I can’t lie. I’ve always loved the games that the Quantum Dream team has made. Their games are masterfully designed, both visually and aurally. The stories, even more so. This team has definitely made a name for themselves in the saturated industry of gaming and it’s a name that is often associated with some of the best choose-your-own-adventure games to have ever been released.
And I think you know where this review is already headed, but still, hear me out, read on and learn what I’ve got to say about this game. Despite what you’ve heard, it’s a fun game to play. Also, it forces us humans to take a good long look at how ugly we, and the things that we’re capable of, can get.
And well, gaming has definitely evolved.
On that note, let me start this review off with a question.
Have you ever killed an ant?
I can’t lie and neither can you. We all have. And well, most of the time we think nothing of it because we simply assume that ants (and insects in general) have no feelings.
Imagine calling an exterminator to deal with an ant infestation. We feel no remorse over being able to snuff out the lives of an entire colony, queen, soldier, and worker alike. The game shows a lot of social injustices towards the androids simply for the fact that they’re deemed machines and like the ants, emotionless.
What makes the imagery striking is that the androids look like real human beings and to witness bad things happen to humans is a horrible experience.
Detroit: Become Human forces players to take a long hard look at that. (Don’t worry, no spoilers from me). It’s set in the future where we, humans, have been able to create androids who are smarter and stronger than us humans, and they’ve been created to serve us.
The game lets you take control of three characters. Connor, the deviant hunter, Marcus, the deviant leader, and Kara, a deviant who can be symbolically interpreted as a machine searching for meaning in life.
And that’s exactly what the game wants you to think about. How we value life (even those of beings we feel have no emotion), how we find meaning in it, and how we act upon it.
The quick time events are fun, and this time, failure is more of a threat than previous games. That means that quick reaction times actually do matter now. This is an important change for the series because, in previous games, it felt more like a chore than a test of skill.
The fact that it’s very possible to kill off all three lead characters makes the game more thrilling and believable.
So, my verdict? Play the game. Cry some tears while you’re at it, because the game really knows how to cut deep at your heart and scoop it with a spoon. It makes you question so many things about morality, how we’re so dependent on technology, and life in general. This is an ambitious, yet properly executed video game. PLAY IT.