Perhaps it is easier to describe what Proteus is not, rather than what it is. Proteus has no objectives, in the traditional sense. There is no plot or story whatsoever. There are no people to interact with, nor bad guys to eliminate. There are no attributes to your persona, either. You are neither male nor female, warrior nor wizard, nor any other preconceived type of character. In fact, the only physical quality you may notice is upon leaving the game’s island–an eyelid noticeably closes to darken the scene. Proteus is not your usual video game, and whether the end result is what developers Ed Key and David Kanaga originally envisioned or simply what it happened to become, I do not know.
But for all its lack of convention, Proteus is truly a magical game, one where you explore a beautifully imagined, yet randomly generated, island enhanced with some of the most tranquil music in gaming. There’s your nutshell. At first realization of Proteus’ conceptual limitation, I felt a little let-down, but I soon filed away my bias of what a game should be and allowed Proteus to show me the things it uniquely brings to our medium’s table.
The first view presented at the game’s onset is its island setting from a distance. The cel-shaded colors are bright and beautiful. I see trees, hills, a carpet of green grass, and a snow-capped mountain in the distance. As I move forward, I realize I am not alone. There are honking yellow flowers which zip back into the ground as I get close, as well as little creatures which hop away to a set of musical chords. A flock of flightless birds scatters away with its own distinctive music. This opening sequence is quite inviting, as is the array of colors that envelope the screen. Greens, browns, blues, and pastels create unique and beautiful–yet, simple–portraits of the island’s venues.
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As beautiful as the island is, the music is what completes the experience. A serene soundtrack complements the surroundings and gently sways in dynamic fashion as you move from sunny hills to rain-drenched valleys. The effect is quite relaxing and absorbing.
Moving around the island is fluid and unobtrusive. Scaling a mountain is as simple as walking through a valley. The game does not force you to find paths to seemingly difficult destinations. It simply lets you go. This may sound boring, but the sense of adventure you feel is unprecedented. I found myself deciding to walk up one more hill, or follow one more path, only to see something else on the horizon that I wanted to explore. I walked by a circle of stones and felt a vibration from the controller that had me searching for the source. I entered the stone circle and was amazed as the sun and clouds above quickly moved across the sky to be replaced by a bright moon, and then clouds, a torrent of rain, the sun again, and on and on. The effect was magical. I sat in that circle for minutes, mesmerized by the quick cycle of day, night, colors, and weather patterns. The experience made me want to find more secret gems of discovery–and, thus, the adventure went on.
A welcome feature that Proteus provides is the ability to save experiences like these in the form of Postcards. Simply hold down R2, as if taking a picture, and the game saves not just an image of the view in front of you, but the ability to revisit that exact point in the game. As Proteus supports Cross-Play and Cross-Buy between PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, the game wisely gives access to these Postcards between the two systems.
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For all its beauty and serenity, I felt that each time I ventured to the island–how most sessions with Proteus begin–there simply wasn’t enough variety. In fact, the opening view of the island had only slight variations with each new visit. Too often, there were recognizable structures or mountains that looked very similar to previous excursions, just located in a different area. This doesn’t take away from the island’s visual magic, but does make me question the game’s lasting appeal. I reloaded Proteus several times attempting to see something significantly different, but still found only variations of what I had already experienced.
Proteus’ other hang-up is its price. This game’s style is simply not for everyone and its $13.99 price is going to prevent many from giving it a try. Proteus is exceptionally imaginative, and its developers should be proud of what they have created, but the price point is still prohibitive in a situation where gamers should feel invited to try something different.
The scenes in Proteus are gorgeous and the music sets the mood for a delightful experience. The ability to take shots of your favorite scenes is a nice touch in this constantly evolving world. Gamers looking for a break from action and achievements in favor of serene exploration will be greatly satisfied with Proteus. But others might not see the point, especially for the price of entry. A certain lack of environmental variety may diminish the game’s lasting appeal for those who fall in love, but there is still much in Proteus’ creative landscape to discover and explore.
