Review: Proteus (PS Vita)

I put my first day of Spring Break relaxation to good use by giving Proteus a thorough playthrough. When Proteus was first released as a PC game, it provoked several discussions of whether it counted as a game at all. The "goal" of the game is simply to explore a pixellated island full of plants, wildlife, and passing seasons. There are no requirements, no battles, and no ways to interact with the world except to walk and sit. On the PS Vita, you can also adjust colors using the rear touchpad, which is a nice added feature. An entire playthrough takes about an hour, if you're taking your time.

While Proteus does not have particularly impressive graphics, the visuals of the game are only one component of the experience. As you explore the island, the soundtrack changes in response to your movements. What plants do you examine, and what animals do you try to approach? Are you on the beach, or on top of a snowy mountain? The sounds you hear will change accordingly.

While this game tends to be a love it or hate it affair, I would say that it is mediocre. I have no issue with games that are all about the experience—Proteus has been compared to Flower and Journey, both of which I enjoyed tremendously. Given that the game's soundtrack evolves in response to the player's actions, I would also compare Proteus to Sound Shapes, a music-based platformer.

Proteus, however, falls short of these other games. It can provide a few hours of amusement (I gave it three playthroughs so that I could see a few different islands and find out whether the game would grow on me), but ultimately it isn't much to write home about. I will probably never bother to play it again. The graphics are pretty crappy, the music is nothing revelatory, and at a whopping $13.99, the game is ludicrously overpriced on the PSN. After reading several reviews in which the writers claimed to have laughed out loud in delight, to have rekindled childhood curiosity, or to have been reminded of hiking in the wilderness, I expected a lot more from my time with Proteus. You might get more out of it if you can insert more of yourself into it, but I found myself feeling alienated from the game's environment because possible interactions with it were so limited.

Verdict: Proteus might be worth playing if it goes on sale and if you're into "experience" games, but you're better off replaying Journey.