3.5/5. General mood after finishing the game: “meh”. I don’t dislike it, however, I wouldn’t recommend it for purchase.
[b][u]Pluses[/u][/b][olist]
[*][u]Amiable character(s?).[/u] The whole game revolves around one person: your companion, dr. Amber. And the developers did a good job making her amiable and, dare I even say, alive: when communicating to, she comes across as an optimist with a joke prepared for any situation.
[*][u]Humour.[/u] It always felt nice when Amber made another pun, or when the pace of things took comedic turn, for example, when your AI assistant interfered in your humans’ talk. The comic touch made the game more pleasant.
[*][u]Passive storytelling.[/u] Though sometimes forced, it works really well, and it was way more interesting to try and figure out the truth by reading private emails and observing the surroundings than by simply following the instructions the game gives you. It was also nice to see the little environmental hints left here and there: the model of Stone Hedge in the beginning foreshadows locations of the following levels; a whiteboard in Melissa’s office later helps you spot Amber’s office in caves (thank you, giant Scottish flag).
[*][u]Easter eggs.[/u] It is obvious that the game takes inspiration from other games, and I appreciate that the developers pay respects to the original. Amber talking about ‘how nice that they don’t work on genetically altered mutants’ and elevator from Half Life have made me smile.
[*][u]The photo-communication mechanic.[/u] Probably one of the few mechanics in the game that wasn’t made poorly. This mechanic glues the whole game together, and I really enjoyed my time taking photos of random objects, posters, books, you name it, with Amber having a piece of mind to share about almost anything. This worked marvels both as a world building tool and as means to understand Amber’s character. Well done in this regard.
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[b][u]Minuses[/u][/b][olist]
[*]What slowly started poisoning my experience from the very beginning was the [u]performance[/u]. My main issue was dropping frames. It wasn’t critical, but still, it was unpleasant. This was seasoned with a bunch of bugs. I’d say 3 times out of 4 when I climbed up a ladder, I would then immediately fall down because the game failed to position me properly. Or there was a certain place where the plank wouldn’t position itself correctly above water, making it impossible to progress. That’s where inability to jump also added to cursing the devs. The cherry on top was the movement speed of an exhausted slug, even when running. All of this annoys me even now.
[*][u]Poor gameplay mechanics.[/u] While the game has one well-made mechanic, all the rest leave much to be desired. For example, throughout the game you change AI-glasses, passing off as a different person every time. This could turn into something cool, if anything changed after you picked up a new pair. Maybe, a different interface, maybe, some new abilities?.. No. The glasses simply serve a function of keycards. That by itself would be fine, if at least finding glasses was a challenge. However, 90% of the time they are simply placed right next to the door you need to open / email you need to read. The mechanic adds nothing to the game. The whole gameplay in general is underdeveloped and dry. You don’t feel rewarded for progressing in any way, you simply move from point A to point B, cautiously navigated by your helicopter mom Amber. Same goes for puzzles. They are there, but they are so unchallenging and simplistic that there is no satisfaction from solving them. They do not appear as intricate riddles; they are just mildly annoying obstacles.
[*]And even that would be fine, if there was something rewarding in other plane. It is a walking simulator after all, the genre isn’t particularly famous for its gameplay. The bigger letdown, however, was the [u]story[/u]. Bland and uneventful, a match to the corridor gameplay. The promises were big: luxurious cover art, mysterious trailers, all does a good job baiting you in. You launch the game ready for jaw-dropping plot twists, for atmosphere of suspense, for excitement of discovering a new clue, but the game delivers none of that. It tries to, but it is never really at the level that would make you gasp. The plot is simply not intriguing. The game steadily follows its one-dimensional pattern from start to finish like a heat-guided missile. You can make out what is going to happen one third into the game by reading emails, so when the plot-twist comes, you don’t feel shocked, in fact, you feel nothing, as you saw it coming three chapters away.
[*]What makes the game even less resonating is a total absence of emotional build-up. Again, the game tries, giving hints through the environment. But there is no drama, no real conflict: at max, old man Bradwell scolds his daughter Melissa: “bad girl Melissa, stop this at once!” And that’s it? There is no human chemistry behind the events. No fuel that would keep my interest up. The characters feel like cardboard cut-outs, serving no purpose; they are just out there, mentioned once and forgotten.
[*]The real letdown of the game is its finale. Not only it is nothing beyond expectations, it is also inconsistent. First off, always cheerful and chatty Amber suddenly blocks all communication with Melissa. Motivation? “Enough of her excuses”. What? Ok, that’s a change of character out of nowhere, but maybe there’s something more to it? Maybe Amber is hiding something from you and is afraid that Melissa may expose her? ANYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE IT INTERESTING? No, none of that. Amber is good, Melissa is evil, and Amber’s reluctance to communicate with Melissa stays unexplained and uncalled for. Then there is a part where the villain tries to explain her motivation. “Finally”, you think, “some sort of development! Maybe the villain will explain her feelings? Her philosophy? Give you some food for thought?” No, there is none of that! And the reason for that is Amber, cutting her out half-way. Or, more correct to say, the developers, trying to wrap up the story and finish the game already. What really made my disappointment skyrocket was the very end. Amber screams to you to push the button, the villain begs you not to, and after that, there is a long pause. You wait and HOPE there is an alternative ending, an ending where you don’t push the button, an ending SOMEWHAT unexpected. Minutes pass by. Your excitement fades. Your hope dies. There is no alternative in this game. From start to finish, it is nothing more than a plain, predictable corridor. You finish the game, and in the final cutscene, Amber thanks you. A nice gesture from the developers, except… Thanks for what? Never in all my walkthrough have I felt threatened once. Never have I felt any sort of danger, any sort of challenge, any choice. You press one button, you ‘progress’. That’s what the thanks are for?
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[b][u]Conclusion[/u][/b]
This game starts ambitious, but falls short. It tries to be so many things: Half-Life, Firewatch, Fortnite, but never succeeds to capture the fun of any of them. The game’s just shallow. In almost every aspect it tries to be fun, it underdelivers. So if you are a masochist with 4 hours of free time and a couple of dollars, this game will be a good addition to your library. Otherwise, I think you can invest your time and money into something more interesting.
