So, bottom line: Recommend or not? Yes, but the game is certainly not for everyone.
35mm’s story begins and ends in rather simple notes. You won’t be doing much else other than surviving. The game is quiet at first about how the world ended, how you and your partner got together, and even who you are. This choice seems to be deliberate, since the narrative concerns itself with topics like humanity and existentialism rather than science fiction. If you’re interested in knowing the why?s and how?s of the story, this is optional. You can find out through some notes/radios/random-items scattered throughout the landscape. This is how the game will reward your exploration.
For one thing, the story never lectures you about what it wants to say, instead the narrative presents its message in a few lines and then politely walks away, leaving you free to ponder over its meaning as you explore your decaying surroundings.
You will quickly notice is that the game?s English grammar is terrible, although the intended message is comprehensible. Interestingly, this linguistic flaw seems to work for the benefit of the experience. As Alec Meer from Rock, Paper, Shotgun puts it, the game?s text “…reads like broken poetry, adding to the feeling of a world barely holding itself together”.
The bread and butter of 35mm is, unsurprisingly, the atmosphere. The art style went for a decaying realistic style, with very weak colors painting the world. This melancholy is further reinforced with minimalistic musical ambiance, as it seeps from the background, submerging the player in the ever-present angst of a post-disaster world. Additionally, the game crafts its atmosphere so neatly that some parts will really feel like a horror game. The game won’t really scare you (aside maybe from a few parts), but the way it plays its cards… I found myself within the dark and brooding... absolutely delightful!
Now sadly, 35mm suffers from a few headaches that do admittedly detract from the experience, and may even be deal breakers for some. These all boil down to gameplay elements, namely:
- The controls are sluggish and somewhat wonky, especially with the head bob turned on.
- It’s not always clear what exactly it is that you must do or find because of poor design choices. This will often lead to frustration.
- The game makes no effort whatsoever to teach its mechanics or how to reach your objective.
- The game seems to have an identity problem sometimes. Although it is more an eerie walking simulator than anything else, it has some action, shooter and even quick-time event parts. Given the poor state of the game?s controls and mechanics, these parts… all suck. Fortunately they just make a small fraction of playtime.
In conclusion, THE VERDICT IS:
Despite being ultimately dragged down by poor controls and some tedious bits, 35mm shines thanks to its beautiful atmosphere, great music and mysterious narrative. I applaud this game for achieving a beautiful harmony between musicalization, aesthetic design and narrative… But if you can’t stand clunky walking simulators, then don’t say you were not warned.