Impression

This demo was probably about twenty to thirty minutes long. Very short. It was full of bugs and I had to install it three times to get it to work (although the current available download *does* absolutely work). Actually, this is the first "Quick Impression" styled review I've written; it is the shortness of this game that led me to introduce the format. But, hey, it wasn't a bad idea, so kudos to Little Nemo for the inspiration. :) Anyway, on with talking about the game.

I'll say this: the demo sucked. It is full of problems, the fights are boring as hell, and there was nothing in lieu of RPG gaming even though this is an RPG. I bought some equipment but never got a chance to use it, and there was no character development even though this is clearly a character-driven story. I have NO IDEA what's going on in the game right now. Also, it's absolutely full of bugs. I neglected to take notes when I played this game, and I think that might have been a bad idea since this game clearly needs them. There were two fatal errors that I encountered, and a plethora of smaller graphical and technical bugs. All in all, this demo was more not fun than it was fun. Does this mean I'm disappointed? Of course not. Quite the contrary.

Can anyone figure out what our dear little Rebecca is doing in this screenshot?
Because I can't. This is the sort of thing that makes this demo suck.

This teaser demo is just that: a little teaser. I think Little Nemo got a little premature in releasing his demo, but I'm glad he did, because his game looks like it will turn out to be absolutely fantastic. It really has a good look to it; reminds me a bit of A Blurred Line without the sub-standard mapping. This is a gritty Sci-Fi adventure and it looks like it. Solar Tear is something straight out of a book by whoever that guy who wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (BLADE RUNNER for you movie buffs) and Minority Report is. These cityscapes LOOK like cityscapes. Early on I can see a skyline scrolling in the background through a window as I run for my life from a group of heavily armed men. After jumping off of a building and landing in a sewage resevoir, I am attacked by some muggers. And the whole time, there is garbage everywhere and the buildings are falling apart. The local "businesses" resort to crude graffitti as a form of advertisement. In short, the setting is very impressive. Little Nemo has definitely cemented a solid visual style by way of his ripped(?) graphics. Unfortunately, the introduction of the setting is about the only thing this demo has to offer.

I can't help but think I'm being duped, though. Iinstead of castles I'm busting through a corporate headquarters and instead of killing trolls with my broadsword I'm stabbing muggers. And instead of quaffing a potion, I'm shoving a needle into my arm that I found lying around on the ground in the slums. It seems like a simple change of setting is the only truly original thing this game has to offer; but I'm perfectly okay with that. This isn't a new kind of game, and it does nothing innovative with the RPG cutout. Even the fresh, new setting isn't entirely original: has anyone played A Blurred Line, Mega Man X Command Mission, or Fallout? But something about the presentation of this game seems attractive, gritty, and new, and I love it.

Rather than "recovering" at the "Traveller's Inn", I'm
"crashing" at the "INN."

As for recommending that anyone actually *download* this demo, I can't say I'd do that. If you want to see it in action firsthand, be my guest, but I think this demo is best served to critics and not to fans. It isn't a satisfying gaming experience at all, and I think a convincing preview will serve the author's interests a great deal more. It plays like the first release of a beta to an enclosed circuit of testers; something to serve the purpose of showing people what the game will be *like,* without giving them a chance to do any actual gaming.

The bottom line? This is going to be an amazing game someday. I can tell that already. But the key word here is: someday. And someday doesn't mean right now. Right now, it's a terrible game. But if Little Nemo can keep serving up the setting and develop what looks like a pretty interesting script, we'll have a winner on our hands. And I have absolutely no doubt in my mind he's capable of exactly that. Even the greatest games were at a 4% completion ratio at some point.

Play?

Maybe. I'd advocate you wait for a full demo, or even the full version instead.