Return of the Obra Dinn: Uncovering Fate on a Doomed Ship

Return of the Obra Dinn:

Return of the Obra Dinn: Identifying the Wreckage of a Calamity

Return of the Obra Dinn: Uncovering Fate on a Doomed Ship

The player has to determine not only who died, but how the character met their end.

Choices include possibilities like Poisoned, Spiked, or Torn apart. Some deaths, such as Shot, require additional specificity like, Gun, Arrow, or Cannon. Some deaths are remarkably similar and difficult to choose between. Was the man spiked or speared? Poor It-Beng Sia dies by a magical force, but that isn't an option in the logbook. Burns, Poison, or Electrocution all seem like reasonable options. Anecdotal evidence on Reddit, and the Obra Dinn Fandom page, suggests Obra Dinn accepts multiple possible answers. In a close quarter melee the player can't see how people die. Experience suggests knives are the most common source of death. The logbook contains a multitude of options, but it seems the Obra Dinn doesn't use every one. The logbook contains twenty-five possible fates with an additional twenty-eight sub-choices. Many types of death, where a culprit is involved, such as Axed, Decapitated, or Strangled requires the player to name the killer. It's often the case that the player can't determine the cause of death of one character, because they don't know the name of another.

This puzzle would be much simpler if the player only had to guess a character's name and cause of death. Actually, they need to solve three fates before being notified. Upon resolving three characters, the Obra Dinn opens the logbook, goes to each of the characters in turn, and marks them as correct. These moments are immensely satisfying. Initially, matching face to name progresses laboriously, but the final chapters divulge crucial secrets. With these secrets the player sees the interconnected web of relationships. Figuring out one character can cause a cascade of answers. After the rush, the player reaches a point with ten inherently unsolvable characters. It is at this point that the player needs to try names to distinguish the irrelevant Topmen and Sailors. Another hint: return to scenes, even unrelated to the characters and explore the entire area, not just the death of the immediate character. Some death scenes allow extensive exploration and contain hidden clues.

The logbook, the area where the player records their data, is an incredible tool. At first it seems cumbersome and difficult to use. After a half dozen hours the player recognizes it as a well crafted device. It contains invaluable tidbits of information. It offers shortcuts and methods of moving from page to page, information to information, or corpse to corpse. With the flick of a button it shows the location of every scene a particular character is in. The only limitation, as mentioned above, is that to see death scenes the player has to return to the relevant corpse. They can't be viewed in the logbook. While this initially seems like a flaw, on reflection, it is obvious Obra Dinn wouldn't be a game if the player could stand in one spot flipping through the pages of a book.

Return of the Obra Dinn uses a paradoxically quaint but innovative, one bit graphical style. Every pixel is either white or black. Gamers, used to the aesthetic of modern games, might imagine two colors would result in a flat affect. But Lucas Pope uses this style to create a world of depth and contrast. Explosions, faces, and weather are sharply haunting. Brutally beautiful scenes are lit by the eerie moon hovering above. Monsters and murders are terrifyingly rendered in stark detail. The player can choose from six classic visual styles such as the default, Macintosh, to the IBM 8503, or Commodore 1084. The IBM 5151 effect is so livid green when I looked around my room everything retained an orange tint.

The sounds are just as spectacular. The player character, who speaks very little, is randomly determined as a man or a woman. The little background noises, like the creaking as the ship sways or the patter of rain add ambient noise. The different sounds of death, the gurgle of strangulation, the whimpering of burn victims, and the gasp of a sudden stabbing are terrifyingly convincing, and gloriously emotive. Almost every character is voiced by a different person, a feat in itself.

As a witness to the suffering of a mostly innocent crew, one feels an overwhelming sympathy. Some deaths are pitiful, some are tragic, while a few are well deserved. The player has to dissociate from their deaths, because they can't be saved. Once the player has seen all the deaths a steady rain begins. It only means that the player has seen every death. Don't return to the rowboat until after solving every death. Admittedly, there will be three people with unresolvable fates. After solving every fate except the secret three, return to the boat.

After the boat scene, a player with every solution receives the good ending; access to Chapter 8. With the additional aid of Henry Evans the player will witness the death of the three hidden crewmembers and uncover the final secrets. Supposedly. I found the epilogue lacking in revelation. I didn't learn anything striking in “Bargain”, just a few minor details. The general outline is obvious based on comments made at the end of Chapter 9.

Near the end the story is revealed to revolve around a particular artifact, which some crew mistake for treasure. While I understand that the “treasure” convinces the characters to act, the qualities and powers of the treasure remain vague. Does it have some mystical power that the owner uses to protect the ship? Or did the current owner steal it and is fleeing through dangerous waters, trying to hide it? Did the Captain's Bargain resolve the issue, or did the heroic sacrifice of third mate Martin Perrott afford the Obra Dinn a small measure of redemptive protection?

In conclusion, Return of the Obra Dinn is another spectacular game by Lucas Pope. Having only the deserted deck of a sail ship the developer devises an engrossing story, and an incredible mystery. The mechanics for solving the deaths are straightforward, with a logbook that offers ease of use. Return of the Obra Dinn doesn't offer easy solutions. While a few solutions are handed to the player to teach them the basics, others require the detective skills of Hercule Poirot. Discovering the fates of the unfortunate souls fosters an engaging sympathy. The player finds themselves hoping for their favorites will avoid an ill end, but knowing it to be impossible. The visuals and sounds offer a haunting backdrop, emphasizing the eerie horror the crew members faced in their last days.

After playing Return of the Obra Dinn I may have uncovered the entirety of its fate, but I can't wait to discover what Pope creates next.

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