Unknown Number: A First Person Talker

This game f&#*($ sucks. Don't waste your time.

Overall: [h1]A delightful puzzle/ARG-lite/escape room-esque game that doesn't overstay its welcome[/h1] Unknown Number is a puzzle-adventure game where you take the part of someone who takes a mysterious phone call message and gets roped into a heist on an oil conglomerate. Your role in this is quite similar to "mission control", acting remotely while the others actually conduct the operation. The story is told through a combination of phone calls and voicemail messages (which are helpfully subtitled). Though you can't directly see what's going on on the other side, the background uses stock footage to suggest various happenings, and in voicemail sequences, a little animated character acts out part of the action. Honestly, this approach is quite charming and engaging. Between messages, you solve puzzles and advance the story through both speaking into your mic, pressing buttons on your virtual phone's keypad, and trawling through a web page. Notably, the phone's interface actually morphs to facilitate puzzle solving, which is a really cool feature; saying how exactly would be spoilers, but I think seeing them is quite a mind-blowing experience. (There's a subtle one in the demo.) The story is interesting, with drama, action, pathos, and liberal use of comic relief throughout, and it's short enough to experience in a single night. Though there don't seem to be multiple endings, I was satisfied with how it ends. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes escape rooms, real or virtual, and would like to see a new take on the format!

[h1]An interactive, voice-powered radio drama with funky graphics[/h1] [b]In a nutshell: An innovative, frequently goofy blend of adventure and alternate reality game where you use your actual voice in the service of solving puzzles.[/b] [h3]See the full video review here:[/h3] https://youtu.be/ww9NS8H3wyo [b]Things I liked:[/b] [list] [*]Unique gameplay concept: the blend of ARG and voice driven puzzle solving is quite unlike anything I’ve ever played before [*]Good voice acting keeps things anchored down [*]Alternate reality parts of the game blend the real and game worlds in creative, interesting ways [*]Best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously [/list] [b]Things I disliked:[/b] [list] [*]Incoherent art style that often seems to take inspiration from Microsoft Clippy [*]Anticlimax: offers you apparently meaningful choices don’t end up going anywhere [/list] [b]Buy this game if:[/b] [list] [*]You’re a pro at suspending your disbelief [*]You’re in the mood for something different, with a side of zany [/list] [b]Don’t buy this game if:[/b] [list] [*]You don’t have a mic [*]You tend to yell, “that would never happen in real life!” when watching TV shows [/list] [h1]Five Questions:[/h1] [olist] [*]What [b]modes[/b] did you play on? [i]There are no difficulty modes[/i] [*]How was the [b]onboarding[/b]? [i]Check out my first 30 video:[/i] https://youtu.be/aQ8-CoreDdQ [*]What do you [b]actually do[/b] in the game? [i]You use an in-game phone, your voice, and the power of the internet to help two Bonnie and Clyde type climate activists pull off a daring heist on an oil platform in the North Sea. [/i] [*][b]How long[/b] did you play it for? [i]4 hours.[/i] [*]Did you [b]finish[/b] it? [i]Yes, and there is no good reason to replay it.[/i] [*][b]What other games is it like?[/b] [i]Nothing.[/i] [/olist] [table] [tr] [td]Publisher[/td] [td]godolphin games[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Developer[/td] [td]godolphin games[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Release date[/td] [td]September 21 2022[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Genres[/td] [td]Adventure, ARG[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Early access?[/td] [td]No[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Price at time of review[/td] [td]$14.99[/td] [/tr] [/table] [b]My PC Specs: [/b]Intel i5 9600k, 16Gb DDR4, NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super [b]Average FPS: [/b] 60 [b]Ultrawide monitor support?[/b] No

Enjoyed but many puzzles would be better served by a traditional interface.