![]() Are we actually Time Looping? Are we revisiting a scene, gradually removing delusions from the protagonist to get to an underlying ‘reality?’ Are we able to affect anything about subsequent loops at all? It is kind of a nifty uncertainty the story holds us in. The changing landscape leaves the player/reader somewhat at sea. I found the stages of progress to be well done in conveying its gradual, perhaps inexorable, flow. The story is documenting some dramatic emotional changes through external details rather than internal monologue, but in discrete, nuanced steps with each loop. The world, including NPCs, physical objects, and even the weather, take on shades and details that reflect an evolution in the protagonist. It is definitively the same Holiday, and kind of has to be the same year, but many details evolve over multiple cycles, independent of player actions. Broad strokes locations, events and encounters echo themselves, but each time different in a way difficult to dismiss as mere ‘interpretation.’. LVD kind of presents as a time loop story, but puckishly isn’t really that. This is going to be hard to talk about with minimal spoilers. The setup is, our protagonist picking up Valentine’s Day tokens for their lover on a short walk through the city and home. Or maybe just wanting to believe, really badly.Īt first, LVD suggests it might be feeding that desperate, yearning beast in us. There’s also something very human about believing if we try hard enough and long enough we can ‘do over’ to make things right. It kind of gives people the experiential touchstone and familiarity to launch the riffing. It is hard to believe the rise of video games as mainstream entertainment isn’t a factor, what with restart/respawn/try again being a fairly ubiquitous game mechanic. Of course nothing is new under the sun and there are ALWAYS precursors. One might be forgiven thinking “Groundhog Day” (1993) inaugurated the sub-genre in whole cloth, given its quantum leap in cultural awareness. Time Loop stories have been with us for over a hundred years, but it seems fair to say that their broad cultural impact is back loaded to the last 30. ![]() Would Play After Comp?: No, experience is complete Playtime: 35min, finished after 4 crushings Pre-McB: “DON’T GO! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME DO I GET TO RACK HITLER?! DO I GET TO… FUTURE ME DON’T…” Quick let me tell you about the Great Collapse of …” (rest inaudible behind…) Post-McB: “WHOAH! Something weird is happening, oh crap I can feel a slip coming on. Pre-McB: (oblivious, still laughing) “Is the gameplay worth discussing…?” Post-McB: (laughing) “Dude you haven’t even played it yet.” (laughter dying) “Wow, we really had NO integrity in this did we…” Pre-McB: (skeptical) “I’ll figure it out, it’s not like I’ll just phone in a cheap gimmick. Post-McB: “Yesss, mostly, but it’s better when it’s surprising.” Pre-McB: (brief, awkward silence) “Next question, is it funny? Can it sustain the bit?” Post-McB: “And what would we have new to say about those?” The only thing we have to talk about is spoilers.” Post-McB: “Yes, oh for sure, but also less than you might think.” Pre-McB: “I’m also expecting outlandish escalations.” Gonna be a lotta testical synonyms, yeah?” Pre-McB: “I was about to play Dick McButts in IFCOMP23 and I have a few preliminary notes, lemme run those past you. Post-McB: (nonplussed) “That’s your takeaway?” ![]() Pre-McB: “Now I can do REAL Reviews Out Of Time!!” Pre-McB: “Wow, what a story! You know what this means?” “… chants of ‘Martha, Martha’ with a lowing, droning ‘Steeeeewart’…” “… our Postmate driver population the whole time…” Post-McB: “Where do I start? Well, on the eve of the Texas Inquisition of '25…” Pre-McB: “This is bananas, tell me all about it!” Post-McB: “You won’t believe the crazy chain of events that led to this, but I’m, WE’RE, a TIME TRAVELER now!” ![]() For clarity they will be post-McB and pre-McB, respectively. Dick McButts Gets Kicked in the Nuts by Hubert JanusĮxcerpts of interview between JJMcC from a future where he has played DMcBGKitN, and JJMcC from the past, right before playing.
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