A truly amazing video game narrative that should not go ignored by anyone who is a fan of story-driven titles. The dialogue and the characters are so skillfully done. I don't want to reveal anything, but the game's story is so ambitious and daunting in scale and it somehow pulls it off. It's a game about SO many things and it somehow doesn't lose itself in that abundance of plotlines and concepts.

There were many times where I thought I had 1000xResist figured out, and it continued to prove me wrong and surprise me. Every time I thought I saw all that this game had to offer, it one-upped itself and just progressively rose further and further up the ranks as one of the most engaging and unique game narratives I've seen.

Obviously, as a narrative-driven game, it's the story that's the crown jewel here but it also has excellent art direction. The graphics and animation are nothing to ride home about, but the framing of scenes and how the camera can be utilized makes so many moments feel dynamic and carefully thought out. It's so well achieved that the many setbacks, like the lack of lip movement on characters, or the fact that there's not much animation at all in scenes - especially intense ones - doesn't feel like it takes away from the impact. It compliments the artistry in a way, whether intentional or not.

Talking about impact, another huge factor of what makes 1000xResist amazing is the voice acting. I was impressed by many of the performances in this game, not to mention that every line in this games script is voiced. Considering how much dialogue there is, and the indie nature of the title, that's an incredible achievement. There were a FEW odd deliveries, in my opinion, and some characters that I wasn't super keen on the performances of, but it's overall pretty excellent work.

Oh man, and THE SOUNDTRACK! A game without a beautiful OST is a crime in my eyes and I really liked what was composed for 1000xResist. With how many perspectives and layers there are to the game, it's so fitting that the music befits that as well. There's tracks that are moody, solemn piano pieces and then there are some exciting synthwave-y tracks. It's not super in-your-face like how many video game OSTs can be, but it's just as much part of the genetic makeup of this game as every other aspect.

I don't have many qualms with this game EXCEPT the Orchard. It's a neat hub area, but I found it sort of tricky to get around. The waypoint system's a bit odd and sometimes I ran around in circles just trying to find the right pathway to get somewhere. A map would have been handy getting better accustomed to it because, for the life of me, I struggled with this my entire playthrough.

Other than that, this game is amazing and I will be there day one to see whatever else the team at Sunset Visitor does next.

Absolutely floored. 1000xResist is one of my favorite games in years and quite possibly my Game of The Year for 2024!

Without question, it is the story that shines here. In terms of gameplay, it's a pretty straightforward walking sim with some light dialogue choice systems and a bit of Adventure game dna. That story though?

1000xResist is a scifi narrative game that explores themes of Pandemic, authoritarianism, and the Hong Kong protests. Its world, shaped by the last living human -- a teenage girl -- and her many clones is bleak and uncomfortable. There is a sense of artifice to everything, because their world has no opportunity for anything else. Everything is fake, everything is a lie, and you the Watcher, the one person in the world who gets to know the truth.

The magic of this story is in the execution; every layer and twisting thread is handled perfectly. Far better than I would have dared hope for, and boldly enough to nourish a need that I've had for years.

If you are someone who doesn't mind a walking sim, and if that story description above interests you at all, you MUST play this game.

An ambitious and provoking narrative spanning across many generations.

1000xResist, Sunset Visitor's debut work, is undoubtedly one of my favorite releases of the year. Gameplay-wise, it's mostly a walking simulator with light puzzles, but with some excellent direction, it effectively portrays what it wants at various points. Chapter 2 is a clear example of such display by switching to a different gameplay perspective and utilizing more non-linear memory sequences. Each chapter has a distinct feel to it when it comes to its gameplay/art direction. It does look really low budget at many points, with some amateurish voice work. But I loved the style, vision, and methods the developers worked with in order to capture the game.

The game and its themes centering around the 2019 Hong Kong protests, immigration, COVID-19 pandemic, etc. are very prominent. I'm not well-versed with some of the matters the game links itself to, but I believe everything is incredibly weaved into the story and is properly handled. The allusions can be a bit on the nose at times. However, they're still so powerfully portrayed that I don't really have a problem with it. Even if you aren't familiar with what I've described, I'd still recommend to play it even if you slightly understand these problems more afterwards.

Aside from all this, the game has an intriguing mystery to follow with constantly shifting situations and a great cast to boot. There's a great mystique to the game, with every twist and turn pulling you in. The cast of humans and sisters change greatly over the course of the game (or rather unfold), whether it be for better or for worse. There's a lot going on for this game as it focuses on forgiveness, trauma, and so much more to look into.

Other aspects of the game I loved:

In the short time that I spent with them, I enjoyed some of the minor characters. There were some pretty fun interactions and dialogues.

Though the voicework is not consistently good as stated earlier, there were still some fantastic parts.

A very, very good...visual novel? I think that's the closest thing to describing the game, which largely consists of just running around and talking to folks.

I think the comparisons to something like 13 Sentinels are well-earned, though it doesn't quite reach the storytelling or character-writing highs for me. 13 Sentinels also feels a bit more ambitious in its storytelling style.

But hey, 1000xRESIST has 100% fewer naked teenagers, so gonna chalk that one up as a win. I reserve the right to bump this up to an A later upon further reflection.

1000XResist is so skillfully recursive, it folds back on itself so effortlessly, it wrenches your heart out and soaks you in addictive melodrama.

There is a core within the core of this game here. Some of the most on the nose stuff, the relation to the Hong Kong protests, I don't care about and wasn't moved to care for. I thought some of the allusions there were inelegant. I have other raw feelings on this but they're unimportant, the point is that despite not really feeling anything for the game's big metaphor and not being really convinced that I should care, it didn't matter.

1000xResist is such an accomplished angsty brood that any clumsiness can be easily forgiven. It takes on all questions, all comers, and leave them wondering what they've been doing with their lives. It is utterly confident in its voice and as powerful a game narrative as I've ever experienced.

Gonna be hard to go back to Stellar Blade after this.

A fascinating, compelling, thrilling dive into a niche subject I'm entirely too white for.

This is a story about Hong Kong and its revolutions, a story about diasporas and perpetuated cycles of violence arising from not being able to fit in. A story creating your personal hell, a story about being unable to forget and forgive. A story about a wound that hasn't been even allowed to scab. A story about having to learn to live with the mistakes you've made.

The game is built out of micro- and macrocosmic representations of the relationship between HK and China and the consequences of them. Iris and Jiao, Orchard and Old Town, a certain couple of characters in the last chapters, the way this little broken society functions and perpetuates -- everything that the game has to show and say cannot reasonably be discussed without also discussing that.
It's really not subtle about it either, at some point the imagery of 2019 protests is entirely in your face; which also makes the game fascinating, since rarely you see a videogame that processes and reflects on events so recent.

However that might make the game somewhat tough to truly resonate with. My general knowledge of Hong Kong protests is limited; before playing this game I didn't even know about the Umbrella Revolution of 2014, and I have only cursory knowledge of major events surrounding it, so actually piecing certain events together required talking to more knowledgeable people and those who actually lived in Hong Kong.

I think the game doesn't do that good of a job of actually connecting its past with its present for audience that is not already intimately familiar with the matter; the imagery is in your face but often enough contextless, leaving the outsiders either to do the research on the matter on their own, try to ground themselves in some other recent conflict (as some do with certain events in the middle east) or, as many do, disregard the imagery outright as something that doesn't interest them. Ultimately, though, I've heard people who are connected to the matter at hand praise the angle this game takes on HK diaspora and how it's weaved into the narrative, so maybe it does do a good job for those it's aimed for.

And yet even if you're Unaware, an attempt should be made.
Dismissing this aspect of the game outright, as some are wont to do, is simply reductive and deeply disrespectful.
While interacting with the game without interacting with its cultural message is entirely possible -- it's a striking, vibrant, compelling narrative in its own right which gives a lot to think about and which can easily be talked about in the lens of its many obvious influences -- one must not dismiss the game's roots.

As a Game™ that is interactable piece of media it's nothing much; there aren't many verbs to it other than Walking and Reading, with a tinge of Flying since the game has bizarre segments which feel like the last chapter of Neon White on sedatives. The meaning of those still eludes me lol they're just not very good.
Yet it's insanely striking visually. Sure, the character models don't really have Fidelity™, but the very distinct atmosphere, choices of colors, choices of camera angles are an unforgettable, deeply enthralling complement to the game's narrative.
The soundtrack also deserves a mention; while it doesn't have many outliers, it fits the mood nicely and has a good leitmotif going throughout the game.

Maybe the game just didn't vibe with me specifically seeing how most people praise it but... Jesus fucking christ, the game has 10 chapters and an epilogue (I think).

And the game itself 5 chapters and an epilogue too long, after the fake ending halfway through it just felt so drawn out.
The map is awfully big, empty and easy to get lost in
And well the story is.. I dunno? I basically had to force myself to actually play again after chapter 7, and after finally finishing chapter 10 and getting hit with an epilogue I just could not be bothered to finish the game anymore
Also not to mention that the game just looks odd, although I won't be too harsh on this due to it being an indie game it still just feels weird

This game, man. It's so hard for me to give praises to a game based on its story alone, specially when I try to avoid spoiling it to encourage more people into playing it.

I think the trailer speaks for itself showing how much potential this experience has going for itself. And, just in its first minutes I knew there was something great waiting for me. Now, when I finished chapter 2 at the two hour mark, I knew something unique was waiting for me. I don't believe there will be a better game this year or in a couple of years to come since this one is the best game I have played in ages. Yes, is THAT good.

I need to start this review by making clear that this is kind of barely a game. It's essentially a visual novel where you move your character in 3D space sometimes, with some light puzzles. That being said I do think that the 3D environments add to the game's sense of place and atmosphere. Anyway.

1000xResist is a story about a society of clones in the distant future, and their relationship with their creator/original, ALLMOTHER. We play as Watcher, a clone who is granted the unique ability to partake in communion, in which she experiences the memories of ALLMOTHER's life and the early history of their society.

The game presents an extremely textured look at the religion of this far-future society. Much effort was put into the way each character speaks, and you can really hear the nuances of each of their own versions of their faith in the way they speak. As the story goes on, the game becomes an examination of faith and tradition as generational trauma, and an extremely effective one at that.

The worst girl since the three worst girls since eve making a society of her fucked up clones, is such a powerful premise for a story that I did not hesitate digging right into 1000xResist upon learning of its existence. As a piece of visual and interactive storytelling, I was not disappointed. Yoko Taro wishes he could cook like this. Characters cruel and exciting. Feelings difficult and tender. Yearning for a place you never knew. It all really worked for me...

As a game that you play, however, you could hardly call it fun; even the movement puzzles in the communions do very little to make things interesting. The time jumping ability is mostly a storytelling mechanic, and in that regard its effective; I dont know if the game would have been "improved" with more puzzles but there's unexplored potential there. Running around to talk to all the sisters in every chapter was tedious, but you can also pretty much sidestep most of that tedium.

4 stars, hair to hair... she just like me fr

In its first week, 1000xResist has received near unanimous praise for its story. I am not one of those people. I wanted to make clear what this is on the surface as a caveat for those sucked in by hype but aren’t primed for this sort of experience, which at points was the only thing keeping me going (besides the fantastic somber music).

The prose often consists of punchy psuedo-poetic labyrinthine conversations. I’d say Disco Elysium has poisoned the well here in terms of how its influence has conditioned gamers to treat cryptic rambling as the gold standard for writing in games. I think there was a finesse to the writing in Disco Elysium that made me believe in it regardless of my inability to latch onto it emotionally or intellectually but I must say I tend to feel dead inside by its imitators. This applies to the work of Hideo Kojima and Yoko Taro as well, whose work is similarly convoluted, but have a playfulness about them I find intoxicating regardless. 1000xResist takes itself far too seriously to develop much of a personality of its own, which leads me to a compounding issue here- the clones.

I think using clones is an excellent idea for a more budgeted title like this (fewer voice actors, fewer models) but it’s detrimental to understanding a complicated story when its singular voice actor is talking to herself in limited shades of aloof and tired. It’s a great gear to be stuck in for a sci-fi story I guess but the emotional range is lacking and the supporting voice talent isn’t doing nearly enough to inject the story with much flavour. Differentiation is needed in a narrative with so many twists and turns- because they were all technically the same people, emotionally I treated them as such. I didn’t care. I didn’t understand the stakes. My plot comprehension is pretty poor on the whole, so calling me out on that is fair, but the acting and writing is actively undermining clarity and I do see that as an underlying flaw.

The gameplay is fine. I like relaxing story-driven games without combat. But let’s talk about its derivative elements. If you’ve played your fair share of games in the past 20 years you’re probably well-acquainted with “vision quest” segments that plop you in a hazy psychedelic space with oversized familiar objects placed in haphazard positions untethered by gravity as symbolic waypoints for the fractured psychology of a character’s emotional distress. I am unbelievably tired of this trope, and 1000xResist makes an entire mechanic out of it. TBH it actually pissed me off less in this case just because of its commitment to the bit, but when trying to understand the story in tandem with its other quirks, there’s just layers and layers of inception here I don’t care to sift through.

Again- just my caveats! If you’re predisposed to enjoying these kinds of bendy sci-fi stories, I’m happy you’ll get a lot out of this. Not for me. To give it marginal credit, the prose itself never got anywhere near as bad as the “dumpster Jiao” line in chapter one. There is an overall maturity here I do appreciate despite my objections.

There's a common criticism of games as a medium that even their best narratives lack something in comparison to those of books, movies, etc. And while games are what I love, from a narrative perspective I have found that framing hard to disagree with. There are several games that have changed my life, but they are so often unsophisticated in their meaning-making. They are frequently blunt in their delivery and single-purposed, perhaps because it is so difficult to do all of the creative mediums at once and tell a story with interactivity. I love games because of that ambition, and yet...

I think 1000xResist actually defies that notion. And I don't mean to say that as if everyone who plays this will have their life changed forever or whatever, but it IS one of the most thought-stirring games I've ever played. It is utterly overflowing in meaning. It is not impressive merely "because it is a video game," or because of clever interactions that "could only happen in a game," yet all the while it makes shrewd use of its interactivity. It's the kind of narrative where truly nothing is without purpose, and I spent its entire runtime learning how to reinterpret past scenes, adding layers to the meaning that I had already derrived.

I'm afraid all of that is going to come across like I'm just dumping hyperbole on it without getting specific. It is sort of a challenge to articulate what it speaks to, because there truly is so much: it speaks to the experience of COVID-19, of the tension between immigrant parents and their children, of fitting in, of finding one's purpose, of generational trauma, of mental health, and so much more.

"But isn't this just the way? We do not get to choose what we inherit."