The Other Half Reviews

If you are looking for an amusing videogame then The Other Half is not your sort of thing. I'm not saying it's a bad game, on the contrary, the style is interesting, the soundtrack accurate and it smartly links the psychological experiences of the characters to the visual elements of the game and to the objects you can find on the walkthrough. The point is that it deals with an uncomfortable topic, tickling the player's consciousness. Without spoilers I can only tell you to take the sexual assault warning seriously.

While video games provide entertainment and joy for millions of players across multiple genres, the platform has been used more in recent years to dive into stories that require a gentle touch and some serious thought. With games like [b]That Dragon, Cancer[/b] and [b]To The Moon[/b] dealing with topics like loss and regret, [b]The Other Half[/b] tackles the consequences and stigmas of Sexual Assault in a two-hour journey that is as eye-opening as it is brilliant. [b]The Other Half[/b] follows The Hunter, a nameless warrior set to free a nearby mountainous town from the demons that continue to ravage the areas around them. The Hunter has been summoned by a gentleman named Daniel, who has looked to seek help in defeating the demons that have plagued the town. As The Hunter uses their fire magic to defeat the demons, they'll meet Annalise; cloaked in a pristine white cloak, Annalise is the town's healer, where she finds herself finding herbs under the silence of night past the town's mandated curfew. Annalise helps The Hunter by making medicine in return of herbs found on the journey, under sworn secrecy from the town's scholar, Carleton. Carelton has instituted a mandated curfew to keep the townsfolk from being hurt, and is conspicuous of Annalise's efforts to retrieve herbs, given the lively plants and their healing powers bring the demons ever closer to the town. Combat revolves around a tried and true twin stick format, using the left stick to maneuver and the right stick to cast out flames. These flames attack the glowing blue weak points of the demons, with each glowing point burned gathering demon essence, used to purchase medicine and items in town, and healing a small portion of life. The Hunter can dodge attacks, which timed correctly will slow down time for a split second, showing elegance in fluidity, while allowing The Hunter to plan their next move. Carelton throughout the story will also provide The Hunter with equipment to boost attack, and withstand damage and cold; while the armor does serve its nudges to the overall plot, the armor didn't really do much in my eyes to showing any substantial upgrades, but more of a way to dump some extra demon essence throughout the campaign. While I don't want to give away too much of the plot, the main arc of ridding the demons from the mountain plays along with the story of two characters in [b]The Other Half[/b]. Learning of these two character's first moments together, to the pain of rejection and loneliness, to the stigma of wanting to do better by any means necessary paints a dark and grim overture of the land The Hunter is in. The final arc shows what the consequences of playing to one's emotions without the understanding of knowing two sides of the proverbial coin can do to a friendship; as well as the emotional toll on the psyche of a human being puts the game at a near stand-still as you, the player, will struggle to wonder if what you're doing is really the right thing. Do you feel you're doing the right thing for us, or just you? Discussing sensitive topics such as the betrayal of one's trust can be like playing with fire, and [b]The Other Half[/b] paints a melancholic picture of the coping and inevitable understanding of one's actions. While the combat isn't anything to write home about, it does enough to keep players glued to a story that demands to be felt as well as heard, no matter how much it burns in the process. [quote][h1]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33247611/]A Review Is Worth 1,000 Words[/url] for more content.[/h1][/quote]

The Other Half was a surprisingly good small game. The combat mechanic is unique and it works (although not sure how it handles without a gamepad). The game drags a bit showing more of the same content towards the end, I think the game should have been shorter or shown greater variety. Where The Other Half really shines is the story. Gameplay mechanics and themes are mixed in with the story in a nice way.

I don't know about this one. Gameplay is mediocre but clearly not the center of it. While the game is about blame and guilt I don't know why they choose to build it around sexual assault... All in all it feels like it doesn't really have a point to it but rather likes to provoke (and no, not provoke thought)... So... Maybe pass...

Very good little game. Only has about two hours of gameplay, so keep that in mind. Combat system is interesting. Simple, yet engaging. Really only three buttons: Move, fire, short sprint in one direction. Story is revealed through narration as you defeat demons. I can't give a full review without spoilers, but I highly recommend. Very informative. Take the "Sexual Assault" warning seriously.

This game isn't like any other I've played before. The art and music are beautiful, the gameplay is simple but not boring, the difficulty is adjustable, and it's incredibly clever how the characters and their surroundings are all metaphors telling a deeper story. That story is much darker than the fantasy story on the surface, but both tie into each other so well. The content warning is there for a reason... I think it's important that this game deals with the issue in a way that is subtle and told from a perspective we don't usually get to see. It's important to see abusers as humans, to see their good parts as well as their bad parts,so we don't just brush off abuse "because the person is too kind to be an abuser." Abusers are not entirely evil. They can be both kind and cruel, and there's usually a twisted kind of logic they use to justify their actions. I feel this game represents that concept very well. It's also interesting to see how the game handles the topic of one action ruining the lives of several people. Even those who were not directly involved in the incident have to deal with the aftermath. I understand why some people don't like this game. It deals with sensitive topics and you could argue that it makes you sympathize with an abuser (although in my opinion the victim is still much more sympathetic). But I think it tells a story that needs to be told. No one is 100% good or evil. Everyone has a conscience. What's important is that we take responsibility for our actions and try to become better people. We can't undo the harm we've caused, but we can learn from our past so we don't repeat the same harmful actions. This game is far more than a fantasy adventure, and I believe there's a lot to learn from it.

I've requested a refund. From the beginning, it was indicated that this game deals with themes of sexual assault, and it does, but poorly. (mild spoilers ahead) Somehow, the narrative, while correctly asserting blame and fault, manages to center the perpetrator in such a way that the survivor is still just a prop to make you feel sorry for the perpetrator, who just didn't know any better. By owning these 'mistakes', things will be fixed??? Started out as a really strong concept where I thought I could feel the plot twist coming (between Daniel and Annalise), but then managed to screw things up anyway. Oh, I wonder if this was written by a man... Of fucking course it was. No offence, but I'd dare to bet money that the writer wasn't sexually assaulted. The graphically phallic references as you progress would be funny if the subject wasn't so dour and serious. It just made it feel like sexual assault is a joke. I don't get what they were trying to accomplish. This really wasn't "owning mistakes" as far as I felt it. I think I was near the end but I couldn't stand to finish it. Someone please let me know if it somehow miraculously redeems itself by letting Annalise kill him or something. Before I forget, it runs no problems on Ubuntu 16.04. Controls are fluid, mechanics are interesting. It really is a shame, it had potential but fell flat on its face in the execution for the story.

Good combat? Check. Good narrative? Double check, underlined, highlighted. The content warning is very appropriate - once revealed, it plays a huge role in the story. Expect to feel uncomfortable. The game’s greatest strength is its story. In the beginning, it appears to be another take on a tried and true formula - a hero comes to rescue a town from a great evil. But soon the game drops hints that not everything is as it seems. Over its 2 hour run time, the game expertfully keeps you wanting more as the story takes a dark turn. When I reached the ending, the game’s story stuck in my thoughts for several more hours. The combat is simple and effective. You use the analogs to move around and control a flame that circles around your character. When facing opponents, you attack weak spots. “Perfect” dodges gives you a brief moment of invincibility. I would heartily recommend this game for all of the reasons above.

Well... that got dark. TRIGGER WARNING: That "Content warning: sexual assault" disclaimer is not a joke. No, there's no sexual assault in the game, but the topic is central to the plot. If you aren't comfortable with that, skip this one. If you can handle it, then full speed ahead. Here's my experience. I was looking for a fun and engaging top-down adventure game, and when I stumbled across The Other Half. It looked cool, and the price was right, so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm so glad I did, but not for the reasons I expected. I sat down to pay a few minutes, just to get familiar with the controls, and ended up playing straight through the game. That's a first for me. First of all, the game itself is really good. The play control is smooth and straightforward, and the combat demands focus and rhythm to get right. Also, it's staggeringly beautiful, not just because of the graphics style, but because of the way everything flows together. At first blush, The Other Half has all the trappings of a classic adventure RPG. You have the enigmatic main character, the damsel/healer, the cocky half-antagonistic support character, and some standard NPCs. It's formulaic enough to be comfortable, without being insipid. Then it gets weird. Like, I'm not going to ruin it for you, but if you ever had that lit teacher who seemed to go off the deep end when discussing symbolism, well, that teacher would love this game. Like, a lot. When you get to the part where the world does this trippy disco thing, then you'll know what I mean. If you you can handle the subject matter, which the developers addressed respectfully and with exactly zero punches pulled, then you're in for an amazing experience. Pay attention to the names. Pay attention to the details. Be honest with yourself.

When I set my controller down as the credits started to roll, I felt...conflicted. Uncomfortable. Dissatisfied. It wasn’t until after I allowed the last third of the game to truly sink in that I was able to appreciate it for what it is, although I can’t say that I enjoyed it. That’s not to say The Other Half isn’t a good game. It is a good game. It’s an important game. It’s a game that tackles some fairly hefty themes that I as a woman was unsure I wanted to tackle. But I’m glad that I did, because in a world where a single mistake in one’s past forever defines them, a world in which no matter how sorrowful or remorseful a person is, forgiveness is forever withheld, we need games like The Other Half to tell us that we're wrong. I really don’t want to say more than that for fear of ruining the story, just know that this game is an experience. Whether it’s a good or bad one is ultimately up to you. [code][h1]Curated by: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33004802-Chudah%27s-Corner/]Chudah's Corner[/url][/h1][/code]