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[duckroll]

The price does sound steep, but this is a case of unmanaged expectations. An indie developer releasing a digital only puzzle game on PS4 and PC with the price only revealed a week before it launches is going to get this reaction.

Have they said whether there'll be a demo? I'll love to try it out before buying it, just in case. I don't think 40 is too much to ask for what the game looks like, but being able to sample some puzzles before taking the plunge would be nice.

 

[Electret]

No i'll trust my eyes and my tastes based on what i have seen so far which is basically the content the devs are using to sell me their game.

But it's good for you that you trust your eyes of your future self though.Very cool.



Lol.I see that you also have a vivid imagination nice!

Does it feel a bit solipsistic in here, or is it just me?

 

[GDJustin]

I know people playing the game now. It'll take 40-50 hours to clear the first time, with at least a couple hundred puzzles unsolved. Probably ~70-80 hours to 100% the game.

 

[sublimit]

You're a lost cause. I feel bad for you.

Thanks for your concern.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

The price does sound steep, but this is a case of unmanaged expectations. An indie developer releasing a digital only puzzle game on PS4 and PC with the price only revealed a week before it launches is going to get this reaction.

Have they said whether there'll be a demo? I'll love to try it out before buying it, just in case. I don't think 40 is too much to ask for what the game looks like, but being able to sample some puzzles before taking the plunge would be nice.

I do think that asking for a demo is well within the realm of fairness. Given how interconnected they've made some of the stuff sound, maybe that'd be hard, but still. Wouldn't mind giving the puzzles a test to make sure this is my kind of thing.

 

[Goldenroad]

For a game that took almost a decade to develop, this seems dirt cheap. I was definitely expecting a full priced game. Nice to see mid-tier games still thriving.

 

[Remembrance]

Have they said whether there'll be a demo? I'll love to try it out before buying it, just in case. I don't think 40 is too much to ask for what the game looks like, but being able to sample some puzzles before taking the plunge would be nice.

No mentions of a demo.

Thinking about it, a demo would have to somehow wall off most of the island or deactivate most of the things on the island. It would feel incredibly artificial, to say the least.

Or else it would have to be a Half-Life/Stanley Parable style demo that's a whole separate miniature game.

 

[Velikost]

My point has probably already been raised seeing as this thread is over 20 pages, but if you don't like or agree with the price, just wait until it goes on sale, or don't buy it at all?

Really don't see the issue here. My initial reaction to the thread title was "wow, that's a bit steep," but reading through a page or two reminded me that this game has been in development for quite some time, and it's super lengthy. And regardless, I'd be waiting for it to go on sale. The things people choose to get up in arms over, I swear...

 

[bombshell]

How about we wait after the game is out to declare it "imaginative" and "thought provoking".

Well, that's the words that came to me when thinking about the trailers and screenshots for the game and the previews that I've read.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I'll believe it when I see it. Play through estimates are always grossly exaggerated when coming from the developer/publisher/marketing.

See below.

Here's a comment from IGN's Justin Davis

Hearing from some peeps with early access that the game is 40-50 hours to beat, and that's completing 300-400 of the game's 700+ puzzles. There are some objects in the game world (being intentionally vague here) that one person I know didn't even know what to do with/what their purpose was until 20+ hours in.

It's happening, people.

The game has ~700 puzzles. Take the high end of the hours Justin mentions and the low end of the puzzle count (300 puzzles in 50 hours) and that's 6 puzzles per hour. Even going quickly, 700 puzzles is a LOT of them. Factor in the exploration and spending time actually figuring stuff out, and I think it's easy to see how the time can add up.

I've been looking forward to this game since it was announced. I still can't believe it drops next week.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Nice to finally get a price. I don't really care if it's $20 or $80 though as long as the game is good and gives me something I actually want to play and doesn't just rely on looks.

 

[evilr]

The price does sound steep, but this is a case of unmanaged expectations. An indie developer releasing a digital only puzzle game on PS4 and PC with the price only revealed a week before it launches is going to get this reaction.

Have they said whether there'll be a demo? I'll love to try it out before buying it, just in case. I don't think 40 is too much to ask for what the game looks like, but being able to sample some puzzles before taking the plunge would be nice.

It is steep and it will bomb at that price.

Digital-only games, in my opinion, need capping. If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

 

[Peltz]

I don't get the need for pre-ordering digital games (moreover without any goodies). It's not like the game could be sold-out.

Warm fuzzies bro.

I think the game will be worth it. It's been made by love by someone who is, in my opinion, a master craftsman.

 

[Aurongel]

...If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

I bet if he made it free then it would sell even more copies!

You're onto something here!

 

[duckroll]

No mentions of a demo.

Thinking about it, a demo would have to somehow wall off most of the island or deactivate most of the things on the island. It would feel incredibly artificial, to say the least.

Or else it would have to be a Half-Life/Stanley Parable style demo that's a whole separate miniature game.

Oh of course it will feel artificial. It's a demo. I think it's in their best interests to have an interactive thing that actually shows off what the game has to offer though, especially since this is something that people have difficulty really "getting" until they experience it.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

It is steep and it will bomb at that price.

Digital-only games, in my opinion, need capping. If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

Divinity: Original Sin is $40, digital only, and according to SteamSpy has sold nearly a million copies on Steam. Talos Principle is $40, digital only, and is at nearly half a million copies.

 

[Nzyme32]

I'll believe it when I see it. Play through estimates are always grossly exaggerated when coming from the developer/publisher/marketing.

This isn't just coming from marketing.

The 80 to 100hrs is specifically mentioned as something for the most completionist of players doing everything. Meanwhile journalistic outlets have all varied in how they have "completed" the game to their standard, varying from 20hrs to 64hrs without finishing all the puzzles, others saying they couldn't even understand some of the puzzles till tens of hours later in the game

 

[evilr]

I bet if he made it free then it would sell even more copies!

You're onto something here!

When tax on beer increased in the UK, less people drank beer. This resulted in a decline in revenue compared to previous years. Same applies with... anything.

Hopefully Mr Blow announces a new price just before release. It is almost as though this price is testing the water.

P.S. Just noticed Junior status. Great... is it perm?

Divinity: Original Sin is $40, digital only, and according to SteamSpy has sold nearly a million copies on Steam. Talos Principle is $40, digital only, and is at nearly half a million copies.

Good news, did not know that. Might have given a new perspective on this price. But is 500,000 enough for The Witness? Let us see.

 

[StrongBlackVine]

It's a bit disappointing to the reactions to this price. I guess all future indie games will continue to look like SNES games and last 5 hours.

 

[YianGaruga]

When tax on beer increased in the UK, less people drank beer. This resulted in a decline in revenue compared to previous years. Same applies with... anything.

Hopefully Mr Blow announces a new price just before release. It is almost as though this price is testing the water.

P.S. Just noticed Junior status. Great...



Good news, did not know that. Might have given a new perspective on this price. But is 500,000 enough for The Witness? Let us see.

You're asking if 500k sales are enough for the Witness?

lmao

 

[More_Badass]

Braid sold 55,000 in its first week. I wonder how The Witness will do

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

It's a bit disappointing to the reactions to this price. I guess all future indie games will continue to look like SNES games and last 5 hours.

People can complain all they want here, but the game's currently in the Top 10 Best Sellers on Steam.

 

[opticalmace]

Cheaper than I expected. I love puzzle games, so I'm hoping this is good.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Can someone explain the digital vs retail thing please?

Why would anyone place more value on a box than the contents of the game?

 

[Goose_Se7en]

It is steep and it will bomb at that price.

Digital-only games, in my opinion, need capping. If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

I don't think they need "capping" I feel we as gamers need to accept these various price points and I'm the first one in line that needs to wrap my head around it.

I think marketing and managing expectations are important as well as one of the mods mentioned before, how wise was it to announce the price a week before the game launches?

Another point of contention is also digital. The Old Blood was on sale for $10 on PSN awhile ago. I waited for the physical release and got it for the $20 MSRP.

Can someone explain the digital vs retail thing please?

Why would anyone place more value on a box than the contents of the game?

It's real. I own it, I can see it on my shelf, I can resell it, trade it, lend it to my brother, etc. I don't have to worry about it being taken off a server like P.T. even if it gets patches if I own a physical copy I can play the game in the broken state it shipped in (Hey Ass Creed Unity) should I continue?

Calling myself out on my own bullshit

Just realized that all my PS Vita games are digital. Have never bought a physical Vita game.

 

[dimb]

People can complain all they want here, but the game's currently in the Top 10 Best Sellers on Steam.

Given the history of games in this price range on the PC I'm more inclined to think a lot of the complaining comes from people who primarily play video games on consoles.

 

[Remembrance]

Oh of course it will feel artificial. It's a demo. I think it's in their best interests to have an interactive thing that actually shows off what the game has to offer though, especially since this is something that people have difficulty really "getting" until they experience it.

You're right, though. This is a very hands-on game. And Braid's demo did wonders in letting everyone experience that first rewind for themselves.

Honestly, there's probably a way to make a great standalone demo out of the concepts of this game. The problem then is that you would have to take some good puzzles out of the game itself.

 

[duckroll]

Can someone explain the digital vs retail thing please?

Why would anyone place more value on a box than the contents of the game?

Tradition and expectations, nothing more. But to be fair, that's how most things are with us humans right?

 

[Fachasaurus]

When tax on beer increased in the UK, less people drank beer. This resulted in a decline in revenue compared to previous years. Same applies with... anything.

What kind of dense comparison is this? This game, if its actually really good, will sell like bananas at a hungry monkey convention.

I can understand people being shocked at the price of what they understood to be a baby indie game but jeez.

I'm waiting for reviews and word of mouth when the OT is made. I hope this actually is great because I am genuinely looking forward to it.

I worry about the reaction to when Firewatch gets a price. That game looks even more thrilling and it's only supposed to be like 8 hours or something...

 

[More_Badass]

It is steep and it will bomb at that price.

Digital-only games, in my opinion, need capping. If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

So instead of people being more open-minded, developers should put a cap on what they can price their game?

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Given the history of games in this price range on the PC I'm more inclined to think a lot of the complaining comes from people who primarily play video games on consoles.

Yep, 40$ "indie", games are nothing new on PC.

 

[YianGaruga]

Can someone explain the digital vs retail thing please?

Why would anyone place more value on a box than the contents of the game?

I answered that earlier so I'll just copy that here

You own it, you can give it away, sell it, do whatever.
You could finish it (or not, in case it's bad) and sell it used for AT LEAST 70% of its retail price. The thing that you buy has actual, lasting, real world monetary value. The digital license is immediately worth $0 after you purchase it.

It's less risky in case you really don't like the game and you get a good in exchange for your money instead of just the experience.

That's how I see it, but I'm also very conscious of my budget.

 

[darkinstinct]

People can complain all they want here, but the game's currently in the Top 10 Best Sellers on Steam.

Right behind Slime Rancher.

 

[More_Badass]

I answered that earlier so I'll just copy that here

You own it, you can give it away, sell it, do whatever.
You could finish it (or not, in case it's bad) and sell it used for AT LEAST 70% of its retail price. The thing that you buy has actual, lasting, real world monetary value. The digital license is immediately worth $0 after you purchase it.

It's less risky in case you really don't like the game and you get a good in exchange for your money instead of just the experience.

That's how I see it, but I'm also very conscious of my budget.

Can you return a game you've opened at the same price you've bought it? At least on Steam, you get full refunds

 

[viveks86]

Can someone explain the digital vs retail thing please?

Why would anyone place more value on a box than the contents of the game?

Resale

Some people value the ability collect these boxes for posterity/display, but mostly it's the ability to sell it and recoup some of the expense

 

[duckroll]

Yep, 40$ "indie", games are nothing new on PC.

That's true but those are usually also more "complex" sorts of games like indie RPGs and strategy games. I think a big part of the "shock" here is that this was viewed by many as just another puzzle game. Certain genres seem to have a stigma that they "shouldn't" cost that much because of the perceived lack of value. Shmup, puzzle, even adventure games (thanks Telltale!) are some of those genres.

 

[sonicmj1]

I spent $36 on The Talos Principle about a year ago and got more than my money's worth. If The Witness matches that, I'll have no regrets about buying it.

 

[d9b]

Witness me waiting for a sale

Same here.

 

[YianGaruga]

Can you return a game you've opened at the same price you've bought it? At least on Steam, you get full refunds

And that's a HUGE improvement over the other services. But it only covers one of the cases I mentioned, and its the one thats least important to me, as I usually know what I like. It's great that it exists though and every single service should follow.

And actually amazon lets you return opened games for a full refund if you ask nicely, but I only did that once before.

 

[StoveOven]

I feel like people who won't buy this game at $40 wouldn't have bought it at $20 either. It's a type of game that either speaks to you or it doesn't, and I would say that those it does speak to are generally those who are more inclined to buy a game regardless of price

 

[Mrbob]

It is steep and it will bomb at that price.

Digital-only games, in my opinion, need capping. If the game is $29.99/£19.99 it'll perform better, but perhaps we now have to wait for a deal window for that to be realised.

You sound like a console only gamer. It is OK if console guys ignore this game. Just don't get mad when his next game is PC only at launch and maybe consoles after.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Sounds about right to me.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I suspect it will be $40 well spent.

 

[cyba89]

Given the history of games in this price range on the PC I'm more inclined to think a lot of the complaining comes from people who primarily play video games on consoles.

Nah, I think the complaining comes from both PC and console gamers as a lot of PC gamers are way more used to wait for steep sales or bundles and games are generally cheaper on PC most of the time.

Amount of complaints rarely has anything to do with sale performance because the complainers are always louder than anyone else.

 

[wumster3000]

People can complain all they want here, but the game's currently in the Top 10 Best Sellers on Steam.

Didn't know it was up for preorder, Time to add another number to that total. Thanks

 

[evilr]

You sound like a console only gamer. It is OK if console guys ignore this game. Just don't get mad when his next game is PC only at launch and maybe consoles after.

And you would be correct. Am I the inferior type?

 

[Commanche Raisin Toast]

That's true but those are usually also more "complex" sorts of games like indie RPGs and strategy games. I think a big part of the "shock" here is that this was viewed by many as just another puzzle game. Certain genres seem to have a stigma that they "shouldn't" cost that much because of the perceived lack of value. Shmup, puzzle, even adventure games (thanks Telltale!) are some of those genres.

That's a good point. That also seems to apply to HD remasters and classics collections.

I'm personally fine with the $40 but I feel like it's half impressions and half hype. The developer has a good track record, he's taken a lot of time making it, and its hard not to have high expectations.

Edit: for comparison I didn't see why Talos Principle was $50-60 when it came out. So speaks to that theory that in my mind there is a ceiling for 3D FP puzzlers.

 

[Mifune]

I feel like people who won't buy this game at $40 wouldn't have bought it at $20 either. It's a type of game that either speaks to you or it doesn't, and I would say that those it does speak to are generally those who are more inclined to buy a game regardless of price

Yeah, this is true.

To me, a big-budget (relatively for the genre) puzzle game is such an anomaly on the gaming landscape that it's worth full price. So 40 bucks is more than fair.

 

[dimb]

That's true but those are usually also more "complex" sorts of games like indie RPGs and strategy games. I think a big part of the "shock" here is that this was viewed by many as just another puzzle game. Certain genres seem to have a stigma that they "shouldn't" cost that much because of the perceived lack of value. Shmup, puzzle, even adventure games (thanks Telltale!) are some of those genres.

Talos Principle. Frogwares games like Sherlock Holmes. Scope is important to take into account. Exploring 3D spaces demands more development resources.

 

[emptyroom]

Seems reasonable to me. What is it, like 20-25 hours of gameplay? It's not like two sessions and your finished.