't fined? Sometimes there are multiple valid solutions. For example, with the cannon going off and blasting the gunner, I listed the attacker as A Terrible Beast, and that was accepted. You can also blame the sailor who lit the fuse, but if you do that then his estate is fined. I'm not sure if this works for the guy who was accidentally shot through a wall. Technically he was bleeding out anyway... This game was rad and I would totally play another one in the same mold, but I can also see why it would take ages to design.
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Oct 24, 2018 14:52
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^Agreed 100%, and you beat me to the draw Re: ending spoiler Really Pants posted:You could probably leave their victims as "shot with a gun by an unknown attacker," but I don't think you can get Chapter VIII that way. I looked at a walkthrough, and it looks like for the guy who lit the fuse on a cannon that the kraken pointed at two other sailors, you can say the beast did it. I'm interested to see whether that actually works, and what the resulting insurance claim looks like. I don't think I can get the bosun's mate off, but I may as well try that as well while I'm at it, fining his estate for murder is way out of line for an overpenetration on a shot that he was absolutely right to take. Edit: Yeah, I said the guy who lit the fuze did it and he got fined. Do you remember what his result was like if the beast did it, did he get any special recognition for valor? xthetenth fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Oct 24, 2018 |
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Oct 24, 2018 14:55
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xthetenth posted:Edit: Yeah, I said the guy who lit the fuze did it and he got fined. Do you remember what his result was like if the beast did it, did he get any special recognition for valor? Exceptional performance of duties, same as most of the crew who die in non-mutinous ways.
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Oct 24, 2018 15:24
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Cicadalek posted:Exceptional performance of duties, same as most of the crew who die in non-mutinous ways. Whoops! I screwed him over badly then.
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Oct 24, 2018 15:33
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