Another one of Ratalaika’s published games. Sagebrush is a very obscure game, to say the least! There wasn’t a lot of information about this game when I first looked it up. So I just went in uninformed, knowing my relationship with Ratalaika published games. And actually was quite surprised with what I got. Redact Games surely did their best when they were creating this one! Going into this review I’m going to keep as much as possible to myself about the details and about what the game revolves around. I’ll talk about some of the issues and whatnots, but nothing more. This actually is something that you’ll have to experience for yourself if you’re truly interested. Just one thing that I am going to say, and that you’ll understand AFTER playing the game. If you know anyone that is in this kind of situation? Try to get them some professional help. Alright… So, let’s dive into the tippy-toe waters of Sagebrush and find out what makes this game tick the way it does!
- Story: The story is actually kind of intriguing. It shrouds itself in a lot of mystery and you’ll be grasping at straws until you reach the final point of the game. I actually didn’t see that one coming. Sure it was quite obvious what the game was trying to portray, but still… It was an ending that felt satisfying and fresh. I liked it a lot, even though it was such a short game! But then again… it’s Ratalaika published, and those things are more than often short, to say the least.
- Graphical Art Style: I got to give it to the developers, they went for a risky move, making it blurry and pixelated at that. But it never really annoyed me or felt unnatural to look at. That’s maybe because I went through that era of gaming, but still. It felt fresh and quite at home. The style wasn’t intrusive and quite pleasing, even though it isn’t your top-notch definition of ultimate gaming.
- Voice Actors: I especially loved the voice acting. All recorded on old tape recorders, giving that old vibe all over again. It tries to set the mood and hits the ball right out of the park. Though they don’t seem like professional voice artists, they still do an amazing job as to putting the life and spirit into their tracks. Kudos guys and girls! You did a good job!
- Where am I looking at: More than once did I have to fiddle my stick around, just to highlight certain objects to pick up. It doesn’t help that you don’t have a cursor that indicates where you are pointing at. Even if it was just a tiny dot… Sure when thing highlight you know you’re looking at it. But sometimes it’s just so finicky that it’s hard to actually point at an object! Just… Keep that in mind…!
- Short Story: Finishing the game in 1 hour and 37 minutes doesn’t really portray a lengthy game in my book. Though the game is really fine and well put together, I wished that I could’ve seen more or explored around a bit more. But when your playing field is just a tiny field, then things just… End quite quickly. But never the less, it felt like an enjoyable ride, so I’m not complaining!
- Connect the dots: The entire thing plays like a connect the dots game. Find object A, go to the place where it indicates it needs to be used. Then find object B there and then go to that place. And so on and so forth. So yeah… Much thrill isn’t something that you’ll be getting if you wanted a detective-like game. That’s what I didn’t find annoying, just a bit sad… As I wanted to really delve into the nitty-gritty… This is just… yeah… This? Oh well… it’s an enjoyable game!
CONCLUSION
Score: 70%
Yup, it has happened again! I liked a Ratalaika published game! Redact Games? You did amazing! Though not the most lengthy of them all, it sure is one of their more enjoyable ones. A perfect recommendation to any and all that wants to explore what … The story will portray. So if you want to find out, and you don’t mind losing a couple of bucks? Then hey, give it a whirl! If you don’t like the story in the end? At least it’s an easy 1000G!
Developer: Redact Games Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Played on: Xbox One X Also available on: PC
Alexis spent 1 hour and 37 minutes exploring the magnificent little game.
Achievement difficulty for 1000 Gamerscore: 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Perfect for: Detectives, anyone that likes a cute short little game.
Xbox Game Store link: Click here