History VideoGame / Proteus

Not to be confused with [[Film/{{Proteus}} the 1995 horror film of the same name]].

[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/proteus_4937.png]]
[[caption-width-right:349:The island beckons.]]

* DesertedIsland: Hope you don't crave companionship.

* NoPlotNoProblem

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Since you never see any part of yourself, you could be almost anything. [[FridgeBrilliance Maybe that's why the animals run from you...]]

''Proteus'' is an EnvironmentalNarrativeGame developed by Twisted Tree and released on January 30, 2013 for PC, PS3 and PS Vita. Primarily intended as an art study, it invites players to explore an unnamed island and marvel in its pixellated visuals and unique soundscapes. Beyond basic movement, there is no interactivity whatsoever and only the reactions of various wildlife implies that the player has any real physical presence in the game world, leading some to question its status as a video game.

''Proteus'' is a video game developed by Twisted Tree and released on January 30, 2013 for PC, PS3 and PS Vita. Primarily intended as an art study, it invites players to explore an unnamed island and marvel in its pixellated visuals and unique soundscapes. Beyond basic movement, there is no interactivity whatsoever and only the reactions of various wildlife implies that the player has any real physical presence in the game world, leading some to question its status as a video game.

Among the unique features of ''Proteus'' is the island itself; it is randomly generated from scratch each time the game is played, much like ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', but with the difference that you cannot save your game, meaning that you will never visit the same island twice. All sounds are generated naturally by objects in the game - some emanate constantly from the object, others are triggered by actions such as leaves hitting the ground or pigeons running - and consist entirely of old-fashioned synthesizer riffs that mesh with the similarly quaint visuals to create an engrossing atmosphere. No goals are set for the player and the game only ends when it is quit.

Among the unique features of ''Proteus'' is the island itself; it is randomly generated from scratch each time the game is played, much like ''{{VideoGame/Minecraft}}'', but with the difference that you cannot save your game, meaning that you will never visit the same island twice. All sounds are generated naturally by objects in the game - some emanate constantly from the object, others are triggered by actions such as leaves hitting the ground or pigeons running - and consist entirely of old-fashioned synthesizer riffs that mesh with the similarly quaint visuals to create an engrossing atmosphere. No goals are set for the player and the game only ends when it is quit.

!!Proteus provides examples of:

--> -'''Keith Stuart''', '''The Guardian'''

* TheWorldIsJustAwesome: All of nature plays music for you, and there is no such thing as an ugly day.

* EndlessGame: It only ends when you quit.

* EasierThanEasy: There is no way to lose, especially since there's no goal. None of the animals are hostile and there are no natural hazards - you can't even drown yourself in the ocean thanks to your natural buoyancy.

* EasierThanEasy: There is no way to lose, especially since there's no goal. None of the animals are hostile and there are no natural hazards - you can't even drown yourself in the ocean since you float.

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife All of the animals are a single color, and it rarely resembles their real-world appearance. It's not uncommon to see a blue gopher in your travels.
* AmbiguouslyHuman Since you never see any part of yourself, you could be almost anything. [[FridgeBrilliance Maybe that's why the animals run from you...]]
* DesertedIsland Hope you don't crave companionship.
* EasierThanEasy There is no way to lose, especially since there's no goal. None of the animals are hostile and there are no natural hazards - you can't even drown yourself in the ocean since you float.
* EndlessGame It only ends when you quit.
* EternalEquinox Day and night work on a fixed cycle, with each lasting about five minutes.
* GhibliHills One of the only constants in the world-generation software. Lots of big, green climbable hills everywhere, which makes for a great place to watch the sunset.
* GreenHillZone The island is always like this, most strikingly when it's sunny (which is how the it starts out every time you play).
* TheLostWoods Whatever parts of the island aren't GreenHillZone will be this instead.

* Robinsonade Starting the game spawns you in an ocean just off the shore of the island, and the only thing to do is explore that island.
* SceneryPorn ''Proteus's'' bread and butter, and pretty much the whole point of the game. Everything is lushly colored and looks beautiful at any distance, and the lighting and weather can produce some breathtaking views. And since the island is different each time you play, you'll always have new vistas to ogle.
* SpaceCompression Lovely as it is, the island isn't very big. You can explore the entire thing in only an hour if you don't stop to take in the scenery.
* WaterIsBlue The ocean is a neutral blue, and opaque.
* WideOpenSandBox Explore all you want, it's what the island is there for.
* TheWorldIsJustAwesome All of nature plays music for you, and there is no such thing as an ugly day.

Not to be confused with [[{{Main/Proteus}} the 1995 horror film of the same name]].