Katie

This is one of these booby-trapped games that initially makes you suspect something. You enter it, ready for anything, and still get smacked. Gently on the cheek. Katie has soft sinister undertones, but they don't really colour the experience. The main dish here is the mildly disturbing intrigue stemming from the lack of hand-holding and the indeterminate design of the murky scenario the game drops you in. I'll have to be just as murky. My goal isn't to describe the mechanics but to outline a speck of some abstract idea without overexposing it. In a nutshell, I can't tell whether Katie would blow you away or not, wouldn't want to oversell it. All I can promise is that it's friendly and interesting. First, to get over a couple of technicalities. The mouse sense is abysmally low and there's no way to change it in-game because there are no options. The graphics were another hit that made even my pixel-loving eyes bleed. Until I reached unexpectedly effective moments where the general ugl...

This is one of those games that feels like it had a strong concept at the beginning and just kind of watered down over time. Pros - - Art is surprisingly well done considering it's fidelity - If you allow yourself to fall into the game and understand the concept, it will be enjoyable. - Music was very good. - Strong concept for a first timer. Cons - - Short, almost to the point of rushed - Very little actual music during the game - Story felt watered down - Obvious amateur effort My biggest issue with Katie is that the majority of what needed to be said was said in the post-game credits. Katie, the character, is moderately compelling in how she is written but it ends there. This is very clearly a personal story to the writer and after reading the credits I felt like I was an intruder here. Which might be okay for film but when I'm supposed to be the person ushering Katie through that gate and the credits roll, I shouldn't feel like an outsider. Katie does a lot with such a sma...

[i]Katie[/i] is a narrative based game created by Lonely Frontier Studio centered around the eponymous ‘Katie’, a resident of a tiny secluded town gated off from the rest of the world. It’s a ‘walking simulator’ in the most positive use of the term, using the interactive medium to really drive home the personal feeling that the game has. The gameplay consists of talking to Katie and the other residents to learn more about their stories and the nature of the town itself. While many other games in the genre – Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture comes to mind – have you piece together a mystery by investigating inanimate objects, [i]Katie[/i] focuses on face-to-face interaction. This, alongside the nature of the game’s subject matter, gives it a very intimate feeling. [i]Katie[/i] has it’s issues, too. My first thoughts were that the walking felt a bit too ‘floaty’, and it’s a little unpolished (There were a few times where I would accidentally talk to someone thro...

Hard to know what to say. I could relate very much to several of the themes in the story, which is told in an elegant, charming way. I didn't expect to see anything quite like this on Steam, though perhaps I need to look around more. I met the author at an exhibition at MIT. He got my vote for best of show. I think that if you are an indie game developer, which includes me, and if your game is unusual, these shows can be good because games that are really different do stand out from the others. I liked the simple style of the environment. There actually is quite a bit to the town and some places that will surprise you, so don't be fooled by the simple presentation. But mostly it is a time to think about life and relationships, motives, people you have known and why they do what they do, perhaps even about why you write or play games! I'd say a lot more, but since it is an exploration game and inexpensive to try, I think it's best that you try it for yourself. And, as stated i...

Katie is a great game. While it's fairly short, and doesn't really have replayability, I don't think it needs it. The concept and theme are amazing, and the characters are very relatable. The music is also really good, and I quite like the art style. The lack of options such as sound and keybindings are just a minor inconvience, and I think pros of the game outweigh its cons by a lot.

[i]Katie[/i] went to a town to hide and to grieve, and everyone else in the town is doing the same. Some are hopeless and some have hope, but all of them are lying to themselves. Something that differentiates this game from other walking simulators is the ability to interact with all the townspeople. I tried to talk to every one of them, and they all had an interesting thing to say. What they will say to you changes based on the weather. When it is dark and rainy, even the most hopeful of the townspeople loses hope. Another thing that differentiates this game from other walking simulators is the animation style. The simple pixel style reminds me of [i]Thimbleweed Park[/i]-- and in fact-- fans of that game might like this one. Fans of Minecraft who are also into indie games will probably like this game as well. There are moments where Katie's philosophical monologues seem precocious, even for a young adult. Most young adults do not talk this way. That's why the use of "..." "heh" an...

This game was recommended to me by a friend, and all I have to say about this game is wow. for how short it was for what it offered it was just amazing to see someone pore so much of there heart into something is fantastic to see. And to see what is created from what I could only guess is hardship is a tremendous experience that I would recommend to all that may come across this. It plays the mind and shows are flaws as people, but it is so well built that for a short time it is here in your mind, and as you play it shows you something varies deep and can only be experienced by playing. This is one of the few games that has left me without words and was just an excellent game. No matter how it was made its story graphically puts something I just can't put my finger on, and I love that. For this game to be such a short dose so well with the time you're in its world. And it leaves you with wanting more but at the same time not wanting anymore then it has to give to you. So for the price ...

"It's time to move on I shall miss it all But we shall go forth And we shall go forth brave." Wanna weep through the credits of a video game? You've come to the right place. An inspiring adventure to take with you on your journey in the real world. 10/10 have played twice so far and cried both times

[h1] Experienced on the Oculus Rift with Touch Controllers [/h1] I cannot recommend this game. There were just too many issues hindering the enjoyment I had at times from this experience. I think I took almost 2 hours to finish this game when it's supposed to be only 1 hour long. The reason for my playtime is because I experienced various pathing issues along the way that prevented me from enjoying the experience. Locomotion is by teleportation and the only interaction is pressing trigger to move the dialogue forward. Click, click, & more trigger clicks. So what is this game? It's simply a narrative-driven game that might as well be labeled as a VN. About the only difference between this and a VN is that most of the dialogues, except one, are random and ultimately meaningless. Until you find Katie, you will be listening to the townsfolk talk, some of it is very religious, most are about friendship, love interests, or meaning in life. Once you find Katie though, the story begins and t...

Katie is a very simple, short, dialogue based story game. It's not be the most interesting or well written game but I feel that it's a unique storytelling experience unlike any other game I have played. While yeah, most of the game is just looking for Katie and then talking to her, Katie has some AI of her own and sometimes will find you on her own accord which took me by surprise, and the few moments where Katie leads you to a new place really feels like you are participating in an experience. Not your character. These interactions and the first person perspective and the few simple stuff you have to do to move the story along help a lot to put *you* into the game and making it feel like you're sharing a personal moment with Katie. It's pretty nifty.