I have read his entire article and even though I understand that he actually likes the game, I still don't agree with the flame-bait title to his article.
Also I feel for some reason, his words of praise for the game appear grudgingly.
Perhaps the way I feel about this article is best summed up by the comment left by this user below his article on Edge online
I actually find it very enthralling to watch, more so than some flashier games. It depends on how invested you are in the 'risk' the protagonist and the player are in, and how captivated you are by the atmosphere.
If you aren't careful, any common goon can do a lot of damage to you, the protagonist is far from invincible. There is also something to lose when you die, as oppose to say, Halo where you restart from 5 minutes ago, or God of War where it's very unlikely you're going to die.
Watching a black phantom stalk a player, observing him from a castle wall as he runs through the court yard, and tailing him for 10 minutes until, the player engaged with armored enemies, is struck down with a knife in the back. That is enthralling, that is entertainment.
>>It’s not “flow”, because flow implies progress
I think this is where our opinions differ. You write of captivation and excitement as "progress in a plot", I see it as "empathy to the protagonist".
Now, since you are the Player, of course you have empathy, but your observers don't for whatever reason. I guess this is really just a matter of what kind of friends you have watching you play. So it's a "Journey vs Destination" sort of thing. This empathy makes you care about what's around that dark corner, the clash of weapon against shield, and the satisfaction of gettin' that loot. This is facilitated by....
>>Sure, I could praise the aesthetics: the game has atmosphere to spare and deftly uses it to rachet up the tension. The voice acting would chill Dickens. The walls would scare off mold. And the sound design is hollow, haunted and mostly music free, because music would make you feel safe. But that’s just garnish for the gameplay.
This line bothers me "sure I could praise the aesthetics... but that's just garnish"
Why? Why not just say "I like how this game looks! It draws me in" and end it there? This snarkiness brings nothing to the article. You are damning the excellent atmosphere and empathy generated by this well crafted game as unimportant 'garnish'.
The saucier is the highest station of cook y'know?
It is better to die on one's feet
then live on one's knees
