Thirty Flights of Loving is a shooter where you never shoot anyone. It is a heist game where you never actually commit the heist. It's a sequel that requires no knowledge of the original game's story due to being entirely unrelated to it. How could this possibly be worth of so much praise? Because it gets what so few "storyteller" game developers do, and flexes its interactive narrative beautifully.
To be clear, I wouldn't describe this game as a shooter. You do have the run, use, and jump controls that come by default for any FPS, but you never pull a trigger, besides one section in freely included original game, Gravity Bone, where that trigger is for a camera. Most of the time you're just doing objectives like in an adventure game, grabbing the right items and heading out to do what you will while everyone does their part around you. Except, time is going through an inconsistent loop, at least to your perceptions. You never see the heist, you merely see the moments before and after. They'll appear out of order, and until the end, you'll be unsure as to how things went. It's not so much Inception as it is merely a unique pacing to the narrative.
The most compelling thing about the games in terms of gameplay though is how they use scripted setpieces to be more than just explosions to put you in awe. They try to explore different metaphors and give you a sense of context and story that you otherwise wouldn't have. Every interconnecting section makes sense when you finally look back upon it, as they explain why one thing is one way and what happened at another point without so much as a word. Characters speak like Charlie Brown adults, so don't expect lots of exposition. That said, transitions can be a bit jarring at times. One minute you're trying to prevent an accident, the next you're running to escape capture.
Unfortunately there's little more I can say about either game without spoiling the intricate story. Combined the games make up about 28 minutes for a single playthrough from one to the other. Thirty Flights of Loving is worth it ii you want something fresh and have the cash to spare, but if you're tight on funds and looking for a content filled game, you're better off just getting the free version of Gravity Bone.
I actually advise you play the games in reverse order. As ironic as it may sound -- Gravity Bone has more game to it and feels a lot more like a follow up on the state of Agent Abel.
Arguably one of the most compelling narratives in a while, up there with even the best AAA stories, Thirty Flights of Loving + Gravity Bone gets a 9/10, despite some inherent jumpiness in narrative.
Cheers,
Paradigm the Fallen
Sometimes we say all we need with silence
Trivia: This is the shortest review I've ever had to write.
Thirty Flights of Loving is on Steam for $4.99 dollars.
