Corpse of Discovery (2015)

Capsule thoughts here, full review link at the end of the text.

Corpse of Discovery is a promising experiment that offers some of the weirdness of discovery that poor No Man's Sky struggled to deliver. At the same time, it's doesn't have much to offer in gameplay terms. I maneuver myself around from one planet to the next with different threats ranging from a rather terrifying alien screaming at me to trying to find comfort in the shade.

It's a mixed bag, as is some of the text that seems to take aim at the "fun" I'm missing outside by playing games inside. The presentation and gameplay muddles this enough that Corpse of Discovery has more weight as a game honoring the legacy of scientific pioneers, the first people to set out in unknown territory in the grand pursuit of knowledge. Corpse of Discovery stumbles here as well (it's no The Right Stuff for damn sure), but it's a fascinating enough experiment that I need to catch up on what Phosphor Games has done since.

http://www.cantstopthemovies.com/2015/09/why-video-games-corpse-of-discovery-2015/

It's strange that this game has received so many negative reviews on steam. All over the internet there's a general consensus that this game sucks: this is really sad for me because I can tell that a huge amount of love and work went into this game. And it's actually surprisingly good.

Basically Corpse of Discovery is something along the lines of Dear Ester or other various "walking simulators" that we've seen over recent years. It's certainly not my favourite genre, but I can confidently say that this is the best one I've played. It's quite different to other games in the genre: Instead of being stuck on a rail, you're free to explore this truly gigantic worlds. Also there's elements of platforming and stealth. The scale of this game is unbelievable; I don't think there's any other game out there that creates a vast, immersive alien world like this.

The graphics are really creative and inspired. They truly capture the sense that you're on a bizarre alien planet. And you get to explore a whole bunch of different worlds, with a range of mysterious creatures. Exploring these worlds: that alone is worth the $1 in my book (current price), but the game is a lot more than just exploration.

The meat of the game is its story. Fundamentally the game is an interactive story. And it's a cracker. It's a bit clumsy at times, but overall it's quite intelligent and thought-provoking, and often humorous. I can't say much without spoiling it, but basically you're an astronaut and you're lost on your own, on a strange alien world, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. And then it gets weird. I recalled 2001: A Space Odyssey: this big beautiful sci-fi visions, and then in the last 20 minutes the shit hits the fan and the LSD kicks in, the midgets arrive. I guess it's also similar to Tarkovsky's Solaris.

It's hard to score this. I'd give it more stars, but I must admit I had some technical difficulties (which I managed to overcome). Also the game is quite short (round 2-3 hours) and it doesn't have much replay value. Nevertheless, for $1 (in terms of value for money) I'd give it 5 stars without question. I would happily even pay $10 for this game.

I already mentioned Solaris. When walking around these massive endless planets it also felt like minecraft, but with more depth and detail. Other than that it's hard to draw any parallels, this game stands alone: unique, weird and special. If you want to explore mysterious alien worlds and let an unexpected story unfold then you should play this game. It's much deeper and more thoughtful than your average game. It's one of those games that pushes the envelope, almost like "art-as-game." This title should have way more exposure than it's getting.