off-ramps

A Structural Critique of IMMORTALITY

Ian Bryce JonesLeave a comment

Ian here—

Five years ago, I posted a video analysis of Sam Barlow’s game HER STORY that I’m especially proud of. Now, I follow it up with a lengthy discussion of Barlow’s 2022 game IMMORTALITY. This video serves as the twelfth video in my Shape Up! series, and I’m also considering it the long-belated sixth entry in my detective games series.

Full script below the jump, with ample citations. (I leaned heavily on the newly-released book IMMORTALITY: Design Works for background research on this one.)

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SHAPE UP!: Repetition and Difference

Ian Bryce JonesLeave a comment

Ian here—

The sixth episode of the ongoing Shape Up! series is posted. This one addresses a structural innovation present in Oxenfree and NieR: Automata—two old favorites of mine I’ve mentioned before in videos and/or posts—as well as Doki Doki Literature Club! and Kitty Horrorshow’s ANATOMY, which I haven’t written about before but am excited to do so now.

Full script below the jump.

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SHAPE UP!: No Exit

Ian Bryce JonesLeave a comment

Ian here—

A quick break from the regular flow of student blog posts to announce that the fifth episode of the Shape Up! series is posted. It is on Save the Date and Elsinore, both games that I have taught before but never written about myself on the blog before, despite them being favorites of mine. More videos in this series are forthcoming, although it will be awhile before I can return to the one-a-month schedule.

Full script below the jump.

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SHAPE UP!: Hostile Loop

Ian Bryce JonesLeave a comment

Ian here—

Fourth episode of the Shape Up! series is here, this time on a game I’ve taught several times in classes and long wanted to do a video about: P.T.

Due to the busyness of this academic quarter, I won’t be able to keep up with the one-video-per-month schedule I’ve set for myself since October. Hoping to get at least one more episode of the Shape Up! series out between now and summer, and then return to the one-video-per-month schedule during the summer.

The script that follows below the jump is the shooting script for the video. (It differs from the actual transcript in one key respect.)

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