Tale of Tales isnāt the kind of indie dev to over-explain their artistic creations and Iām not the kind of person who reads the Bible. This combination creates the weirdest gaming experience ever.
Donāt even bother telling me āYou just donāt get it, itās art!ā because Iāve already accepted that as a foregone conclusion. Still, even a blind person can appreciate art in some wayā¦ because not all art is visual. Just so, Iām out to appreciate FATALE for what it is, even if Iām not entirely clear on what Iām dealing with.
Spoiler Warning: The nature of this game makes it impossible to talk about it without marring the experience the developer wants you to have.
What Is It?
FATALE is a 3D adventure game where players take the role of John the Baptist first during his final hours before an unceremonious beheading and then as his ghost in the courtyard above where he died. The text within the game and most of the inspiration for its visual come from Oscar Wildeās play, Salome.
What We Saw
I played all three levels of the game on a copy I purchased for myself.
How Far Along Is It?
Itās out now.
What Needs Improvement?
Make It Easier To Review The Controls: The control scheme changes between the three levels of the game and itās not easy to review them or to puzzle them out on your own. The game comes with Read Me file you could of course access while playing the game, or you can pause and navigate through a menu to look up the controls. But itād be a lot more helpful and a lot less jarring to just press a single button have the controls for that level appear on screen in front of you.
What The Hell Are The Amp And The Guitar Doing There? Seriously, what gives with the anachronistic props? Donāt knock me out of the time period just for shits and giggles.
What Should Stay The Same?
Itās Very, Very Pretty: Iāve never seen such a gorgeous indie game. The subtle motions of Salomeās veils and the dramatic colors on the face of her murderous mother are but two examples of the gameās striking art style that comes back to haunt you even after youāve completed the game.
Well-Used Music: Thereās only one song in the whole game and the developer gets some excellent mileage out of it.
Thought-Provoking: Maybe Iām wrong about art (and my high school art teacher will likely attest to this), but I always thought it was there to make you think. Maybe it upsets you with something alarming or violent, maybe it captivates you with something pretty and complex. Either way, I really felt like FATALE was making me think ā not just about the source material and how it was worked into the game, but about abstract concepts like time and remorse. Pretentious, sure. But way better than being bored or disgusted.
Final Thoughts
Iām not sure if can explain exactly what went on while playing FATALE, but I am sure that I enjoyed it even during alarming moments like where I got my head chopped off. With a little effort and an open mind, you probably will enjoy it as well ā thought I donāt know if that holds true for Bible purists who think Oscar Wilde was off his rocker.
