NOCLIP Pocket E32 - Non-Non-Euclidean - Fatum Betula

At least Halloween should be fun. Happy Halloween! Today we’re going to be talking about Fatum Betula, a game that was inspired by Japanese games of the PS1 era, but will probably be most often compared to LSD Dream Emulator. This comparison is not unjust, but truthfully, while there is less going on in this game, it has a much clearer sense of play to it that revolves around puzzle solving and exploration. Overall, this is a wise choice, as the experience of playing this feels very genuine, as opposed to something that is trying to simulate another game’s sense of incomprehensibility. Where the inspiration really sings is in the visuals, and a lot of the design feels extremely faithful to the era it is trying to match. Everything from texture work to UI mimics the time period in aesthetic and functionality, and it gives the game a real sense of place, that place just isn’t here and now. We talk about designing with an eye for the aesthetics of the past, puzzle elements and how they fit into the game, and that cozy autumnal feeling that this game doesn’t exactly provide. Thank you for joining us for another October of horror games. We covered a variety of styles of games this month (with one more coming in the form of Luigi’s Mansion in November), and this is by far the least traditional among them. Despite that, and despite it’s intentionally obtuse design, this was a lot more puzzle game than it was surreal walking sim, so to follow it up, next time we’re going to be talking about Firewatch, a predominately real walking sim.