- Jul 10, 2018
- 925
- 2,449
Well, I was keen to check this game out after hearing of it first via the mention in "Acting Lessons". Given that strong connection, I can't help but compare the two games a bit, even though they are actually quite different in style.
First thing you notice is that the quality of the renders is much higher generally in RtP than in AL, which is a very good thing, given that the weakest part of AL was definitely the relatively poor model posing and rendering.
Now certainly you're going to see some very familiar content in the game - that damned clothes boutique that seems to be obligatory to every game for just one. Some of that though is pleasant cross-over, such as the lakeside home, and the Battle of the Bands venue.
Overall, the visuals are very good, with good quality renders of good quality models and well thought-out scene designs.
There's a lot of clever little moments of humour in breaking the 4th wall, other than the obvious one with the wink. Some are simply in the narrative thoughts, as many games do, but the appearance of several cross-over characters from Acting Lessons is also a direct nod from the game to the player. Of course, you might wish to have never seen Mrs. Pearson in lingerie, but that's still an easter egg for the player of both games.
I can't help but feel like RtP is the mirrored opposite of Acting Lessons in a way. In this game, the visuals are strong, the story is fine, but the dialogue and characters are weak. That's pretty much the exact reversal of Acting Lessons. I actually think the underlying plot of RtP is better, but it's very ambitious, and might be a little too much so.
Most of the character's interactions with females feel so contrived, false, and unreal. Now, I get it is supposed to illustrate the power of a certain effect, but it still comes across more like the scene was written by an adolescent virgin who mid-wank is trying to think up a scenario, however contrived and preposterous. It needs more depth and texture than just repeating "Oh my, I can't resist his smell and massive cock" in scene after scene after scene.
If you enjoyed Acting Lessons, then I think you'll also enjoy the cross-overs and the shared universe aspects of this game.
However, as I said at the start, despite all the cross-overs, they are very different games. Also, if you are the kind of player who loved Acting Lessons because you love such great characters, with depth and great dialogue, and found that was enough to carry the relatively poor graphics - well, this game is it's opposite. In Retrieving the Past, the characters may have backstories, but they don't deliver them with any real sense of depth, and have no real sense of character. The graphics are carrying the poor characters and dialogue in RtP.
Ultimately, enjoyed a playthrough, and found the plot engaging enough that I'll be interested in further updates. But it is telling that the most touching moment in the story was seeing Liam crowd-surfing again, and he didn't get a single line of dialogue.
First thing you notice is that the quality of the renders is much higher generally in RtP than in AL, which is a very good thing, given that the weakest part of AL was definitely the relatively poor model posing and rendering.
Now certainly you're going to see some very familiar content in the game - that damned clothes boutique that seems to be obligatory to every game for just one. Some of that though is pleasant cross-over, such as the lakeside home, and the Battle of the Bands venue.
Overall, the visuals are very good, with good quality renders of good quality models and well thought-out scene designs.
There's a lot of clever little moments of humour in breaking the 4th wall, other than the obvious one with the wink. Some are simply in the narrative thoughts, as many games do, but the appearance of several cross-over characters from Acting Lessons is also a direct nod from the game to the player. Of course, you might wish to have never seen Mrs. Pearson in lingerie, but that's still an easter egg for the player of both games.
I can't help but feel like RtP is the mirrored opposite of Acting Lessons in a way. In this game, the visuals are strong, the story is fine, but the dialogue and characters are weak. That's pretty much the exact reversal of Acting Lessons. I actually think the underlying plot of RtP is better, but it's very ambitious, and might be a little too much so.
Most of the character's interactions with females feel so contrived, false, and unreal. Now, I get it is supposed to illustrate the power of a certain effect, but it still comes across more like the scene was written by an adolescent virgin who mid-wank is trying to think up a scenario, however contrived and preposterous. It needs more depth and texture than just repeating "Oh my, I can't resist his smell and massive cock" in scene after scene after scene.
If you enjoyed Acting Lessons, then I think you'll also enjoy the cross-overs and the shared universe aspects of this game.
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Ultimately, enjoyed a playthrough, and found the plot engaging enough that I'll be interested in further updates. But it is telling that the most touching moment in the story was seeing Liam crowd-surfing again, and he didn't get a single line of dialogue.
