Loved (video game)

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Not to be confused with Love (2008 video game) or Love (2010 video game).
Loved
Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Loved is a

platform video game developed by Alexander Ocias, an Australian graphic designer and artist. Written in Adobe Flash
, the game was built over the course of about half a year in Ocias' spare time. Released online on 14 June 2010 onto various game hosting websites, it has garnered sizeable praise and scrutiny since its release, with critics finding the game to be thought-provoking while having poor controls.

Gameplay

A colourful motif appears throughout the environment if the character disobeys the narrator's instructions.

A narrator first asks players, "are you a man, or a woman?"[1] Players who select "man" are instead told they are a "girl". Similarly, players who select "woman" are called a "boy".[2] Navigation is by arrow keys, which also control the ability to jump and duck.[3] The narrator instructs players intermittently, sometimes to achieve goals but often to suggest actions that will kill the player character (such as falling into a pit full of spikes). Players are sometimes, but not always, congratulated when following these instructions, while disobeying the narrator results in a barrage of insults.[2] Both the player character and environment are in stark black and white, with a colourful motif appearing if the character disobeys the narrator's instructions, or the visuals becoming more detailed but still in monochrome if the character decides to be compliant.[4]

Development

Loved was built over the course of about half a year, transforming from the exploration genre to a mining- and building-based

tile maps.[5]

According to Ocias, the main themes of Loved were of dominance and power, since to provide a fuller answer would "defy the point of the game".

Eidos Montréal, as showing "greater depth" to video games as well as experimentation and research. Ocias ultimately stated that while he dislikes "force-feeding" players, he would try to take a different approach both mechanically and thematically for his next game.[5]

Release and reception

Loved was published as

Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Kieron Gillen called the atmosphere "genuinely oppressive" and the game's cogitation between free will and control "really quite excellent".[7] A review in the Italian magazine Dude named it one of their top 16 favourite independent games.[8]

In interviewing Ocias, Justin Kranzl of

G4, Brittany Vincent called the game "especially curious" in its depiction of a dominant and submissive relationship and a "fantastic case" of the medium "pushing the margins of human emotion".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Priestman, Chris (27 February 2014). "Find out how far you'll go in the kinky power play sim Loved". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Vincent, Brittany (9 February 2012). "A Crazy Little Thing - Exploring Love in Video Games". G4tv. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  3. ISBN 9780226630038
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780429088681
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Kranzl, Justin (2 July 2010). "Interview: Loved's Ocias Seeks Depth, Player Confrontation Exclusive". Gamaustra. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b Geere, Duncan (15 June 2010). "'Loved': The game that hates you". Wired. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. ^ Gillen, Kieron (15 June 2010). "It Is Better To Have Loved And Lost". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Guida per riconoscere i videogiochi indipendenti" [A guide for recognizing independent video games]. Dude (in Italian). June–August 2012. p. 45.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Ligman, Kris (18 July 2010). "'Loved': Identity, Subjugation, and Confrontation". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014.
  10. ^ Rose, Michael (15 June 2010). "Browser Game Pick: Loved (Alexander Ocias)". IndieGames.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ W., Tim (10 January 2011). "Feature: Top Browser Platformers 2010". IndieGames.com: The Weblog. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links

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