This review contains spoilers
Embarassing as it may be, this game was the whole reason as to why I bought a PS4, and I don't regret it one bit. I had even already watched most of the game just through clips on youtube, but the idea fascinated me; A story that can completely change based off of your descisions? I had to play it. So I bought a PS4, downloaded it, and got right to playing. I was beyond satisfied!
Story: 10/10. This game is just an "interactive movie" to me and I love every bit of it. I did the arguably "true" playthrough (Deviant connor, peaceful Markus, Canada Kara), but I really should go back and play them differently. All the main cast is acted so well and they look so realistic, which is one of the main things I look for in a video game. The story was moving with plenty of likeable characters and possible routes it could have gone. I'm not sure there is much more I can ask for!
Characters: 10/10. Again, the characters are so well written and acted that it feels like real life. Thats all I can really ask for! My personal favorite story was Connors, then Markus's, then Kara's, and my favorite character was Hank. Each had their own views and drastically different paths their stories could go.
Combat: 2/10. There isn't really combat in this game, just "suspenseful QTEs."
Gameplay/Content: 4.5/10. I understand this gameplay isn't really for everyone, but it was for me. I enjoyed sitting back and watching conversations go on, scenes play out, and then making my descisions on how I wanted the story to play out. The QTEs kept you engaged as well, even though sometimes they were tedious.
World: 6/10. You don't really get to explore the world, but you do feel very immersed within it.
Traversal: 2/10. This isn't really applicable, as all you do is basically walk around (which can get boring rather fast). I don't consider the QTEs as traversal, by the way.
Problems: This is a skill-issue type complaint: I can only imagine how horribly wrong a playthrough can go if you haven't watched the gameplay and don't know which options to choose. I understand that people may want their own experience, but that own experience may be different than what the devs were secretly hoping many people would find as the "true" ending. What I'm trying to say is that I wish there were some system that made me feel less bad about replaying a mission to get a different outcome (an outcome I want, not what I got). I understand this is much easier said than done, and arguably takes away the whole point of the game and it's genre. Alas, it is my two cents.
Favorite Part: Anything with Connor in the second half of the game.
Least Favorite Part: The slow beginning.
Story: 10/10. This game is just an "interactive movie" to me and I love every bit of it. I did the arguably "true" playthrough (Deviant connor, peaceful Markus, Canada Kara), but I really should go back and play them differently. All the main cast is acted so well and they look so realistic, which is one of the main things I look for in a video game. The story was moving with plenty of likeable characters and possible routes it could have gone. I'm not sure there is much more I can ask for!
Characters: 10/10. Again, the characters are so well written and acted that it feels like real life. Thats all I can really ask for! My personal favorite story was Connors, then Markus's, then Kara's, and my favorite character was Hank. Each had their own views and drastically different paths their stories could go.
Combat: 2/10. There isn't really combat in this game, just "suspenseful QTEs."
Gameplay/Content: 4.5/10. I understand this gameplay isn't really for everyone, but it was for me. I enjoyed sitting back and watching conversations go on, scenes play out, and then making my descisions on how I wanted the story to play out. The QTEs kept you engaged as well, even though sometimes they were tedious.
World: 6/10. You don't really get to explore the world, but you do feel very immersed within it.
Traversal: 2/10. This isn't really applicable, as all you do is basically walk around (which can get boring rather fast). I don't consider the QTEs as traversal, by the way.
Problems: This is a skill-issue type complaint: I can only imagine how horribly wrong a playthrough can go if you haven't watched the gameplay and don't know which options to choose. I understand that people may want their own experience, but that own experience may be different than what the devs were secretly hoping many people would find as the "true" ending. What I'm trying to say is that I wish there were some system that made me feel less bad about replaying a mission to get a different outcome (an outcome I want, not what I got). I understand this is much easier said than done, and arguably takes away the whole point of the game and it's genre. Alas, it is my two cents.
Favorite Part: Anything with Connor in the second half of the game.
Least Favorite Part: The slow beginning.