I'm on the brink of dropping Swery's "The Missing". Is it still worth to complete it Era?

[Deleted member 30151]

I have to admit, I'm disappointed. Neither the gameplay nor the story of the game is anything that thrills me. There are a lot of promising elements in the game like the eerie atmosphere, the concept of losing limbs to solve puzzles and of course the overall surreal images. But Swery once again cannot manage it to build in enough own ideas. Again he heavily relies on stuff from Twin Peaks. The story itself looks like it heavily borrows from social dramas like Life is Strange. The whole LGBT stuff the story later offers feels forced so far and not build in well.

But what really bugs me is the gameplay. Gosh, the controls are the real evil here, the level design is boring and there simply isn't much variety in gameplay. What started out as a fun puzzle platformer the first half of the game turned into a nightmare filled with annoying puzzles that aren't fun to solve. I really have to force myself from screen to screen because, in the end, I want to know how this weird story turns out. I can watch a Walkthrough via YouTube, but since I paid for the game, this isn't an option.

So, how have you, community of ResetERA, experienced The Missing? Is it worth to hang on till the credits roll? Currently, I'm playing the section with those god forsaken monkeys. This one section with the monkeys where you partly play in the dark.

 

[Mullet2000]

The ending parts of the game are what really brings it all together. But if you don't like it, you don't like it. Don't force yourself to play it and watch a playthrough instead to get the story out of it. Or just follow a guide for the gameplay parts.

 

[Courage]

I think it is worth completing and it coalesces into something special by the end, but it won't retroactively make you enjoy the level design/gameplay; it just does a good job contextualizing its themes and narrative beats effectively.

 

[Hektor]

If you don't like it now, not much of a chance you're going to like it later i'd think.

Thought it was a fantastic if flawed game personally, especially the way gameplay and story come together.

 

[Odesu]

It's not a very long game and the story goes in almost completely uncharted waters for this medium, which seems surprising even more if you consider it comes from Swery, so I would say yeah, it's worth it. But if you're really just not enjoying the gameplay, then maybe just check the rest of the game out on Youtube? You tried and it seems to not have clicked with you and that's alright.

 

[RoboPlato]

The game can be really frustrating but the end portions are wonderful and touched me deeply.

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

If you don't like it you don't like it but the last part is when it comes together and the story becomes something truly special. You're close to it picking up and really exploring it's subject matter.

It's a wonderful game IMO. I'm playing it through for the 4th time today actually.

 

[Deleted member 30151]

I wouldn't call the story bad. It is actually the main reason I'm still playing. The puzzles, of course, are easy to solve once you know how they work. But it all comes together not well balanced. You solve a puzzle, you get a short story section and repeat. Even Sudas really short game Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day features more variety.

Like I said, the story is interesting but, don't know, much of the stuff feels force just to be on board with the current trend. I'm actually missing the punch here. That's why I'm really hoping there is some kind of twist at the end.

But I know me, I know that I will most likely not drop in the middle of the game. But it's actually important for me to gather a few opinions here from the experiences of other people.

If I manage it to the end, maybe I will give it another shot since I know the solutions of the puzzles and got the collectibles. Yes, the costumes and bonus conversations and artworks are pretty cool so far.

 

[bluexy]

If you don't like it then stop playing it. It sounds like you've already made your final judgment on it, anyway. I think empathizing with the frustrating qualities of the gameplay is a core part of the experience, but if you just don't like it then I think you and the game are already on different wavelengths.

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

The story definitely isn't forced or trendy. It addresses issues I've never seen handled so well in this medium. It's rarely done this well in any medium. It's powerful and important. It's far more than a Life is Strange clone. Please keep playing or read about it/watch it if you're genuinely interested.

 

[Deleted member 19066]

I'd say hang in there. Spoil the puzzle solutions, if you want to, but don't spoil the story. It may have needed a wee bit more tact, but you can tell by the end it was made with a lot of love and compassion.

 

[Bradford]

I played it through in 2 sittings and thought it was very worth it. The entire game is only about 4-5 hours long, and by the end the puzzles test your understanding of the mechanics really well.

The story and characters are great and come full circle so I highly recommend finishing it. Getting donuts unlocks more text conversations so those are worth it if you want to fully experience that.

 

[AvernOffset]

I think it's worth it for the ending. It brings everything together really well. Since it sounds like it's mostly the puzzles that are bothering you, why not just watch a walkthrough for puzzle solutions and cut yourself off when you approach the ending? Just stop watching it once you reach the top of the clocktower and experience the rest of it blind.

 

[Luminaire]

The story is far from forced, but if you think this:

The whole LGBT stuff the story later offers feels forced so far and not build in well.

Click to shrink...

I can't imagine you'll get much else out of the game because you've already missed the point.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Like I said, the story is interesting but, don't know, much of the stuff feels force just to be on board with the current trend. I'm actually missing the punch here. That's why I'm really hoping there is some kind of twist at the end.

Click to shrink...

I didn't find anything forced or trend following about the game. I thought it was really passioned and ground breaking for a video game.

Anyways it was one of my favorite games of last year, alongside Obra Dinn and Yakuza 6. I'd definitely recommend pushing through to the end.

 

[Deleted member 19066]

The story is far from forced, but if you think this:



I can't imagine you'll get much else out of the game because you've already missed the point.

Click to shrink...

I'm hoping he hasn't had the ending spoiled for himself. The texts can come off as a little on the nose, sure, but those of us who have finished the game seem to agree the end is where it shines. Even if you were to come into it cynically minded like the OP, I think its sincerity will shine through.

Spoiler

When I looked up a solution to a puzzle on Youtube, I noticed a comment saying "that text with her mother is almost exactly what happened to me when I was outed." It's real shit.

 

[wrowa]

What makes you feel the story's "forced"? You've been saying that a couple of times, but you don't explain why you get that impression.

 

[KLoWn]

It's not worth it if you're already sick of it tbh. It had some nice moments, but for me most of the game can be summed up as a great big meh.

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

The texts from the mother starting from around the bowling alley area are chilling. Fantastic writing and couldn't be more genuine.

 

[Opa-Pa]

It's extremely worth it yes, but if you somehow find the LGBT themes, AKA the main themes of the game that are brought up literally from the start, to be "forced" then perhaps not.

 

[electroaffe]

The ending is perfect and all the jank is more than worth it.

 

[Deleted member 21411]

It's got its problems but I still love it. But I also enjoyed most of the ride, truthfully you're really there for the last hour but it's your call

 

[Firestorm]

The story and how it comes together is really well done. I'm not sure how it's forced? It's very central to the game and all the themes of the game come out of it... it's very well integrated. I didn't think the ending added _that_ much to the game if you already figured things out beforehand tbh.

The controls and just slowness or the puzzle solving is super frustrating so if you find the story forced for whatever reason, you won't get anything out of finishing it.

 

[Deleted member 30151]

Ok, think I'm starting to get crazy. Maybe someone here can help. There is this moment when you reach the diner. And when you are outside there is the rope which leads you actually to the roof of the diner where you will find a Donut and this creepy thing that can talk. But I cannot reach the gap between the rope and the diner. It's simply not possible, she will always fall down.

Because I thought there is some magic trick, I watched two different videos via YouTube, but bots let's player are handle this jump without a problem. What am I doing wrong here? Is there a button where I can run faster and haven't found it till now?

Or is it simply a bug of the Switch version. Wouldn't surprise me. The framerate sucks and it's constantly stuttering. Is anyone here who played the Switch version? I know this is not a troubleshooting thread but I'm really desperate here ;/

I'm running to the rope but she simply did not get enough speed to reach the platform.

 

[Mary Celeste]

I considered dropping the game too, but I stuck with it and it ended up being super worth it. I very much recommend finishing the game.

 

[Deleted member 30151]

It really was a good idea to keep on playing. Finished the Bowling-Puzzle and the events really start to catch up. The game really is a sleeper because it wakes you up the unpleasant way, I like that. Guess a second playthrough is an option. Will collect the rest of the Donuts for sure. Of course, all that will not completely change my mind about the level design (partly) and the controls.

Finished the passage with the ropes by the way. After a lot of tries. Really not that happy with the performance of the Switch version, game surely isn't optimized and it is clearly the version that was made after every other version was most likely finished. Could really need some polish.