An exorbitantly priced game begins with a strange unskippable 8-minute-long text crawl that heavily alludes to men’s rights activism. The Hidden and Uknown is a non-interactive visual novel on Steam that costs $2,000 and is under 2 hours with the developer’s justification being that it was their right to do so.
Joining the list of often bizarre Steam games at ludicrous prices, The Hidden and Unknown initially made waves for its incredibly high price point. Although the actual cost is $1,999.90 and not $2,000 exactly, it is still now the most expensive game to buy on the entire platform. If it was just that, then it would have likely been forgotten quickly, only getting recognition for the price tag before fading into obscurity.
Yet its story continues as Kotaku reported that this game that is almost as expensive as the Porsche gaming chair and is about as much as a good gaming PC opens with a wild 8-minute-long text scrawl that cannot be skipped. It speaks about what it calls “The Human Cycle” before going on a bizarre rant about how “western men today are feminine while most of the western women today are masculine,” which Kotaku points out as being talking points in the men’s rights activism movement, which is often defined by claims of systemic discrimination against men in society.
Speaking with Kotaku, developer ThePro reasoned that their mindset behind developing The Hidden and Unknown was that it was loosely based on their own life and that “anyone who has an easy life” will be weak. On the subject of the absurd price point on Steam, ThePro blamed the reaction on people who would rather make a big deal out of it instead of focusing on self-improvement. Other claims they made in the interview were that the energies of testosterone and estrogen should be balanced and that there are “many possibilities” for what could contribute to the collapse of human civilization before listing what they believe those possibilities are.
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2023-02-04 18:00:02
Post from gamerant.com
Recently, the developers from Cloud M1 Studios have released a new and bizarre installment in their popular game franchise. Entitled “The Idol of Thanatos”, this new game is stirring up controversy due to its very strange inclusion. Players must purchase and install the $2,000 Steam version of the game in order to access what the developers have called an “unskippable scrawl.”
The “unskippable scrawl” is a rather unique subplot in the game. It lasts 8 minutes and consists of text, audio, and graphical overlays that describe the game’s backstory and antagonists. It is an amusing experience, however, due to the hefty price tag associated with the game, it has provoked much criticism from gamers.
Many people are arguing that this is a massive waste of time, forcing gamers to pay a large sum of money just to read a back-story. Furthermore, a game with a hefty price tag is expected to give gamers the opportunity to customize or skip tedious segments of the experience. Unfortunately, the new “unskippable scrawl” feature does not offer this option and has already garnered an abundance of negative reviews on Steam.
Nevertheless, Cloud M1 Studios is standing by their feature, citing the inclusion of the “unskippable scrawl” is thematically relevant to the game’s narrative. The developers have promised that the 8 minutes of dialogue is enjoyable and at no point does it become repetitive or dull.
Whether you are a fan of the game or not, it is undeniable that “The Idol of Thanatos” has stirred up a lot of debate among the gaming community. It remains to be seen if the developers will make any changes to the game or alternatively, add a second tier version without the scrawl. In any case, this is a unique experience that has been met with a mix of reviews, mostly polarized along the lines of either loving it or hating it.