made me think about what i want to do
Along with Neo Cab, this is one of two games from 2019 that I like to call "gig economy dystopia" games. This is a mostly linear visual novel game, with some branches for the ending, but it's so incredibly written and makes you think about the ethics of technology and how it interacts within capitalism. Also all the voice actors in this game are giving incredible performances. You play as Evelyn, a former programmer for the AI driven therapist Eliza. After quitting the company and spending some time battling severe depression off screen, Evelyn decides to work as a proxy for Eliza. An Eliza proxy is a gig job, where you have an app and check in to work as the human face for Eliza, and communicate with the client who is getting therapy from Eliza, and you as a proxy simply tell the client what Eliza tells you to say. The game is more nuanced than something that would paint this as a solely evil thing. It asks you to deal with ethical questions of how technology can be used to help people, even while it's stuck in the problematic situation that is capitalism, and it asks you how one person's use of said technology might be more harmful than anothers. I love these kinds of morality questioning stories, and I love stories about potential new technologies and especially if they mention how those things interact with sociological systems, so this game is right up my alley. Strong recommendation.
This review contains spoilers
The ending drops off very inorganically but everything else is amazing, like the top notch voice acting and realistic start up drama. Great game overall.
A narrowly focused cyberpunk story actually interested in exploring the nuances of increased reliance on technology, while acknowledging the exploitation and apologism they provide for the corporate icons already deeply rooted in our societies. How can we provide the benefits of the former without accounting for the latter?
I read the synopsis but I was never really clear on what the game was until I bought it. Sure, it's a visual novel but were there interactive elements to it? Were there choices?
Lemme start by describing it. This is a visual novel about an AI called 'Eliza', it's like a therapist type chatbot similar to the real life app 'Woebot' but the 'proxy' or host is a real person and they're basically reading a script based off of what Eliza thinks is the right thing to say and they can't break away. You play as an ex developer for Eliza, Evelyn, you don't move around or anything, the situations are fixed, the thing that you can interact with are some of the choices which are mainly attitude based. You interview clients and they tell you about their problems. The problem with that is that Eliza is a chatbot so it has a set formula, it's more just there to listen than to actually have a conversation with, they describe it as "someone talking who thinks you're way more interested than you actually are" which is where they start to talk about corruption.
Eliza is the new and big thing, which means higher ups want to profit off of that, it's not necessarily about mental health to them, to Evelyn, however, she has a bit more personal ties where the story grows deeper. I won't spoil too much though, but I will say that it's nice to see these clients come back and you learn more about them and their story and how they're being affected, I liked Maya and Darren the most because I could relate to them, and somewhat Evelyn too, we barely see Damien but I appreciate him as well. You also level up after every session and get ratings and tips since you're technically a contractor, but those seem fixed, it's not really anything.
One choices question about 'choices' for me is "are there alternate endings?" The quick answer is yes, but you don't make that decision until the end, it saves you the stress of having it based on a compilation of all of your choices, I personally picked the last one and I liked it but I thought there might've been something else so I checked them all out and I would say either the last one or the third one was best. It's not a bad game, I like some of the points it brings up especially for a visual novel but I felt it could've had more interactivity like having you choose to go off script more. The game is about 5 hours long give or take, right now my Steam says my playtime is 1.6 hours for some reason but hopefully that gets ironed out, I also found some stuttering here and there but I'm not sure if it's a game thing or a performance thing.
Lemme start by describing it. This is a visual novel about an AI called 'Eliza', it's like a therapist type chatbot similar to the real life app 'Woebot' but the 'proxy' or host is a real person and they're basically reading a script based off of what Eliza thinks is the right thing to say and they can't break away. You play as an ex developer for Eliza, Evelyn, you don't move around or anything, the situations are fixed, the thing that you can interact with are some of the choices which are mainly attitude based. You interview clients and they tell you about their problems. The problem with that is that Eliza is a chatbot so it has a set formula, it's more just there to listen than to actually have a conversation with, they describe it as "someone talking who thinks you're way more interested than you actually are" which is where they start to talk about corruption.
Eliza is the new and big thing, which means higher ups want to profit off of that, it's not necessarily about mental health to them, to Evelyn, however, she has a bit more personal ties where the story grows deeper. I won't spoil too much though, but I will say that it's nice to see these clients come back and you learn more about them and their story and how they're being affected, I liked Maya and Darren the most because I could relate to them, and somewhat Evelyn too, we barely see Damien but I appreciate him as well. You also level up after every session and get ratings and tips since you're technically a contractor, but those seem fixed, it's not really anything.
One choices question about 'choices' for me is "are there alternate endings?" The quick answer is yes, but you don't make that decision until the end, it saves you the stress of having it based on a compilation of all of your choices, I personally picked the last one and I liked it but I thought there might've been something else so I checked them all out and I would say either the last one or the third one was best. It's not a bad game, I like some of the points it brings up especially for a visual novel but I felt it could've had more interactivity like having you choose to go off script more. The game is about 5 hours long give or take, right now my Steam says my playtime is 1.6 hours for some reason but hopefully that gets ironed out, I also found some stuttering here and there but I'm not sure if it's a game thing or a performance thing.
really great visual novel -- themes are relevant and emotional, characters are interesting and likeable/infuriating. just incredible writing all around.
Same
An experience worth having if you like your stories a little too real (especially if you work in CS).
Cyberpunk is my favorite genre of fiction and it means more to me than I can really say, as the philosophy and ideas at its core not only align with who I am as an individual but greatly shape and inform how I perceive the world around me and engage with it.
Having said this I think I'm more than qualified to say that most cyberpunk sucks, due in no small part to most works within its boundaries' stubborn insistence on remaining locked within the decades that cyberpunk was born out of rather than looking forward into the future or having something to say about the present day-and-age. I, too, love the nebulous concept of cyberspace and The Net and cybernetic augmentations and androids and hackers and shady corporate street samurais and all of that, but there also comes a point where a lot of cyberpunk creators seem more interested in creating genre fiction rather than the introspective, theory-driven text that defined the genre's literary roots to begin with.
With this in mind, you now have the proper context with which you can understand why I find Eliza so refreshing: it's the first time I've consumed a piece of cyberpunk media made within the last five-or-so years that actually feels confident enough in its ideas, storytelling and cohesion as a whole to stand on its own without relying on cliches, visual gimmicks or tired tropes. Instead, it does what ideally every narrative should: draw from the world around it and the cultural context under which the game was developed. Not only does the game's (very nuanced and very well-thought-out) writing reflect the reality that most millennials find themselves in (the gig economy, social media's invasive presence in our personal lives, startup culture and the burnout that inevitably follows, nearly every aspect of our lives being automated or controlled via a smartphone app), but the heart-and-soul of the game is so aggressively 2010s from head to toe that I feel as if ten or twenty years from now this will be considered a seminal cyberpunk period piece, much in the same way that Synners, The Terminator or Serial Experiments Lain are.
Every character is complex enough to feel fleshed out but humble and understated enough to feel believable, as are their relationships with the protagonist Evelyn (herself a masterfully-realized portrayal of getting back on one's feet after burning out of her life's work) and how they do or don't impact her depending on the choices the player's make. I'm not really much of a VN person, but I think that the way that Eliza manages to play with the typical VN formula of "choose dialogue options to influence the path you go down" into its story, themes and Evelyn's character is extremely compelling, especially because for the most part it relies more heavily on a lack of choice than it does branching paths or complete control over what happens in the story.
My only real complaint is that other characters feel sidelined if they're not in the ending that you choose to pick and that the ending itself feels as if it comes up a little suddenly and is forced by a prompt as opposed to a series of multiple decisions – but I also can't imagine the game going on for much longer and this decision makes it easy to go through and get all of the endings, so I can't complain. Some may argue that the political ideals at the core of this game lean too hard into centrism or sympathize with capitalists far too hard for it to be considered a true cyberpunk piece of media, but I personally never felt anything but revulsion towards either of the game's two millionaire characters and I think the game does a lovely job of portraying how difficult it can be to actually bring about meaningful change in society no matter how gifted, privileged or skilled you are.
An excellent experience and a must-read if you're a fan of cyberpunk, even if you normally don't mesh well with visual novels.
Having said this I think I'm more than qualified to say that most cyberpunk sucks, due in no small part to most works within its boundaries' stubborn insistence on remaining locked within the decades that cyberpunk was born out of rather than looking forward into the future or having something to say about the present day-and-age. I, too, love the nebulous concept of cyberspace and The Net and cybernetic augmentations and androids and hackers and shady corporate street samurais and all of that, but there also comes a point where a lot of cyberpunk creators seem more interested in creating genre fiction rather than the introspective, theory-driven text that defined the genre's literary roots to begin with.
With this in mind, you now have the proper context with which you can understand why I find Eliza so refreshing: it's the first time I've consumed a piece of cyberpunk media made within the last five-or-so years that actually feels confident enough in its ideas, storytelling and cohesion as a whole to stand on its own without relying on cliches, visual gimmicks or tired tropes. Instead, it does what ideally every narrative should: draw from the world around it and the cultural context under which the game was developed. Not only does the game's (very nuanced and very well-thought-out) writing reflect the reality that most millennials find themselves in (the gig economy, social media's invasive presence in our personal lives, startup culture and the burnout that inevitably follows, nearly every aspect of our lives being automated or controlled via a smartphone app), but the heart-and-soul of the game is so aggressively 2010s from head to toe that I feel as if ten or twenty years from now this will be considered a seminal cyberpunk period piece, much in the same way that Synners, The Terminator or Serial Experiments Lain are.
Every character is complex enough to feel fleshed out but humble and understated enough to feel believable, as are their relationships with the protagonist Evelyn (herself a masterfully-realized portrayal of getting back on one's feet after burning out of her life's work) and how they do or don't impact her depending on the choices the player's make. I'm not really much of a VN person, but I think that the way that Eliza manages to play with the typical VN formula of "choose dialogue options to influence the path you go down" into its story, themes and Evelyn's character is extremely compelling, especially because for the most part it relies more heavily on a lack of choice than it does branching paths or complete control over what happens in the story.
My only real complaint is that other characters feel sidelined if they're not in the ending that you choose to pick and that the ending itself feels as if it comes up a little suddenly and is forced by a prompt as opposed to a series of multiple decisions – but I also can't imagine the game going on for much longer and this decision makes it easy to go through and get all of the endings, so I can't complain. Some may argue that the political ideals at the core of this game lean too hard into centrism or sympathize with capitalists far too hard for it to be considered a true cyberpunk piece of media, but I personally never felt anything but revulsion towards either of the game's two millionaire characters and I think the game does a lovely job of portraying how difficult it can be to actually bring about meaningful change in society no matter how gifted, privileged or skilled you are.
An excellent experience and a must-read if you're a fan of cyberpunk, even if you normally don't mesh well with visual novels.
I didn't intend to finish this in one sitting but as soon as I sat down I just found myself absolutely captivated by the story. The characters feel relatable, Their struggles feel real. The feeling of listening to them and not being able to really help them is tearing. As a budding self-loathing far-left software engineer I specifically relate to a lot of the struggle that the main character has. I think Zachtronics absolutely nailed it with the characters of Soren and Rainier, and the company Skandha, who are perfect avatars of what I hate about the tech landscape. Loved the subtle queer inclusion too. I think the only real criticism I have of this game is it's very linear, but that did not at all get in the way of it being a compelling narrative.
This is what cyberpunk is supposed to be. And as someone who works for a Pacific Northwestern healthcare startup that focuses on digital services, parts of this really hit home for me. I've lived in Seattle, and this game is what it feels like to live in Seattle's technocratic dystopia.
a decent voice acted vn with an interesting story and characters that are easy to relate and sympathize with. nice art and music + generally immersive all around. even if you don't normally play vns, i recommend this one.
Al explorar tan concienzudamente los posibles efectos y dilemas éticos del uso de la tecnología en el área de la salud mental, Eliza corre el riesgo de que se pase por alto lo que de verdad quiere decir. En primera instancia, la novela visual divaga acerca de las posibilidades de la tecnología como medio a un bienestar y salud mayores desde un punto de vista psicológico y los límites de tal idea dentro del sistema. El juego imagina la inteligencia artificial no como entidad propia con libre albedrío, que es la aproximación más común del tema en ficción, sino como posible herramienta de felicidad y su evolución dentro de los engranajes del capitalismo. Tan solo por este punto de vista, más original y terrenal, bien valdría reivindicar el título, lo que pasa es que, en el fondo, Eliza no va de eso.
En uno de sus vídeos, Chris Franklin lamentaba la falta de compromiso del juego, que cuestiona sin ofrecer un punto de vista propio. Y tiene sentido: si solo reflexionas y no te posicionas, ¿dónde queda tu visión? Así no hay riesgo, ni mirada, ni dientes. Desde esta perspectiva, el título se quedaría en un relato didáctico sin nada que decir. Solo que esta aproximación da por hecho que el juego es una exploración ética y filosófica de la tecnología, cuando en realidad es una historia sobre las expectativas truncadas de la vida que, ya de paso, contiene una exploración ética y filosófica de la tecnología. Zachtronics aprovecha su interés por el tema y lo vuelca en su juego sobre aceptar las decepciones que nos da la vida, centrándose tanto en ello que resulta fácil pasar por alto lo importante.
Echad un ojo a los personajes que se nos cruzan en terapia: la artista frustrada por falta de reconocimiento, el estudiante prendado de una compañera, el tipo que va a ser padre... Lo que tienen en común es el deseo de algo que no se cumple o que, una vez conseguido, no resulta como ellos esperaban. Estos personajes, en sus casi-soliloquios, reflejan el estado de la protagonista, creadora del software que da nombre al juego.
En una escena cerca del final, un flashback muestra a los tres jóvenes programadores a las faldas de un lago, sentados junto a una hoguera con vistas al cielo estrellado. Se preguntan qué será de Eliza cuando la terminen, sueñan con cambiar el mundo y formar parte de algo que lo haga mejor. Pero, en efecto, aquello era un sueño, y pasado el tiempo la realidad no es como ellos la imaginaron.
En Eliza, encarnamos a Evelyn durante su proceso de aceptación. Ella está perdida, en etapa de transición, y a medida que toma contacto con la realidad se le van abriendo nuevas puertas. La decisión que se nos plantea al final no es nuestra solución a los problemas de la inteligencia artificial y su uso en la sociedad, sino el camino por el que preferimos redirigir nuestra vida. Y estos caminos no son ideales, ni lo que ella hubiese querido. Son la realidad de aprender a conformarse, aceptar los límites de nuestro control (una constante de escuchar sin poder intervenir durante el juego), y, bueno, tirar pa' lante como mejor podamos.
En uno de sus vídeos, Chris Franklin lamentaba la falta de compromiso del juego, que cuestiona sin ofrecer un punto de vista propio. Y tiene sentido: si solo reflexionas y no te posicionas, ¿dónde queda tu visión? Así no hay riesgo, ni mirada, ni dientes. Desde esta perspectiva, el título se quedaría en un relato didáctico sin nada que decir. Solo que esta aproximación da por hecho que el juego es una exploración ética y filosófica de la tecnología, cuando en realidad es una historia sobre las expectativas truncadas de la vida que, ya de paso, contiene una exploración ética y filosófica de la tecnología. Zachtronics aprovecha su interés por el tema y lo vuelca en su juego sobre aceptar las decepciones que nos da la vida, centrándose tanto en ello que resulta fácil pasar por alto lo importante.
Echad un ojo a los personajes que se nos cruzan en terapia: la artista frustrada por falta de reconocimiento, el estudiante prendado de una compañera, el tipo que va a ser padre... Lo que tienen en común es el deseo de algo que no se cumple o que, una vez conseguido, no resulta como ellos esperaban. Estos personajes, en sus casi-soliloquios, reflejan el estado de la protagonista, creadora del software que da nombre al juego.
En una escena cerca del final, un flashback muestra a los tres jóvenes programadores a las faldas de un lago, sentados junto a una hoguera con vistas al cielo estrellado. Se preguntan qué será de Eliza cuando la terminen, sueñan con cambiar el mundo y formar parte de algo que lo haga mejor. Pero, en efecto, aquello era un sueño, y pasado el tiempo la realidad no es como ellos la imaginaron.
En Eliza, encarnamos a Evelyn durante su proceso de aceptación. Ella está perdida, en etapa de transición, y a medida que toma contacto con la realidad se le van abriendo nuevas puertas. La decisión que se nos plantea al final no es nuestra solución a los problemas de la inteligencia artificial y su uso en la sociedad, sino el camino por el que preferimos redirigir nuestra vida. Y estos caminos no son ideales, ni lo que ella hubiese querido. Son la realidad de aprender a conformarse, aceptar los límites de nuestro control (una constante de escuchar sin poder intervenir durante el juego), y, bueno, tirar pa' lante como mejor podamos.
I think Eliza has a lot of really great moments, with really great writing at times, and that it spends a lot of time exploring interesting questions about tech culture and mental health with nuance and care. It also has great solitaire.
But unfortunately, I don't think it quite sticks the landing, specifically in its endings, which left me feeling pretty unhappy with how many of its themes were reduced into their extremes.
It's still an excellent game, but I left it with some frustration at that.
But unfortunately, I don't think it quite sticks the landing, specifically in its endings, which left me feeling pretty unhappy with how many of its themes were reduced into their extremes.
It's still an excellent game, but I left it with some frustration at that.
Excelente novela visual que plantea preguntas serias sobre el estar vivo.
A highly intelligent VN that got me thinking about my perspectives on tech, AI, mental health, and what it truly means to be content. The solitaire minigame was weirdly addicting as well.