Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
“One that is wise to wait, has nohurry”
Humble Games has published a wonderfultitle with the development team at Memorable Games focused on theprotagonist Diana Caproni as she hones her writing skills learningempathy, overcoming apathy, and meeting a slew of characters in theworld of “On Your Tail”.
We start the journey in Turin Italy.Diana is listening to her teacher, Professor Vecchi,overa conference call as discussion regarding the topic of talent springsup.Lostin thought, Diana is quickly brought back on track as Professor Vecchiwill be one of the judges in an upcoming writers competition Dianahas entered.ProfessorVecchi is concerned about the lack of emotion and feeling in Diana'swriting. Though well structured, her writing tends to come off as if written byArtificial Intelligence: emotionless and lacking in his expectationsof her potential skills.Theblunt and honest feedback is our first hurdle as Diana has to decideon what response to give her professor via a choice tree format. Thismechanic will pave the way forward into the world around her.
Thecriticism weighs heavily on Diana and the discussion carries on as the Professor reassures her that his intentions are not to diminish her efforts butto provide some feedback on areas to improve.Afterthe conversation wraps up, we are awarded a "player card"giving information on the person we just had an interaction with, aswell as one of Diana herself.Thesecards are stored alongside the other, at this time of writing, eighthundred and thirty one cards you will be discovering along the waystored inside the "Mind Palace" of Diana. Cards will rangefrom culture, leisure, characters, and more. Information andbackground is written on each card giving insight to each topicdiscovered.
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Abit of self pity and moping over criticism later, we rise up from thedesk and begin the adventure before us: to get more experience in thewriting field.Settingher sights on Borgo Marina from a postcard her Nona had collected inthe past, Diana takes her trusty “Vispa”, a reliablenon-trademarked Scooter, a pilot jacket, and starts heradventure.
I found myselfimmediately enchanted by the music emphasizing the world around me, drawing the player in with a very suitable and melodic score. Sounddesign of captivating a first impression lands me optimistic in what I will discover in the lands ahead.Voiceacting is a series of reactive noises such as grunts and gasps.Conversations are dialogue driven with unique character art andsilhouettes in place of some lesser important roles.Thepresentation is subtle but not a fully voiced ensemble for thecharacters. This is not a negative aspect however, as the attention remains onwriting and keeps one focused on the information being gathered asthe story is unfolding.
Aftera small tutorial on how to operate the Chronolense, a magical deviceleft to Diana from her Nona, you are deducing a crime scene layout toaid in retrieving important clues. Diana's first case is aiding afeline graduate find her car keys, which opens the pathway down apeaceful coastal trail to some abandoned railway tracks.Fatetakes a turn as the train tunnel is longer than anticipated and Dianaarrives later in the evening, managing to wrangle her Vispa up thepath to Borgo Marina amid heavy rainfall.
Crashing in an attemptto not collide with a shadowy figure in the night, she is rescued byOrlando De Montoni and given a place to rest.After a briefintroduction to Orlando's wife Beatrice, Diana is informed theshadowy figure she almost ran over was a thief stealing from thecouple's villa.Beingever the optimist, Diana takes on the investigation in order toimprove her writing skills amid a burglary mystery in the township,aiding those effected and bringing the criminal to justice as an amateur investigation journalist.
Agood thing to keep in mind is that you are primarily here for a holidayescape. You do not play the role of Batman, but a laid back andsocial type of Bruce Wayne, without money, or Bat-mobile, or Batanything really. Point is, the game is centered around socialinteractions and experiencing the world around you day to day, all while aiding in a mystery plaguing the townsfolk as a side objective.
Reminiscentof the area of Cervia Italy, the landscape and architecture show loveand care placed into every texture and model depicted along the way.The coastal view is a simple and sweet setting giving off the allureof a peaceful and reserved town.
Thefoliage is well made with unique plants and flowers decorating theareas, making the town feel alive and flourishing with personality.The stone walkways and architecture shine vibrantly as the designteam clearly did plenty of research, and I found myself admiring themany paintings and art on display throughout the world.Classicalpaintings recreated in the anthropomorphic style to fit the animal-like depictions was a beautiful touch to the game environment.
Someof the vegetation and fruits can be collected on a daily basis, onceyou acquire a shopping bag from a local shop near the photographystudio along the beach that is.Collectingraw ingredients prompts a mini-game where accuracy is key as onemissed click will cause Diana to collect nothing and need to wait for an in-game day before attempting to harvest again.
Eventsunfold as you inquire more with the local residents on the recentthefts, from meeting love interests to finding a place to stay intown, discovering pass-time activities, fishing, and evenphotography.Withinthe second day I was slinging gelato, delivering parcels for thepost office, and found a great joy in the restaurant mini-game toearn currency in the township for various purchases.Skippingstones and playing Marbles on the beach with locals between travelingaround the township sets the laid back mood of easing into a finefinished presentation about a holiday adventure without the constantbearing down weight of the thief mystery. Patience is key in thisgame as things will take time. It's good to sit and reflect every sooften.
Ifound myself finishing important dialogue with characters only to checkin on side jobs.I was eagerto earn more lira to buy fresh groceries, allowing me to experimentwith the kitchen mini-game to perfect certain foods and drinks. Youwill need to read a recipe book or two in order to unlock certaindishes though.Maybeit will impress Diana's love interest if I manage not to spill all ofthe coffee, or burn it by accident.Progressing into the days ahead unveilsmore investigations all around the area, and events to take part inas you enjoy your escape into the lives and mysteries of theresidents of Borgo Marina.
The controls of the game are simple andsweet with a polished user interface, where the graphical presentation hasmoments of the gameplay feeling as picturesque as a cutscene. Thetravel around town is by foot, or hoof as the characters are anthropomorphic. With the trusty Vispa out ofcommission early on, traversing from one location to another is oftentimes met with a casual stroll amid the infrastructure and buildingsor a sprint that at times feels like a gentle jog. Once you earnenough Lira the rental boat becomes a seaworthy form oftransportation, however the length of time in-between islands is atest of patience as there is no fast travel option for the player tospeed through the fairing of the sea. Inverted steering will be a test ofskill for many climbing aboard their boat for the first trip.
With it's slight drawback of renderingand optimization issues that are being patched by the developmentteam on a regular rate, any issues encountered will be nothing but amemory as the team behind the title have put hard work and dedicationinto a fully fleshed out release.
Some will dive right into theAdventure/Puzzle solving aspects with absolute ease as there aretimes even when I felt lost; the gameplay did little to hold one'shand but felt rewarding every time a mystery or investigation wassolved in succession.
In grand summary, “On your Tail”lands in a special place of my heart as it has enough charm andcontent to draw in even hard-set players of different genres, enticingthe discovery and deduction skills of a amateur investigator. On Your Tail presents it's traits to an adventure gameappeal to keep the pace and experience, always yearning to unravelmore about the world ahead of you.
Pros: The Game feels whimsical andeasygoing, a pick up and play for casual and advanced mystery solverswith a keen eye for clues and deductions. Development team isreleasing patches and fixes on known issues very swiftly, truly alabor of love title.
Cons: At times the camera controls canlead to complications and jolty movements, some barriers of invisiblewalls are a small setback to the full game experience.
On Your Tail lands a wonderful 8 of 10.
Score: 8 / 10