Purpose 1951 (XS) - Review

by Lee Mehr , posted on 14 November 2024 / 2,073 Views

Reviewer's Note: Given how certain story flaws require specificity, this review contains MAJOR SPOILERS. Read on at your own risk.

Credit where it's due: solo developer & writer Tonguç Bodur (Cions of Vega) seems to have a consistent work ethic. Seemingly any story idea or gameplay concept he wants to explore gets quickly made into a budgeted title priced around the $5 range. The most natural fit for most of his work are mechanically-limited walking simulators. It's easy to understand that draw too, especially with an easier workload while flexing Unreal Engine 5 these days. But there's a pitfall in emphasizing quantity over quality; that risk of implicitly communicating your works as part of a rushed churning process, even if built with earnest intentions. Such is – sadly – the case with Purpose 1951.

If you've touched any first-person walkers since Dear Esther, you know the gist: walk along the golden path and cross an invisible threshold for the next text dump spoken by an off-screen narrator. 1951's own game details page calls it "an almost pure walking sim," which is an apt description. The vast majority of your time is spent walking to and fro; there's one golden path with a select few short detours hiding extra collectibles and most chapters are bookended by a brief picture-fixing puzzle. The rules are basic: stand in the correct spot so your perspective magically "restores" three pictures floating in the sky. Outside of these sections and brief interludes where your character rides a bike or is reduced to a laggard crawl, the rest is a brisk hike.

What this translates to is a bland template over-relying on a narrative that doesn't warrant any intrigue. The broad strokes are simple: the rise and fall of a bright doctor whose hopes are dashed by something out of his control. That's fine enough on paper, but there's really nothing to latch onto. For starters, we're not even given anyone's name, so whenever the scripts speaks about someone it's with "the mayor’s son," "my boss," or whatever else. While it's not free of deep flaws either, at least Dear Esther hit that fundamental basic, so we understand what those named characters represent – even if the protagonist is never listed by name. 1951 on the other hand takes the clumsiest route with its prose.

The plot itself isn't compelling either. An ephemeral, half-hour runtime for a tale about a besieged doctor can't help but explore the basics: getting his license, working at a hospital, unexpected death of a powerful figure's son, and the resultant downfall (personal & professional) from that accident. The problem is anyone with a scintilla of logic and patience will see that the factors surrounding this tragic event weren't his fault. Not even by ridiculous Hollywood standards would the hospital staff immediately assume the overseeing doctor is to blame. There were procedural investigations for alleged medical malpractice in the mid-20th century too. So, the fallout from an unrealistic snap judgment feels artificial.

Artificiality weaves its way into both the script and presentation. No offense to him, but Jon Ryder's voice acting is the inverse of what you'd expect for this story. Past his vocally-rigid line-reading, I've never heard such cheery despondency before. His natural voice has a pleasant cadence, so his character sermonizing or threatening to kill himself doesn't carry any gravitas. There's always a smidge of pluckiness to him, regardless of the context. Of course, Bodur's direction deserves blame as well; most of the doctor's ropey monologues don't capture an authentic tempo. Perhaps one might say such dry prose is meant to be clinical, but it only succeeds at inducing drowsiness in practice.

At least other presentational aspects have some kind of pulse. Of course, given the background info and low price, store-bought assets should come as no surprise. The issue is less to do with recycled forest animals scurrying around, or repeated landscapes, but rather how they don't feel cohesive. Since I'm a broken record at this point, look at Dear Esther: a Hebridean island with an intricate cave system that felt natural to that special location; a balance of the typical and the magical. Conversely, 1951's world design feels like random splotches of land (forest, seaside cliffs, etc.), which also dampens any effect the otherwise-serviceable soundtrack may have. It's more or less just there to fill a void, rather than compliment its grander vistas.

It's a shame, then, that Tonguç Bodur's latest winds up feeling so empty. Even with fair considerations of it as a budget walking sim, that doesn't disregard advancements and nuances other narrative adventures have introduced over the past decade. Sure, perhaps some of the skyboxes look prettier in leveraging Unreal Engine 5, but that's faint praise when no interactions within the world feel meaningful. And with an inconsequential story relying on artificial tension, the whole thing feels like a purposeless jaunt.

Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee's obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.