(Minimum-spoiler review)
Overall rating: 3.5*
Note: To meaningfully appreciate the story, the game definitely should be played after LiS and LiS: DE, in that order. In this review I will assume knowledge of LiS: DE in particular, to which it is much more closely comparable than it is to the original game in every respect. For additional context, this reviewer is someone who loved the original game ten years ago, and also had an above-average opinion of LiS: DE.
The [b]setting[/b] is the same as LiS: DE. It is at a different time of year, and the campus is opened up a little, but some of the key locations may feel almost too familiar already. I had hoped for much more scope to freely explore the Caledon campus, but the opportunity is largely missed - all the scenes that are set in the grounds tend towards being slightly tedious (but are not ultimately excessive in length). In [b]atmosphere[/b], for some reason it doesn't quite have either the slightly twee, artsy/boho feel of DE, nor the grittier, rustbelt-punk flavour of the original - although it partly makes up for this with pace and intrigue.
The [b]story[/b] is detective fiction, with a supernatural sub-plot. Max's rewind feels less consequential than in the original game, and for the most part its use is restricted to when it is required to advance a fairly linear plot. However, given the immense complexity of managing player choices across three games and multiple timelines, I cannot quite fault it for that - as it achieves some very difficult plot manoeuvring and stitching mostly seamlessly. I say "mostly" as there is one fairly substantial retcon, that does feel a little jarring if you remember what happened in DE. I am not convinced they made the best possible narrative choice in how to handle the problem they needed to solve there.
[b]Characterisation[/b] is generally weaker than in DE. Only two of the central characters are well developed, and in ways that are partly dependant on player decisionmaking - but Max, our protagonist, is not one of them. Reunions leans heavily on DE to have already done this. Nor do either of the proffered love interests from LiS: DE have much of a showing - again, without DE, they would feel pretty one-dimensional. This is partly a consequence of the brevity of the game story - and overall the choice of which characters' development to emphasise feels like it was the right priority.
The [b]voice acting[/b] remains excellent (standout performance: Ashly Burch as Chloe - not that many voice actors can give you chills from sheer emotional rawness). The [b]motion capture[/b] is weaker than in DE however (where it was outstandingly good) - unclear if this was due to budget/time constraints, or direction - not inclined to blame the actors who have proven their ability in other titles.
I have almost literally nothing to say about [b]gameplay or puzzles[/b]... the game is story-driven almost to the exclusion of gameplay. There are very few mechanics, and certainly nothing new: rewind from LiS and backtalk from LiS: BtS both make a reappearance, but both are more enjoyable and better developed in their original games. I did not even notice a real or meaningful in-game timer on any of the moments which would have been time-sensitive within the story.
Other general critiques:
- DE was significantly shorter than LiS 1, and Reunions is shorter again. Again, arguably it is rightsized for the story it had to tell - but unlike with DE, having got the "good" ending the first time, I don't feel like I have anything really to gain or learn from a replay.
- Again, as with DE, but to an even greater extent: the game world is pretty tiny. And again, unlike DE, there are precious few new settings.
- Not all plotholes from DE were resolved... this should probably be counted as a mark against DE rather than Reunions. The two games do feel like standalone stories - a duology - rather than two acts of the same play. On narrative grounds releasing them separately feels right.
Overall, whether for fans or mere appreciators of the series, this is certainly worth a playthrough. However, I cannot imagine that it would be compelling at all without having played DE.
