How to enjoy Return of the Obra Dinn - Beginner's Guide
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Date: 2023-12-10
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Comments and reviews: 30
-juanjuri6127
My tips:
1. In each character's journal page, you get a transcript of the dialogue (or, in some cases, gross grunting and slurping sounds) of their death scene. The 'X' marks dialogue said by the guy who's dying.
2. Pay attention to the info you get in the manifest! The nationality, first and last names, and ranks/occupations of each character can be extremely helpful in at least narrowing down a few identities. If you know the guy you're looking at is a sailor, and you've narrowed it down to either the sailor listed as being from Sierra Leone or the sailor listed as being from China, it shouldn't be a hard guess.
3. On the same note, pay attention to the slightly more 'normal' scenes. These will have most of the crew doing their everyday routine, which at least should help you jot down their corresponding rank. There's a glossary in the journal that describes the different ranks of the ship's crew and what they do. Not everybody on a ship gets to do parkour on the sails! Also, bear in mind that some ranks should have pretty clear visual clues, like an uniform or a fancy hat.
4. Tattoo dude for employee of the month
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My tips:
1. In each character's journal page, you get a transcript of the dialogue (or, in some cases, gross grunting and slurping sounds) of their death scene. The 'X' marks dialogue said by the guy who's dying.
2. Pay attention to the info you get in the manifest! The nationality, first and last names, and ranks/occupations of each character can be extremely helpful in at least narrowing down a few identities. If you know the guy you're looking at is a sailor, and you've narrowed it down to either the sailor listed as being from Sierra Leone or the sailor listed as being from China, it shouldn't be a hard guess.
3. On the same note, pay attention to the slightly more 'normal' scenes. These will have most of the crew doing their everyday routine, which at least should help you jot down their corresponding rank. There's a glossary in the journal that describes the different ranks of the ship's crew and what they do. Not everybody on a ship gets to do parkour on the sails! Also, bear in mind that some ranks should have pretty clear visual clues, like an uniform or a fancy hat.
4. Tattoo dude for employee of the month
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-TheAndroidBishop
1. The numbers next to the crew manifest entries are important
2. Tattoo guy is immediately identifiable the moment you discover him BECAUSE of his tattoos. Learn something about tattoos
3. Use that glossary if you don't know what a bosun, midshipman, topman, or steward are
4. This game will force you to be racist in many cases, but will then throw that racism right back in your face and make you feel bad about it at least once or twice
5. Pay close attention to the background of other deaths to figure the fates of the unknowns
6. JUST PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. I'm talking like notice the shoes people wear, and whether they have rings or not, and whether they're cheating at poker. Pay attention to everything
7. If somebody is unblurred, you ABSOLUTELY CAN IDENTIFY THEM. Try to figure it out before going deeper into the story with other corpses
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1. The numbers next to the crew manifest entries are important
2. Tattoo guy is immediately identifiable the moment you discover him BECAUSE of his tattoos. Learn something about tattoos
3. Use that glossary if you don't know what a bosun, midshipman, topman, or steward are
4. This game will force you to be racist in many cases, but will then throw that racism right back in your face and make you feel bad about it at least once or twice
5. Pay close attention to the background of other deaths to figure the fates of the unknowns
6. JUST PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. I'm talking like notice the shoes people wear, and whether they have rings or not, and whether they're cheating at poker. Pay attention to everything
7. If somebody is unblurred, you ABSOLUTELY CAN IDENTIFY THEM. Try to figure it out before going deeper into the story with other corpses
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-Anastas1786
_Thank_ you for bringing up the bookmarks. Being able to see the last (few) memories a person was in (big help for those who disappeared, tail a person (big help for someone who receives a major injury out-of-sight and dies a while later, think _-who_ was he again? - and get an immediate short(er) list of memories, or even just _tag_ my current person of interest and repeatedly flip back and forth between memory pages to jog my memory was a _major_ help to my investigation, and easily my most (and best) used tool.
In most of the playthroughs I've watched afterward, however, no one ever seems to actually _use_ the bookmarks, which kinda drives me crazy, rewarding as it is to see someone have a major breakthrough after a long struggle. I can't help but feel just a _liiiittle_ bit miffed that the struggle could've been a bit shorter with bookmarks.
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_Thank_ you for bringing up the bookmarks. Being able to see the last (few) memories a person was in (big help for those who disappeared, tail a person (big help for someone who receives a major injury out-of-sight and dies a while later, think _-who_ was he again? - and get an immediate short(er) list of memories, or even just _tag_ my current person of interest and repeatedly flip back and forth between memory pages to jog my memory was a _major_ help to my investigation, and easily my most (and best) used tool.
In most of the playthroughs I've watched afterward, however, no one ever seems to actually _use_ the bookmarks, which kinda drives me crazy, rewarding as it is to see someone have a major breakthrough after a long struggle. I can't help but feel just a _liiiittle_ bit miffed that the struggle could've been a bit shorter with bookmarks.
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-Soroboruo
Two tips: 1, it saves a loooot of effort if you can narrow down an ID as soon as the book says you can. If you view all the scenes first, virtually every portrait will be clear and you'll have to narrow down a lot of information with little to go on; if you check the moment it gets clear, you can say -okay, why is this ready NOW? What have I JUST learned that could help? -
The second tip is 2, the answer is never -I guess the dev didn't think of that-. The amount of detail in this game can be boggling. Every character can be IDed with more than -Well this character looks East-Asian, and has Chinese style clothes, so I assume they're from China-. You CAN guess at answers, and I absolutely did because I was rushing way too much by the end, but some people have done ridiculously meticulous runs that have paid off as well.
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Two tips: 1, it saves a loooot of effort if you can narrow down an ID as soon as the book says you can. If you view all the scenes first, virtually every portrait will be clear and you'll have to narrow down a lot of information with little to go on; if you check the moment it gets clear, you can say -okay, why is this ready NOW? What have I JUST learned that could help? -
The second tip is 2, the answer is never -I guess the dev didn't think of that-. The amount of detail in this game can be boggling. Every character can be IDed with more than -Well this character looks East-Asian, and has Chinese style clothes, so I assume they're from China-. You CAN guess at answers, and I absolutely did because I was rushing way too much by the end, but some people have done ridiculously meticulous runs that have paid off as well.
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-ZeroKage69
I am so confused in this game. Should I have been able to figure stuff out on my first go through of viewing the memories and stuff? Because by the time I got through all the memories and the guy called me back to the boat to leave I had probably filled in about. 4 details in the whole book. But I was never sure about anything so I never put any details in on my first go around. I've since then been able to complete at least 3 fates but I am still soo lost and I am thinking about just starting a new save file so I can go more slowly but idk.
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I am so confused in this game. Should I have been able to figure stuff out on my first go through of viewing the memories and stuff? Because by the time I got through all the memories and the guy called me back to the boat to leave I had probably filled in about. 4 details in the whole book. But I was never sure about anything so I never put any details in on my first go around. I've since then been able to complete at least 3 fates but I am still soo lost and I am thinking about just starting a new save file so I can go more slowly but idk.
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-mambocomet
My tip, finish the book before leaving the ship. I just went around and collected all the memories I could then left and figured i'd be able to watch them all and finish the book at my office or wherever our guy stays. felt really frustrated that the game is so vague with. well everything. gameplay, mechanics, graphics, dialogue, and just basic -this is how you play the game- mechanics. I get its supposed to be allusive and stuff but basic gameplay functions shouldn't be hidden.
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My tip, finish the book before leaving the ship. I just went around and collected all the memories I could then left and figured i'd be able to watch them all and finish the book at my office or wherever our guy stays. felt really frustrated that the game is so vague with. well everything. gameplay, mechanics, graphics, dialogue, and just basic -this is how you play the game- mechanics. I get its supposed to be allusive and stuff but basic gameplay functions shouldn't be hidden.
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-RossLlewallyn
Every single column in the ship manifest comes in handy. Details while looking around a scene can totally make or break your ability to figure some folks out. You will sometimes be able to get whole groups of people in one go if you figure out the right type of clue. Simone looks at one tricky type of clue directly in this video.
And the moment you get 3 right, hear the music, and see your guess pressed into the page never gets old.
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Every single column in the ship manifest comes in handy. Details while looking around a scene can totally make or break your ability to figure some folks out. You will sometimes be able to get whole groups of people in one go if you figure out the right type of clue. Simone looks at one tricky type of clue directly in this video.
And the moment you get 3 right, hear the music, and see your guess pressed into the page never gets old.
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-justlou717
Loved the video (and such helpful comments) - one question I have is, I wish I understood how the mechanics of the -memory- really works in regards to watching a cut/scene, then being -stuck- in it, then the smoke monster style animation (that I believe shows you where the bodied died and then moved to its final resting place) I feel as if I have a grasp on 70% of what I just described.
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Loved the video (and such helpful comments) - one question I have is, I wish I understood how the mechanics of the -memory- really works in regards to watching a cut/scene, then being -stuck- in it, then the smoke monster style animation (that I believe shows you where the bodied died and then moved to its final resting place) I feel as if I have a grasp on 70% of what I just described.
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-Bitcoin_Baron
The reason I hate this game is because none of what is in this video is in the game. At least some of what this video explains should have been in an opening tutorial within the game. Arrogant game devs thinking how the basics works must be obvious or easy to figure out (especially in a one-of-a-kind type of game like this) are the reason I would not recommend this game to anyone.
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The reason I hate this game is because none of what is in this video is in the game. At least some of what this video explains should have been in an opening tutorial within the game. Arrogant game devs thinking how the basics works must be obvious or easy to figure out (especially in a one-of-a-kind type of game like this) are the reason I would not recommend this game to anyone.
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-zanthiablue5254
I played this game through in almost one sitting and it was a wonderful experience that I want as many people as possible to have. One thing I will say if you are playing is, don't be afraid to make some assumptions. While this isn't a game where you should make random guesses, if you have a theory or a hunch, put it in the book, there is no punishment for incorrect guesses.
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I played this game through in almost one sitting and it was a wonderful experience that I want as many people as possible to have. One thing I will say if you are playing is, don't be afraid to make some assumptions. While this isn't a game where you should make random guesses, if you have a theory or a hunch, put it in the book, there is no punishment for incorrect guesses.
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-dersps5905
My Pro tip: Don't guess between multiple people. If you have two people and it's either one of them, don't try to just guess, at least think about which option you consider more likely. Otherwise, look for more clues. It's often surprisingly easy to find clues if you just look through a person's memories. Remember, you can only play this game once so play it to its fullest.
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My Pro tip: Don't guess between multiple people. If you have two people and it's either one of them, don't try to just guess, at least think about which option you consider more likely. Otherwise, look for more clues. It's often surprisingly easy to find clues if you just look through a person's memories. Remember, you can only play this game once so play it to its fullest.
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-charlieni645
Great video! The most interesting part of the game's puzzle mechanic to me is just to figure out what those mechanics are, so many tip videos and articles ended up feeling like spoilers. What needs to be pointed out, however, is the relatively unintuitive quality of life design hinders information gathering a bit and needs to be clarified, and this video did just that.
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Great video! The most interesting part of the game's puzzle mechanic to me is just to figure out what those mechanics are, so many tip videos and articles ended up feeling like spoilers. What needs to be pointed out, however, is the relatively unintuitive quality of life design hinders information gathering a bit and needs to be clarified, and this video did just that.
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-danielapereda7169
My friend and I are playing to together (I control the character and we discuss the clues together) but I'm having a really hard time explaining the -flow- of the game to him, ie. the way the game seems to systematically either reveal or gatekeep information from the player. Or maybe I also don't really understand it LOL. Does anyone have an explanation of this?
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My friend and I are playing to together (I control the character and we discuss the clues together) but I'm having a really hard time explaining the -flow- of the game to him, ie. the way the game seems to systematically either reveal or gatekeep information from the player. Or maybe I also don't really understand it LOL. Does anyone have an explanation of this?
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-NotTheRookie
I had a couple eureka moments all related to the one scene when everyone is sleeping in their hammocks below decks.
When I realized the hammocks were numbered, and the numbers correlated to the passenger manifest. Another when I noticed one of the sleeping crew members had a tattoo on his arm.
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I had a couple eureka moments all related to the one scene when everyone is sleeping in their hammocks below decks.
When I realized the hammocks were numbered, and the numbers correlated to the passenger manifest. Another when I noticed one of the sleeping crew members had a tattoo on his arm.
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-Shinyjpg
i finished this game a few weeks ago, and i hardly got half of the book finished. Gonna go through it again and keep an eye out for more clues!
one thing that helped me was the voice acting/accents! Comparing people's speech to where they may be from, helped narrow things down
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i finished this game a few weeks ago, and i hardly got half of the book finished. Gonna go through it again and keep an eye out for more clues!
one thing that helped me was the voice acting/accents! Comparing people's speech to where they may be from, helped narrow things down
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-ericmillettcon
My tip for someone unsure about buying this game: try out the demo! It-s a couple of years old and the full game improves on it but it gives you a perfect teaser for how the game works. It-s what made me go from -this game looks interesting- to -I have to buy this! -.
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My tip for someone unsure about buying this game: try out the demo! It-s a couple of years old and the full game improves on it but it gives you a perfect teaser for how the game works. It-s what made me go from -this game looks interesting- to -I have to buy this! -.
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-hvnspwn
When you start a scene, one solve I managed was by interrupting the caption cards, and skipping straight to the diorama. That way every audio sound comes in more clear relief. Some conversations, or even deaths, become clearer when you zoom out from the -main death- ongoing.
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When you start a scene, one solve I managed was by interrupting the caption cards, and skipping straight to the diorama. That way every audio sound comes in more clear relief. Some conversations, or even deaths, become clearer when you zoom out from the -main death- ongoing.
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-someoldcliche
If you haven't bought this game yet, do yourself a favor and buy it. I've never played a game like this, and once I launched it I literally played through the whole thing in one day, which I almost never do. Definitely in my top 3 games of 2018.
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If you haven't bought this game yet, do yourself a favor and buy it. I've never played a game like this, and once I launched it I literally played through the whole thing in one day, which I almost never do. Definitely in my top 3 games of 2018.
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-dominicknar1791
Thank you for the tips I got so stuck on this game that I just never really play it that often, but now that i know the range of details the game expects you to look for I feel like I can do this. AGAIN THANK YOU ------
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Thank you for the tips I got so stuck on this game that I just never really play it that often, but now that i know the range of details the game expects you to look for I feel like I can do this. AGAIN THANK YOU ------
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-mrf4ncyp4nts
The Number One tip to enjoying the game - --Enjoy it. -- Once you solve all the puzzles, you can't really go back and get the experience back again. It's an amazing, but sadly, one-and-done game.
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The Number One tip to enjoying the game - --Enjoy it. -- Once you solve all the puzzles, you can't really go back and get the experience back again. It's an amazing, but sadly, one-and-done game.
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-johnwiswell4022
This was a tremendously useful intro to the ways you can look at clues without spoiling the game. Thanks so much! I didn't think about tracing identities through what they had in their cabins.
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This was a tremendously useful intro to the ways you can look at clues without spoiling the game. Thanks so much! I didn't think about tracing identities through what they had in their cabins.
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-bobthebox2993
My personal tip would be: don't use the fate validation feature to brute force the last one in a set of 3. The game is way more enjoyable when you get to figure everything out on your own
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My personal tip would be: don't use the fate validation feature to brute force the last one in a set of 3. The game is way more enjoyable when you get to figure everything out on your own
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-marcusc9931
If a door looks fuzzy, that means it used to be locked, but now you can enter.
also, -Foreign enemies- are dudes like pirates.
Everything that isn't a human is a -beast. -
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If a door looks fuzzy, that means it used to be locked, but now you can enter.
also, -Foreign enemies- are dudes like pirates.
Everything that isn't a human is a -beast. -
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-Ryotaiku
Some puzzles have multiple answers. If a death is vague and could be written as two different things, more than likely you can just write down either one and it'll register.
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Some puzzles have multiple answers. If a death is vague and could be written as two different things, more than likely you can just write down either one and it'll register.
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-timroman4742
Love this comment section thank you for making this video and thank you to everyone in the comments. I-m definitely going back to play and finish this masterpiece!
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Love this comment section thank you for making this video and thank you to everyone in the comments. I-m definitely going back to play and finish this masterpiece!
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-clairecohen3178
I was intimidated when I heard y'all talking about this game on The Polygon Show, but this video makes me want to play (although it still looks really hard)
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I was intimidated when I heard y'all talking about this game on The Polygon Show, but this video makes me want to play (although it still looks really hard)
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-tritonneptune3834
I've seen so many let's plays fly through the game chapter by chapter until they reach the end with less than 20% of the crew identified. Infuriating.
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I've seen so many let's plays fly through the game chapter by chapter until they reach the end with less than 20% of the crew identified. Infuriating.
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-BookofAeons
This is a great idea for a video and I'd love to see more like it in the future. Sometimes that tiniest little bit of direction makes all the difference.
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This is a great idea for a video and I'd love to see more like it in the future. Sometimes that tiniest little bit of direction makes all the difference.
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-OrangeTang
Protip: The Captain did it. All of it. Don't even bother walking around the ship. It's already late and you've got to get back to your hotel soon anyway.
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Protip: The Captain did it. All of it. Don't even bother walking around the ship. It's already late and you've got to get back to your hotel soon anyway.
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-Spenstoppable
Oh hey, I just bought this game and started playing it an hour ago. Thanks for specifically optimizing your content to my convenience!
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Oh hey, I just bought this game and started playing it an hour ago. Thanks for specifically optimizing your content to my convenience!
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