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Ren rated OneShot

Ren rated a game 5 years ago
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux.

Here's the spoiler-free part:

I guess one mark of a good game ending is that you desperately want to play more, even though you know the story is over. OneShot certainly did that. I loved/hated (in an adoring way) knowing that there were parts of the story I didn't know how to access at the time, which makes me all the more intrigued to know exactly how much I missed. I also especially liked that the game was not just limited to a window on my computer screen. The pixel-art style made the game lighthearted while still developing meaningful characters and interactions. I think the only (non-spoiler) thing I wish the game had was a map - even though there was a fast travel system, I spent a lot of time wandering around the Barrens because I couldn't figure out if there was an area I missed. Since you can't see the entire "room" on your screen at once, it's hard to tell where you've been and where you haven't, especially in wide open spaces like those in the early game. A map would have saved me a fair bit of time spent trying to figure out how I ended up where I am.


Major game spoilers below:


I think my favorite moment in the game was the very end, because I'm fairly slow and the title didn't click for me until I actually had to make the decision. Of course, my immediate thought was "I'll just play the game again and make the other choice." Cue me closing and reopening the game about six times to find that there truly was only one shot. I think that was beautifully done and left me with a bit of a hole in my heart, knowing that I'd never be able to return to the places I told myself I'd return to. I do wish I got to see a little bit more of what happens after the choice is made, although that may just be me wishing I got to play more of the game. On a different note, I would have liked to see the Entity's relationship to the pixels in-universe explored more - by the ending puzzle sequence I understood what the intent was, but I didn't feel like the connection was very solid. The only other thing I was unenthused about was the extent of the connection between Niko and the player themself. I absolutely appreciated the idea and the outside-the-box thinking, but by the time I got to "Do you have neighbors?" in the elevator, I had gotten a bit tired of sharing my life story. I kind of wish I as the player was referenced less and was able to remain a little more distanced from Niko. That being said, I do love that OneShot made me think outside the box (literally) and allowed the player to become essentially an in-game presence. Overall, I'm quite happy with this game and would definitely play it again... if I could :(