The 39 Steps

1. BigBagBully

   Apr 30, 2013

   10

   Okay, I'm giving this a 10 on a couple of counts. The first being that this is bold new territory. Seen nothing quite like this. I wasOkay, I'm giving this a 10 on a couple of counts. The first being that this is bold new territory. Seen nothing quite like this. I was immersed in the story, and really enjoyed the experience. Secondly, I think the format created here really shines and I'd love to see how other stories could be transformed in this way. I noticed the developer has pushed this out on desktop and tablet... I'd like to see console too. If there was a criticism, I'd say it would be good to push the interactions a bit further. I'd give anything to actually feel like I was standing in the worlds that are being created. Maybe the next one?… Expand

   • 5 of 8 users found this helpful
2. quartetwain

   Jan 15, 2015

   10

   First off, as has been stated here time and again, this is not a game. That said, it is also not a book. And therein lies the source of mostFirst off, as has been stated here time and again, this is not a game. That said, it is also not a book. And therein lies the source of most of the negative Steam comments. Yes, it is slower than a book, but does that necessarily make it tedious? I am inclined to say, "no". Today's super-hero immersed, action thrillers, contain so little plot, it could be contained by one written page, maybe half a page. And yet, they are consistently called, "fast-paced". A painting talks hardly at all, does this mean it does not say anything? I think a better may to approach this new art, for art it surely is, is to consider it as an interactive-comic-book-movie hybrid. The reader sets the pace of his exploration. If one wants to explore the beautiful moorish vistas, he may. If he wants to read every letter of a simulated 1914 newspaper, he may. If he simply wants to hurry through to the end, he may do that too, to his own detriment. The pace is not slow, as much as it is metered. The interactive-comic-book-movie, or icbm as I shall now so intelligently dub it, can not be completed in an hour, although one could surely read the text in this amount of time. It slows the pace, to a line, or even a picture, at a time, giving the viewer time to reflect upon the work, and, for me at least, time to become immersed in the story. Where a Marvel movie might have me bored to tears, and a novel by Dickens might encourage me to speed read past my tedium to my have-done list, I found the icbm totally engrossing for its duration. Considering its often discounted price, I found it well worth the money. Currently the price of a comic book or movie rental, it provides about 5 hours of enjoyment. Not only is it a better bargain for entertainment, it leaves a sense of intellectual satisfaction. Having bought it as part of a Humble-bundle, it also sated my frugal-pride. On a side note, while I enjoy Hitchcock as well as film-noir, I could never get myself to appreciate the confusion of his film adaptation. This version I loved. It taught me to forget about the movie, and enjoy the icbm. To finish, I would encourage anyone with an interest in books or art, to check this little number out. It think most will find it well worth the look.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
4. lordvilbro

   Mar 6, 2014

   9

   Rarely we see a story-telling game doing the story telling part right but that's not the case with The 39 Steps. It proves once again thatRarely we see a story-telling game doing the story telling part right but that's not the case with The 39 Steps. It proves once again that video-games are as capable as other mediums of telling a good story about humans and human problems. It keeps you engaged in the story and the development of it from the beginning until the end without using any video-game cliches such as, for example, ridiculous, out of context puzzles. Unfortunately there where some strange choices in what regards the strange collectibles and the even stranger trophies that we receive through out the game. We should only receive rewards when a difficult challenge is presented to us and we are able to beat it, and not by just playing the game...
   On other subject, what many people don't understand is that interactivity doesn't automatically imply choice or free will... Interactive means you can touch the work (so to speak). You can appreciate the work at your own pace and sometimes only what you which to appreciate. You need to understand that your presence in the world of the game doesn't always need to be of an active participant and that you aren't always the main character. Sometimes you are only a observer with limited capabilities. The argument that this and other similar games are movies just baffles me. Not many people watch movies it seems...
   Anyways, The 39 Steps it's, in my opinion, a must play to everybody interested in the interactive medium and also to everybody interested in a good crime / mystery story.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
5. TheTVguy

   Mar 11, 2017

   7

   The 39 steps is an enjoyable story. Gameplay is pretty much non-existent, but most visual novels suffer from the same issue, after all theyThe 39 steps is an enjoyable story. Gameplay is pretty much non-existent, but most visual novels suffer from the same issue, after all they are digital stories. Storywise the 39 steps is kind of exciting for the most part, but it gets a bit boring about halfway through. The voice acting is decent and the artwork is nice to look at, but the game has little to none replayability.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Vanishrap

   Nov 15, 2021

   7

   I have bought this game a couple of years ago and played it only now, I had different expectations for this, so the following things surprisedI have bought this game a couple of years ago and played it only now, I had different expectations for this, so the following things surprised me:
   
   1. This is not a detective game.
   2. This is not even a point-and-click game.
   3. You don't have any freedom and you just follow the plot.
   4. There is very few "game"-ish moments and 90% of the game is just reading/listening.
   
   But don't get me wrong, this game is still really good. I have not watched the movie and have not read a book, so I knew nothing about the plot. The story is interesting and all of the actions start in the second chapter and it keeps you intrigued until the very end. The voice acting is nice, the art is really beautiful and I spent more time looking at landscapes than I planned.
   
   "39 steps" is a great visual novel, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to be immersed in a thriller-action-James-Bond story with very atmospheric and detailed artwork.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. antjohnst

   Apr 29, 2013

   6

   Good concept but... for a game about story, one would hope that they have a decent mastery of spelling and grammar. I am no expert on theGood concept but... for a game about story, one would hope that they have a decent mastery of spelling and grammar. I am no expert on the English language, but, even I feel like I'm being yanked out of the attempted immersion at times due to said spelling errors, common writing pitfalls, and grammatical omissions and errors.… Expand

   • 3 of 9 users found this helpful
8. Jamson

   Jan 4, 2014

   1

   Oh god no please this is not a game. It is a e book with every so often open the door interaction cant recommend hated it and was a waste ofOh god no please this is not a game. It is a e book with every so often open the door interaction cant recommend hated it and was a waste of time. Dont buy it I know the story may be good but jst buy the book.… Expand

   • 0 of 3 users found this helpful

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