Proteus is beautiful, a beautiful thing. And it makes me happy – happy because it is so intrinsically interesting and emotional; happy because we live in an age in which things like this can be made and distributed to everyone with a computer.
Proteus is a very different sort of interactive experience. Maybe, by your definition, it's not even a game. But that doesn't matter. It's a joyous experiment in exploration from start to finish – even if it is a very, very short-lived one.
minimalism at its' best. If you are a conservative gamer, stay away from this one. If you want a different experience than other games offer, buy it! It's simple but very beautiful. Your friend who never plays games might love this one as well
I bought Proteus at a very stressful point in my life and it was exactly what I needed. Just being able to spend time in this amazing world was enough to help me relax and feel prepared for the next day. Everything about the world feels alive and invites you in. The music responds to your current position, the animals and plants react to your presence and at night lead you onward to the next part of the experience.
I must have played Proteus all the way through at least five times at this point and I still keep finding new things every time I sit down to play it.
I believe that, ultimately, your experience of the game will depend on what you want out of it. I had a real need for something like this when I came across it, I loved sitting up on the mountainside, watching the mist roll down the sides and the sun set in a beautiful red off in the distance. But if you feel bored or hyperactive, I wouldn't recommend this particular title to you.
Proteus requires a desire to explore, something that every gamer ostensibly possesses but is rarely asked to use. Much like thatgamecompany’s Journey, Ed Key pushes a spiritual experience that feels fresh immediately upon entry. Yes, it lasts about an hour. Yes, it is enchantingly poetic. And yes, it is deserving of as much play as open-minded gamers are willing to give it.
With a defined beginning, four distinct seasonal environments and an affecting, surprising conclusion, there's no question that Proteus is a game. But if there's one concern, it's whether this is an island that's worth revisiting once you've seen all it has to offer. In a way, its lack of progression – the absence of skill trees, difficulty levels and save points – works in its favour; you won't dive back in to mop up the last few achievements, or to climb leaderboards, but simply because you want to play Proteus.
Proteus' metaphor for life is a more lonely one than Journey's and I
did miss the more personal note of thatgamecompany's title. Also, the
static movement hinders immersion a bit, you don't really feel like
you're moving an entity through this sprawling three-and-a-half-bit
world. Still, this is worthwhile for one or two goes. Games like
Proteus are important – if only to show us how ridiculously reliant
we are on genre denominations and categories. Or, to quote the great
Frank Zappa, 'without deviation from the norm, progress is not
possible'.
Proteus is very much a niche title. Without any real objective or storytelling hook, the open-ended nature will no doubt bore some. That said, its attempts at emergent gameplay are commendable and worth experiencing if this type of game appeals to you.
I'm going to be very blunt about this: there is very little to this game. This may sound odd to hear as my review is a 10, but I'll explain something as short as I can.
This game is meant for people who like wandering around in Minecraft, who like listening to music and observing. If you bough Minecraft purely for building things and don't ever even think of wandering for a few minutes you are wasting your time with this game.
So, this combined with the fact that there is little to the game means that you can go on YouTube and watch about 5 minutes of gameplay. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you do like it, buy it. And if you aren't sure, watch it more and maybe even buy it. It's only 10 bucks (though people will try to make it seem like that 10 dollars is way too much, but they often are 10-year-olds that have barely any understanding of money).
And, this IS a game. No matter what people say. Just because there are no goals does not make this not a game. Garrys Mod is a game and doesn't have any goals, objectives, or anything like that and I don't see anyone saying that it's not a game. And every video game is an "interactive experience." So, there is my 2 cents on that subject.
I just finished my first playthrough. Imagine you woke up in a strange place and unfamiliar natural environment - that's the setting. I gotta say I really enjoyed exploring the environment, and how the music changed with the environment around you. My advice: Take time to stop and just look around - in a way the game seems philosophical in that aspect. I won't give any spoilers, but there were several sensory variations that kept me interested in exploring, and at the same time it kept me thinking, somewhat immersed in what was going on. I find it likely that I'll play it through again - just to see other variations. I enjoyed this - kudos to the developers.
Another interactive relaxing experience, and a good one at that. Your movement in the game makes the world alive, and it's exciting to see as seasons change.
I love casual, immersive games, and I love minimal design. The game looks great and is a joy to interact with... for about 30 minutes.
I spent about 2 hours playing this because I had read there was "more than meets the eye," and there certainly is. There are interesting elements that are not immediately obvious. But even then, there is VERY little content and almost no replayability. I don't mind that there is no real objective or conflict, but the overall experience was underwhelming.
I would maybe have given this a higher score if it went for $5, but even at that price I couldn't recommend it. I'd love to see what the developers do next, but in my mind this is no more than a tech demo.
Well I was prepared about what I was going to see in Proteus, though I didn't expect that. This game has no purpose, you only wander in the woods and you can't really interact with the environment. If that was a pre-release or Alpha that would be acceptable.
The graphic were nice though, old school but not messy. They were well made and that is the only thing I liked. Music wasn't that interesting and at some point it was boring. I only liked music during night.
SummaryProteus is a minimalist game of pure exploration and sublime discovery in a musical wilderness environment. There are no challenges and no goals other than those set by the player. A reactive audio mixing system allows the player to explore the environment as music.