Dyscourse

File:Dyscourse screenshot 6.png

Dyscourse is a survival adventure video game.{{cite web |url=http://indiegames.com/2013/12/interview_details_about_dyscou.html |title=Interview: Details about Dyscourse from Owlchemy Labs |last=LeRay |first=Lena |work=Indiegames.com |publisher=UBM plc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121151510/http://indiegames.com/2013/12/interview_details_about_dyscou.html |archive-date=21 November 2015 |url-status=live }} There are six characters in the game. Rita, an art graduate working as a barista and the game's protagonist; Steve, a pessimist; Teddy, a conspiracy theorist; Garret, a gamer; and George and Jolene, a couple with marital problems. The game is set on a desert island with the six characters being the only survivors of a plane crash. The leadership of the group falls to Rita, allowing the player to make decisions about the group's actions. The choices have effects on the other survivors, including potentially triggering events that lead to their death. The game has numerous potential outcomes depending on the choices made by player, in which all, some, or none of the survivors are rescued by the end of the game. The player is encouraged to replay the game to make different decisions and in turn to obtain alternate endings.

A "memory marker" system is also used, which allows Rita or the other survivors to revisit areas without the need of a map.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamezebo.com/2013/11/14/dyscourse-preview/|title=Dyscourse Preview|last=Werner|first=Jillian|publisher=GameZebo|date=November 14, 2013|access-date=August 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810022012/http://www.gamezebo.com/2013/11/14/dyscourse-preview/|archive-date=August 10, 2015 |url-status=live}} After completing the game for the first time, the player unlocks the "Day Rewind" feature, which allows players to go back to the beginning of the day.

An additional mode in the game, Indie Island, was later added as downloadable content. This mode offers a similar scenario to the main game. The player controls Emily Park, a game developer on her way to the Game Developers Conference for the first time. The plane on which she is traveling crashes on a desert island with ten indie developers, including Tim Schafer, Edmund McMillen, and Robin Hunicke, who have twelve hours to get off the island before they miss the conference.{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/dyscourse-free-update-indie-island-out-now-293771.phtml |title=Dyscourse free update 'Indie Island' out now |last=Nakamura |first=Darren |publisher=Destructoid |date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828225144/http://www.destructoid.com/dyscourse-free-update-indie-island-out-now-293771.phtml |archive-date=August 28, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-10-survival-sim-dyscourse-adds-indie-dev-npcs-as-free-dlc |title=Survival sim Dyscourse adds indie dev NPCs as free DLC |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |publisher=Eurogamer |date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907074716/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-10-survival-sim-dyscourse-adds-indie-dev-npcs-as-free-dlc |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-status=live }}

The game was developed by Owlchemy Labs. The developer's previous works included 2011's Snuggle Truck and 2012's Jack Lumber.{{cite web| url=http://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/06/snuggle-truck-devs-dyscourse-promises-your-choices-truly-matt/| title=Snuggle Truck dev's 'Dyscourse' promises your choices truly matter| last= Conditt | first=Jessica | work=Joystiq | publisher=AOL| date=November 6, 2013| access-date=December 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131108161148/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/06/snuggle-truck-devs-dyscourse-promises-your-choices-truly-matt/|archive-date=November 8, 2013|url-status=live}} Dyscourse was first conceived at an "IndieCabin" retreat with Owlchemy Labs founder Alex Schwartz, CTO Devin Reimer, and artist Carrie Witt.{{cite web |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/01/owlchemy-labs-dyscourse-game-feature-for-125.html |title=The Psychological Survival of Dyscourse |last=Webb |first=Charles |work=Paste |date=January 24, 2014 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133422/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/01/owlchemy-labs-dyscourse-game-feature-for-125.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=live }} A Kickstarter campaign was launched on November 6, 2013 with a minimum funding goal of $40,000. The Kickstarter ended on December 6 successfully, raising $44,134 from 1,816 backers.{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/owlchemylabs/dyscourse-survivors-choose-wisely?ref=nav_search|title=DYSCOURSE: Survivors, Choose Wisely.|publisher=Kickstarter|access-date=September 23, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/6/5182016/dyscourse-kickstarter-campaign-closes-with-full-funding|title=Dyscourse Kickstarter campaign closes with full funding|last=Corriea|first=Alexa Ray|work=Polygon|publisher=Vox Media|date=December 6, 2013|access-date=August 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317062042/http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/6/5182016/dyscourse-kickstarter-campaign-closes-with-full-funding|archive-date=March 17, 2015|url-status=live}} The developer described the game as "Lord of the Flies plus a choose-your-own-adventure book, with a dash of Lost, and a sprinkle of The Walking Dead (minus the zombies), crafted with the humour and style Owlchemy Labs is known for."{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-23-quirky-survival-sim-dyscourse-is-out-now-on-steam|title=Quirky survival sim Dyscourse is out now on Steam|last=Matulef|first=Jeffery|publisher=Eurogamer|date=March 25, 2015|access-date=August 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810005913/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-23-quirky-survival-sim-dyscourse-is-out-now-on-steam|archive-date=August 10, 2015 |url-status=live}} In addition to The Walking Dead, the game's influences include the tabletop role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse and the video game The Oregon Trail. Taking between 60 and 80 minutes to complete, the game contains about 80,000 words of text, with a typical playthrough seeing around fifteen percent of these.{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/dyscourse-is-a-survival-game-that-s-light-on-survival-288640.phtml |title=Dyscourse is a survival game that's light on survival |last=Cosimano |first=Mike |publisher=Destructoid |date=March 5, 2015 |access-date=August 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306184349/http://www.destructoid.com/dyscourse-is-a-survival-game-that-s-light-on-survival-288640.phtml |archive-date=March 6, 2015 |url-status=live }} The game was shown at the 2014 SXSW gaming showcase.{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2014-10-24/game-on-austin/|title=The Austin Chronicle and SXSW Gaming show off Austin's gaming bounty|last=Renovich|first=James|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=October 24, 2014|access-date=June 24, 2019}}

{{Quote box|align=right|width=33%|"Is it that you're more fearful of what's in the forest and desert at night, or is it that the other humans that are with you are more dangerous?"|Alex Schwartz, founder of Owlchemy Studios on the concept of psychological survival in Dyscourse.}}

Dyscourse was released to Steam on March 25, 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/25/dyscourse-release-date/ |title=The Talking Dead: Dyscourse Is Out |last=Meer |first=Alec |publisher=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |date=March 25, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817014501/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/25/dyscourse-release-date/ |archive-date=August 17, 2015 |url-status=live }} To promote the game, Owlchemy Labs hid thumb drives containing Steam keys for the game all over the United States. One hundred of the keys were hidden in a tree on Hawaii 2, an island in Maine that was bought by the producers of card game Cards Against Humanity.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/03/27/owlchemy-labs-has-hidden-steam-keys-for-dyscourse-across-the-us.aspx |title=Owlchemy Labs Has Hidden Steam Keys For Dyscourse Across The U.S. |last=Gregory |first=Jon |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=GameStop |date=March 27, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702221522/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/03/27/owlchemy-labs-has-hidden-steam-keys-for-dyscourse-across-the-us.aspx |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |url-status=live }} In May 2015, Owlchemy Labs joined forces with the subscription box company IndieBox to offer an exclusive, individually-numbered, physical version of Dyscourse. The limited collector's edition included a flash-drive with a DRM-free copy of the game, official soundtrack, instruction manual, Steam key, and various custom-designed collectibles.{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/07/16/collectors-cabinet-dyscourse-limited-edition/158479/|title=Collector's Cabinet: Dyscourse: Limited Edition|last=Estrada|first=Marcus|publisher=Hardcore Gamer|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=August 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810004746/http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/07/16/collectors-cabinet-dyscourse-limited-edition/158479/|archive-date=August 10, 2015 |url-status=live}} After the game's release, Schwartz told GamesIndustry.biz that Dyscourse would be Owlchemy Labs' last game made "for 2D monitors", with future titles being made for virtual reality.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-05-07-owlchemy-bets-it-owl-in-vr|title=Owlchemy bets it owl on VR|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|publisher=GamesIndustry.biz|date=May 7, 2015|access-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527065357/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-05-07-owlchemy-bets-it-owl-in-vr|archive-date=May 27, 2015|url-status=live}}

{{Video game reviews

|MC=71/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/dyscourse/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Dyscourse for PC Reviews|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=November 6, 2015}}

|Destruct=7/10{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/review-dyscourse-289893.phtml |title=Review: Dyscourse |last=Nakamura |first=Darren |publisher=Destructoid |date=April 6, 2015 |access-date=August 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811061437/http://www.destructoid.com/review-dyscourse-289893.phtml |archive-date=August 11, 2015 |url-status=live }}

|GSpot=7/10{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dyscourse-review/1900-6416088/ |title=Dyscourse Review – GameSpot |last=Saas |first=Don |work=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=April 3, 2015 |access-date=August 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822191011/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dyscourse-review/1900-6416088/ |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |url-status=live }}

| rev1 = Eurogamer Italy

| rev1Score = 7/10{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.it/articles/2015-04-07-dyscourse-il-simulatore-di-lost-recensione|title=Dyscourse, il simulatore di Lost - recensione |work=Eurogamer|language=Italian|date=April 7, 2015|access-date=June 24, 2019}}

| rev2 = Good Game

| rev2Score = {{Rating|7|10}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s4216158.htm|title=Good Game Stories – Dyscourse|work=Good Game|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=April 14, 2015|access-date=August 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809014610/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s4216158.htm|archive-date=August 9, 2015 |url-status=live}}

}}

Dyscourse received "mixed or average reviews", according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. Destructoid{{'}}s Darren Nakamura found the game's brevity to be warranted. Don Saas, writing for GameSpot, praised the game's writing and its "storybook visuals". Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell and Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen from the Australian television gaming program Good Game both gave the title three and a half stars, with the final rating being a seven out of ten.

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{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category-inline|Dyscourse|Dyscourse}}

• {{Official website|dyscourse.com}}

Category:2015 video games

Category:Crowdfunded video games

Category:Indie games

Category:Kickstarter-funded video games

Category:Linux games

Category:MacOS games

Category:Owlchemy Labs games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Survival video games

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Video games featuring female protagonists

Category:Video games set on islands

Category:Windows games