A second face
| A second face | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio | Jospin Le Woltaire |
| Publisher | Distribution takes place through various mirror servers |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
December 2008 |
| platform | Windows , Mac , Linux , Android |
| genre | Adventure |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | mouse and keyboard |
| system advantages preconditions |
Pentium II , 128 MB Ram |
| medium | Download |
| language | English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| Current version | 1.7 |
A Second Face (A second face) is an Adventure game, developed independently and distributed by Jospin Le Woltaire that 2008 as a freeware published. It can be assigned to the fantasy as well as the science fiction genre, although it also has elements of cyberpunk .
action
“In the endless space, a planet orbits an old white star to which it only ever turns one side. The other is shrouded in complete darkness. Life has developed differently on both sides. The light side is inhabited by the Strefis, the children of light, while the Ugeltz rule on the dark side, a people of the night. No Ugeltz has ever seen a Strefis. But both peoples know each other from legends. "
After these introductory words, the game begins in the palace of the dark side. Ugk, the current ruler of the dark realm, has called his two sons Rabokk and Torg to send them on a search for a solution to the energy problem. The dark society depends on a substance called margin, which is the energy source and at the same time the main currency of the dark society. This material has become scarce because it can no longer be adequately funded. Ugk hopes to find a solution to the problem in finding the legendary kingdom of light from which one would like to draw energy. He offers his successor to the one of his sons who succeeds in finding the kingdom of light.
The rest of the event takes place in the metropolis of Ugeltz, whose society is captured by the Geltz cult, the belief in Geltz, a god of fertility who created everything. Many see the existence of the kingdom of light as a possible threat to their religious cult. The city has not only divided into two classes due to the scarcity of margins, an upper and a lower town. Wealthy citizens live in the upper town, while the lower town embodies the slums or a kind of ghetto.
The player takes on the form of Rabokk, who goes in search of light in the streets of the city. His brother Torg, who is an enemy of him, does everything to prevent his succession to the throne. Between slave markets, dark taverns and the poor lower town, Rabokk ends up in subcultural circles that help him to gain insight through drug-like substances. From then on the player begins to develop a second face. He gets into an orgy in honor of the god of fertility, Geltz. Groth, a slave hunter of the lower town and concubine of Geltz, betrays him to his brother, who then has an easy game with him ...
graphic
In contrast to the contemporary background design, the three-dimensional game architecture adheres to puristic considerations and is reminiscent of Le Corbusier's architectural style or the Bauhaus style. No ornaments are used on the virtual buildings; instead, the focus is on the cubic , spatial effect. The two-dimensional, hand-drawn characters are unified in color with the background, resulting in a game world bathed in shades of blue and purple. The characters' clothing features surreal features that sometimes greatly deform the character's face. The dark tones are contrasted with suddenly appearing, blindingly light backgrounds, which are sparingly sprinkled in selected places when breaks in the action become noticeable.
Gameplay
The game length of A Second Face extends over several hours, the game mechanics hardly differ from that of classic adventure games: The game is coordinated via a Verb Coin interface and an inventory-based action system, which enables the player to create interactive puzzles through actions or applying picked up objects to solve, thereby driving the action forward. The non-linear style of play, which allows certain tasks in the game to be carried out in a different order and still reach the goal, is also a traditional element. The game is interrupted several times by embedded, cinematic cutscenes with voice output, which give key clues to new plot elements.
Despite its traditional point-and-click basic structure, the game has some innovative game mechanics: The open dialogue control in the form of a text box is a retro element that was implemented from the first adventure generation and enables a barely limited amount of dialogue options through key word input. As a result, all dialogues with characters in the game are very open and the plot is not directly specified at any point. This has not been implemented in adventure games since the early 1990s, as the compulsory use of the keyboard became increasingly unpopular in gaming circles.
The casual handling of sexual elements in the game is also noticeable. On the other hand, these elements are not used to increase the game's appeal, but the player always has an intellectual distance, as can be found in some of Pier-Paolo Pasolini's films . This constant distance to the environment is the basis for the parabolic interpretability, which can only work from a distance. This also affects certain actions in certain environments, in which the player is not allowed to do what everyone would immediately suspect.
Parabolic content
A second face can easily be understood as a metaphor against consumerism . In a dark society full of slavery , greed , religious compulsions, sexual extremities and boundless poverty, the player moves ambivalently on a path of light that he is constantly able to recognize.
There are constant references to extreme aspects of life. The night world is juxtaposed with a day world, the male has a female counterpart, the nudity in several places contrasts with the bizarre clothing of the characters, the wealth of the upper town stands in stark contrast to the poverty of the lower town. These extreme elements are juxtaposed with mediating elements that have a transitional character. The hermaphroditic deity Geltz has both sexual characteristics, there is talk of an intermediate zone between day and night, androgynous characters appear in key positions where the plot suddenly becomes indefinable.
In this context, the author himself expressly points out the conscious intention to create a simile in the form of a computer game :
"A Second Face tries to give an answer to everything that is between the poles of life."
Awards
The game received 15 nominations for the AGS Award 2008, making it the only game in the history of the award to have been nominated for the award in so many categories. It won three awards in the following categories: best game 2008, best story 2008 and best background design 2008.
continuation
The sequel to A Second Face has been announced since 2009. There is a blog on the developer's homepage on which trailer material and screenshots were published. The sequel takes place on the light side of the planet and has the working title "May the Sun light your Path".
Web links
- Official website
- A Second Face at MobyGames (English)
Reviews
- Review in the Adventure Archive (German)
- Review at Daily Click
- Review at Escapist Magazine (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry in the Adventurespiele.net database
- ^ Entry in the German adventure archive
- ^ The Making of A Second Face
- ↑ A Second Face - Adventure Game - Extended Trailer. In: youtube.com. asecondface.com, September 4, 2009, accessed July 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Spanish review with an insight into the parabolic interpretation
- ^ The Meaning of A Second Face
- ↑ List of nominations for the AGS Award 2008
- ↑ List of winners for the AGS Awards 2008
- ↑ lewoltaire.blogspot.de Developement Blog for A Second Face Part 2.