Collecting My Thought on N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure—How I Wish Some Things Could

Let's get this out of the way quickly, N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure failed. There is just no way to describe it as anything but a travesty. In my days as a game design student I have seen (and made) my fair share of budget Unity games, and as soon as I saw the clunky breaching whale at the start of the game, I could tell this was exactly what I was dealing with here. In fact "clunky" was the word that kept coming back to me as I progressed through the game. Clunky player controller, clunky writing, clunky audio, clunky mechanics, clunky cinematics, clunky lighting... I mean can lighting even be clunky? It just seemed that the game's designers at Storm in a Teacup equated garish neon glares to beauty. And although I might as well spend this whole post going in on this game, I've already had a good old funky time doing that as I was playing. So instead, I will try to proceed on a more productive note.

Let's talk about the story. The game is about an ailing father and the struggles of his small family in coping with his illness, and all of this is told through narrations scrawled across surreal bioluminescent environments. Given just that, it actually sounds like a workable premise. On top of that, a small amount of the writing and some of the puzzles are not bad at all. So why did this game fail? And what can I learn from such a failure? I believe this game failed because the creators did not truly believe in what they were creating. I believe they did not truly understand not only what they wished to convey, but also the power of the medium they wished to convey it through. This is at least how it came across and the end result is sophomoric and inelegant. One requires vision, craftsmanship, cognisance, boldness and most of all belief to truly push the boundaries of their artistry. Looking introspectively, I can see those former attributes already ingrained; it is the most latter that I must make sure does not waver. This is how one must respect the art.

Though initially I was appalled at having spent money on a game I was thoroughly unable to enjoy, I have actually come to appreciate having it in my library. To see the breadth of quality in video games between this game and one such as Inside in such a short span of time is nothing short of mind-boggling. If Storm in a Teacup put any love whatsoever into N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure, then they need to reassess their whole process of making a video game because it appeared as if no love went into developing it—everything felt rushed. My advice to them is to take a good break from video games and experience the rest of the world a little more. Once you find more love in and for this world, the love for your work will come through more readily in the game, and not in a specious way. All the best to the team and I hope the next game will be of a completely new standard (and please for the love of God don't go squandering my hard-earned twenty bucks).

#FavouriteMechanic Sprinting. But c'mon now, calling it "sprinting" is sensational.

#FavouriteScene The ending, and I am NOT being facetious this time. Alright I am a little lmao.

#FavouriteCharacter Giant jellyfish? Its animations were nice. Is that allowed? I don't know I'm just running out of hashtags for this one.

#SequelNeeded T_T