The Novelist
- December 10, 2013
- Orthogonal Games
- 2h median play time
The Novelist captures the quiet heartbreaks of family life.
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Get on itch.io Store"The Novelist" is a narrative-driven game that tells the story of a struggling writer and his family. Players must make difficult decisions to balance the writer's professional aspirations with the emotional needs of his loved ones, all while exploring a beautifully creepy coastal mansion. The game explores themes of ambition, relationships, and personal growth.
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Reviews
- The Novelist offers a unique and engaging narrative experience that explores the complexities of family dynamics and personal ambitions.
- The game effectively presents difficult choices that resonate with real-life dilemmas, making players reflect on their own priorities and relationships.
- The art style and atmosphere create a charming and immersive environment that enhances the storytelling.
- The gameplay can become repetitive, as players are required to search the same small house for clues and make similar choices throughout the game.
- Character development feels shallow at times, making it difficult for players to fully empathize with the family members.
- The stealth mechanics are underutilized and can detract from the overall experience, as players may find it frustrating rather than engaging.
- story448 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story in *The Novelist* is a poignant exploration of family dynamics, focusing on the struggles of a novelist balancing his career with the needs of his wife and son. While the narrative is well-written and emotionally resonant, some players find it predictable and repetitive, with gameplay mechanics that can detract from the storytelling experience. Overall, it appeals to those who appreciate interactive narratives and the impact of choices on character development, though it may not engage everyone due to its simplicity and pacing.
“The novelist does a great job of telling its story.”
“The story is engaging and choices are hard to make, which is good.”
“The story is well written and extremely interactive.”
“Many emotionally sensitive subjects are covered in the story, which may cause issues for people who have experienced certain types of family or personal trauma.”
“The story is well written, but I feel like the 'possess light fixtures to move through the very small house' just feels strange, and seeing character memories in such small text that is hard to read pulls you out of the story and makes you go into your journal to figure out what the game wants you to do.”
“The story is rather simple, predictable, and sometimes does not make much sense; the graphics are pretty sterile too.”
- gameplay171 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Novelist" is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, primarily involving stealth mechanics and exploration within a single house. While some players appreciate the narrative focus and decision-making elements, many find the gameplay lacking in depth and engagement, often feeling tedious and formulaic. Overall, the game is more about the story and character development than intricate gameplay, appealing primarily to those who prioritize narrative over mechanics.
“The gameplay is quite unique and interesting, but also fairly simplistic.”
“The stealth mechanic is mercifully lenient and serves to establish a tiny bit of player progression: initially progress through the house can be sluggish, but after you learn the layout and character paths you can navigate the space a bit faster.”
“The gameplay: this game does surprisingly fantastic for a point-and-click game.”
“The gameplay is quite repetitive and tedious, and I often found myself rushing through the clue-finding.”
“The gameplay gets a bit repetitive quickly, looking for the same clues in similar places in the same house over and over and over.”
“The mechanics of the game are easily understood and executed, but the gameplay itself is not really hard, you just have to be sure that nobody sees you during the day.”
- emotional73 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is deeply impactful, with players experiencing a wide range of feelings, from joy to guilt, as they navigate difficult moral choices that affect the characters' lives. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke strong emotional responses, making players feel intimately connected to the story and its characters, despite some criticisms regarding its brevity and occasional narrative weaknesses. Overall, it is praised for its touching storytelling and the emotional weight of the decisions players must make, creating a memorable and often heartbreaking experience.
“My first playthrough made me feel every emotion (happy, sad, angry, ecstatic) mainly because the choices were hard and the consequences both lifted my spirits and crushed my heart.”
“I cried in the end because I am going through the exact moment of my life right now.”
“The story is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking, and its narrative bridges the chapters smoothly regardless of your decisions.”
“The big flaw is the boring story, which lacked any meaningful conflict or stakes.”
“A boring story with some limited but interesting and totally underutilized gameplay.”
“I bought this game and found it somewhat entertaining and felt like I had an impact, though the story was somewhat boring and I still wondered at the outcome.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as visually pleasing with a charming art style, though not technically stunning. While some players appreciate the atmosphere created by the visuals and how they complement the storytelling, others find them simplistic and lacking in detail. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's ambiance, but opinions vary on their depth and engagement.
“The graphics fit perfectly with the storytelling.”
“The ambience created by the piano tracks and slightly abstract art style work well here.”
“Great story, awesome visuals and interesting concept.”
“The graphics are rather simple (not ugly, simple!) and there is a low density of details.”
“The story is rather simple, predictable, and sometimes does not make much sense; the graphics are pretty sterile too.”
“Neither the story nor the graphics were captivating enough to make me play it again and see other endings of the story.”
- replayability29 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate to high replayability due to multiple choices and endings, allowing players to explore different outcomes. However, its short playtime (around 1.5 to 4 hours) and some players' experiences of slow pacing or repetitiveness may limit the desire to replay it immediately. Overall, while there is potential for varied experiences, the game's brevity and pacing may affect individual enjoyment of replaying.
“The choices you make really build, giving your decisions weight and also adding replay value.”
“The novelist is the best kind of walking simulator, one that presents well-written characters, moral ambiguity, and multiple endings with tons of replay value.”
“The game is pretty short, can be beaten in one evening, but replayability is quite good, since you can try to achieve different goals.”
“By not having the option to save in multiple files (or if you can, I managed to mess up somehow), you can’t set points for further replayability, unless you don’t mind repeating everything.”
“The game, while it has replay value to reach different story outcomes, only lasts about 1.5-2 hours on the story mode playthrough.”
“On a simple note, the game is extremely boring and repetitive with no replayability, and has about three hours of content.”
- music15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and reflective of the characters' emotions, contributing to a relaxing yet introspective experience. While some reviewers found the soundtrack beautiful and charming, others criticized it for being repetitive and ill-fitting, leading to a mixed reception overall. The gentle melodies enhance the game's narrative, though they may also evoke a sense of melancholy.
“The game's music reflects the mindset of the characters and their feelings, which is great.”
“Despite having to make some tough choices, the gentle music, sound effects, and general pacing of the game helped make the whole thing a relaxing experience, leading to introspective contemplation rather than stressful regrets when a tough choice was presented.”
“The soundtrack was beautiful and peaceful.”
“2/5 soundtrack”
“The house is pretty bland and the same type of music all the time can get irritating.”
“The art style is bland and repetitive, the house is small and inadequately designed, the music is boring and ill-fitting, and the levels do not get more challenging or thought-provoking as the game progresses.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall storytelling experience. Players often find themselves aimlessly wandering and struggling with clue-finding, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration. While some appreciate the decision-making challenges, the slow pace and monotonous gameplay overshadow the potential enjoyment.
“It makes trying to complete the story and choose one of the endings very tedious, which, in my opinion, does a disservice to the actual story/stories you are reading and learning.”
“The process of finding the 'clues' and learning more about the players was also repetitive and became tedious.”
“When I think of words to describe this 'game,' the ones that come to mind are: depressing, annoying, boring, repetitive, and tedious.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive qualities, effectively conveying a dreamlike and melancholic tone through its graphics, music, and voice acting. While some players find the somber atmosphere overwhelming, many appreciate the depth it adds to the storyline and character development. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, enhancing the emotional experience of the game.
“While the graphics aren't perfect, they still provide a great atmosphere, supporting the idea that living in the house really does seem like a dream.”
“It's a little rough around the corners, but it offers tough choices and a great atmosphere.”
“The game is very atmospheric with a slow, almost sad tone to everything from the voices to the music.”
“Unfortunately for me, because of that sad atmosphere, I can't play much.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, maintaining a steady 60 fps for the most part; however, some users note that there are occasional performance flaws that detract from the experience.
“Performance was great with the game sticking very close to a constant 60 fps.”
“The performance is impressive, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“The optimization allows for seamless gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.”
“This can't be without flaws in the performance.”
“The performance is action-oriented, while you're left with the theory.”
- character development3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its effectiveness despite limited screen time, successfully creating emotional engagement through meaningful choices. However, some weaknesses in this aspect hinder full immersion in the narrative.
“Stealth, exploration, and character development through meaningful choices are three of my favorite things in games, so this is right up my alley.”
“Overall, the game delivers the desired emotional effect, but some weaknesses in character development make it difficult to fully engage with certain aspects of the narrative.”
“Overall, the game delivers the desired emotional effect, but some of the weaknesses in character development make it difficult to fully engage with some aspects of the narrative.”
“I have rarely seen character development this successful with so little screen time.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding it very funny and particularly enjoying the clever use of changing meal lists on the fridge that provide comedic moments throughout the chapters.
“The meal list on the fridge changes every chapter and left me laughing.”
“It was very funny.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game involves a somewhat confusing mechanic where players must "fill the form" to create ads that attract visitors to view paintings, but the relationship between these actions and the game's overall monetization strategy is not clearly defined.
“In the game, this help is branded as 'filling the form'; yes, it's right after reading about ads, but the connection is really not clear.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting no crashes, bugs, or glitches during gameplay.
