Fatale
- November 4, 2009
- Tale of Tales
- 38h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Fatale" is a single-player sports game with high-quality graphics and a lengthy playtime of around 38 hours. The game draws inspiration from Oscar Wilde's 19th century play "Salome," and retells the story of the Judean princess who falls in love with a prophet, leading to his beheading and her kissing his decapitated head. Most of the game takes place in the aftermath of these events.
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Reviews
- The visuals are strikingly beautiful and well-designed, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- The game offers a unique and interesting experience, encouraging exploration and introspection.
- The music is stellar and enhances the overall ambiance of the game.
- Controls are abysmal and unintuitive, making gameplay frustrating.
- The story is confusing and lacks depth, leaving players feeling underwhelmed.
- The game is extremely short and offers little interactivity, leading to a sense of pointlessness.
- story30 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it either boring or confusing, particularly for those unfamiliar with Oscar Wilde's play or biblical mythology. While some appreciate the atmospheric and artistic presentation of the narrative, others criticize its lack of depth and coherence, describing it as an abstract and minimalistic experience that fails to engage. Overall, the story may appeal to those interested in interactive literature, but it is not recommended for players seeking a traditional narrative or gameplay progression.
“This game is about the ethereal image of a woman… about the devs’ vision on the beautiful, absolutely stunning story of Salome.”
“If you're willing to pay $7.00 to see an interactive art exhibit inspired by the story of John the Baptist, Salome, and the Dance of the Seven Veils, then buy this and enjoy.”
“I recommend this game as an interactive painting of the story, with which you should be familiar.”
“The storyline was short, the controls were hard to understand, and I wish I never bought it.”
“It tries to tell a story, yes, but it's terrible at it.”
“The story is pretty much non-existent.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful and artistic visuals that contribute to its identity as an interactive artwork, while others criticize the low-quality, choppy graphics and poor implementation of Unity. Many users appreciate the unique art style and color composition, but some find the visuals lackluster and unengaging, leading to a divide between those who value the artistic approach and those who expect traditional gaming graphics. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a highlight for some, but a disappointment for others.
“I was well aware before I bought the title that this is not a 'game' in the traditional sense, but rather an interactive artwork.”
“The graphics are gorgeous and the story is engaging (but can be a bit confusing if you are not familiar with the play Salome).”
“The game has some really nice environments and the graphics are really well designed and laid out.”
“Unity lets you pick your own screen resolution, great, but the graphics are lame and low poly.”
“What's worse is the developers have no idea how to use Unity to create quality graphics, so if you set the 'full' quality option, it puts a hideous screen filter and post-processing blur all over it... the game looks better if you switch to 'low quality' settings.”
“Unfortunately, the graphics were a bit choppy and I had to play at a fairly low resolution to keep my laptop from overheating.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has been widely criticized for its lack of traditional mechanics, intuitive controls, and engaging content, leading many players to find it unsatisfying and confusing. While some appreciate its artistic intent, others feel it fails to deliver on the promised experience, resulting in a short and unfulfilling interaction that lacks a coherent narrative or challenge. Overall, the gameplay is seen as more of an interactive art piece than a conventional game, which may not resonate with all players.
“Meanwhile, there are developers who think they can hock games such as The Binding of Isaac for an exorbitant $4.99, of which I've only managed to squeeze over 50 hours of gameplay and I haven't even completed the game yet.”
“While turning Wilde's 'Salome' into a short art video game might seem like a strange undertaking, I think the play's thematic content could provide enough material to merit worthwhile exploration via the language of game mechanics.”
“But background elements do not make a game when everything about the gameplay itself is a bad experience from the controls to knowing what to do next to a lack of a satisfying ending.”
“I know this is an interactive art experience that won't appeal to everyone, yet it feels like what the description promised didn't come to fruition in the gameplay.”
“Fatale is an extremely short and boring work; I won't say 'game' because it basically lacks any gameplay.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its haunting quality and beautiful composition, others find it repetitive and obnoxious. The soundtrack is noted for its strong emotional impact and cultural influences, particularly its Arabic elements, but it can also feel overwhelming in certain contexts. Overall, the music is a standout feature for many, despite some criticisms regarding its repetitiveness.
“Despite the unhinged controls, Fatale is beautiful in visuals and stellar in music.”
“The haunting musical score and ominous whispers genuinely unnerved me, creating a deeply immersive experience.”
“The art style is nice, the soundtrack is great to listen to, and that dance epilogue... oh wow!”
“Music is repetitive.”
“You wait and walk around an almost empty cistern while the game plays obnoxious music and throws Oscar Wilde quotes at you, trying to be profound or something, I dunno.”
“The whispering that happens also genuinely unnerved me, and I inwardly shied away at the effect of the haunting musical score and the ominous whispers every time they happened.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as powerful, eerie, and mystical, immersing players in a magical and interactive artistic experience. It effectively combines elements of Oscar Wilde's play and biblical mythology, creating a unique and captivating environment that encourages players to simply enjoy the haunting scenery.
“And once I dived into the game, I felt the powerful sense of the magical atmosphere surrounding the in-game character.”
“The plot demands some knowledge about Oscar Wilde's play and biblical mythology in general, but there's not much to do, only enjoy the eerie atmosphere of the sceneries presented.”
“It's strange, it's atmospheric, it's eerie, it's mystical.”
“The game is about setting up an atmosphere, trying to be an interactive piece of art.”
“And once I dived into the game, I somehow felt how powerful the sense of all that magical atmosphere was around the image of the in-game character.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find humor in the contrast between past and present reviews of the game, noting that the evolution of Steam has made these older critiques amusing to read.
“I think it's hilarious to read old reviews of this; Steam has changed so much over time.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you laughing.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create laugh-out-loud moments.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being buggy and unreliable, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from its intended message. Users feel it fails to deliver a cohesive gameplay experience, resulting in a lack of engagement.
“The game is incredibly buggy, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“It crashes frequently, disrupting the overall experience.”
“The stability issues make it hard to enjoy the game, as I constantly worry about it freezing or crashing.”
