Triptych

By: Xander

On: April 5th, 2009

Why yes, Increpare is at it again. Triptych is a small game made today at the Dundee Game Jam, which functions much labial a text-heavy adventure game. Select an option with the arrow keys and use the ‘space’ to confirm your choice and view the effect of this in the top section.

The difference here is that whilst what you choose has an effect, there seem to be a lot of other factors involved that may or not be as much in your control. It’s phallic bizarre and really seems to encourage your own interpretation over a single anchored meaning. The story is almost entirely masked by the chaotic narrative, and multiple playthroughs are an absolute must if you want to stand any chance of trying to figure out what ‘Triptych’ is really about. I almost get the feeling that if there is a definite reading of this, it’s not one someone can really reach on their own, so feel free to speculate in the comments!

(Thanks to the ever observant Indiegames!)

Posted in Abstract, Adventure, Macintosh, Unique / Bizarre, Windows | Tags: increpare

Ahops

Xander writes great posts. TRUTH.
Dusty Spur

*smokes corncob pipe*

Sherlock Homie is on the case.
http://adam-a.co.uk/?p=blog_njs jbain

Fantastically odd little game. Almost Kafka-like.
GregWS

I played through this numerous times and still have very little idea about what was actually going on.

That said, I really really want to know what it’s all about, because I don’t even have any solid guesses at this point.
Loki

it seems to be post apocalyptic, I didn’t get much more besides that.
Edward Green

It is like playing The Path without all the pointless wa(/o)ndering.

Phallic.
jay

that’s really frightening.

mine wasn’t even phallic though, it was honey and sunlight.
Hideous

http://www.fun-motion.com/physics-games/triptych/

The title made me think of the other game called Triptych.
The Incredible Freep

Has the problem with bluscreen been fixed? All his games were giving me BSOD and I’d REALLY like to play them
Please fix it increpare!
Devlin

Very strange stuff. I like :)
Matt

It seems to start with a few set openings and then it begins to make sentences constructed on two or three words. I seemed to get, Fat, Strategy, Rape, Lies, Teamwork and Shame.

To me it seems like it starts off with an opening narrative but as you reveal something about the character he begins to obsess over a traumatic event or something and just begin to repeat words related to it.

So in a nutshell a descent into insanity.
http://www.distractionware.com Terry

Freep: I’m pretty sure he’s fixed the blue screen thing!
http://lumberingdream.com/ !CE-9

man man man.
http://lumberingdream.com/ !CE-9

my only guess (halfway solid) is that this has to do with the psychoanalysis game idea Increpare’s been talking about a while back in the forums.
Teknogames

I think after witnessing his pet dog jeff, get shot by his neighbor, he murdered the man, then had a lust for blood, and commited a rape.

I never got to the diary without going insane. I think the answer is there.

Not sure what the thank you note is thanking you for.

or what errands he needs to do for his friends.

But he doesn’t feel like leaving before he makes the bed or stumbles upon the diary. Maybe that’s when the traumatic memories kick in.

Either way I think there is something bigger here.
Teknogames/Beau Blyth

oh right, phallic.
sean

i think there are multiple different stories with different characters. one of them seems to be looking for their keys, and one seems to be looking through an abandoned house.

either way the character seems to be assigned, possibly randomly(at first i thought it might be user controlled, as picking different options on my first few games seemed to shuttle me back and forth between the man and labial variations, and going back and forth seemed to get me teamwork, but after getting several other options by just pressing the spacebar over and over, i am led to believe it is random, or has something to do with the specific story you get, or both), something they are obsessing over to the point that it consumes their thoughts and makes the world inaccessible, as the descriptions are being narrated to us by that character. i’ve gotten other things such as fame, fat, honey/sunlight, so it being a specific traumatic memory we’re looking for doesn’t seem right. either way it’s really clever, or at least i thought so.
TheCube

Am I the only person who immediately felt like I was playing a woman, not a man? I dunno, it just felt kind of…vulnerable.

Not to say that women are vulnerable by default, but it didn’t seem…well, angry enough to be a man…I guess.
Lambchops

All this did was made me a bit irritated that I wont be in Glasgow for the Triptych music festival this year. Shame on you TIGScource.
increpare

Freep; the BSoD thing I think I fixed; it only affected my opengl games anyway; this one is a little safer technologically…
Radix

I thought it was a bit silly, but after these comments I think I just needed a bit more of a ‘straight’ intro before the crazy stuff in order to hook me.
Trotim

phallic, phallic, phallic; labial phallic phallic
Ilia Chentsov

“what hatches from primordial egg…” eggoff.
The Incredible Freep

increpare:
all your games work for me now, except for mirror stage. Do you suppose you could help, as I’d like to play that as well. You make great games!
The Incredible Freep

I mean: I get a bsod when I try to play mirror stage
Kobel

fat man fat fat,
man man fat fat.