About This Game Gray Skies, Dark Waters drops you into a world of secrets, unanswered questions, and (just maybe) the supernatural. Search to reveal the truth—or, at least, your version of it.What does it mean to truly disappear without a trace? In this modern interpretation of centuries-old folklore, that’s the question that seventeen-year-old Lina Garrett has to consider after her mother vanishes. Take Lina on a thought-provoking journey through her small Chesapeake Bay town of Avett's Landing to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance and explore what it means to be part of a family - even a troubled one.Fans of story-based games like The Path, Life is Strange, and To the Moon will love this story-driven adventure game in which your continuous choices decide the future of the Garrett family. Gray Skies, Dark Waters comes alive with:an original scorefull voice-actinghand-drawn paintings inspired by children’s book illustrationsa 2-3 hour playtimea series of short stories set in Avett’s Landing, VirginiaRich commentary mode that includes interviews with developers and experts in various fieldsThe game features 3D models interacting in 2D settings, similar to classics like Grim Fandango, The Longest Journey, and Resident Evil 2. Gray Skies, Dark Waters takes literary inspiration from the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, Flannery O’Connor, Jorge Luis Borges, and Shirley Jackson. 7aa9394dea Title: Gray Skies, Dark WatersGenre: Adventure, Casual, IndieDeveloper:Green Willow Games, LLCPublisher:Green Willow Games, LLCRelease Date: 9 Jun, 2017 Gray Skies, Dark Waters Download Rar File gray skies dark waters review. gray skies dark waters gameplay. gray skies dark waters download. gray skies dark waters walkthrough. gray skies dark waters I like the mechanics that drive this game forward with very few fetch quests and the like, instead concentrating heavily on dialogue and atmosphere.Some say GSDW is a short game. On one hand it is, but it manages to tell a complete story during its short stay. The way I see it, this game appreciates the players' use of time. It doesn't try to stretch the game duration needlessly, there are no extra filler sections and there's even a very efficient fast travel system. GSDW is simply as long an experience as it needs to be. And I like it a lot for that.The characters are life-like, likeable and interesting. The voice-acting is actually fine by me, but the voice quality is a bit modest - it has that "boxy" studio booth effect to it.Plot-wise, I loved the duality between realism and some fantastical elements and also how your character's attitude and interpretation towards what she discovers actually affects the way the story is concluded. There's a really nice balance of open-endedness combined with concrete conclusion. It's hard to explain thoroughly without spoiling the experience, so if you decide to play it, you'll see for yourself. ;). I tend to have a love for games that are or have scenes that are quiet and contemplative where you just hang around and interact with the cast to learn more about them and\/or explore and interact with things that has the protag reminisce about things and\/or flesh out the characters and world as well. For example the home base stuff in the new Wolfensteins, a good chunk of Life is Strange, the hubs in Shadowruns Dragonfall and Hong Kong, and the last level of the PS2 horror game Rule of Rose. Lulls in the action like that can really lend themselves to nice character moments and really immerse me in the setting.Gray Skies, Dark Waters is just a whole game of those types of scenes, it's a somber, meditative game about a family dealing with the loss of a loved one under mysterious circumstances. The Garett family live in the fictional Virginian town of Avett's Landing on the Chesapeake. Their lives are irrevocably changed when the mother, Vivian, mysteriously disappears. The game begins a year after the event and you play as the eldest sibling, Lina. Lina is still trying to search for answers, though it's up to the player to decide what Lina thinks what happened and how avid she is in her search. She has been looking out for her younger two sisters and brother, the moody Violet, the outgoing Merle, and the bookish Gus in the interim as her father did not take the disappearance very well and has become more distant to his children as he retreats into his work. As Lina search brings her to a possible explanation the player will have to decide whether it\u2019s mundane or possibly something more\u2026The gameplay is mainly dialogue choices and exploration. There technically is an inventory system but you only really use it to open new dialogue with Lina's family. The dialogue choices you make do indeed matter and you can get wildly different endings depending on how you played Lina, i.e. I played her as mostly convinced that her mom was dead and she supported her siblings through it all but you can a get a tonally different ending than mine. The game gives you a to do list of main objectives as well as sidequests essentially, which are usually finding an item and talking to Lina\u2019s family about it. The starting area is the Garett House, but the game will also take you to a forest park and a beach walkway.The game\u2019s environmental art and soundtrack are quite good, really setting the game\u2019s melancholy tone. Now there are some rough aspects that show its very modest budget, namely the character models and VA recording quality. The character models don\u2019t look too hot, like something out of a budget Euro adventure game from the 2000\u2019s, though you\u2019ll only really get a good look at Lina or Gus because I think Green Willow know the models looked jank because the perspective when talking with Violet and Merle is more zoomed out. The voice actors actually do good work, it\u2019s just that its clear they didn\u2019t have the best recording setup as volume can tend to fluctuate and they added an echo effect to all of Lina\u2019s thoughts which can be a bit grating.The game\u2019s writing succeeds at being affectively pensive, bittersweet, and forlorn. Lina\u2019s got a lot of things to say about her family, her house, and the town around her and it really builds a strong picture of the cast. The game\u2019s plot isn\u2019t some big bombastic adventure even though there may be some supernatural elements if you allow it, it\u2019s a character piece all about coping with loss and trying to move on with life. Green Willow listed Gone Home and Kentucky Route Zero as inspirations and it definitely shares some of their heart. Overall with its writing and atmosphere Gray Skies, Dark Water has an elegiac beauty to it.Gray Skies, Dark Waters may be unpolished in some ways but ultimately it still shines and it\u2019s definitely a strong start for a team that didn\u2019t have all that much experience making games beforehand. (Biggest example being is that it was made in Unity Personal) It\u2019s a quiet and unassuming game and that\u2019s probably one of the reasons it got utterly ignored in a year with so many rockstar titles. Give it a chance, it might just stick with you too.. if you dont want to read the review I will link my video at the endGrey skies, dark waters A game whose backgrounds are beautifully drawn. Where it feels like your walking through impressive drawings that are real enough to make you feel that you are in a world but not completely realistic. It is the main strength of this piece of work but just as a symphony needs all its pieces together to be perfect so does a game and unfortunately not all the pieces play together to make that perfect symphony.It is the characters where the first few pieces fall apart. They aren\u2019t drawn like the background they are rendered with computers with eyes so dead that you would be staring into and abyss rather than eyes. It\u2019s a shame that the characters stick out like a Picasso between ancient Greek architecture.The character dialogue is overall well written and makes you feel for the characters in this tale but where is most stories you see the characters grow over time here you only get to know them. The story is so short that there is no room for growth of change, they stay at the same place and never change.Lastly the voice acting, this is a hit and miss, like a drunk violinist it manages to sometimes play beautiful notes but overall it leaves a bad taste in your mouth for you know they could have done better. Even though the story and gameplay make it a fun game and does ask for more there are parts in this game that make the experience less. It\u2019s like a beautiful symphony that gets ruined by a drunk violinist and a conductor that seem lost to what the symphony is playing.If you like story based games and can handle a short play this is one for you otherwise if the things I pointed out annoy you too much then this game is not for you, otherwise take a look and maybe you will be leaving with an orchestra playing swan lake for you.my video: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CcKAscEfYxc. One of those games you will play two or three times to see the different outcomes and will think "yeah... that was...neat" afterwards. But for the very fair indie price, you don`t make a mistake. It is very story-driven, not much pointing and clicking and no classic puzzles, just atmosphere, story and decisions. Which is exactly what I personally prefer, and the style and atmosphere of this game is top notch. The location backgrounds are drawn in a pretty unique childrens book style and the speed and pacing of the game is laid back and relaxed, which goes along with the graphics style very well. The character models and animations are a bit disappointing, though. Only the protagonist ever moves, there are no animations aside from walking, and one character is drawn so distant and small, that I could hardly make out the line where the cap ended and the head began. The voice acting isn`t that strong, either. It works well for the protagonist and okay for most of the other characters, but the quality is incoherent and I could clearly hear it was recorded by a standard mic in front of an opened text file by amateurs - with different backgrounds, so sometimes it sounds studio-like, sometimes more like a bathroom.The accentuation isn`t on the spot all the time, at times it was clear the actors were missing any context and downright misinterpreted a sentence at all. A pity and I think, most of this mistakes could have been prevented with a little more planning ahead. But, when all is said and done, none of this weak spots damaged the experience for me. I was hooked all throughout - but you should have an interest in slow and silent games, because this isn`t Telltales Walking Dead ...The premise is actually one of the strongest features this game offers, it is very original, emotionally moving and interesting, leaving you to wonder not just about the fate but also about the heritage of your missing mother. In the end, it will be a "is it?" or "is it not?" kind of dichotomy, where you continue to think about the hints you stumbled upon during the game and have to make your own decision whether it was or it wasn`t ;). I tend to have a love for games that are or have scenes that are quiet and contemplative where you just hang around and interact with the cast to learn more about them and/or explore and interact with things that has the protag reminisce about things and/or flesh out the characters and world as well. For example the home base stuff in the new Wolfensteins, a good chunk of Life is Strange, the hubs in Shadowruns Dragonfall and Hong Kong, and the last level of the PS2 horror game Rule of Rose. Lulls in the action like that can really lend themselves to nice character moments and really immerse me in the setting.Gray Skies, Dark Waters is just a whole game of those types of scenes, it's a somber, meditative game about a family dealing with the loss of a loved one under mysterious circumstances. The Garett family live in the fictional Virginian town of Avett's Landing on the Chesapeake. Their lives are irrevocably changed when the mother, Vivian, mysteriously disappears. The game begins a year after the event and you play as the eldest sibling, Lina. Lina is still trying to search for answers, though it's up to the player to decide what Lina thinks what happened and how avid she is in her search. She has been looking out for her younger two sisters and brother, the moody Violet, the outgoing Merle, and the bookish Gus in the interim as her father did not take the disappearance very well and has become more distant to his children as he retreats into his work. As Lina search brings her to a possible explanation the player will have to decide whether it’s mundane or possibly something more…The gameplay is mainly dialogue choices and exploration. There technically is an inventory system but you only really use it to open new dialogue with Lina's family. The dialogue choices you make do indeed matter and you can get wildly different endings depending on how you played Lina, i.e. I played her as mostly convinced that her mom was dead and she supported her siblings through it all but you can a get a tonally different ending than mine. The game gives you a to do list of main objectives as well as sidequests essentially, which are usually finding an item and talking to Lina’s family about it. The starting area is the Garett House, but the game will also take you to a forest park and a beach walkway.The game’s environmental art and soundtrack are quite good, really setting the game’s melancholy tone. Now there are some rough aspects that show its very modest budget, namely the character models and VA recording quality. The character models don’t look too hot, like something out of a budget Euro adventure game from the 2000’s, though you’ll only really get a good look at Lina or Gus because I think Green Willow know the models looked jank because the perspective when talking with Violet and Merle is more zoomed out. The voice actors actually do good work, it’s just that its clear they didn’t have the best recording setup as volume can tend to fluctuate and they added an echo effect to all of Lina’s thoughts which can be a bit grating.The game’s writing succeeds at being affectively pensive, bittersweet, and forlorn. Lina’s got a lot of things to say about her family, her house, and the town around her and it really builds a strong picture of the cast. The game’s plot isn’t some big bombastic adventure even though there may be some supernatural elements if you allow it, it’s a character piece all about coping with loss and trying to move on with life. Green Willow listed Gone Home and Kentucky Route Zero as inspirations and it definitely shares some of their heart. Overall with its writing and atmosphere Gray Skies, Dark Water has an elegiac beauty to it.Gray Skies, Dark Waters may be unpolished in some ways but ultimately it still shines and it’s definitely a strong start for a team that didn’t have all that much experience making games beforehand. (Biggest example being is that it was made in Unity Personal) It’s a quiet and unassuming game and that’s probably one of the reasons it got utterly ignored in a year with so many rockstar titles. Give it a chance, it might just stick with you too.. I really did not know what to expect from this game, when I first bought it and started playing it. It was more than I expected. I honestly enjoyed this interactive VN\/point & click adventure. Much more than I expected to, especially with it being the first game from an unknown Indie studio. Yes, the facial animations were a bit rough, as were many other small things. Some of the VO's were a bit "off", with some obvious mic echo, or variation in sound levels. But for a game made in Unity Personal, by new devs, animators and artists, just learning the ropes... I was easily able to look past the small flaws, and enjoy the sparkly gem hiding underneath.The story actually was quite good, deeper, and touching on more serious and important things than I expected. Like the interpersonal realtionships in a broken family, mental heath challenges hidden for many years, the apparent burden of a daughter, who had to become a surrogate mother to her siblings, in a short period of time. I do wish there had been a touch more back story, to explain what it was like before, a little more depth to where this family had been before Mom disappeared, and how, 1 year ater, they got to where they were, in what we read and see. But, it was still quite well developed, and touched on some very senstivie subjects, quite well, and in a way that seemed realisitc. The way average human beings deal with such things. The choices-matter aspect was very good. Choices DID actually matter, and change outcomes, and dialogs, in a significant enough way to make a second playthrough worth doing, for more than just achievements.The music was quite fitting, folksy, a very good fit for the game, with the ending song a wonderful (to me) folksong, sung by a "regular" folksinger. Someone I would expect to hear performing at a Ren-Fest, an open mike night, or a college campfire get-together. Yes, it is a little rough around the edges. But, for a first time effort, it shows a ton of love was put into making it and telling its story.Yes, I would pay full price, the price is reasonable. On sale, even more so. Don't expect high drama, or fast action. This is a slow paced, emotional journey through the day of a young woman with some heavy feelings and possibilities to come to grips with. Adrenaline junkies, this isn't for you. People with heart, who want a story and experience made with love, give it a go.Greenn Willow- well done. I look forward to seing you grow and become better with your next projects. I think you can do it. :). One of those games you will play two or three times to see the different outcomes and will think "yeah... that was...neat" afterwards. But for the very fair indie price, you don`t make a mistake. It is very story-driven, not much pointing and clicking and no classic puzzles, just atmosphere, story and decisions. Which is exactly what I personally prefer, and the style and atmosphere of this game is top notch. The location backgrounds are drawn in a pretty unique childrens book style and the speed and pacing of the game is laid back and relaxed, which goes along with the graphics style very well. The character models and animations are a bit disappointing, though. Only the protagonist ever moves, there are no animations aside from walking, and one character is drawn so distant and small, that I could hardly make out the line where the cap ended and the head began. The voice acting isn`t that strong, either. It works well for the protagonist and okay for most of the other characters, but the quality is incoherent and I could clearly hear it was recorded by a standard mic in front of an opened text file by amateurs - with different backgrounds, so sometimes it sounds studio-like, sometimes more like a bathroom.The accentuation isn`t on the spot all the time, at times it was clear the actors were missing any context and downright misinterpreted a sentence at all. A pity and I think, most of this mistakes could have been prevented with a little more planning ahead. But, when all is said and done, none of this weak spots damaged the experience for me. I was hooked all throughout - but you should have an interest in slow and silent games, because this isn`t Telltales Walking Dead ...The premise is actually one of the strongest features this game offers, it is very original, emotionally moving and interesting, leaving you to wonder not just about the fate but also about the heritage of your missing mother. In the end, it will be a "is it?" or "is it not?" kind of dichotomy, where you continue to think about the hints you stumbled upon during the game and have to make your own decision whether it was or it wasn`t ;). Brief, artsy, 2D point and click with good artwork and a very good story, well worth getting on sale although the cover price is reasonable.You are Lina, a teenager who's mom disappeared a year ago. You live with your father (Robert) and three younger siblings (Violet, Gus, and Merle) who all are processing their grief. Most of the game is picking choices in dialog with the characters, and some is looking for items in the game world ("pixel hunting"). There are no "puzzles" in the classic point-and-click sense, but they aren't needed to advance the story. In that respect this game is very close to being a visual novel. Your dialog choices seem to affect the flow of the narrative and the finale. I'm not sure how many endings there are, and this info would be helpful.The artwork is like watercolors with good music and ok voice acting. The setting and dialog are believable. It took me about 3 hours to solve this, with maybe 30 min of looking for one entrance to a part of the map that I missed. There are achievements and other story choices that I have been going back for. The background for the characters is quite extensive for a short game.. Very sloooooow gameplay and stereotypical, vanilla (aka boring) narrative despite choices and story line. Would not recommend.. Interesting adventure game with an interesting story. It's not very long and has no riddles\/minigames in it but I still think it's worth buying. The voice recordings could be done in a better way. You can hear it is recorded probably in various rooms (sometimes with echo, sometimes not).But in general I have positive feeling about the game.
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