These days we of course expect our games to have amazing graphics but sometimes a great story trumps everything else at least for those who like plot driven games such as myself. This is a game with somewhat "artistic" look coupled with a truly compelling story.
First about the graphics . It has a low res pixilated retro look to it. Even the texts are pixilated making them rather hard to read. This look cuts down on the file size I guess. But it also goes nicely with the noir storyline.
Similarly with the animation. It's not very smooth or realistic. However it has pretty good voice acting and music. The sound effects too are very good.
The camera work is also old fashioned. There's no close ups just long shots. But with such low res graphics, a closer shot wouldn't make any sense anyway.
It's a point and click adventure game so its all about making the right combination of moves to progress in the game. You talk to characters, go to different places, or pick up items and use them out of the inventory.
The controls are rather difficult to use at first but you get used to it. Drag your finger or stylus across the screen to find actionable things and click the action or items from the pop up menu. Just tap other places to move your character there.
There are also shoot outs. However the controls here are quite difficult to use as well. And it's not about aiming and shooting either. It's really about timing.
Just forget all of that! This game is all about the story. It's a noir story with sci-fi elements. The sci-fi part is actually very important here. But that is not obvious immediately.
You then switch to a second character named Delta Six. He's in a strange facility that carries out mind control on the occupants. Delta Six may well be Azreal's brother but we don't know. He seems to be trained as an assassin. However, he appears to be part of a plot to escape
Early in the game, you are able to switch between one character to the other and later in the game, you will play a third character.
Like any good noir, there are twists in the plot. This is where the sci-fi element of the story comes in. The twists are very cleverly inserted too. Without giving too much away, the story explores the nature of memory and what makes a person who he or she is. How often do you get philosophy in a video game?
The game requires you to slowly uncover clues on what to do next. You have to investigate everything in your environment to find these clues. But there are not that many clues. So you must pause and think very carefully putting together the few clues you get.
There's really no point in trying different combinations of actions and items because you will quickly find yourself deep in the weeds and get very frustrated. It's best to think hard to find the right solution.
So it is a thinking game. I like this kind of games because I'm not forced to rush things but I'm able to take my time to uncover the answer. .
When I started playing, I thought that the low graphic quality would put me off very quickly so accustomed to great graphics in the games I usually play. But it wasn't long before I began to ignore the less than impressive graphics and got sucked into the story. Ultimately, great characters is what makes a great story great. In the end, the retro style graphics actually fits nicely with the type of story it is.
I definitely recommend this game. It relies almost entirely on the story it tells without trying to be flashy with the look. It's what on the inside not what's on the outside.
Get it from the Play Store.
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