How intriguing. I almost bought this when it was on sale a while back, but chided myself that I already have enough games I don't play and plenty of things I want to do but never feel like. Now with these two opinions, plus the others on the opposite side, I really am quite curious.

I know it's short. How short are we talking here? Hours? Minutes? Setting aside that you guys disliked it, what's a reasonable price to pay?

Am I a Yapkar or an AJ? She listed it among her games of the year. I have to be one or the other. Which is it? I don't know!

I do feel that sensation, AJ, and I do try to follow up on it most of the time. It seems like an appropriate responsibility to have. In fairness, that sense of responsibility has led me right many times - Shadow of the Colossus to Proteus, and practically anything Harbour Master discusses on Electron Dance. In the deluge it's really nice to have resources that tell you what's potentially important so you don't have to waste your time combing through it all.

I'd like to be part of this discussion, since it's all intrigued me more... and despite reading all the posts, I'm no closer to knowing what 30FL really is or what I'd think of it. Come a good sale I'll invest a few bucks. I've spend more money on worse decisions!

OKAY! Thanks to Vile Swelter Jakkar's generosity I am now able to render my opinion (and BTW, that line in my earlier response was indeed in reference to your post not AJ's; your avatar has gone missing and my eyes slid right past the transition. Apologies).

So! Loving and the Thirty Flights thereof.

I decided to go in blind, then reread this thread and Amanda's remarks in her GOTY post.

Ultimately my takeaway was this: nonlinear narration can be a great thing, and Thirty Flights of Loving has some really interesting narrative ideas and touches. Unfortunately it felt rushed to me, unable to clearly say everything it could have. It was a short story that might have been better as a novella.

I didn't hate it, but it felt more like a demo of something larger. I wanted more context with which to draw my own conclusions and create my own story for the three main characters; instead I got so little that any decisions I made on my own felt like unfair logic jumps.

The style has a lot of potential, and the game is confidently done. I'd like to see a more mainstream psychological game use those sudden jumps in time and location, for example. It has some lovely moments - the wedding guests all floating up into the air (which I gather started out as a code error).

But for money you need more. Dear Esther, similarly experimental, was at least long enough and had sufficient production values to justify a price tag. Thirty Flights of Loving, in many ways, had more unique ideas, but didn't take enough time to explore them.

This is a game I'd probably buy if Blendo announced plans to make a fuller version - say a 2-4 hour experience. I'm looking forward to the commentary and to Gravity Bone, and I'm glad I played this, but I don't see it as revolutionary in interactive story, despite agreeing with Graham Smith's remark that it tells a better story in 13 minutes than most games do in 13 hours. Unfortunately that's a backhanded compliment, since it really needed about 35 minutes to tell its story. Saying too much in too little time can be as bad as saying too little in too much.

Thank you kindly, Jakkar - Mr. Rottcodd will dust a carving for you.