#visual out

[marshvlovestv]

I’ve been forgetting to write posts about the games I play! Whoops! It’s mostly because the last few have been kind of forgettable bundle games that I haven’t had much to say about, but still, I have a process and I should honor it. So here’s an overview of the last four games I played (not counting The Sims 4 or Zero Time Dilemma, both of which exist outside the scope of The Bag):

Clam Man: A mediocre and unfunny point-and-click wrapped around one absolutely phenomenal verbal logic puzzle. Like I’m talking the most fun I’ve had solving a video game puzzle in a long time. I drew a little chart and everything.

Fossil Hunters: A puzzle/adventure game about making counterfeit dino skeletons with annoyingly slippery controls. I got bored and did not finish it.

Visual Out: Stylish and cool, but unfortunately, it’s a metroidvania. I feel like by now I would have figured out how much I hate those but no, I keep being like “Maybe if I give this one a chance!” But I hate backtracking and I hate feeling lost. I did not finish it.

Zombie Admin: OK THIS ONE WAS ACTUALLY A HIT. A Hotline Miami-esque top-down action game, except the premise is that it’s the middle of the zombie apocalypse but your boss still insists that you come in for work. Which is so sad but also hilarious. Right now I’m stuck on the penultimate level so I don’t know if I have the skill to see it through, but hey, at least it won’t be boredom stopping me this time. I’m hoping for a twist where it turns out your company were actually the ones who caused the zombie outbreak, but even if that’s not the case it’ll still have been a rip-roaring time.

[moth-anomaly]

Thinking about Visual Out lately. That game was so creative in how it made combat almost entirely improvisational for the first half, and then less of a requirement once the player finally gets a weapon. The strange way of aiming Turret even reinforced that, I think. And then there's the glyph mechanic that is both obscure and ends up teaching the player the layout of the world pretty well usually. The entire presentation is exceptional as well, the visuals and soundtrack combined nearly perfectly and it had such a unique atmosphere.

In short: Visual Out is very good and I should replay it sometime.

[syntaxturtle]

Visual Out

Dystopian Cyber Platformer with an omnipresent Master Voice yammering at you while you navigate about "You're a slave to your programming" and "Why don't you submit" and blah blah blah.  Also screen noise.  So much screen noise.  And simple graphics.  All that aside, I mostly didn't get into this one because the movement felt sluggish, it used arrow keys for movement and the levels were large with lots of connections where you're supposed to go back and solve stuff you passed earlier, etc.

Enjoyed? Nah

[endworldgaming]

Heyo folks, here’s yet another recent video from Shaun! In this one, he’s playing an indie metroidvania game called Visual Out by MadameBerry Games LLC. Enjoy!

[dwoboyle]

Review - Visual Out

Visual Out is a solid metroidvania with cool visuals, cool music, and directionless exploration. If that sounds up your alley then you should give it a shot.

(Note this review will have minor spoilers and that the dev and I are mutual follows on Twitter.)

I’ve been loosely following game for a few years now. Other than the appearance I didn’t really know what to expect when going into it. What I found is a very solid metroidvania that has some unique twists.

This game is probably most similar to something like Axiom Verge or Environmental Station Alpha. It’s use of shaders, the opaqueness of some of its puzzles, and themes are similar to those two games. However, it unique enough to not be derivative. Visual Out challenge doesn’t come from precise platforming or tough bosses, rather it’s more about giving the player enough information to figure out where you can go.

Example. Late in the game when I was looking for all the final upgrades, I noticed one peeking in at the top of screen in this one room. I couldn’t get to that point in the room from where I was so I opened the map and looked for other entrances. That took me to one room that required the use of one ability to hold open the door to where I would find the upgrade.

This game has a lot of stuff like that. The map in available to you right from the get go. You even see where all the doors are. You only get an indicator of where you are when at save points, but it’s not large enough for you to get easily lost. “Wait there’s another exit to this room? OH the texture on this wall is different. Yeap, it’s a false wall.” That’s essentially what a lot of Visual Out is. You have a good chunk of the information, you just need to figure out how to apply it.

This game has some fairly unique abilities. There are the common stuff like double jump and air dash, but you also get stuff like a rope that lets you manipulate objects and an ability called jammer that does different things depending on what it touches. These two abilities allow for some fairly interesting puzzle design.

This is exemplary in the boss battles that are unique, but bizarre. They are probably the most opaque thing in this game. Often times I spent a lot of time going “what am I supposed to do here?” until eventually figuring it out. Some of them are easier than others, and some of them are way more interesting than others, but all and all they’re pretty cool.

This game does have some roughness to it. During the final boss I had a bug where the music stopped playing. Which was real unfortunate as the boss music was real good! At another point, I found myself stuck in an area that has this guys that create or destroy blocks. Some of the level design is a bit of chore. You have to turn off or on power of an area to open certain doors and that makes exploration a bit cumbersome at times. The world isn’t that large so it’s not a major thing, but it does get in the way.

I enjoyed my time with Visual Out quite a bit. I spent about 5 hours and got 98% of the upgrades. If you’re a fan of metroidvanias and am looking for something to play, I’d highly recommend Visual Out. It’s on itch.io and Steam.

[linuxgamenews]

Visual Out the official launch date (Linux)

Visual Out the official release date for Steam and itch.io games, priaced at $9.99 USD on March 15th. Which is a unique exploration-driven platformer by MadameBerry. Since players take the role of an escaped program. While having to traverse different sectors of an obsolete and dying computer. Gaining abilities that reveal hidden areas. Also facing glitch enemies, controlling the flow of electricity, and more. So it is up to you to uncover the secrets behind the computer's. Hence its creator's - demise. The game lets direct combat take a back-seat. While focusings on using abilities to outsmart enemies and manipulate the environment. Since the gameplay seems to resemble visuals of old-school games. So players will have to remember, this is a metroidvania and exploration is key. But the games aesthetics stem from those of classic titles. But be aware....

Visual Out Steam Trailer (Linux, Mac, Windows)

Visual Out Metroidvania Features:

A vast environment within the dying computer.

Six unique abilities and their upgrades that aid in exploration.

Manipulatable environment via controlling the flow of power.

A mix between a mechanical and digital landscape, rendered with distinctive visual effects and minimalist pixel art.

Mysterious ambient-glitch soundtrack by Abstraction Music.

Four sectors, each with bosses to overpower and outsmart.

Visual Out began as a Ludum Dare entry in December of 2014. With the theme “Entire Game on One Screen”. Since receiving positive feedback and taking some time to redesign. The games development resumes without Ludum Dare requirements. While giving MadameBerry a chance to seek funding through her Patreon. Using the fund tocommission music and cover other development costs. Visual Out will launch on Steam and itch.io on March 15th 2018. The metroidvania games release will be available for Linux, Mac and Windows priced at $9.99 USD. For more information, visit the official website and follow on Twitter.

[madameberrygames]

The Aesthetic Inspiration of Visual Out

A few months ago I finished first-pass setdressing on Visual Out.  Since then I’ve been working on adding enemies, puzzles, and other mechanics, and in this artistic downtime, I’ve been collecting hoards of reference to use when I get around to doing a second-pass on the art.  I’d like to share some of my reference and inspiration!

Retro Technology I’ve been collecting so many images of the insides of computers, old TVs, and other various bits.  Visual Out takes place inside of an old, outdated computer, and blends physical technological objects with representations of digital data.  To build much of the environment, I draw inspiration from the structure of a computer (the final map has landmarks laid out similar to how they would be in a PC) as well as the individual components within.

Computer fan in a room in Sector 3

Glitch Art The world in Visual Out is falling apart - both physically and metaphorically.  The computer the game takes place in is in disarray after being left unmanaged for a long period, which understandably causes some glitches.  I’ve been looking at a lot of glitch art as reference.

Totem Teller Hoooooooooly crap this game is gorgeous!  I can’t even describe how much I need this game in my hands right now!  Haha Totem Teller is an explorative story-crafting game that celebrates and showcases glitch art and graphic destruction.  The game utilizes shaders to morph the images, creating some amazing glitch effects, which I’ve taken inspiration from while making Visual Out.

Totem Teller by Grinning Pickle

The .hack games This one’s a bit more specific, but in .hack//G.U. there were certain areas that contained “strings” of data floating through the air.  I drew direct inspiration from that, and added those to Visual Out very early on.

Cyberpunk Images Lastly, I’ve been following social media accounts that retweet and reblog sci-fi and cyberpunk imagery.