I've got this version in september 2011, and I can say I loved it! I am a former gamer of Lucasarts adventures, like Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island, DOTT, Indiana Jones, and even ancient ones, like Hugo for DOS, since 1991 and older. The Second Face is different, because of the atmosphere and the 'alien' of 'another world' place. Its so interesting as OoO (out of order), another game that uses 'alien worlds', which let our minds crazy to discover things!

Second Face is a world of mistery. Misteries everywhere!

I'm sure what I will say now will not spoil the game because it will just describe some objects. Its more to give some examples, ideas and suggestions. I'm not giving clues. Anyway, beware.

Second face has some areas, like the bedrooms, with the windows showing part of a large building! Very immersive and I really appreciated it!

As a 'veteran', I noticed positive and memoring areas, like the afore mentioned feeling of 'living in a different world', and the anxiety to discover things like: see his father, cure his father, read more about the trees, the large creature and this world, go to the underGROUND to see the margin being pumped up, and tons of inimaginable actions that let me fixed in the game until its end.

A thing that will let us extremmelly happy and focused is the freedom to search and discover things that let our imagination more and more inner, like living in the game! The 'drama' increases!

Only to mention, I work and study everyday, but in a given time of the day (say, 18 to 20hrs) I shutted the door just to enjoy this game, in a total dark room and with some really light food :) And whenever I was (in the school, at work, jogging, in the camp), I was thinking about this game and how to go in some puzzles! These games really change our daily lives until its end.

For about the box of texts: its IMPRESSIVE! I've learned to use it quickly and I liked it because you have more freedom to ask, typing words that you remember, and you can get really puzzle-clues with right words. Its really nice to remember a given word (like a people name) and the person says 'oh...He?? I remember him destroying everything', or something like that. Its immersive because you will associate a given person with his abilities and how to find him/her.

Now the negative sides:
I didnt notice anything 'so wrong' or non enjoyable. On the contrary: I praise the author and his efforts! I've read about his imagination of a main map like the babilonian civilization, and that was stunning!

But:
- We, gamers, became more and more enticed by a long adventure game (really long). At least for me and the contacts I have. Its a subject of days and weeks of chatting. We do know its good for the brain and for the life in general: games that lasts long (with much more puzzles, chatting and ambiances). So I've found this game 'a medium to short lenght game', and I became a bit frustrated, because I've thought I would do many more things, like going underground to see margin being pumped up, get more itens that was mentioned in the game (e.g. the character can touch them and say it can rip it up but we never get them), get people out of some places like Kargon (letting us explore more the room), use boats, open some doors, go upstairs in some rooms, as well as more interesting things in the tower to gather any artifact and information, as well as take more itens from the council, and even read some books about the people in the library (as some in the undertown, for example, can mention), so the protagonist can ask the librarian, even it the book contents will not unlock a given area of the game (for culture and immersion only).

Other negative side was already mentioned: when we want to go to some places in the main map, we must pass the corridor. It should be , at least, skipped, pressing, say, an ESC key. Or he could just pass the corridor area quickly, without lefting the map area, just to transport us to the new area we want.

Another one regards to the ability to 'repeat' a given chatting session. I've pressed ESC by mistake, so something important that was said before cannot be repeated, because when I went there again, the people was not there anymore, of they refuse to let me in. It should have a 'list of quest items', with those long conversations typed like a 'hyperlink phrase', so you can retrieve the scenes.

Another thing is in regard to some juices. Its not clear we need to make more juices of the same type (buying the ingredients again and again). It could have, at least, some indication, like a person of the undertown or in the market, that tells you something you can think: 'hmmmm I can make another juice!!'. And then try the new juice in areas you have a 'gotcha'.

Nevertheless, I'm so happy I knew this game exists, and I´m also eager for the sequel, not forgetting to help the game anyway I can (ideas, donations, and , mainly: sharing it with my friends!)

Regards, and thank you!!

amazing undertaking, and the truly first aGS game Ive seen with a deep philosophical (and truly interesting, mind you!:) undercurrent,,

While I had to give up after a couple of hours,, too drab environments and monotonous atmosphere and gameplay, (kinda hated the text boxes too,,sorry bout that), I felt the puzzles weren't really effectively moving the storyline forward, they kinda fell into the pit as so many other ags games,, as fillers.
A lot fetch puzzles,, a-b-c linear boring "use knife on break, make sandwich, kind of things, not really a dynamic part of the amazing storyline, I would have loved to follow the story if the puzzles and gameplay were more varied and creative and less linear and trivial,

on the positive side, I loved the style, didn't mind the simplistic graphics,, cool characters and grim, bleak setting (it just got too monotonous at times,, almost claustrophobic and paranoid, a good indicator of the game world and characters,, but no so good when you had to do a lot of walking and running through the same places over and overa gain, (it got a little depressing to be honest, at least for me),

so the worst thin imo, the gameply,

best thing, the story,, and.,. like woooow, *lol (the reason why Im writing this), it's like nothing Ive seen before in an adv game,, that's for sure and I really wanted to know more about those deeper sides of the plot and story! plus the otehr cool elements,, the cult, the sex religion, the second face, alien techology, dual civilizations,, wow,, super fascinating concepts,

impressive effort, I hope the sequel will have better puzzles and gameplay that are more dynamic and integral to the plot and pace of storyline,

Excellent game with high artistic qualities and very good direction. Definitely one of the blockbusters of the independent adventure game scene.

Hi Licorice,
thank you for the feedback.

The most important information for me is the point when you stopped to play the game. Since I constructed the game as a continous climax the most interesting parts should come towards the end. If you could tell me exactly where you stopped, it would help me a lot for the sequel.

I am trying to improve the voice overs as much as I can. A new micro and new voice actors are already there. So probably it will make a step in quality.

Visuals were clean, a little too dark for me though even though the screen brightness was turned all the way up. This game is a dead cert for eye strain.

Although it's nice that some voices are provided for dialogue, they were too monotonous and dull and didn't really lend anything in terms of immersion or enjoyment, similar to listening to robots droning in slow-mo.

Puzzles are fairly logical. In terms of the atmosphere of the game, the gaming environment contributed to its dull, dreariness - grim atmosphere? Background music - very simplistic, serves it's purpose.

A good effort by the author - some suggestions to be made:

I felt the script & dialogue, plus voiceovers, could have been more engrossing. Characterisation is lacking. Environments could be less drab - more of a variety in terms of environmental design.

Unfortunately I gave up on it within 2 hours, there just wasn't enough in terms of motivation to make me want to continue playing.

Rating:

6 out of 10.