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Thevisual novel genreis a medium capable of recount compelling level through minimalist gameplay . Titles likeNecrobaristahave proved the variant of interactive fable is just as powerful now as it has ever been , showcasing how setting and report can be stretch out out using the formatting . Developer Provodnik Games has experience with the genre , and is returning withDull Grey , another challenging entry into the studio apartment ’s catalog .
Set in thedystopian science fabrication universeof the Progress - Program - which was also the mise en scene of Provodnik Games ' previous titleRailways of Love - Dull Greytells an familiar story . A mother and Logos are call for a journeying to decide upon the son ’s future career , in a world where personal decision are extremely limited . The role player only has mastery over the answer to a mere question : will the son become a lamplighter or a tallyman ?
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Visually , Dull Greyis quite striking . Minimalist at its core with very rarified splashes of gloss , the clear inspiration of 1920s Soviet graphic invention creates a sparse , barren world that is showcased to the player through abbreviated snapshot . It ’s canonical by intent , and although it ’s ca n’t needfully match the flowing smasher of exceptional peer likeIf Found … it nonetheless functions well for the story that Provodnik Games is trying to narrate .
As mentioned , Dull Greyis deliberately limited from a gameplay view , even more so than someother visual novel such asDry Drowning . Initially it look as though the player only has control over moving to the next page of storytelling and from time to time answering questions about the boy ’s career . finally the player will clock that there ’s the possibility to go off - piste from these options , but even so the restrictions in lieu meanDull Greywon’t be for everyone .
However , these gameplay shackles jibe excellently with the context of use of the world and the root word thatDull Greyis trying to convey . As the journey go on and the player uncovers more of the Progress - Program write up , the grandness of that seemingly wide-eyed choice grows ever - weighed down . Whether it ’s the death of the lamplighter Fatherhood , the pressure from gild and family to accept a sure task , or even the greater politics of this retro - futuristic dystopia , a smell of pressure steadily grow overDull Grey ’s brusk runtime .
This isDull Grey ’s biggest success , triumphantly increasing the impingement of this binary choice through the player ’s growing agreement of the mother and boy ’s shared history . Much like how the weight ofdecision raise inSuzerain , albeit in a dissimilar game format , the actor will finally think through the choice between lamplighter or tallyman with much more tautness that ab initio felt . There is a gimmick in place which allows the player to hit more convinced end , and although this initially deliver a cathartic slug it eventually causesDull Greyto miss some of its power .
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In part this is down to the repetitious nature ofDull Grey , with no real possibility of different scenario being discovered across subsequent playthroughs . Its short runtime means that musician will never really get more astuteness to the world , and although there are multiple endings to find , it ’s too loose to get world-weary after four or five outpouring . It ’s asimilar issuance toAshwalkers , another black and bloodless game about story choices in a grim hereafter .
Dull Greyis overall a thematically interesting optic novel with a lot of storytelling strength . However , although it use the limitations of its writing style well to create friction for the thespian , the lack of depth might allow users feel a slight hollow , particularly after they have worked out the obliterate pick usable to them .
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Dull Greyreleases 5 May 2021 for PS4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch and PS Vita . Screen Rant was leave with a Switch download computer code for the use of this review .
