Best regarded as a short experiment in environmental storytelling, Tom van den Boogaart's deceptively serene free indie game RED AMAZON opens quietly, with you peering out the window a small house in the middle of nowhere. Boxes are stacked against the walls. A fire crackles cheerily. Outside, the weather is overcast, but calm. Why not go for a walk? Use the [arrow] keys to move, and click to interact when your targeting square expands. (Yes, the game is over when it closes itself on you at the final sequence.) The less said about RED AMAZON the better, since while it's short, most likely at around five minutes, if much more, piecing together the story by picking up on subtle details in your environment is a large part of the appeal. While some may find the gameplay too short or simplistic and the abstract storytelling abrupt, others will appreciate the finely crafted atmosphere that's rich with tension and "show, don't tell" style narrative. RED AMAZON feels like a bit of a tease for how quickly its over, but one meaty with potential to carry a much bigger experience if it were expanded upon. If you like short fiction, give RED AMAZON a try. Though it may leave you hungry for more, it's still a tasty morsel on its own.
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This is was pretty good! I enjoyed "solving" the "puzzle" (mainly through exploration, thankfully the map wasn't unfeasibly large). I wonder how many endings there are.
Man, if there was a point to this, I did not get it at all.
Okay, sure, we shot the guy. Was he trying to hunt us down? Were we the camper, squatting in his house? What was the deal with the weird skull area?
I appreciate showing, but right now I'm feeling rather underwhelmed.
A lot of it is up to personal interpretation, and there are a lot of possibilities.
Look how sparse the house we're staying in is, how much is still boxed up, as if we've just moved in but are ready to go again. The piles of cash stashed in that little shed hidden out in the trees. The way the rifle was found in that little hut in prime position to see anything coming up the hill or along the path. The little tent hidden out in the woods but still easily accessible... why would you need a tent set up somewhere secluded so close to your house? My feelings on the story are that the man who shows up and guns you down is probably something like a partner you jilted out of a robbery deal, but has finally tracked you down. You took the cash and ran, setting yourself up in the middle of nowhere in an easily defensible place, with the tent in the woods somewhere you could retreat to if you needed to. You could also be some sort of hitman he's taking revenge on, or even just some sort of reclusive hermit who hides their cash rather than taking it to the bank. The entire setup of the property is clearly the result of a very paranoid mind. I don't believe the animal skulls have any point to the story other than to serve as added tension or simple environmental decoration, the way you'd stumble across bear remains in the woods or something similar. All of that is just my own interpretation, at least.
Am I missing something?
I collected the gun and found three bullets. Then, when I returned to the house, a car was there, as was another fellow with a gun. Twice I tried to win a shootout between me and the guy, but I couldn't figure out how to load or shoot the gun. Both times he shot me, and then the game restarted. Am I missing something, or is that the only ending possible? Thanks!
I forgot I ever downloaded this game until half an hour ago when I just came across it by accident. I finally played it and despite its shortness it's absolutely excellent. Nothing wrong with a little mystery.
Oh, wonderful! I'm happy you enjoyed it. I love weird little games like this, so I'm glad to see someone else liked it too. :)
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