Surreality Check

A very immersive game with music that perfectly fits the vibe and pulls you into the story even further. Interesting characters, fun gameplay and choices, cool art and very cool that it has multiple endings. Can't wait to try them all!

played as part of my 100 under 100 game challenge (#1/100) Editing to add that my asides about the achievements might be out of date ^-^ it looks like the devs had pushed an update a little bit after my review, but i haven't gotten the chance to replay! i think playing this at 2 am was perhaps a mistake on my part; both for the existential reasons and for the reasons of brain not work very good, but I already know I'm going to be replaying (.... achievements didn't proc for me - but perhaps i simply didn't do anything achievement worthy? 0~0) if not now, then when I have opened back up the phil books that have been gathering dust since i graduated - this is a game that is inspiring in that - I loved the game's experience immensely, but I'm also cognizant that I perhaps didn't get all that I could have gotten out of it if I were a teensy bit more well-read. That said, that is an issue for the types who like to mine the things they play for all they're worth - I don't think someone just looking to play a game or have an experience will have that sort of hang-up. The overarching narrative is easy enough to follow and very enjoyable. Hell, it is genuinely funny - I laughed fully (when I wasn't flinching back from Roach's attempts at fixing his life), not the kind of laugh that's more like a rush of air out of the nostrils that usually happens when a game is trying a bit too hard to be humorous. I LOVED THE CHARACTER DESIGNS SO MUCH. Dr. Universe is my favorite (then ofc they would be, they were what first made me click on the game when I saw it uploaded) and I really loved the game's take on Cerberus. This is such a small detail but I also really loved the starry effect outside of Dr. Universe's window The runtime was not terribly long, I finished my first try in two hours but I might've missed something quite obvious that would've extended it slightly. It ran very smooth on my laptop (though the fans did kick on at times). Just now starting my second run on my Steam Deck (because I take a million hours to organize my thoughts) I haven't encountered any issues there yet either - everything is legible, the controls work fine. I can't really think of another game I've played like this so thinking of comp titles or finding that specific group of people who might also enjoy this is a slight challenge. For reasons that are perhaps obvious philosophy lovers will like this. There's a special type of person who I think will /really/ like this - I see their image in my mind but lack the words to describe them. I hope you give this a try in case it is YOU (the reader) who i am seeing in my mind. To the Devs, I wish you all the best luck in whatever comes in your futures, I really hope to see more from y'all in the future !