Line #14 VideoGame/Looming


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looming.png]]
2	-->''This game is about two lovers named January and September.''
3	-->''No, wait; it’s about a group of people who don’t believe in the sky.''
4	-->''No, it’s about a pantheon of scientific disciplines.''
5	-->''Or maybe it’s about an ancient beast who knew exactly when it was going to die, and how.''
6
7	-->''It’s about a place. A place called Looming.''
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9	''Looming'' is an UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash game by Gregory Weir, which can be found [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/GregoryWeir/looming here]]. Saying nearly anything else about it is a spoiler, so it'd likely be best for you to go play it now before you read the page.
10
11	----
12
13	You are September, a researcher sent to explore the strange land of Looming. You write and read several letters back and forth with your love, January. Through picking up and examining relics on the ground, finding secret pillars, and entering the several portals that are opened as you do this, you learn about two neighboring races, a creature, and a very peculiar natural event known as the Epiphany.
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15	* The Lorem, who treat Physics, Psychology, Logic, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics as a pantheon of gods. They look for the reasons behind everything and use cause and effect to solve their problems. They left behind the Path Rings, which detail their ideology, as well as tablets that document their interaction with the Seecha.
16	* The Seecha, who build machines to solve all of their problems and don't believe in anything they can't see, hear, or feel. They don't even believe in the sky, as none of them seem to have ever looked up. They left behind the Tally Beads, which are beautifully-crafted [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin tally-markers]]. They also left behind scrolls that document their interactions with the Lorem.
17	* The Oarbor, a large flying creature who knew exactly when it was going to die. Its skeleton is scattered across Looming. It left behind secret tablets to tell you about Looming and explains the Epiphany. If you find all of its tablets, the path to the Epiphany opens up. The Seecha once tried to build a machine to capture it.
18	* The Epiphany, a natural event that causes any person who gets hit by it to see their future in Looming, up until their leaving (or, as the case may be, death).
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20	!!This game contains examples of:
21	* AllThereInTheManual: Whether you're playing as January or September, as well as some clarification on the backstory, is hidden in [[spoiler:the notes you get access to when you beat the game]].
22	* BackStory: [[TheMovie The Game]].
23	* BeautifulVoid: Zig-zagged in that at first September finds sky the only beautiful thing in Looming. But later he finds himself more and more drawn to the place, compelled to return again and again.
24	* BilingualBonus: The word 'looming' means 'creation' in Estonian, perhaps alluding to its themes of the beginning and end of civilizations.
25	* BizarreAlienBiology: If you believe the Seecha didn't look up because they physically ''couldn't'', further analysis will lead you to this conclusion; note that there is little to no indication that the Seecha and Lorem are actually human[=/=]humanoid.
26	* CultureClash: The Seecha and the Lorem had a hard time understanding each other, due to their conflicting ideologies.
27	** MagicVersusScience: Deliberately avoided.
28	* [[DeliberatelyMonochrome Deliberately 2 bit]]: Although it cheats in a few places.
29	* EldritchAbomination: Presumably, the Oarbor. Also subverted; [[spoiler:despite its monstrous appearance, it is peaceful and wise, and is content to leave the people of Looming alone]].
30	* GuideDangIt: As the game gives you absolutely no direction, it may take you a while to figure out that the items on the ground and the sparkly dots on the ground are one and the same. However, this is intentional, and Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad. Also with finding many of the pillars. [[spoiler:The second ending is also one (stay on the map for at least one minute, then exit through the portal near where you start), as is the correlation between the graph, the pillars in the corners, and the lights (the graph and the pillars tell you how to move the lights)]]
31	* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: There is a well-made fence with many gaps all around the perimeter of Looming. However, this trope is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because you came to research Looming, not the surrounding area. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by September in one of the ending letters.
32	* JigsawPuzzlePlot
33	* MultipleEndings: There are nine endings, mostly dependent on which exit portal the player takes. Some of these require collecting artifacts, following sign posts, or searching for secrets.
34	* StoryBreadcrumbs
35	* TemporalThemeNaming: January and September.

Context VideoGame / Looming