A Long Review of a Short Game: Thirty Flights of Loving

If I explained the events leading up to this point in the game,
well it'd be pretty much the entire game. Source

Thirty Flights of Loving
PC

Thirty Flights of Loving (TFoL) is a hard game to describe, in fact I'm not sure the term game is right for it, first-person interactive short story seems more appropriate. Coming from Blendo Games TFoL takes the adventure genre and puts it on its head. From the get-go the player has to figure out who and where you are, and what it is that you're trying to accomplish. However it quickly becomes clear where you need to head, and what you need to do. This clarity in design is not only functional, it's elegant. In neither TFoL, or in its precursor Gravity Bone (included with TFoL on Steam, or as a free download here), did I ever feel like I was lost, or couldn't quickly figure out where it was I needed to head. This straight forward level design could have been considered stale or boring in other titles, but in both TFoL and GB it came across as a refreshing change of pace from typical adventure games. In fact almost everything in TFoL came across as a breath of fresh air, considering that it only took me about ten minutes to run through the game in its entirety, that's saying something.

The thing about Thirty Flights of Loving is it does everything quickly and makes you, the player, figure out what's going on at any given moment. Using a series of cuts, swipes, and other editing techniques normally found in movies, or even cut-scenes, TFoL tells the story of three individuals, their connection, what they're doing, and how they're doing it. To explain anything else would honestly spoil every aspect of the games story, because TFoL won't take many gamers more than fifteen minutes to get from beginning to end.

Nothing to see here, just keep on moving pal. 

While some may complain about it's length, I've already ran through it three times. Considering that the story doesn't change, nor do your choices, that's impressive. In the end though length doesn't seem to really matter, as this is one of the most beautifully conceived games I've ever played. Using several different types of storytelling, most of which are taken from movies, Thirty Flights doesn't just hold your attention, it demands it. You'll find yourself noticing all the little details in the game, and how much it reflects movies and real life in it's strangely cubist confines.  From cats on the fire escape, to cameras floating on balloons, it's as if every aspect of the game was intended to draw you along, telling you a story it refuses to give you flat out, while simultaneously defining a plotline through mumbling nonsense and psychedelic imagery.

Intent on checking train times this man never sees you appropriate his luggage cart for nefarious purposes. I'll bet he'll pay more attention in the future when he doesn't get his cart deposit back. 

That aspect of extremely direct storytelling combined with indirect means of telling the story is where the irony of this title comes out: while Thirty Flights certainly tells a story, I couldn't tell you with complete accuracy what that story is (or at least I won't attempt to here, as it'd ruin the entire experience for those who haven't played it yet). The story seems clear to me, but I have the feeling that every player is going to take a little something different away from this title. While every player will certainly take away the standard plot that is clearly pointed out throughout the games brief journey, everything else about the story you'll have to figure out for yourself. I don't know if that's cleverly ingenious, or dastardly cunning, but either way you look it TFoL is a story that while obscured draws the player in.

Ah, what a lovely motto your company has; not creepy at all...

Graphics wise Thirty Flights is beautiful. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that the games graphics are based on Quake II technology. The simple, yet ornate, designs belie the games technological origins, and are admirable when it comes to setting tone and ambiance. Every scene of the game exudes style, and grace, which I found especially impressive in such a short title. The music is also fantastic, matching the scenes perfectly. The soundtrack, while brief, never takes away from the action, and while it won't necessarily stick with you, it will at least pull you further into the game itself. I'd not mind having a soundtrack released for this game, and I'd buy it immediately if it was, as the tunes involved would feel perfect while driving. This would also be the perfect soundtrack to a spy movie, bank heist, or just a thriller in general, so long as it was under fifteen minutes long that is.

Passports and blueprints. This game is like a fantasy realization of the Bourne movies directed by an early Mondrian. 

While I did have some issues with Thirty Flights of Loving, they were few and far between. The fact that some of the default controls weren't set up from the start was odd, to say the least, but I found that those controls left blank went unused as I played. I would say it was interesting they were included at all, but once I played Gravity Bone, it became clear why they were available as options. Graphics wise, while a very pretty game, I did get extremely motion sick after playing TFoL and GB one after the other, to the point of needing to vomit and lie down. Refresh rate could definitely be improved. While that's probably not the fault, and definitely not the intention, of the creators, it was still an unpleasant experience. I will say that even though I became violently ill, I still went back for more, which speaks on the highly enjoyable nature of this game, at least in the short term that is. Which brings me to my last gripe: length. While I can certainly see myself playing both of these games again, it will probably be a while before I do so, as the linear nature, and lack of true interactivity with much of the environment limits any replayability the titles have. But again, in the short term they were both very enjoyable.

All in all I'm giving the two-pack that is Thirty Flights of Loving and it's predecessor Gravity Bone 3.75 stars out of 5. A very high score considering it's length, but one I feel it merits due to they're highly intuitive and innovative style. And at such a low cost (about $4-5 for TFoL and Free for GB), they're definitely worth a whirl.

Come back tomorrow for a breakdown of the music based shooter Symphony, and stay tuned for further updates throughout the week.

Until next time, Game On.


Note: I didn't discuss Gravity Bone much here for two reasons: 1) I was unable to finish it due to motion sickness (GB is much worse at this than Thirty Flights of Loving), and 2) because while it is a completely separate title, it honestly feels like more of a bonus pack-in for Thirty Flights of Loving than anything else. While this review was for TFoL alone, I bring up GB because it did effect my overall enjoyment of the title, and many players will likely play it immediately after TFoL as I did, as it is included with the game. While I do feel Gravity Bone is a fine game in and of itself, and I may do a separate review of it at a later point, due to its inclusion in TFoL I felt it necessary to include it in the final score. Expect further discussion of Gravity Bone and Blendo Games in general in the future.