I have been looking forward to playing this game, ever since I completed Beyond Two Souls a couple of years ago. Finally, the time came, once again, for a story driven quick time event title.

I will start with the theme and atmosphere, since this game reminded me a lot of the movie Seven, which I totally love. It's this noir, filled with heavy hearted moments, investigations, characters who hide a dark side and overall a really gray mood. Throughout the whole game it's raining (this is also a key plot point) and that really sets the tone for everything that happens.

I don't want to spoil anything about the story, but after a bit of a slow and cringe introduction we’re thrown into the events and the game won't step off the gas pedal until the end.

I totally loved the narration, and I wanted to know so badly how it progressed that I pretty much completed the game in a couple of sessions. In my opinion it is totally worth playing just for the story alone.

I also have some strong criticism towards this title though. First of all the controls and QTE system. I found the events slightly harder than in Beyond two Souls, and a tad more punishing if failed. That isn't actually a major issue, but in the end I got one of the worst endings because I messed up some sections due to the aforementioned QTEs and the fact that they were kinda hard to perform. One big issue I had was that playing with a Steam Deck, albeit providing us with everything we need to properly control the game, it's a bit inconvenient. For example, when I needed to shake the controller or to turn it around, I had to do that with the whole device, making the screen impossible to see and potentially missing the next prompt when it showed on screen.
Probably the best way to play this game would be through a PlayStation controller, but in the end I got through with the deck despite the inconveniences.

Another minor complaint I have is about the graphics, in particular the facial expressions. Often characters try to convey emotions but they end up just looking goofy and cringe, breaking the immersion just a tad. This is unavoidable given the age of the game, but Beyond, which came out just 3 years later, managed a much better result in that regard.

Sound in this game was masterfully crafted, both music and sound effects. The mixing is perfect and the voice acting is really great; I have no complaints in this regard.

Gameplay wise, aside from the QTEs, I found the controls a bit stiff and unintuitive. The sudden change of camera angles make controlling the characters harder, and I think it could have really benefited from a tank style control scheme.

All in all, the game in my opinion has a major flaw in its gameplay, which could have been done better. Despite that, I really recommend it for its story. It also has quite a bit of replayability since our choices can significantly change the outcome of the game. If you like the noir / thriller genre, definitely go for it!

I have been looking forward to playing this game, ever since I completed Beyond Two Souls a couple of years ago. Finally, the time came, once again, for a story driven quick time event title. I will start with the theme and atmosphere, since this game reminded me a lot of the movie Seven, which I totally love. It's this noir, filled with heavy hearted moments, investigations, characters who hide a dark side and overall a really gray mood. Throughout the whole game it's raining (this is also a key plot point) and that really sets the tone for everything that happens. I don't want to spoil anything about the story, but after a bit of a slow and cringe introduction we’re thrown into the events and the game won't step off the gas pedal until the end. I totally loved the narration, and I wanted to know so badly how it progressed that I pretty much completed the game in a couple of sessions. In my opinion it is totally worth playing just for the story alone. I also have some strong criticism towards this title though. First of all the controls and QTE system. I found the events slightly harder than in Beyond two Souls, and a tad more punishing if failed. That isn't actually a major issue, but in the end I got one of the worst endings because I messed up some sections due to the aforementioned QTEs and the fact that they were kinda hard to perform. One big issue I had was that playing with a Steam Deck, albeit providing us with everything we need to properly control the game, it's a bit inconvenient. For example, when I needed to shake the controller or to turn it around, I had to do that with the whole device, making the screen impossible to see and potentially missing the next prompt when it showed on screen. Probably the best way to play this game would be through a PlayStation controller, but in the end I got through with the deck despite the inconveniences. Another minor complaint I have is about the graphics, in particular the facial expressions. Often characters try to convey emotions but they end up just looking goofy and cringe, breaking the immersion just a tad. This is unavoidable given the age of the game, but Beyond, which came out just 3 years later, managed a much better result in that regard. Sound in this game was masterfully crafted, both music and sound effects. The mixing is perfect and the voice acting is really great; I have no complaints in this regard. Gameplay wise, aside from the QTEs, I found the controls a bit stiff and unintuitive. The sudden change of camera angles make controlling the characters harder, and I think it could have really benefited from a tank style control scheme. All in all, the game in my opinion has a major flaw in its gameplay, which could have been done better. Despite that, I really recommend it for its story. It also has quite a bit of replayability since our choices can significantly change the outcome of the game. If you like the noir / thriller genre, definitely go for it!