The atmosphere, as you might expect from the trailers, is incredible. What you won't understand from the footage is just how finely woven the storytelling is for a game whose main character has had her voice removed in the story. It starts in medias res (in the middle of the action), and unfolds plot points through beautifully illustrated flashbacks, the transistor's dialogue, and even the game mechanics themselves. Your skills are traces of people, and as you use these skills in more varied ways you unlock more information about the person the trace is from, the world they lived in and the cabal of characters they came in contact with. Combat is clever and surprisingly fast paced for the sort that lets you jump into a paused planning mode. Take advantage of the Sandbox planning areas, Red's humming mechanic and unlocking all the information in traces and limiters. Though your character can't speak, her personality is revealed through the transistor, her input into computer terminals, her actions or lack of during cutscenes, and the soundtrack that you will absolutely not regret buying. The story is deep enough to make sense and propel you forward while still leaving you wide open to theory crafting at the end. My only complaint is that I don't want to leave the game and the <10 hours of gameplay, while bittersweetly satisfying, will not be enough to appease you once you've fallen head over heels in love with this world.

The atmosphere, as you might expect from the trailers, is incredible. What you won't understand from the footage is just how finely woven the storytelling is for a game whose main character has had her voice removed in the story. It starts in medias res (in the middle of the action), and unfolds plot points through beautifully illustrated flashbacks, the transistor's dialogue, and even the game mechanics themselves. Your skills are traces of people, and as you use these skills in more varied ways you unlock more information about the person the trace is from, the world they lived in and the cabal of characters they came in contact with. Combat is clever and surprisingly fast paced for the sort that lets you jump into a paused planning mode. Take advantage of the Sandbox planning areas, Red's humming mechanic and unlocking all the information in traces and limiters. Though your character can't speak, her personality is revealed through the transistor, her input into computer terminals, her actions or lack of during cutscenes, and the soundtrack that you will absolutely not regret buying. The story is deep enough to make sense and propel you forward while still leaving you wide open to theory crafting at the end. My only complaint is that I don't want to leave the game and the <10 hours of gameplay, while bittersweetly satisfying, will not be enough to appease you once you've fallen head over heels in love with this world.