Based on current images of Quito, Blow captures the intimate conversations, inside jokes, and everyday conversations between Cordero’s friends and family (in Spanish, of course, with comic book translations). The game’s environments are based on photographs of Quito, stylized to recreate the atmosphere of memories: blurred, monochrome backgrounds with people and important objects surrounded by stark black and white. The TVs in the game show live images of the Ecuadorian team during the World Cup and if you want you can watch the whole match on a small static screen. These realistic elements ground the game in reality, while the visual details make everything seem like a dream and the combination of styles is hypnotic.
Transitions come in the form of almost imperceptible camera zooms and slowly fading environments, and at every step there is room to enjoy the simple activity of being a child. Game mechanics are intuitive: move the right stick to shoot the ball. Press and hold any trigger to execute. Press any key to communicate. Look down and check your watch to make sure you get home on time; This simplicity makes Quito come alive. Poignant moments of magical surrealism flow through the river like memories within memories, offering a glimpse into Cordero’s future as a teenager and Ecuador’s development as a country. These scenes seem enough to provide a sense of tension and context without interrupting immersion in childhood memories.
There isn’t really any immediate plot here, but… Blow Easily build a sense of belonging and self-worth with each new vignette. It’s dark and Cordero sits in the back of the family’s station wagon, absentmindedly listening to his parents’ conversation and drawing shapes in the fog on the windows. His mother is sitting in front of the television, desperately trying to distract her from the video game she is playing. His younger sister asks him to draw a frog. A grumpy neighbor steals the ball that Cordero and his friends are playing with, so they start kicking an empty bottle. These are the pillars of Cordero’s youth, and while they are very specific, they are also very relevant. Blow It is an investigation of the beauty of everyday life.
I haven’t played many games like this. Blow. I’m tempted to say that I’ve never played anything like it before, that it’s my first real memory in video game form, but that’s obviously not entirely true. Games like This dragon, cancer. AND Dis4ie They offer similar insights into the lives of their creators and are just as vulnerable and grounded. They are also analyzes of moments of acute pain, and while traumatic narratives are an important and valuable part of the memoir market, there is still room for them. BlowIt is the slowest and lightest reflex of this type. Blow is a notable addition to the memory video game category, proving that deep reflection on one’s childhood can become a powerful interactive experience. The key, as always, is authenticity.
Cordero finally breaks the fourth wall Blow in a way that feels completely natural. The style of the game changes immediately and Cordero narrates the scene, telling how he and co-creator Sebastián Valbuena traveled to Quito to collect. BlowAudio and location data. Discusses the fickle nature of memory and explains some of the game’s timelines. He says he really just wanted to do it right. He wanted the players to understand the magic of this moment in Ecuador’s history, when football was everything and he was just a kid.
I think he succeeded.
Blow is now available on Steam, PlayStation 4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S and is published by Panic.
(tagToTranslate)Despelote
Leave a Reply