Topic: PUSH SQUARE GAME CLUB | April | Midnight Suns ☽ ☀︎ 🂡

@Th3solution It's a lot of looking at a map (you can't see where you are on the map, by the way) to discover how to walk to the next collectible.

I wonder if the gameplay will improve as I progress. So far the game has introduced a few game mechanics, but they all feel very undercooked.

For instance, I discovered at the start of the game there were many items I could pickup and stash. So I wondered if maybe there was a point in keeping and taking some items. But unfortunately the items so far all fall into one of these three categories:

• food, you can eat to heal
• explosives, which you can use to 'fight'
• all other items... which are pretty much bricks.

Especially that last one stings a bit. It would be nice if you could pickup items and actually interact with them. Cook in the frying pan you find at the start, or play an instrument you see lying somewhere. But... basically it doesn't seem like there are any useful items aside from explosives.

The music, its looks and stuff is all great though. So I wish gameplay would have at least a few interesting aspects. Maybe they still come... I'm at chapter 4 by the way!

I finished chapters 1-3 yesterday. It’s a pretty game, but a bit of a slow burner. It feels like a combination of an open world version of Never Alone and Disney’s Vayana/Moana universe. I like the sense of exploration so far and how the game takes a different approach with the map, but it might get repetitive after a few hours. The ability you gain seems interesting, especially for puzzle solving. I don’t like the constant stream of notifications/unlocks and the instrument mini games are a bit too long for my taste. It is interesting enough to keep me playing, so let’s see..

@Kidfried maybe I haven't unlocked that yet!! I certainly haven't come across a set piece to destroy one!

@Th3solution you can possess a bird and make them poop, 10/10 bud!!

I do apologise but I haven't started yet, since my sisters wedding been so busy. This was my choice so definitely will start by weekend

I work full time so don't do a crazy amount of gaming in the week, but I fully intend to dip in this weekend and I'll probably check in on Sunday with where I am at with it, if that is cool.

I'm going to be playing a bit more tonight. I got some good upgrades by now, which means I'm finally at the point where I can use my abilities to explore the world efficiently.
Part of me wonders whether the game will continue to hold my attention now that I'm more powerful, but we'll see, I'm not bored yet.

The game is really simple though, which I fully expected, but does make me wonder what they could have achieved had they tried to make this game more suited for different skills levels. Oh well!

Spent an hour or so with the game today. It’s got something. So far I’m liking it on some level. It’s a bit different than the games I usually play, but that’s ok. I’m thrilled with the Pacific-Islander themes and setting. These cultures are very underrepresented in gaming.

The game is a little lacking in polish, to be sure. The art design has its charm, but the visuals of the first big town I’ve now arrived at are a couple generations behind. Maybe even PS2 with some of those buildings.

The controls are a little weird at times too, and I’m not a fan of the map and the way you can’t see your location on the map except at specific checkpoints. I’m sure it comes down to maybe some technical limitations of the development team, because I can’t imagine why the map would be like that otherwise.

Not to mention, I’ve had some frame rate issues (playing in performance mode) and mild visual glitches already, although rare and brief. But I did have the game soft crash when I got stuck in front of an NPC and couldn’t detach and was effectively frozen and had to exit and restart the game.

@Th3solution First I played the game without knowing where i was on the map and it felt kind of liberating. Really to have to trust on my compass was quite a nice touch. It helped me gain a sense of the environment too.

Then I found out you could place a marker on the map... and it totally destroyed the concept. Now I'm just walking towards wherever my compass tells me to, often having no clue of where I am relative to other locations. Kind of defeats the purpose.

So yeah, I agree, makes no sense then to not put me on the map as well.

And also: I actually thought the controls were quite a step up from Breath of the Wild. But maybe that's more a testament to how bad I think that game's controls are...

Also, there is a point in the story where I am going to put a trigger warning for.

At some point you have to retrieve a dead chicken. This is achieved in a cutscene in which the chicken is pretty much slaughtered in front of the main character. I was shocked. Even weirder is that they then treat the dead chicken to comedic effect. All in all very tasteless.

The game is weird that way, by the way. Because it's unclear whether its targeting kids or adults. Like... very unclear.

I'm probably going to come back to discuss this once I have finished the game, to see what i think of it once I know the story's full context.

Also, is it just my PS5 or are the music sections so incredibly glitched they're becoming downright unplayable? When I'm at a song the interface spaces out.

@Kidfried Yeah, the music sections were where I noticed the most glitching. I’ve only done two or three but there was a noticeable stuttering during each of the songs.

As far as the other point regarding the chicken, thanks for the trigger warning. I did notice in the settings there’s a option for ‘family mode’ or something like that, the description of which was that it toned down more mature content. I was surprised by this since the game for me so far is extremely kid-friendly. I agree there seems to be a strange disconnect sometimes with what the game is trying to be. I suspect some of this is due to cultural factors, in a way similar to Japanese games having a lot of weird humor and obsession with certain lewd themes. I wonder if the chicken thing is also something that hits differently in the native New Caledonian culture.

I’m halfway into Ch. 4 now and the game is really starting to hit its stride with me. I think I understand it better, and with the powers I’ve got now it makes more sense how the gameplay loop is supposed to be different. I’m quite enamored with the exploration part.

The music is fantastic so far. I love the island tunes and the commitment to the native language. I’m not a fan of reading subtitles, but the longer I’m playing the less annoying it is, since the language adds so much to the atmosphere.

@Th3solution Yeah, the music is great, and also kind of unique for a video game soundtracks. Every time a track hits, it hits.

Also am pretty addicted to the game right now, at Chapter 7 I think right now and a completion of 70% so far. I don't know if I love the game, but I do like spending time with it.

As someone who enjoys Asian cinema, and as a non-native English speaker was brought up on subtitles, they're not a problem at all. I also understand French, so don't really need the subtitles for those dialogues.
That being said, with most of the game bugging out during music scenes and me having to concentrate on hitting the notes, I don't have a clue what each of those songs were about. It would have been nice if the game had given you an easy way to replay songs. Also because they're fun.

And I guess about the trigger warning stuff. It might be that I'm more easily triggered by dead animals than others. It wasn't portrayed very realistically, so someone else might not be bothered by it. Wonder what other people think about that scene and other somewhat darker scenes the game has to offer.

And thanks for mentioning the cultural aspect. I am not knowledgeable on New Caledonian culture, so you might be very right that I lack the cultural bagage to understand it! Now I feel insensitive!

@Kidfried Oh no, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about that, I was just furthering the discussion. And honestly I haven’t got to that part yet. I definitely think your thought and discomfort with the scene is a valid one and the developers probably do too, considering they put in that ‘family mode’ option in the settings.

I have some experience with Asian and Pacific Islander culture, but am by no means an expert. I’ve been fortunate enough to have friends and experiences across some of these cultures and I do think island cultures are quite unique due to the isolation that their setting provides. I’ve been fascinated by some of the social norms which I thought were inherent to society haven’t always been as universal as I suspected. Nevertheless, culture and tradition does not excuse cruelty.

I’ve got way off into the weeds here, but I think this is the purpose of gaming and of Game Club — sharing our experiences and thoughts. We are lucky to have video games as a way to learn and encounter new things!

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On another topic of the game, they are fairly stingy with the trophies so far. I had a look at a trophy guide and it seems like one could play the whole game and only get one trophy for completing the storyline. Everything else seems tied to clearing the map and doing certain optional activities.

I’m halfway chapter 4 and past the chicken incident. I agree it conflicts a little bit with the overall tone of the game, but all in all it wasn’t too bad. When I was 7-8 years old I had a friend living on a farm. When they slaughtered a chicken and chopped off its head they used to release it and all the kids chased it when it ran away. Not something most kids are likely to see today. Different times I guess.

The exploration is much more fun with all the abilities unlocked. Changing between flying as a bird, using your glider, slide down a hill and then swim as dolfin feels really cool gameplay wise. Yesterday, I encountered a major glitch where my raft fell through the water and landed on the ocean floor and got stuck there during a race. So far that’s the only time I had to restart the game.

I like what they did with the map and the compass, but in my opinion they had to go all the way. I don’t mind finding my way without a marker on the HUD, but since your raft and your own markers are still visible it feels like a compromise.

The music is really nice, but boy, the mini game is awful. It feels very glitchy and inaccurate. I skipped to auto play whenever there is a music sequence, so I could focus on the song. I’m also not convinced by the ‘combat’ mechanic. It feels a bit out of place and unnecessary. Overall the games is fun and beautiful enough to keep playing, despite the glitches.

I've just reached chapter 5 and really enjoying it so far. 🤞 I haven't had any glitches yet. I did at one point think my raft was glitched because it wouldnt move until it dawned on me my anchor was down 🤦‍♂️🤣.
The music is really charming imo and fits in perfectly with the scenery which is very colourful and warm
although I do much prefer the forest areas to the city.

@Mr_B021 I had that weird ‘raft sinking and getting stuck underwater’ thing too. I wasn’t sure if I was just doing it wrong or if it was a glitch, but I restarted a prior save and it worked correctly after that.

@Th3solution Nah, you didn't make me feel bad. It's nice you shared just a possible different interpration on the matter. And I agree that the game club is very nice, because you can have exchanges like this one. Honestly, I think in general we as gamers talk maybe way too much about graphics and console wars, while we could be talking about just the deeper layers of a game like Tchia.

@Mr_B021 Great assesment of this game. I too wish the game had doubled down on exploration more, and the combat is pretty clunky. I don't know how they could have fixed it, but leaving it out might have just been better.

Also, I finished the game today. It all went by rather quick, and I must admit I might have played this game obsessively during what is supposed to be a rather busy week. Right now I'm tired, but I'll find some time to share some thoughts tomorrow.