Return of the Obra Dinn | OT | This bargain shouldn't remain unknown to you

[Wozzer]

In 1802, the merchant ship "Obra Dinn" set out from London for the Orient with over 200 tons of trade goods. Six months later it hadn't met its rendezvous point at the Cape of Good Hope and was declared lost at sea.

Early this morning of October 14th, 1807, the Obra Dinn drifted into port with sails damaged and no visible crew. As insurance adjustor for the East India Company's London Office, find means to board the ship and recover the Crew Muster Roll book for assessment.

Click to shrink...

Click to shrink...

The latest from Lucas Pope (Papers, Please) sees you fulfiling the role of an investigator who needs to piece together what happened onboard the Obra Dinn, a ship crewed by 86 men lost at sea.

Utilizing a handy time traveling pocket watch and a diary that grows in detail as you proceed, you seek to determine the fates of all crew members before departing the ship and learning its final tale.

Spoilers are rife, so the less said the better.

OpenCritic: 90
Metacritic: 89
Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive (98)

Passively depicts death and violence in freeze-frame 3D scenes. Contains mild nudity.

OS: Windows 7+ OR macOS Sierra+
Processor: 2 GHz Intel i5 or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Discrete GPU
Storage: 2 GB available space
Additional Notes: Requires 720p or higher resolution and outputs 16:9 aspect only, letterboxed if necessary.

Steam ・ Humble ・ GOG

​

 

[spam musubi]

this thread has been acting as the de facto OT for the game, it has 560 posts already: https://www.resetera.com/threads/re...e-since-crime-punishment-and-her-story.75696/

 

[sheaaaa]

Finished the game yesterday with all 60 fates solved, without looking any of them up. What a unique, fantastic game. Lucas Pope is a genius.

 

[SweetSark]

Finished the game. Great Story and gameplay mechanic.
But I wondering something:

Spoiler

Why exactly wanted Henry Evans who gave you the book and the clockwatch to learn who died and how?
I find it really strange.
Yes, I know this is the job of the main protagonist, but the book was intented for Henry Evans as well.
Was this a test so the protagonist get quailified to keep the watch for a new adventure? A cursed gift?

 

[CannonFodder52]

Just started, only put in a few hours but I'm loving it so far.

At 9 fates solved currently.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

i guess i'll bump this since the thread that had the eye-catching title for people who have never heard of the game before + all the real discussion on the game (and is therefore actually useful for archival purposes) was arbitrarily locked

 

[Xelan]

This game was an instant buy for me after Lucas Pope's last game, and I was not disappointed, I would recommend it to anyone who is into puzzle games and whodunits.

 

[Cantaim]

I know there is a separate place that is acting as a OT but I figure I'll post in here. What's the game like? been looking for a good mystery game to play soon and I have heard some good things about this game. So I'm curious if I can hear some peoples non spoiler opinions on it.

 

[low-G]

I finished the game and enjoyed it well enough. It was engrossing and satisfying, but I felt like there were a decent number of crew you just had to ultimately guess on.

It also made me wish desperately for a game with as much care but required more complicated deductions, clue solving and such, without just being completely impractical like some adventure game puzzles.

 

[TheFurizzlyBear]

I've heard nothing but good things about this game. Surprised to not see it get more love on here

 

[Apollo]

I know there is a separate place that is acting as a OT but I figure I'll post in here. What's the game like? been looking for a good mystery game to play soon and I have heard some good things about this game. So I'm curious if I can hear some peoples non spoiler opinions on it.

Click to shrink...

It's a fantastic mystery game with a really unique visual style and phenomenal sound design. Gameplay wise, you basically act as an observer to various events onboard this ship with the goal of identifying and documenting each passenger and their ultimate fate. You jump from scene to scene trying to pick up as many details and context clues as you can to do this, and you have a notebook that documents various things that you can cross reference along with the scenes you view. Sometimes things will be spelled out clearly, other times you're going to have to make inferences. It really feels like you're piecing everything together yourself, and the game lets you know every time you've correctly identified a few people so that you know you're making progress. Every few you knock out definitively means a few less you have to take care of, so it's pretty satisfying and helps with the pacing.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

I've heard nothing but good things about this game. Surprised to not see it get more love on here

Click to shrink...

It had an active thread for the past few weeks that was locked.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/re...e-since-crime-punishment-and-her-story.75696/

 

[TheFurizzlyBear]

It had an active thread for the past few weeks that was locked.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/re...e-since-crime-punishment-and-her-story.75696/

Click to shrink...

Ah that's good to see. I dont know how I hadn't seen that

 

[Sloane]

Is it possible to merge the threads or make the other thread the OT? That one was very active since the game's release, this one feels so barren.

 

[aiswyda]

I had a few questions about the game I was hoping someone would answer (I'm worried about finding spoilers so I'm a little hesitant to google em myself) but it seems a little dead! I'll post in hopes of revitalizing though haha

1. How are the controls? Do they require quick actions? I'm pretty uncomfortable on KB+M but can play games like gone home or the sims--things that don't require quick reaction times.

2. How are the puzzles? Do they require good hearing/attention to detail/etc? I've heard they're logic games, but those can sort of vary so I'd love more detail on that.

3. Is the mystery actually solveable? My number one pet peeve for mystery media is the culprit is someone you never could have expected, not because it's so well hidden, but because you just didn't have any idea they existed. I don't mind if it's a tough mystery to solve! I just want to be able to arrive at my own conclusion and have that conclusion stand an actual chance of being correct!

 

[Tunahead]

I had a few questions about the game I was hoping someone would answer (I'm worried about finding spoilers so I'm a little hesitant to google em myself) but it seems a little dead! I'll post in hopes of revitalizing though haha

1. How are the controls? Do they require quick actions? I'm pretty uncomfortable on KB+M but can play games like gone home or the sims--things that don't require quick reaction times.

2. How are the puzzles? Do they require good hearing/attention to detail/etc? I've heard they're logic games, but those can sort of vary so I'd love more detail on that.

3. Is the mystery actually solveable? My number one pet peeve for mystery media is the culprit is someone you never could have expected, not because it's so well hidden, but because you just didn't have any idea they existed. I don't mind if it's a tough mystery to solve! I just want to be able to arrive at my own conclusion and have that conclusion stand an actual chance of being correct!

Click to shrink...

1. The controls are quite straightforward. There are absolutely no sections where the game requires any amount of mechanical skill from you. It's all thinking, and the game lets you do as much of it as you want for as long as you want. The only real failure state the game even has is the player giving up.

2. The puzzles range from astoundingly easy to gruelingly difficult and everything in between. In some cases, when you need to pay attention to small details, you REALLY need to pay attention to small details. Things you need to observe can be either visual or audio. Audio clues are mainly dialogue, which is all very carefully subtitled, and the way the gameplay is structured makes it obvious when you should be listening rather than looking.

3. Every mystery can be solved via careful observation of all the available materials, and thinking carefully.

It's very difficult to say anything else without spoilers, so I'll leave you with this: Return of the Obra Dinn is essentially a reverse whodunit. Whenever there's a murder, you will typically see the face of the killer, but due to the circumstances of the characters in the game, you will have no idea who they are. The real challenge the game presents you with is identifying a whole lot of people with only a very limited set of documents and your own powers of observation.

 

[aiswyda]

1. The controls are quite straightforward. There are absolutely no sections where the game requires any amount of mechanical skill from you. It's all thinking, and the game lets you do as much of it as you want for as long as you want. The only real failure state the game even has is the player giving up.

2. The puzzles range from astoundingly easy to gruelingly difficult and everything in between. In some cases, when you need to pay attention to small details, you REALLY need to pay attention to small details. Things you need to observe can be either visual or audio. Audio clues are mainly dialogue, which is all very carefully subtitled, and the way the gameplay is structured makes it obvious when you should be listening rather than looking.

3. Every mystery can be solved via careful observation of all the available materials, and thinking carefully.

It's very difficult to say anything else without spoilers, so I'll leave you with this: Return of the Obra Dinn is essentially a reverse whodunit. Whenever there's a murder, you will typically see the face of the killer, but due to the circumstances of the characters in the game, you will have no idea who they are. The real challenge the game presents you with is identifying a whole lot of people with only a very limited set of documents and your own powers of observation.

Click to shrink...

Awesome, thank you for the great answers :) It sounds fun and right up my alley! I'm gonna have to pick it up after finals.

 

[TripaSeca]

GOTY for Mark Brown (Game Maker's Toolkit)

 

[jorgeobamajr]

Might be worth making a thread for the Mark Brown video? Might draw more attention towards the game, because it seriously deserves it.
(E: not just to say its marks goty, of course, but to also highlight the design & such)

 

[CannonFodder52]

Might be worth making a thread for the Mark Brown video? Might draw more attention towards the game, because it seriously deserves it.
(E: not just to say its marks goty, of course, but to also highlight the design & such)

Click to shrink...

Put one up for his video earlier last night.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/how-return-of-the-obra-dinn-works-game-makers-toolkit.87235/

 

[Shake Appeal]

My game of the year. It feels mean to take that title away from Battletech, a game I have put over 200 hours into, but nothing has impressed me like Obra Dinn in as long as I can remember.

 

[jorgeobamajr]

Put one up for his video earlier last night.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/how-return-of-the-obra-dinn-works-game-makers-toolkit.87235/

Click to shrink...

Completely missed it, thank you!

 

[Guybrush Threewood]

Just started playing this...Game looks wild. I'm only about 45 minutes in and it's already taking some turns!

 

[AlternateAir]

I finally played this a few weeks back, and was left feeling cold by the whole thing. It's got a fantastic visual style, and the whodunnit aspects are great, but I missed that you could go back and replay segments untill I got through all the little vingettes. Meaning I had almost the entire ship to filter through to figure out each mystery that made the whole thing a little unweildly. The running back and forth to various bodies, and how you have to chain some of the memories to get to certain memories also made the deduction process feel like busy work sometimes. I also never really felt all that attached to anything that was happening, it was just kind of interesting to try and puzzle out, but it fetl a bit souless honestly. The odd choice to lock the one chapter that _literally_ add nothing unknown made the ending of the game feel super anticlimatic too.

Glad I played it, and thought it was overall fine - but I'm kind of surprised by all of these 'GOTY' praises.

 

[Boddy]

Well, I technically finished it.
Got 15 identities, probably a lot more, the game just doesn't feel like telling me.
I really don't like how long it can take to get the confimation that I got these identites right, since it makes me paranoid that I screwed up somewhere.

 

[Tunahead]

Well, I technically finished it.
Got 15 identities, probably a lot more, the game just doesn't feel like telling me.
I really don't like how long it can take to get the confimation that I got these identites right, since it makes me paranoid that I screwed up somewhere.

Click to shrink...

You didn't get more than two identities right. The game immediately and automatically verifies and locks in right answers when you have three.

 

[Deleted member 1656]

I finally played this a few weeks back, and was left feeling cold by the whole thing. It's got a fantastic visual style, and the whodunnit aspects are great, but I missed that you could go back and replay segments untill I got through all the little vingettes. Meaning I had almost the entire ship to filter through to figure out each mystery that made the whole thing a little unweildly. The running back and forth to various bodies, and how you have to chain some of the memories to get to certain memories also made the deduction process feel like busy work sometimes. [...]

Glad I played it, and thought it was overall fine - but I'm kind of surprised by all of these 'GOTY' praises.

Click to shrink...

I had a similar time. I realized I could replay scenes but I didn't take advantage of that enough until it was too late and kind of forgot about referencing the map. My save got unwieldy enough for me to drop the game. And that's why I'm actually quite sympathetic to the high praise the game is getting—the agency it allows is marvelous. I really appreciate when games actually allow you to totally fail the way I bungled my investigation. It's a rather innovative game.

I considered leaving the boat to just get an ending, but I decided to uninstall and let myself forget about the game so that I can revisit it one day with a hopefully fresher mind.

 

[Boddy]

You didn't get more than two identities right. The game immediately and automatically verifies and locks in right answers when you have three.

Click to shrink...

Currently I'm sitting on 3 sloved identities where I looked up the solution, no confirmation.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

Currently I'm sitting on 3 sloved identities where I looked up the solution, no confirmation.

Click to shrink...

i can't confirm this, but if you looked up a solution (try not to do this! :( ) one of the faces may still be blurred so it might be impossible to solve that one. i don't know, I never actually tried it myself, but I figure the game probably does this to force at least one viewing of all the scenes.

 

[Boddy]

i can't confirm this, but if you looked up a solution (try not to do this! :( ) one of the faces may still be blurred so it might be impossible to solve that one. i don't know, I never actually tried it myself, but I figure the game probably does this to force at least one viewing of all the scenes.

Click to shrink...

I pretty much solved them by myself anyway. I'm sitting on one of them for a while now.

 

[RedSwirl]

I'm stuck but I don't know if it's a bug. One of those clouds that's supposed to guide you to the next memory won't move.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

that seems like a bug -- restarting the game is probably your best bet

 

[RedSwirl]

that seems like a bug -- restarting the game is probably your best bet

Click to shrink...

Reinstalling the game seemed to fix it.

 

[Premium Ghoul]

I've put 90 minutes into this and I just flat out do not understand how the face blurring works at all. There are several faces in the drawing that are unblurred but I have never even seen them on the ship. Am I supposed to go through all these vignettes first and then loop back to the start and go through it all again to put together the mystery? That seems like it would be too many names/faces to juggle all at once.

I just feel like I'm completely missing a key part and the more I play, the worse it gets.

 

[Tunahead]

I've put 90 minutes into this and I just flat out do not understand how the face blurring works at all. There are several faces in the drawing that are unblurred but I have never even seen them on the ship. Am I supposed to go through all these vignettes first and then loop back to the start and go through it all again to put together the mystery? That seems like it would be too many names/faces to juggle all at once.

I just feel like I'm completely missing a key part and the more I play, the worse it gets.

Click to shrink...

There could be someone you missed because they were around a corner or on an adjacent deck in a memory. Be sure to consult the "other people present in this memory" entry in the book to see if you missed something.

A lot of people on the Obra Dinn can be divided into groups based on appearance alone. Once most of them become identifiable, the remainder will become automatically identifiable via process of elimination.

There's also a couple of people who will be identifiable just from the group pictures alone.

 

[Deleted member 5086]

Just started this, but wow, it's immediately very fascinating.

 

[DassoBrother]

I've been playing for roughly two hours and am starting to feel a bit frustrated. Is it usually better to solve identities as soon as their photo becomes clear? I've only had three deaths confirmed but I've started unlocking memories on under the gun deck so I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself. If names aren't mentioned in dialogue I pretty much feel lost about what to take away, maybe I should pay better attention to the map.

 

[Remembrance]

I've been playing for roughly two hours and am starting to feel a bit frustrated. Is it usually better to solve identities as soon as their photo becomes clear? I've only had three deaths confirmed but I've started unlocking memories on under the gun deck so I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself. If names aren't mentioned in dialogue I pretty much feel lost about what to take away, maybe I should pay better attention to the map.

Click to shrink...

Don't let the face unblurring pressure you. It's best to keep unlocking new scenes and let them take you where they will.

 

[CannonFodder52]

I've been playing for roughly two hours and am starting to feel a bit frustrated. Is it usually better to solve identities as soon as their photo becomes clear? I've only had three deaths confirmed but I've started unlocking memories on under the gun deck so I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself. If names aren't mentioned in dialogue I pretty much feel lost about what to take away, maybe I should pay better attention to the map.

Click to shrink...

Don't stress about it, you don't have to solve them immediately.

And yeah, the game also doesn't give away all that many names vocally, so you gotta use more of the tools at your disposal.

Just started this, but wow, it's immediately very fascinating.

Click to shrink...

This is one of those games where I would give a lot to be able to revisit it again for the first time.

 

[RedSwirl]

Got them all, honestly through some aggressive process of elimination.

I'm guessing a good path to take would be:

1. Get all the memories first, they seem to be revealed in almost reverse chronological order.
2. Try to view them again in chronological order.
3. Pay very close attention to the dioramas, you get unlimited amount of time in them on repeat viewings. Check who the books says was present in each diorama and see if you can account for all of them. One diorama may include important clues to a later diorama, that don't directly relate to the first diorama.
4. To narrow people down, pay close attention to rank, language, and accent. People like the topmen, stewards, Indians, or Russians will usually stick together.
5. After that, it seems like you can fairly easily break the whole crew down to small groups similar people, at which point you can just swap names until they click. Sometimes it'll be a group of a few people who met the same fate at the same time.

 

[Feep]

Really enjoyed this, though the ending didn't really add very much. Really thought some crazy stuff was gonna be revealed.

In a year full of great games, this one still stands out. Strongly recommended.

 

[Portmanteau]

For all the praise this game has gotten, this is a really slow OT.

 

[CannonFodder52]

For all the praise this game has gotten, this is a really slow OT.

Click to shrink...

There was an earlier thread that served as the OP for a while. I believe it had more like 12 pages.

 

[Jintor]

god i wish i could just teleport out of memories instead of having to trek to the bloody door all the time

 

[DassoBrother]

Got them all, honestly through some aggressive process of elimination.

I'm guessing a good path to take would be:

1. Get all the memories first, they seem to be revealed in almost reverse chronological order.
2. Try to view them again in chronological order.
3. Pay very close attention to the dioramas, you get unlimited amount of time in them on repeat viewings. Check who the books says was present in each diorama and see if you can account for all of them. One diorama may include important clues to a later diorama, that don't directly relate to the first diorama.
4. To narrow people down, pay close attention to rank, language, and accent. People like the topmen, stewards, Indians, or Russians will usually stick together.
5. After that, it seems like you can fairly easily break the whole crew down to small groups similar people, at which point you can just swap names until they click. Sometimes it'll be a group of a few people who met the same fate at the same time.

Click to shrink...

Finished the game this weekend and while I enjoyed the story, I was a bit annoyed with myself that so many of the deaths could be reached by trying between a couple different names. Near the end, there would be many that I would have narrowed down to 2-3 options and got by trial error/guesswork (two seamen brothers are an example). It's probably necessary since it'd be just as lame if everyone could be identified by one tattoo or scar that you see in one scene.

Spoiler: Question regarding Ch. IX, Escape

Do you just guess where they ended up alive? I just made a best guess based on where they were on the map when they left, since I didn't notice or remember any dialogue that would suggest where they went.

I also noticed that you can see something shining in the water from the start of the game, is it fair to assume that is a shell thrown overboard? Potentially with the returned mermaid.

 

[Tunahead]

Finished the game this weekend and while I enjoyed the story, I was a bit annoyed with myself that so many of the deaths could be reached by trying between a couple different names. Near the end, there would be many that I would have narrowed down to 2-3 options and got by trial error/guesswork (two seamen brothers are an example). It's probably necessary since it'd be just as lame if everyone could be identified by one tattoo or scar that you see in one scene.

Spoiler: Question regarding Ch. IX, Escape

Do you just guess where they ended up alive? I just made a best guess based on where they were on the map when they left, since I didn't notice or remember any dialogue that would suggest where they went.

I also noticed that you can see something shining in the water from the start of the game, is it fair to assume that is a shell thrown overboard? Potentially with the returned mermaid.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

You can figure out where Henry Evans' group ended up from him wanting you to send the completed book back to him in Morocco.

You can determine which Peters brother is which based on the surviving one still having their hammock up well after the accident.

 

[DassoBrother]

Spoiler

You can figure out where Henry Evans' group ended up from him wanting you to send the completed book back to him in Morocco.

You can determine which Peters brother is which based on the surviving one still having their hammock up well after the accident.

Click to shrink...

That's actually an obvious and clever solution that I missed, thanks!

I'm assuming every person on the boat can be definitively ID'd and no guessing needs to be done (except for some cause of deaths), it's just that that becomes such an easy solution when you are getting down to a few tricky fates. Only solution would be a hard mode that doesn't confirm any IDs or fates until you've finished the game.

 

[XaviConcept]

Started yesterday and beat it today, all 60 cases figured out. AMAZING!

I was (barely) around for the C64 era so I really appreciated the art style, its also a perfect fit for this game, very surprised at how good the music was and I loved the living shit out of the setpieces, especially the ones early on that let you in on the serious shit happening on this ship. I also loved all the little character arcs and its very impressive how a game can get you to know 60 people in a game you can play in 1/2 days.

My one "criticism" is that somewhere halfway in I got a bunch of educated guesses right by knowing the game just needs 3 right guesses at a time. I think its expected and all but with stuff like figuring out which Chinese or Russian fella is called seemed a little too obtuse for me. Instances where you stop deducing and you start guessing are a bit disappointing but well, at least it didnt happen very often.

More games like this, please.

 

[Dr PeterVenkman]

i'm hoping someone can come to my rescue on this issue i'm having, i've scoured the web and checked out threads on steam and searched here and found nothing. i'm having performance problems with this game. it's either framerate or frame pacing, but it's giving me a damn headache. I have an I7, 980TI, a 144hz 1440p monitor with GSync enabled. this game should be running as smooth as a baby's bottom, but instead it's noticeably bad

much appreciated in advance

 

[bruhaha]

Bought this on Friday and finished it 100% in 2 sittings totaling 10 hours. Didn't use any guides and didn't want to brute force guess so I was stuck on the last 3-4 fates being wrong for over an hour.

Really amazing work by Lucas Pope, especially his commitment to the visual style. The game was just about the right length for it to be interesting and not to wear out the main game mechanic.

Minor nitpicks

Spoiler

1. A few too many deductions (4-5?) hinged on the two scenes with the sleeping crew. I had to make a chart to write down which numbers were there. Maybe there were things that I missed but it felt too much like a logic puzzle with literal number labels instead of solving a mystery.
2. A button to directly jump to a memory from the book after the first viewing would really have streamlined the last few hours of the game. I saw all scenes by hour 6 and spent the rest of the time collecting the details required for the remaining fates. Given the fantastical nature of the watch already, I don't think it would've detracted from the presentation.

Story ending questions

Spoiler

1. Was there any point to the monkey's death other than to provide an "anchor" for you to reach that chapter? Henry Evans' motivation was unclear to me.
2. I never figured out what the deal with the sparkling object visible in the ocean on the starboard side of the ship was. Is it supposed to be one of the shells? Did I miss an interaction with it?
3. Are we to assume the ship returning to port by itself without a crew is the result of the "bargain"?