To be specific (SPOILERS): The characters of Claire (Nicole's mother) and Irving was left out. I was left with the sense that the game specifically avoided plot relevant details on certain characters specifically so that players could be given a 'plot twist' but that the game's story would have been vastly better had they just been included. A whole lot of 'how was this possible?' questions. The script became overdramatic and the 'final truth' left more questions than answers. As if the twists were there more for shock than that it fit well into the story. There came a lot of plot twists that, honestly, just didn't really seem compelling to me. There was a slow build up of suspense and you felt as if it was approaching something sinister. With the plot, initially, it seemed really good. I thought that was a huge missed opportunity. You can only contact Irving under certain circumstances. It also would have allowed a lot of development to take place by both characters talking about things that would otherwise never come up. It would have encourage players to build a relationship and a sense of comfort towards Irving. A creepy hotel you have to walk around in? A voice speaking to you would have been great. Firewatch allowed this - basically, you just contact your partner whenever you wanted to talk. Perhaps it could have worked if players decided to explore the hotel more and wanted a voice to speak. The dev really should have made sure to keep chatter short. I would be waiting for the chatter to end just so I could progress with the story. This actually happened to me several times. SRF is in a small hotel and talking too long or too much on the radio actually interferes with progress and you trying to do something else. What makes it work in Firewatch is that you're located in a big forest with a lot of traveling from spot to spot. Honestly, I think it would be hard to do so even if they try. This happens in SRF too, but I think it fails in that it never did enough of it to really create a good characterization. Firewatch did it because the two characters get to talking out of boredom and wanting to learn about each other. It's an interesting method for two characters to build a relationship and you get to learn about both in a very natural way. There are two characters and they communicate primarily through radio. Regarding character development, the game seems to have taken a page from Firewatch. However, where the game falls apart is in the actually plot and character development. Overall, I definitely give the developer high ratings for what they did with the setting. The well done graphics, lightning, audio, and ambience really adds to all of this. I went through the whole game unsure if something was going to jump out at me. It's the same feeling that Gone Home often left me with. This leaves you going through the whole game wondering if there's a real haunting or not. Primarily it's inherently creepy, but simultaneously, many things could easily be explained away logically. The hotel location and the shabbiness are great for a variety of reasons. The premise of the game and the setting naturally makes you think something supernatural. The setting of a shabby hotel in nowhere Montana during a winter is a really fine choice. There are quite a few things it does well. It's been on my radar for a while and I finally sat down to play it. I'm a big fan of narrative games so Suicide of Rachel Foster (SRF) sounds right up my alley.
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