The Lovers (Les Amants) is a 1928 painting by René Magritte, and if you give a look to that painting you will see the protagonists of this game, two figures that apparently have their faces shrouded by white cloth. These are indeed two lovers, or better, they were. The game is their story and we play as the male character as he explores a surreal landscape solving musical puzzles.
Novella is a short adventure/puzzle game: the game mainly consist on exploration of some restricted areas that are pretty well mapped and atmospheric, where the protagonist has to solve some musical puzzles. These three puzzles consists basically in trying to mimic the notes from a violin using a piano, and I guess it's not really easy if you do know play musical instruments. There are no battles, no inventory management, nor risk of death. The main menu is particularly impressive.
Random Fact: this game was made for the 2011
Rmn Summer event. Although it's released as a complete game, it's a first chapter that ends
with a screen that says "end of part one" leaving the story incomplete.
Final Verdict: Novella is a weird game, some ideas are great, other aspects not so
much. The story is obscure and seems incomplete with the mentioning of
just a part one, but I may be wrong of course (maybe part 2 is just what
hopes.the protagonist, to turn back time and restart). The puzzle are
ok, strange but not bad, maybe a bit difficult but there is a solution
for all of them on the game page, so it is impossible to be stuck on any
parts. Maps and graphics are the best part of the game, but aside from
style and presentation (that are clearly important) there isn't much
else.
The story is weird, maybe incomplete due the strict time requirements of the event or maybe is it is a personal expression of a real life experience of the author. Who knows? The problem is that it is rather vague and... somehow it seems it could have been a bit better. I also do not like some choices, like when you perform a task you read that "a door has opened"! Ok. But where? How? Why?
Lots of questions and no answers, yes. Anyway this is not a bad game, it is ok, very stylish and quite short even if I am pretty sure that most players will have difficulties with those puzzles.
The story is weird, maybe incomplete due the strict time requirements of the event or maybe is it is a personal expression of a real life experience of the author. Who knows? The problem is that it is rather vague and... somehow it seems it could have been a bit better. I also do not like some choices, like when you perform a task you read that "a door has opened"! Ok. But where? How? Why?
Lots of questions and no answers, yes. Anyway this is not a bad game, it is ok, very stylish and quite short even if I am pretty sure that most players will have difficulties with those puzzles.
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