Two weeks ago to The Franz Kafka Videogame, video game (as its name implies) that it pays homage to the life and works of the famous writer before mentioned, became a hand of one Steam: Denis Galanin “mif2000“; who already had developed before that was their first game (about Hamlet and the literature of the time) but that it did not get as many positive reviews like this last. Besides having been distributed by Daedalic Entertainment, TFKV won two awards (game of the year and best adventure) in the Level Up Intel’s 2015 where the footballer Tim Schafer served as judge.
Between Ks go the thing
The story begins with the psychoanalyst (or psychotherapist) K, who, after helping a patient with one of his nightmares (here’s the first puzzle), is invited to work for Castlock Corp, an American company (presumably American) which promises to help you with their economic problems and resolving the situation with your partner, Felice Bauer. However, it is a somewhat bizarre journey since he is hypnotized, transported by train and, later, in a flying boat (where becomes friend of the Stoker of the boat, thus referencing one of his works: America, also known as The Stoker or The disappeared) until “America”, where surrealism that surrounds the protagonist turns into illogical inventions of the own Kafka in his works. Later, it involves a detective of similar appearance to the protagonist of Kafka’s main work.
Wandering between puzzles and other riddles
On the way or play mode, gameplay and controls, just to say that it is based on using the left button of the mouse, either to walk, speak or interact with puzzles, come on, a point and click of life. The puzzles are varied, but it is not that they stand out for their difficulty (indeed, each has two runways which reveal it after a few minutes) or its variation (between the main puzzles and other side there are about 20-25); but for the design and the way of performing them. There are some who are not directly, and you just have to move an element, and others who are directly from trial and error. But there are other more “complex” which should give you a little coconut to solve them.
For example, in one of the ‘easy’ just need to change a radio station to move from a wet and gloomy room to a desert (you don’t need to find any explanation, is based on Kafka, author of mostly surreal and illogical arguments). In one trial and error, given to detective Zamza (referencing The metamorphosis) an origami which should go by pressing (or clicking) in the different sections of the paper up to the final shape (although, apparently, this origami is related to some of the works of Kafka and the own argument of the video game, without being in a hundred by hundred and a trial and error). And one of the main and “more complex” have to pull the cord of a monkey with cymbals of Teddy to the number Pi (Pi symbol is on the hat of the monkey and at the end of the cord there is a circular ring, needless to say the least).
That contains a level secret (says the achievement), that the truth, there is nothing secret since you don’t have to do anything specific to play. It appears directly after the credits. It is a simple and easy levels. And, apparently, without any relationship with the other. Apparently…
The best, its technical section
Like everything, TFKV has the best and the worst. And in this case, the best is in its technical sections. Both the visual and graphic and sound. Every scene, every element and every corner of the game are specifically designed and carefully for each time (there are some things escondidillas on the screens). Thanks you for the introduction to each chapter, as if it were an entry in a diary, a mural or a kind of newspaper. In addition this style caricature/cartoon make it a very enjoyable game in sight, and, despite its “oddities” and tribulations, very animated.
The same can be said of the soundtrack, although a short game that do not give for broad topics, each sound and each melody (involving the player into the atmosphere of the argument in question) are a delight for the ears, in addition to the history (like the aforementioned visuals – or graph-) more enjoyable and bearable.
Conclusions of The Franz Kafka Videogame
As he was mentioned before, Kafka was a writer he chiflaban (to put it in some way) extremely illogical events and circumstances and, to a lesser extent, Surrealists. Here’s one of the flaws of the developer, wanted to exploit both the figure of Franz Kafka that, without revealing anything important, fracture the thin storyline (which keeps the absurdities and inconsequential facts), with the end of the story. Yes, everything is illogical, but must know how to keep that rope that holds the structure of these arguments (so to speak once again) illogical. As did Kafka with his works (or most of them). However, not everything is negative light is. Own puzzles still Greenhorns and simple (and any other ends up being a roll) have a rather special (the design more than anything) which make the player have fun with (almost) every one of them. In addition to his surround soundtrack.
Anyway, it doesn’t help much that lasts so little. Does not reach the 3 hours, unless a player is very awkward (which is unlikely). In addition to its low replay value: contains 12 achievements, 11 of them can be made in a single game and the remaining in a second (one of them is to pass the story without the use of tracks and the other is using all tracks). Although, if you are a big fan of the writer and one known all his works inside out, by very short and easy to be adventure, enjoy it as more, catching the first all references to that author and the goodies that hides Galanin scenes.
Even being all unavailable (many times has already been said this Word) illogical, and surreal, is true that everything in the game has its explanation. But that would be for a more extensive article in which analyze point-by-point details of the game explaining them based on the writings of K.
