lame in the Flood was something I wanted to play since it was announced. The absolute gorgeous visual and oozing bluegrass feel of the overall game was instantly attractive even from a few pictures and words in a Game Informer magazine. It was simply like anything I'd ever seen and experienced previously. And playing the game the overall journey certainly lived up to that. I appreciate the comparatively stark divide between the soft visuals and harsh unforgiving gameplay. My first death? Destroying my raft and sinking into the beautiful rapids.
My second death? A pack of wolves slaughtering me. My mistake? Not listening to the cries and simply leaving the island.
My third death? A surprise bite from the occasionally hard to see snakes? My mistake? Not listening to Aesop's warnings.
My fourth and final death? A bear charging and mauling my body into an instant corpse. My mistake? Fucking with a bear. Eventually you learn how to easily navigate and avoid getting into these situations. The rapids become shortcuts, snakes become weapons, packs of wolves die to poisoned bait (grotesquely often wolf meat), and bears die a shit ton of traps, arrows and hope. This represents at it's core the most interesting aspect of my journey for survival. The land is the central character. From the few dotted zany survivors, to the beautiful flowing river, to harnessing the land as your greatest weapon of survival via a mix of the crafting system and perception. Finally, the overall energy, style and spirit is captured perfectly in the folk-based soundtrack by Chuck Ragan. My god what a beautiful companion it was on this journey, an instant add to my Spotify playlists and on the list for greatest original game soundtracks.
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