The Kraken Wakes

35%
Game Brain Score Based on 26 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Kraken Wakes Game Cover
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In "The Kraken Wakes," you're a reporter on a fishing boat in the Pacific, witnessing mysterious fireballs falling into the ocean. As you investigate, you uncover a sinister threat lurking in the depths. This narrative-rich game, based on John Wyndham's novel, allows you to shape the story through natural language conversations with characters, impacting their emotions and actions. Your journalistic skills will be tested as you seek the truth and deliver headlines, press conferences, and negotiations.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

35%
Audience ScoreBased on 26 reviews
humor4 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating story and interesting characters that invite players to ponder significant societal issues.
  • When the AI correctly understands player input, it can lead to humorous and engaging interactions, showcasing the potential of AI in gaming.
  • The concept of personalized storytelling and the ability to converse with NPCs is a novel and promising idea for future game development.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustration.
  • Conversations with NPCs often feel unnatural and limited, as players are frequently restricted to predetermined dialogue paths.
  • The graphics and animations are subpar, giving the game a hastily put-together feel that detracts from the overall experience.
  • story16 mentions

    The game's story is engaging and thought-provoking, allowing players to develop personalized narratives through interactions with well-defined NPCs. While players may feel like passive observers at times, the advanced AI and potential for relationship-building enhance the storytelling experience. However, some users express a desire for more interactive gameplay with NPCs, especially in the early stages.

    • “A very novel game that shows just how advanced NPCs and divergent storytelling can be.”
    • “The story of the game and your role within it also invites you to ponder a great many issues as you consider your actions.”
    • “You are simply a passenger as the story plays out around you.”
    • “I didn't go in expecting the story to change a lot based on what I was saying, but I did expect to be able to play around with the NPCs a lot more than what you can currently do in the first hour or so of gameplay.”
    • “Whilst the graphics are somewhat basic, the core jewel of this game is the personalized story you can develop for yourself in a game where every NPC can be conversed with and relationships can be developed.”
  • gameplay10 mentions

    The gameplay is hindered by underutilization of its speech recognition and NLP mechanics, with limited opportunities for player interaction that fail to significantly influence character responses. While the voiceovers are generally acceptable, the overall experience lacks depth and engagement, particularly in the early stages.

    • “In the intro bit to have you test the conversation mechanic, you will be asked 'how was your day?' by a character.”
    • “The voiceovers do sound mechanical, of course, but except for Muriel, the office girl's voice, nothing irritated me in that regard.”
    • “I didn't go in expecting the story to change a lot based on what I was saying, but I did expect to be able to play around with the NPCs a lot more than what you can currently do in the first hour or so of gameplay.”
    • “There are only a few situations when the talking mechanic is used, and it never really impacts the characters' responses.”
    • “I didn't go in expecting the story to change a lot based on what I was saying, but I did expect to be able to interact with the NPCs a lot more than what you can currently do in the first hour or so of gameplay.”
    • “In the intro segment designed to test the conversation mechanic, you will be asked 'How was your day?' by a character.”
  • graphics6 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered basic and reminiscent of 90s technology, featuring sub-par animations and a hastily assembled appearance. While some environments are described as interestingly impressionistic, others feel empty, detracting from the overall visual experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game's strength lies in its personalized storytelling and character interactions.

    • “Graphically, this veers between interestingly impressionistic and empty sets, with character models that are the pinnacle of 90s technology.”
    • “The animations and graphics are subpar; it looks like it was hastily put together.”
    • “The graphics are somewhat basic, which detracts from the overall experience.”
  • humor4 mentions

    Users find the humor in the game particularly effective when the AI responds accurately to player interactions with witty comebacks, often leading to hilarious exchanges, especially in moments of playful banter.

    • “When the AI correctly understands you and responds with a joke, it can be hilarious.”
    • “At one point, I couldn't help but deliver an insult to the boss woman, and her reply was pretty hilarious.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The stability of the game has been criticized for being quite poor, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and connection issues, particularly towards the end of gameplay. Despite its innovative features, the overall experience is marred by these technical difficulties.

    • “On a less positive note, there have been more crashes (lost connection or freezes) towards the end.”
    • “In 2040, when kids play immersive RPGs with NPCs chatting with them in natural language, you'll be able to say you were there at the very beginning, when it was only just starting and still buggy as hell.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Negative mentions (%)Negative

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