NOTICE: This game is set in trenches in Germany, therefore it was decided to keep the feel, that the language in the game is German (letters). The language selection between Danish and English in the beginning, is ONLY for the controls. The letters scattered around in the trenches are only bonuses and adds to the feel and ambiance of the game, take a look at them if you understand German or not, because they might hold self-explanatory drawings to aid you in the game. The game was made in a single month as part of a DADIU education. Please do not expect to play the game as an FPS, because it is not an FPS. It is a First Person Avoider Survival Horror game, for Indie Gamers. Experience the horror and senselessness of war. The enemy constantly hidden in the fog ready to pounce. Fatigue and shellshock distorting your movement and ability. The stress of uncertainty and adrenaline of chase followed by attack. Here, salvation is the blinding epileptic bombardment of the battlefied.
I can honestly say this game was a masterpiece! Provided it is approached as what it is, that is, a short piece on the senselessness of war. I find it sad reading some of the 'reviews' below (presumably from kids) who completely miss the point and are all too trigger-happy to mark it down. It is without a doubt one of the most realistic (in emotion) yet at the same time dramatic depictions of war I have ever experienced, let alone in a game. True, the dinosaurs subtract from this realism, but I felt they added a nice surrealist element, which added to the confusion, raw emotion and violence of war.
Stylistically, all the choices were impeccable; the black and white mode, the grainy screen, the camera movements, the ambience, the soldiers crying out in the background. That tiny gasp and shallow breaths you make when you decide to rip a man's arm off. The spasmodic and frantic reaction when you get hit by shrapnel (contrast this, for instance with mainstream games, when the screen jerks a bit and goes slightly red on one side, and that's about it). How Solveig's lied, a soothing song of love and adoration, is superimposed on this horrible setting. And the ending ... superb. The best depiction of a hellish battlefield I could ever expect to see. The pointlessness of your escape hits you like a ton of bricks!
I did not mind the scattered letters being in German, though I can read a bit of German, which I admit greatly added to my appreciation of the backstory and setting. I do agree, however, that it adds to the atmosphere of the game, and the game is very atmospheric indeed.
So, 10/10 for what it is. Don't expect a 5-day long epic WW1-themed saga. Do expect a brilliant, short, powerful poem in game form, that will submerge you in deep thought about the senselessness of war, accompanied by a quick shot of adrenaline for that extra 'kick'.
The fact you did this in less than a month is the cherry on the cake for me. Truly well done! I'm off to play this again!
Thanks
I dont know a about these run and gun kiddies, but i think the dinosaurs are a sort of metaphor for the horrors of war. I mean they surely scared the **** out of me.
This game has interesting concept(survival horror in WW1 with dinosaurs) and some high points but it also has some issues.
First of it looked beautiful and atmospheric, the black and white color style worked extremely well and is very unique. All in all in looked beautiful, worked well and was extremely atmospheric.
The gameplay is also quite good and unique. You have to evade your enemies(raptors!), mostly by distracting them with things like flares and body parts. Even once you get a gun, ammo is very rare and it barely slows them down causing you to be in constant fear should they appear. However a lack of ability to really aim the gun in any way results in it being hard to even hit the dinos. That isn't very scary, just frustrating. The lack of saving or checkpoints is also very frustrating. However these are rather minor complaints especially in light of the short(if you know what your doing) length of the game and lack of loading. The biggest complaint I have is the lack of variety but it's so short it doesn't much matter.
Now the story...honestly I have no idea. All the letters that could possibly explain the story are written in German. Now I can understand what they were going for(It's a German trench they'd write in German) but to most people outside of Germany this would be more annoying then atmospheric. At the very least have english as an option or something. Surely there's a way to keep the letters in German but allow the person playing to know what's written on them without knowing the langauge.
Interesting gameplay and concept along with beautiful atmospheric graphics make this a game worth playing in spite of its faults (hard to use gun, no checkpoint or save system, and German only). If the developers were to make a longer, more varied, game with a story I could understand I would happily pay real money for it. As of right now this is worth one play, maybe two. But for a first time free game this is very good.
7/10
Great game, very exciting it would be nice to have all the text shown in optional English however.
Great indie game! My computer can't run Amnesia so I tried something like that...awesome job.
Awesome game... just wish it was in english :/
Games about World War have been around for quite a long time now. Medal of Honor and Call of Duty are both notorious examples which (sadly) have been decaying over the years. Many of us have at least played one of these. Who wasn't happy being a soldier batling in WW1 or WW2, shooting down airplanes, tanks and many enemies soldiers? Well, these games are now the same stuff, but just with better graphics, thinking that'll make a new game, that and the realism factor of these games. Why haven't the games companies thought of something more "suitable" on the realism of these games? Why make it look like a stroll in the enemies-infested streets, when we know that in reality it wasn't?
Wasn't time for us to really fell the horror, the pain, the insanity and the senselessness of war?
1916 - Der Unbekannte Krieg is a WW1 theme based horror FPS game, in which you use a German soldier who's taken cover in the trenches, his only escape being a ladder, located on the other side of the trenches.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Well, no.
The trenches are a maze and you can get lost quickly. Besides, you're not alone in there, as you're being constantly chased by enemies. Not enemy soldiers, but Mechanic Dinosaurs. No, it's not a joke, and yes, it doesn't make absolute sense, but war never maked any sense, so why the enemies must? The Dinosaurs being a metaphor of Death around every corner.
For those who played MoH and/or CoD, you can forget about winning this game by shooting the Dinosaurs. This is a survival horror experience, not some "shoot 'em up" war game. You're not fighting for your country using some well-top-form soldier, You're batling for your life, fatigued both phisically and mentally. Your perception is distorted and your hands are shaking with fear in this lonely, hopeless atmosphere the WW1 was.
A real masterpiece of a WW1 based game, a must-play for those who like horror games, since it captures war as it was; Senseless. I wish more games like this were made.
good game!! :)
Pros
====
+Great atmosphere
+Great story
+Great music
+Just great
Cons
=====
-Works only with Windows right now [my observation]
-Decyphering Deutsch makes these [spoiler] so hard to deal with.
I am not up for putting those docs through a translator.
Love it.