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Wow. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but it seemed like the dude in the cave had a stutter, just because of the rate that his lines appeared. Very nice, if it was on purpose.
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A little something of significance...
In Chapters 1 and 2, wherein Kathryn's life is still a wreck, the level exit is always to the left of the screen, in direct contrast with the platformer standard.
In Chapter 3, wherein she begins to turn her life around, the exit is always downwards.
And in Chapters 4 and 5, wherein Kathryn begins to find happiness, the exit is always to the right.
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I really love how the ending faded into music from The Company of Myself. For those of you wondering where his top hat is, beat the game! :)
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"Sometimes you do things you wouldn't normally like or forget about stuff entirely. In the worst cases, both at once." Things you wouldn't do:lie + kill, forget. Jack does remember Kath, he just doesn't remembering him meeting her this day, due to the effect of drugs. He doesn't remember killing her either. It has been much more than just one day, as far as I see it of course. He tells you about him meeting Kath in "the company of myself", but then he doesnt remember killing her either. Somehow it feels like there is a large missing part of the puzzle to the story, even knowing the story of tcom
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when i reached the last level, i recognized it almost immediately. then i stood there and wondered whether it was worth it...
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This made me think back to the flowery field in "The Company of Myself" and this explains he cheated to always be there. And then the other thought, he tells her to tell him if the amount of the medication he takes starts to worry her, but he doesn't remember anything when he gets home, it is possible that for weeks even months he had been promising not to take any more ever again to her, and just didn't remember. That is a scary thought.
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"I haven't seen anyone complete the EHUP in a very long time!" Well doc, when was the last time you met someone who uses tobacco smoke to solve puzzles that exist as a result of said individual converting life's problems into metaphorical levels in a game? That's what I thought...
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I played The Company of Myself before I played this. Even though the last level came as a huge shock to me, I should have expected it. If I remember correctly in the first game it said Katheryn had died, but did she really die once she jumped into the right exit? Where did that exit really take her? I noticed how Jack's exit was to the left while Kathryn's was to the right (taking from the top comment on the significance of exit placement). I also wonder if the art style and overall design of the two games has significance. This game is so much more detailed while The Company of Myself is very simplistic. My first guess is it represents the difference in mental state between the two. Overall it was a beautiful game that addressed life, death, depression, addiction, recovery, friendship, and love. It's a beautiful game, one of my favorites actually.
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Jack (talking about his meds)- "Sometimes you do things you wouldn't normally like or forget about stuff entirely. In the worst cases, both at once." explains the reason behind what he did on the last level (the level that is also featured in "The Company of Myself")
"The Company of Myself" definitely made jack look more like the victim, but in both games it's a sad story. Don't do drugs, kids!
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I really liked it. And not only the game, but also the impact it got on player. Company of Myself was extraordinary and now, when we've got to play as Kathryn, everyone got that "But he didn't kill her, right? Sure he didn't. Come on, he couldn't" attitude. You've made me watch the same story from different perspective and some how made me shocked that there's still no happy ending.
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This game absolutely requires the story to be read. The story is absolutely genius. It also gives you a break between the frustrating levels.
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A good prequel to Company of Myself. Filled in some of the question marks while presenting a few others. The blending of metaphor and reality nicely mimics CoM.
Still, I did come away wishing that the significance of the green box would have been touched upon and expanded a bit.
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The title of the song during "The Meadow" sequence is citalopram, an antidepressant that can cause amnesia in overdose.
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"Do you have any special abilities?" "Oh not much I can double jump" I guess she wanted to keep the fact that she has the lung capacity of a whale on the DL... lol
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I loved the gimmick of the smoke/smoke rings, and the puzzles were great. But my favorite part had to be how the puzzles tied into the story (thought it was better done in this game than the Company of Myself). Awesome work.
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I wonder if the fact that Jack can make lots of doubles is symbolic of him having multiple personalities? Since he talks about doing things he wouldn't normally do, or forgetting things, or both. In that case, could it be another personality that did what he did?
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I like the touch at the last level that the lasers no longer hurt you. I didn't realize that until I accidentally jumped into one trying to solve a puzzle. Great game, good job. Such a sad story...
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For Blowing Smoke Badge, after you smoke follow the circle, walk behind it. It will de-spawn slower and hit the button.
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This game is done beautifully. The music that accompanies each level is superb and the dialogue flows really well and doesn't detract from the game play at all. Adds a whole new dimension instead of just a little platform to platform level structure. 5/5!
Of course, the sheer fact that you included a reference to Ludlul bēl nēmeqi (Shubshi-meshre-Shakkan) get's you a 5/5 ha ha! =)
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Using smoke to block the lasers is just a metaphor for drugging yourself to overcome life's problems.
Oh, and one of the most tragic things that I realized, after considering edqwardoe's comment, was that Jack's life is still a wreck in the ending. He's still going towards the left, as Kathryn in the beginning.
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Anyone notice that in "The Meadows" levels, all the lasers no longer harm Kathryn anymore. So, at that point she must have shook off all the sadness and stress :)
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If you guys play through the game and read the dialogue, you'll find that in no way is this a game that advocates smoking. :) I hope you'll give it another chance!
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You know who the real victim is here? Penelope. One of her friends dies, she learn her boyfriend is a lying tool not long after his funeral, and the other friend who helps her through all this dies at the hands of a drug-addled psychopath. There should be a third game starring her.
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I was prepared to give this game a 5/5 as soon as I saw it was a prequel to The Company of Myself, one of my favorite flash games of all time. After playing it, I was thoroughly impressed. The developer managed to come up with an entirely new mechanic that was as fun to use as the one from TCoM and even cooler to see. The story was already a great part of TCoM, but this took it to a whole new level! Fixation took everything that made the story of TCoM great, amplified it, and added more characters, dialogue, and art. Everything from the gameplay to the atmosphere was absolutely perfect. I wish I could do more than 5/5 and favorite this. If I ever get money for Kreds, I'll be sure to send some towards this developer. I would love to see a sequel, but if the developer feels that his work with this story is complete, his next project would be very welcome too. Thank you for this spectacular work of art!
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It seems to me that lasers are a metaphor for stress, pitfalls are metaphors for depression, and the walls you have to open seem to bee day-to-day activities that she can't do without smoking (because of addiction)
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To solve the EHUP, you have to blow a smoke ring directly at the switch. You must race against it and push the smoke ring into the switch as it fades to close the distance.