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xyzzysqrlLast time, Ashe made contact with two sisters of impure intent and recieved a mission to cleanse a haunted house of its spiritual denizens. She also roamed the town performing various good deeds.
Last time, Ashe met the Voerman sisters, one of whom tried to seduce her, the other of whom successfully hired her. Then we faffed around doing a bunch of sidequests to get more experience points. Also there was a dude who was super crazy and we stabbed him a lot. Go, us!
Has anyone else noticed my writing perspective gets really muddled on these immersive RPGs?
Anyway, today we're doing one of the most infamous "scary as crap" levels in all of gaming. This is Ocean House, and it's right up there with Shalebridge Cradle, The Haunted Cathedral, Ravenholme, most of Silent Hill 2, those damn spiders in System Shock 2, or the end boss of Ecco the Dolphin for sheer ability to get brought up any time people ask "What stuff in games is scary?" Oh! Also that piano in Mario 64 that tries to eat you. That too.
Anyway the thing is that doesn't WORK in text form. So I'm not going to try to play up the scary factor of this. Sorry. You can find people flipping out on Youtube or something but the fact that I am biting through my lower lip playing this sequence will not be brought up.
That said, let's get IN there and investigate stuff, huh? See what kinda freaky ghost stuff we can locate. Well as soon as we walk in the chandeliers start vibrating, the elevator dings, and plinky music box tracks start playing. The clock strikes thirteen and we're off. One thing the ghost of Ocean House loves doing is THROWING STUFF, and we're attacked by vases, portraits, and other misc. debris all through just the opening.
"He's watching." is said against one ear. I head for the stairs. The extremely solid and robust stairs instantly give out and dump us in the basement, in defiance of architectural stability. Through the basement halls, which are criss-crossed by shrieking ghosts. We find our way to the boiler room and power the place up, then ride the elevator back to the second floor and get exploring. Oh look! Newspaper clippings about violent murders! Oh look! Family drawing with daddy as a FLAMING DEMON FROM HELL.
All the while, flung pictures and vases and stuff are bouncing off the back of my head every time I turn around. This ghost reminds me of some of the kids in high school. Ahahaha no I'm NOT going to go downstairs and answer the phone. I've SEEN Scream. Another newspaper clipping: "Murderer possibly responsible for inferno!" Oh. ... Oh, man, I know what THAT means is coming.
I ride a dumbwaiter down to the kitchen and grab a diary, where we get the complete story. There was a guy named Ed. Ed's dead, baby. But he also killed everyone around him, his jealousy unleashed because of a pendant someone gave his wife. Naturally she's trying to help and he's trying -- TO KILL. And try to kill me he does, by bouncing pots and pans off the walls at me. Augh ow ow ow that seriously stings.
The dirty secret of Ocean House is that there's next to nothing that can actually KILL you in it. Except this bit, where I crawl through a grating to escape the kitchen, wind up in a little maintenance room, glance upward, and realize the elevator is heading for my head at OH FUCK speeds. Duck out of the way and it lands with a disturbing metal CRUNCH. Ed, you're making this very personal. It doesn't HAVE to be personal.
Naturally this is about when the place catches fire. Sigh.
Just as I'm faced with a collapsed floor and no way across, the nameless wife ghost carefully overlays a vision of the hotel as it used to be: With an intact floor. I do NOT choose to disbelieve the illusion and calmly stroll across to capture the pendant. This should be enough for Ms. Voerman to exorcise the house.
And so, with a tired sigh -- Ow fucking VASE in the back of the HEAD I'm a little sick of your petty SHIT Ed -- AND SO WITH A TIRED SIGH, we leave Ocean House behind.
God. From now on I'm always going to hear "OCEAN HOOOOUSE" in tones of "ROBOT HOOOOUSE!"
Not feeling too great, so I'm leaving it at that for the night. Next time: Actual progress is made! Maybe I reach some places in the game I HAVEN'T seen before!
Last time, Ashe met the Voerman sisters, one of whom tried to seduce her, the other of whom successfully hired her. Then we faffed around doing a bunch of sidequests to get more experience points. Also there was a dude who was super crazy and we stabbed him a lot. Go, us!
Has anyone else noticed my writing perspective gets really muddled on these immersive RPGs?
Anyway, today we're doing one of the most infamous "scary as crap" levels in all of gaming. This is Ocean House, and it's right up there with Shalebridge Cradle, The Haunted Cathedral, Ravenholme, most of Silent Hill 2, those damn spiders in System Shock 2, or the end boss of Ecco the Dolphin for sheer ability to get brought up any time people ask "What stuff in games is scary?" Oh! Also that piano in Mario 64 that tries to eat you. That too.
Anyway the thing is that doesn't WORK in text form. So I'm not going to try to play up the scary factor of this. Sorry. You can find people flipping out on Youtube or something but the fact that I am biting through my lower lip playing this sequence will not be brought up.
That said, let's get IN there and investigate stuff, huh? See what kinda freaky ghost stuff we can locate. Well as soon as we walk in the chandeliers start vibrating, the elevator dings, and plinky music box tracks start playing. The clock strikes thirteen and we're off. One thing the ghost of Ocean House loves doing is THROWING STUFF, and we're attacked by vases, portraits, and other misc. debris all through just the opening.
"He's watching." is said against one ear. I head for the stairs. The extremely solid and robust stairs instantly give out and dump us in the basement, in defiance of architectural stability. Through the basement halls, which are criss-crossed by shrieking ghosts. We find our way to the boiler room and power the place up, then ride the elevator back to the second floor and get exploring. Oh look! Newspaper clippings about violent murders! Oh look! Family drawing with daddy as a FLAMING DEMON FROM HELL.
All the while, flung pictures and vases and stuff are bouncing off the back of my head every time I turn around. This ghost reminds me of some of the kids in high school. Ahahaha no I'm NOT going to go downstairs and answer the phone. I've SEEN Scream. Another newspaper clipping: "Murderer possibly responsible for inferno!" Oh. ... Oh, man, I know what THAT means is coming.
I ride a dumbwaiter down to the kitchen and grab a diary, where we get the complete story. There was a guy named Ed. Ed's dead, baby. But he also killed everyone around him, his jealousy unleashed because of a pendant someone gave his wife. Naturally she's trying to help and he's trying -- TO KILL. And try to kill me he does, by bouncing pots and pans off the walls at me. Augh ow ow ow that seriously stings.
The dirty secret of Ocean House is that there's next to nothing that can actually KILL you in it. Except this bit, where I crawl through a grating to escape the kitchen, wind up in a little maintenance room, glance upward, and realize the elevator is heading for my head at OH FUCK speeds. Duck out of the way and it lands with a disturbing metal CRUNCH. Ed, you're making this very personal. It doesn't HAVE to be personal.
Naturally this is about when the place catches fire. Sigh.
Just as I'm faced with a collapsed floor and no way across, the nameless wife ghost carefully overlays a vision of the hotel as it used to be: With an intact floor. I do NOT choose to disbelieve the illusion and calmly stroll across to capture the pendant. This should be enough for Ms. Voerman to exorcise the house.
And so, with a tired sigh -- Ow fucking VASE in the back of the HEAD I'm a little sick of your petty SHIT Ed -- AND SO WITH A TIRED SIGH, we leave Ocean House behind.
God. From now on I'm always going to hear "OCEAN HOOOOUSE" in tones of "ROBOT HOOOOUSE!"
Not feeling too great, so I'm leaving it at that for the night. Next time: Actual progress is made! Maybe I reach some places in the game I HAVEN'T seen before!
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-01 06:37 pm (UTC)Oh well, I assume that there is nothing
exploitative, ableist, misleading about the way certain cognitive dissociative brain functions workwrong with your employer and that everything from here on will go swimmingly and you'll never seeBender, JakeSmiling Jack again,