Review: The Old City: Leviathan

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At a Glance: Modes: Single-player Controller Support: Partial Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Let me start off my saying that I have little patience for some things, one of them being walking simulators. And yes, this game is, by any definition, a walking simulator. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed and loved The Old City: Leviathan. This is the type of game that makes you pause and think, and not just about the game, but life itself.

Before I begin gushing about the good parts and lamenting the bad, let us take a quick glance at what this game is all about. The player starts the game in a small room, seemingly underground, surrounded by notes pinned to the wall and the sounds of your character talking to himself.  On the surface the goal of the game is to reach the old city, but at its roots, the real objective is to learn. Imagine Bioshock, but without the combat, characters, plasmids, and scares. You have before you an interesting and beautiful world and the ability to walk forward.

This brings me to the first thing that utterly infuriated me: the walk speed. Your character is in NO hurry. There is a run button, but the difference is so hard to see I thought, at first, that it was broken. I can understand a developer’s need to set the pace of the game and their desire for the player to see everything they included. However, when I’m forced to contemplate going backwards to check another path and not wanting to because I know it will take a full five minutes just to crawl back, it hinders the game. The only other real complaint I have of the game is the lack of memorable sound. Nothing about the sound quality or music really stood out.

Bad stuff aside, this game does have a lot to offer. There were countless times my eyes widened as I witnessed something unexpected and unexplained and it held my interest throughout the entire game. Piecing together where I was, the history of the world, and the philosophies of the people was a stimulating and satisfying experience. The game begins to make you question the importance of dreams, the pursuit of happiness, and the invisible cages we place ourselves in. Any time a game can make me stop and ponder my own beliefs and actions I am impressed. The other facet that this game shines in is its visuals. They are stunning, well detailed, and always interesting. From everything up close to those in the far distance, I was thoroughly impressed.

Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys to think. For me the game lasted about 2.5 hours, however, as stated there were a few times I refused to walk backward to check a second hallway which would probably add another thirty minutes to an hour. By the end I was questioning the purpose of happiness and if I had trapped myself in my own personal jail. So, if you would like to question your own happiness and can tolerate a little slow walking, give The Old City: Leviathan a play. Otherwise, keep walking, hopefully at a faster pace than our main character.

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