11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb
11 Yrs♥✓#
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
How long is Return of the Obra Dinn?
When focusing on the main objectives, Return of the Obra Dinn is about 8 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 10½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.
13 Yrs♥F✓#
This game is rarely on sale, especially on console. Always wanted to play it but I'm still waiting for the $10 PS4/Xbox deal. I missed it one time.
11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb11 Yrs♥✓#
Alright had my first session:
Bascially opened the below deck up
So yeah this is a game i've been wanting to play for some time a detective game style game about building a case and this is what it is. I've got 3 full descriptions so far (Although one i'm dubious as the game basically asked me our you sure) and there seens to be a told of details missing which I need to figure out for myself. So far already I've seen a giant octopus attack and dealing damage so know this going places you wouldn't expect. I prob need to give more time but I have one critisim so far and that is you have to wait or not given enough to deal with the crime scene. I'd prefer to control how long I have before I start trying to solve each death
Bascially opened the below deck up
So yeah this is a game i've been wanting to play for some time a detective game style game about building a case and this is what it is. I've got 3 full descriptions so far (Although one i'm dubious as the game basically asked me our you sure) and there seens to be a told of details missing which I need to figure out for myself. So far already I've seen a giant octopus attack and dealing damage so know this going places you wouldn't expect. I prob need to give more time but I have one critisim so far and that is you have to wait or not given enough to deal with the crime scene. I'd prefer to control how long I have before I start trying to solve each death
7 Yrs♥✓#
Son_of_a_Pitch
7 Yrs♥✓#
This is a game I’ve definitely have been wanting to try for awhile, so glad to have a good excuse now! Will be a nice shorter game to mix it up for me too! Will probably be starting it sometime this week I imagine!
I remember it catching my interest years ago, I don’t remember if it was in a video I watched or if I randomly saw the trailer or both. It definitely seemed unique and it looks like it would be fun trying to solve the mystery of it!
I remember it catching my interest years ago, I don’t remember if it was in a video I watched or if I randomly saw the trailer or both. It definitely seemed unique and it looks like it would be fun trying to solve the mystery of it!
1 Yr
#
hellobion#
1 Yr#
#Finally a game I need to complete is game of the month!
13 Yrs♥F$✓#
FWIW you get a time limit the first time you look at any given scene, but after that you can go back and view it at your leisure =)
I found it was waaaay too quick in the first instance as well.
4 Yrs✓#
GemminiDrodson
4 Yrs✓#
Went into it completely blind, and it's not what I expected. Didn't think I'd be piecing together crimes in this game. I'm less than half an hour into the game, so I'll see where the next hour or two take it, but so far I'm not into it.
5 Yrs♥✓#
Illusera
5 Yrs♥✓#
Finishing up another game before I jump in, but time limits scare me. Is there a high penalty if you flop the first time?
5 Yrs✓#
Le_Don
5 Yrs✓#
There are basically no time limits in this game. It's more like you find a new "crime scene" in which you walk around for around a minute and then you unlock a new scene, while you can always revisit the previous scenes with no time limit. It makes sense in that regard, that you will uncover a lot of the mysteries after some time and you are not supposed to solve everything in the first round.
EDIT: Just wanting to add - I think you can't actually add any solutions to your in game log during the one minute walk around. It is really just there to get a first impression of the scene.
But also, admittely it's been over 5 years since I played this, so my memories could be a little foggy.
On a side note, this is an amazing game. After Paper Please this game made me say that the developer Lucas Pope might be a genius.
5 Yrs♥✓#
Illusera5 Yrs♥✓#
Good to know! I prefer to take my time, especially if I’m figuring something out. But if it’s a first impressions thing to get you going that’s just fine. I’ve never played Papers Please but the visual style of this looked fascinating.
First session: I’ve made it to the lower area of the ship (two levels down). Haven’t named many people yet but I’m still getting my bearings. Up to now each body led me to something else and I left it at where it looks like I’ll need to make a few identifications before I’m able to proceed.
I’m playing this with headphones on so hearing the last memories was quite an experience. Very good sound design, if naturally a little unsettling at times. I’m still trying to figure out if something supernatural happened. It’s very different and I’m intrigued.
13 Yrs♥F$✓#
yeah... what Le Don said - it's only when you first discover a scene that it times out after a couple of minutes... after that you can spend as much time with it as you want =)
I'm the same with time limits - tend to hate them - but this game is awesome and at your own pace!
11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb11 Yrs♥✓#
No penalty the issue I have is that you have to wait a while before you can add in the information you have found or you haven't finished your investigation before it drops you on the auditing page
12 Yrs♥$✓#
Isn't that only the case the first time you view a scene though? It's been a while since I played, but I just checked out a gameplay video to refresh myself and they were able to input information any time they wanted and come and go freely from scenes. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're talking about.
Also, while I'm here, I want to express how much I wish I could erase my memory of this game just so I could experience it for the first time again. This is one of those rare games that managed to delight, surprise, and challenge me in ways I never had been before and probably never will again. I agree with Le_Don that Lucas Pope is probably a genius. The way he puts together puzzles and gameplay loops and slots them into some of the most memorable settings in gaming is nothing short of masterful, in my opinion.
11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb11 Yrs♥✓#
It's only the first time and really a minor criticism blow up a bit too much. Basically I just want control of when I can first start adding information
5 Yrs♥✓#
Illusera5 Yrs♥✓#
Finally got to the cargo hold. Was wandering around for the longest time until I finally looked up a hint and found out that there was a body that I kept passing by on the other side of the ship. Whoops.
I believe I’ve solved about 9 fates? I forget the exact number but getting that “Well done” message is both highly satisfying and a relief, as it’s tricky making some of these connections. I tend to go based on sureties, which is not what this game is about as you’re expected to guess at times.
I’m leaning towards something at least slightly supernatural occurring as I’ve encountered the crab beast memories. I’d wondered what that big stain was… it seems like something is controlling them and I found something shiny in a memory that looked important. It looked like a shell? Sometimes it’s hard to pick exactly what the cause was as there could be some bleed over (I.e explosion vs canon fire) but I think there may be some allowances for that.
Something that’s been bothering me is something sparkly that you see at the very beginning on the game far off in the water aways from the ship. It sticks out and it’s just there. Doesn’t move. It’s eerie.
I believe I’ve solved about 9 fates? I forget the exact number but getting that “Well done” message is both highly satisfying and a relief, as it’s tricky making some of these connections. I tend to go based on sureties, which is not what this game is about as you’re expected to guess at times.
I’m leaning towards something at least slightly supernatural occurring as I’ve encountered the crab beast memories. I’d wondered what that big stain was… it seems like something is controlling them and I found something shiny in a memory that looked important. It looked like a shell? Sometimes it’s hard to pick exactly what the cause was as there could be some bleed over (I.e explosion vs canon fire) but I think there may be some allowances for that.
Something that’s been bothering me is something sparkly that you see at the very beginning on the game far off in the water aways from the ship. It sticks out and it’s just there. Doesn’t move. It’s eerie.
4 Yrs✓#
GemminiDrodson4 Yrs✓#
Yeah okay this game is pretty cool, what a fun way to tell a story. By now I've correctly figured out 6 fates, and am just about to go below the gun deck. Lots of faces so far that apparently should be identifiable by using deduction, but so far I don't see how I could guess those with a 3 triangle difficulty rating I've come across. Regardless, I'll take the games advise and revisit them later.
This game is fairly out of my comfort zone as well, seeing as I usually detest puzzle games and quickly get fed up/bored if they present too much of a challenge (Baba Is You really put me off). We'll see how I get along with it the further I get into the game, but I'm not one to shy away from googling for hints if I get stuck.
I really like how snappy the UI is, once you get used to how to navigate the book properly. You can quickly jump in and out of the book, and navigate to where you need to go using bookmarks, and I love that you can zoom onto a person while examining a scene and get the book to open directly to their face in the drawing.
Considering I'm the polar opposite of a completionist and usually stick to Main Story or Main + Extra for my playthroughs, I'll probably not try to identify 100% of the fates, but rather play the game to it's conclusion and leave it at that, though at the moment I am unusually tempted to learn everything the story has to offer, be it with or without googling for hints.
Another thing no one mentioned is the audio design. While there's not too much going on, there's a lot of quality and very clean sound here. This game sounds absolutely fantastic with good headphones and it makes it a joy to play. I'm playing it on my Steam Deck, and it feels perfect on there.
What color palette are you guys playing with? I tried each of the options once, and stuck with LCD. Presents the clearest image for me.
This game is fairly out of my comfort zone as well, seeing as I usually detest puzzle games and quickly get fed up/bored if they present too much of a challenge (Baba Is You really put me off). We'll see how I get along with it the further I get into the game, but I'm not one to shy away from googling for hints if I get stuck.
I really like how snappy the UI is, once you get used to how to navigate the book properly. You can quickly jump in and out of the book, and navigate to where you need to go using bookmarks, and I love that you can zoom onto a person while examining a scene and get the book to open directly to their face in the drawing.
Considering I'm the polar opposite of a completionist and usually stick to Main Story or Main + Extra for my playthroughs, I'll probably not try to identify 100% of the fates, but rather play the game to it's conclusion and leave it at that, though at the moment I am unusually tempted to learn everything the story has to offer, be it with or without googling for hints.
Another thing no one mentioned is the audio design. While there's not too much going on, there's a lot of quality and very clean sound here. This game sounds absolutely fantastic with good headphones and it makes it a joy to play. I'm playing it on my Steam Deck, and it feels perfect on there.
What color palette are you guys playing with? I tried each of the options once, and stuck with LCD. Presents the clearest image for me.
5 Yrs✓#
Leowe
5 Yrs✓#
One of my favorites games of all time. Hope most of you guys enjoy it as much as I did :)
5 Yrs♥✓#
Illusera5 Yrs♥✓#
@GemminiDrodson I went with the original Mac OS style. I just liked the look of it I guess, although perhaps if I had messed with it more I would have been able to see other details easier.
Completed. I used some online help a bit after finding everyone. I probably would have been stuck for way longer since some of my deductions were off when I was 100% sure of them. For the carpenters, I really believed that the one holding the saw was the main carpenter and the hammer holding guy was the second but it was the other way around.
This really was a fascinating way to tell a story. Due to how it’s disjointed I had to go over it a few times but that just added to the mystery as I kept raising questions from other questions and the small realizations. I still have questions. How did the watch come to be? Why do you still have it? Why would the surgeon go to the lengths that he did to ensure a link to that moment in the past would be retractable? As you’re only an insurance adjuster it’s not the focus of the story but it leaves me thinking.
It’s something how even though there was no real threat, it still felt slightly unsettling. Even the atmosphere was a bit eerie; by the time I was certain that nothing was going to jump out at me sometimes it still felt like there was going to be someone behind me. Particularly with the gunner’s corridor. That was the perfect place to store a memory that you could only see bits of.
Seeing how so many of them died, often in graphic fashion, was very impactful. Just the setup of it all to see not just the exact moment, but the state of the others around them to illustrate how every small piece was connected to something that you’re attempting to understand. And that at the end of the day, it’s still your job to find out the truth of what happened to all of these people who were not nameless and voiceless. I think this game is going to stay with me for a long time.
Completed. I used some online help a bit after finding everyone. I probably would have been stuck for way longer since some of my deductions were off when I was 100% sure of them. For the carpenters, I really believed that the one holding the saw was the main carpenter and the hammer holding guy was the second but it was the other way around.
This really was a fascinating way to tell a story. Due to how it’s disjointed I had to go over it a few times but that just added to the mystery as I kept raising questions from other questions and the small realizations. I still have questions. How did the watch come to be? Why do you still have it? Why would the surgeon go to the lengths that he did to ensure a link to that moment in the past would be retractable? As you’re only an insurance adjuster it’s not the focus of the story but it leaves me thinking.
It’s something how even though there was no real threat, it still felt slightly unsettling. Even the atmosphere was a bit eerie; by the time I was certain that nothing was going to jump out at me sometimes it still felt like there was going to be someone behind me. Particularly with the gunner’s corridor. That was the perfect place to store a memory that you could only see bits of.
Seeing how so many of them died, often in graphic fashion, was very impactful. Just the setup of it all to see not just the exact moment, but the state of the others around them to illustrate how every small piece was connected to something that you’re attempting to understand. And that at the end of the day, it’s still your job to find out the truth of what happened to all of these people who were not nameless and voiceless. I think this game is going to stay with me for a long time.
11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb11 Yrs♥✓#
— 03/04/2024 10:03 PM
Another hour played:
Finished the chapter The Doom and figured out 3 fates. I have two people I think are passengers and one which I know has a brother and found to Walters but not sure which one
Starting to use more deduction skills now and it took me a while to figure out who Maba was (Kept thinking he was irish due to his tattoos which I thought were Celtic not Polynesian). Kinda of stuck now though as not sure how to move forward. Think that chapters done but don't know how to access the next
— 03/05/2024 10:10 PM
12 fates solved now and have at least found all death scenes in three chapters now (A bitter cold, Doomed and Escape). Pretty sure I've certainly got 13 fates but one hasn't been locked down yet. So pretty obvious but I def see that it is for the most part working backwards starting from the last deaths up to the first. It's currently not in order but i'm slowly piecing together the whole dangerous trek the obra dinn took
— 03/06/2024 10:12 PM
15 fates now reached the cargo deck. Some of the crew are getting difficult for me to deduce. Got 1 star one which I can't get. I'm slowly getting there and at times just half guessing the victims (the two brothers I swapped around until it started I found there fate)
— 03/07/2024 10:17 PM
30 fates now and done all of the memories now seen. Working through the last half of the crew now and trying to pick up the clues I missed. This prob for me where the game gets hard but i hope that I can start picking up more. (I have done a few times which is good at least).
So just gonna spoil the synopsis from what I can gather:
The obra dinn left england down to the canary islands where the second mate tried to steal a shell of which the formosa royalty was carrying I suspect back to formosa. During this time he was spotted and killed the italian passenger and blamed one of the formosa gaurds who he then blamed for the itianlians murder. The formosa family no longer trusted the obra dinn so tried to discreetly leave the ship. However the second mate found them and took them capture where the mermaids after the shell attacked. Being a coward he let his mutinies all die as well as the formosa royalty and returned to the obra dinn where he was shot by the last of the formosa guards. I'm not too sure why the crab riders and squid attacked yet but I guess it's all to do with the actions of the shell being found and wanting revenge
Last thing i want to say is the three fate thing is such an ingenious way of staying random guessing. By simply not adding the correct response until 3 our correct means that it is harder just to geuss your way to the right conclusions
— 03/08/2024 10:59 PM
36 fates now. Not much to add just need to figure out the write people and so
— 03/09/2024 8:35 PM
And that's me done. What a fantastic game which I will say I got a say 90% of them right without assistance (Will admit some deaths i did not get and it was really tetchy about using deadly beast instead of foreign enemy for all non crew members) and a great overall system for reward deductions. You do in the end though kind of guess who the person is although you would at that point of deduced by that point there job and nationality and most of the people would already been registered. Still a fantastic detective game and prob one of the best i've done as it does not outright give the correct response until at least 3 (2 for the last three batches) fates have been found. Definitely a game i'm glad I played
One last thing i want to state for the story:
So the bargaining story shows that 2 of the 3 mermaids were killed by the captain before the last is released by the third mate with the promise of getting the obra dinn back to england which they fulfill. I always noticed in the sea a shine which is always there for the shells which both the formosa and the mermaids have so that tells me the mermaids are still watching while you survey. Not sure why the formosa were so worried about the shell getting back into the hands of the mermaids though but I think it is returned in the end
And a final note on the last scene: There is a second book on the shelve not sure whether that means that Lucas Pope plans a (pr)sequel or not he feels like the type who moves onto a new type of game but If he did I def would be up for it
Another hour played:
Finished the chapter The Doom and figured out 3 fates. I have two people I think are passengers and one which I know has a brother and found to Walters but not sure which one
Starting to use more deduction skills now and it took me a while to figure out who Maba was (Kept thinking he was irish due to his tattoos which I thought were Celtic not Polynesian). Kinda of stuck now though as not sure how to move forward. Think that chapters done but don't know how to access the next
— 03/05/2024 10:10 PM
12 fates solved now and have at least found all death scenes in three chapters now (A bitter cold, Doomed and Escape). Pretty sure I've certainly got 13 fates but one hasn't been locked down yet. So pretty obvious but I def see that it is for the most part working backwards starting from the last deaths up to the first. It's currently not in order but i'm slowly piecing together the whole dangerous trek the obra dinn took
— 03/06/2024 10:12 PM
15 fates now reached the cargo deck. Some of the crew are getting difficult for me to deduce. Got 1 star one which I can't get. I'm slowly getting there and at times just half guessing the victims (the two brothers I swapped around until it started I found there fate)
— 03/07/2024 10:17 PM
30 fates now and done all of the memories now seen. Working through the last half of the crew now and trying to pick up the clues I missed. This prob for me where the game gets hard but i hope that I can start picking up more. (I have done a few times which is good at least).
So just gonna spoil the synopsis from what I can gather:
The obra dinn left england down to the canary islands where the second mate tried to steal a shell of which the formosa royalty was carrying I suspect back to formosa. During this time he was spotted and killed the italian passenger and blamed one of the formosa gaurds who he then blamed for the itianlians murder. The formosa family no longer trusted the obra dinn so tried to discreetly leave the ship. However the second mate found them and took them capture where the mermaids after the shell attacked. Being a coward he let his mutinies all die as well as the formosa royalty and returned to the obra dinn where he was shot by the last of the formosa guards. I'm not too sure why the crab riders and squid attacked yet but I guess it's all to do with the actions of the shell being found and wanting revenge
Last thing i want to say is the three fate thing is such an ingenious way of staying random guessing. By simply not adding the correct response until 3 our correct means that it is harder just to geuss your way to the right conclusions
— 03/08/2024 10:59 PM
36 fates now. Not much to add just need to figure out the write people and so
— 03/09/2024 8:35 PM
And that's me done. What a fantastic game which I will say I got a say 90% of them right without assistance (Will admit some deaths i did not get and it was really tetchy about using deadly beast instead of foreign enemy for all non crew members) and a great overall system for reward deductions. You do in the end though kind of guess who the person is although you would at that point of deduced by that point there job and nationality and most of the people would already been registered. Still a fantastic detective game and prob one of the best i've done as it does not outright give the correct response until at least 3 (2 for the last three batches) fates have been found. Definitely a game i'm glad I played
One last thing i want to state for the story:
So the bargaining story shows that 2 of the 3 mermaids were killed by the captain before the last is released by the third mate with the promise of getting the obra dinn back to england which they fulfill. I always noticed in the sea a shine which is always there for the shells which both the formosa and the mermaids have so that tells me the mermaids are still watching while you survey. Not sure why the formosa were so worried about the shell getting back into the hands of the mermaids though but I think it is returned in the end
And a final note on the last scene: There is a second book on the shelve not sure whether that means that Lucas Pope plans a (pr)sequel or not he feels like the type who moves onto a new type of game but If he did I def would be up for it
I started this game last summer, only hearing great things and enjoying detective games I picked it up on steam. I only got a few hours but thought it was pretty interesting following each scene and discovering each death. Definitely need to have some time to sink your teeth into this.
4 Yrs✓#
GemminiDrodson4 Yrs✓#
Great game. Just "finished" it with the bad ending. The whole bargain chapter was missing, so I figured I'd leave the ship, get that sorted, and then come back later, but nope, end of the game. Going to rewind now and figure out more fates. Surprised I'm supposed to figure the rest out with the limited information I have up to this point, but I'll keep at it.
11 Yrs♥✓#
knalb11 Yrs♥✓#
Return of the Obra Dinn
Completion March 09, 2024
Main+Extras 7h 25m 25s
Notes All fates solved
Review
+Great detective game that doesn’t hold you hand
+Excellent system where you are only rewarded after figuring out 3 fates
+Story told backwards but successfully gives you the opportunity to build the plot yourself
-First time seeing a scene blocks you from entering information for a minute
-It is not always possible to reach the people in a scene and sometimes hard to distinguish who they are
-Game can be very tetchy about whether a person was killed by an enemy or a beast
Review: Return of the Obra Dinn as is excellently done detective game where you are given the last words heard and last scene of the victim and use that to determine there death, what killed them and who did it. As the people don’t outright state there names at death you need to figure out who there via deduction by little things like what the do on the ship, there nationality, tattoos and who they interact with the most. It is not afraid to allow you to be incorrect which is the big saving grace in the game as you need to figure at least 3 fates before it will tell you are correct. This means that it is much harder to just guess your way to victory although the less fates less the more easier it is to guess the end. I cannot state more my love of this game to the point that all my criticism are just minor scribbles and that I fully recommend this to people who love deduction games
10/10
Completion March 09, 2024
Main+Extras 7h 25m 25s
Notes All fates solved
Review
+Great detective game that doesn’t hold you hand
+Excellent system where you are only rewarded after figuring out 3 fates
+Story told backwards but successfully gives you the opportunity to build the plot yourself
-First time seeing a scene blocks you from entering information for a minute
-It is not always possible to reach the people in a scene and sometimes hard to distinguish who they are
-Game can be very tetchy about whether a person was killed by an enemy or a beast
Review: Return of the Obra Dinn as is excellently done detective game where you are given the last words heard and last scene of the victim and use that to determine there death, what killed them and who did it. As the people don’t outright state there names at death you need to figure out who there via deduction by little things like what the do on the ship, there nationality, tattoos and who they interact with the most. It is not afraid to allow you to be incorrect which is the big saving grace in the game as you need to figure at least 3 fates before it will tell you are correct. This means that it is much harder to just guess your way to victory although the less fates less the more easier it is to guess the end. I cannot state more my love of this game to the point that all my criticism are just minor scribbles and that I fully recommend this to people who love deduction games
10/10
6 Yrs✓#
Caphral
6 Yrs✓#
Just finished this one yesterday, and while I think it could have used some more quality-of-life features, such as maybe being able to just go directly to memories once you've solved like 75% of the fates, the charm of the fantastic visuals and music makes it impossible to call it anything but great. I did definitely get completely stuck with about ~10 fates remaining, as I never quite figured out what exactly the difference between all the ways the beasts can kill people, but for the 30 or so minutes before that, I did reach the kind of 'detective nirvana' this one's going for.
Definitely a memorable game, that's for sure.
Definitely a memorable game, that's for sure.
4 Yrs✓#
GemminiDrodson4 Yrs✓#
Right. I can't figure anything out anymore, and I still have half the fates left unsolved. Agreed that it would be very convenient to be able to jump straight into some fates without going to their locations. I'll give it another go, but otherwise will probably leave it be and call it finished.
5 Yrs♥✓#
Illusera5 Yrs♥✓#
If you’re not against using guides, I’d say it’s worth it to at least experience the complete endgame. Just so you can get the final puzzle pieces and close the book on it.