I bought it for two of my friends, and they both ended up hating it lol. I don't blame them, but I think it's very much to do with the mentality of how you approach the experience.

One friend just got plain stuck and gave up. The other found it frustrating that they were doing the same thing several times over, and just wanted to rush as quickly as they could to make progress.

Personally, I enjoyed the slow pace of discovery. I loved that feeling of being a true explorer, discoving facets of lost civilisation. Watching in melancholic awe as a world crumbled around me. Finding just a small piece of new information was always a joy, and made it feel worthwhile to get there, even if I'd done 90% of the journey before.

Slowly getting richer in a game where the only currency is knowledge.

[–] scarilog@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I think if I played this game myself I never would have finished it. I actually watched a play through on YouTube by someone that was actually competent at puzzle games, and had a great experience. Then I ended up playing through it myself a few years later, knowing the story actually helped keep me motivated. It really is an incredible game.

[–] tiramichu@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

Even if the common advice is to avoid spoilers, I'm glad you found your own way to enjoy it :)

I'm sure I could play it again myself and still enjoy the atmosphere, even if the discoveries weren't new. Or maybe it would be fun to watch a stream of someone else playing for the first time instead!