Recent reviews by 96 LB

you are a fishy and what more could you need🐟

My first experiences with Proteus:

Gifted this game from a friend. Opens it up, searches for controls, feels lost and confused. Plays game. Oh, is this some survival game like Minecraft? Tries to destroy a tree. Nothing works. Goes back to main screen. Nothing. Goes to store page. Sees nothing to do. Reviews are mostly positive. Doesn't understand, instantly hates game.

Years later.

Grown up now. Bored, decides to give Proteus another chance. Gets on land. Explores the trees. Finds a tall structure, music changes. Maybe this game has more than just trees... Finds pieces of wood in the ground, explores a path, climbs a mountain, nighttime comes. Night is just as serene as daytime, nothing is scary. Fireflies light up the sky, forming pretty patterns. Finds a little mushroom man making noise. Springing away, its jingles fill the air. Chases mushroom man for a while, gets distracted by clusters of lights. Wind blows, noises flood the surroundings, and day and night speed up. A circle of lights appear and everything changes.

Where am I? Doesn't recognize the area, stuff feels different. Discovers new sounds and different colors of mushroom men. Sun is hot and scorching. Nighttime returns. Notices a glow in the distance. A white mushroom man with sparkles produces beautiful sounds. Approaches mushroom man, causing it to leap far away. Chases mushroom man, discovers a second one. Tries to group the two next to each other. One by one, they fall into the water, gone forever. The sadness is overwhelming. A sizzle fortells that the sun is rising, a new day beginning. Spots the light cluster again. Rushes towards it, eager to escape the misdeed. But this time, pauses beside the circle. Takes a second to observe the surroundings, some sped up, others not. Enters.

The trees are orange. Realizes what the circle does. Searches for life, but is unable to find much. Some are digging away, paying no attention. No mushroom men can be found. An air of sadness resides in the area. Visits the island's big tree. What was that? Peeks around the surrounding trees. Must have been the fireflies. But there it is again. A creature, watching. Searches for the circle. The lack of movement has it's own peacefulness, but wants to see the last form of this island. Almost knows the land by heart, navigates easily. The wind blows, everything moving. I'll be back.

But now even less is moving. A white coat over the ground, nothing can be found. All the trees are bare. Clouds cover the sky, flurries falling. Climbs a mountain, breaking through the clouds. Can only see the tops of the other mountains. Turns around, sees lights in the sky. Wow. The lights disappear, wishes to chase after them. Walks down the mountain, exploring the dead scenery. Loses focus, climbs another mountaintop without thinking. The sky is getting dark. Keeps going, but is now floating above the ground. Am I... a ghost? Feels like a spirit, not really there, looking down upon the world. Feels empty in real life as well. Breaks the clouds once more, sees the aurora once more, but brighter and more beautiful. Stares, mesmerized. Realizes that the day must be almost over, wanting to discover as much as possible before heading back to the circle. Tries to leave, but continues to float over the clouds. They begin to form underneath, as a platform. Levitates higher, very slowly. Mesmerized by the lights again, forgets the destination. Realizes that the island is over there, and the water is underneath. Starts going back, still staring at the sky. Eyes start to close...



Proteus is a magical work. Focused on simply exploring the world, creating a soundtrack through interactions, it's perfect for escaping from life and just thinking. I'm looking forward to returning to this game.