I'm really conflicted on this one. On one hand, it's a very creative, quirky adventure series. The randomization mechanics are fun, and seeing different journeys from a similar mindset is interesting. I also think the narrative is interesting at its core. This is just a very engaging topic to explore, and the framing of going on this journey as different kids, experiencing crazy adventures to reach your goal, is in itself very intriguing.
But there are also a lot of problems. Firstly, this is a narrative game, at it's core. Even if the narrative is interspersed over multiple playthroughs, this is a complete story. But because the story is not entirely told sequentially, things feel a little muddled. Some scenes will be striking and very emotionally impactful, but others feel like goofy jaunts, which gives this bizarre juxtaposition to everything.
The other problem is that this is definitively a game. Your main mechanics in this game are dialogue choices and minigames. There is a meta-game of managing your funds, but it's also not that important. Thus, because your main engagement with the game is either talking or playing minigames, they both have to be really strong. And while the game never lingers in one place too long, just like these migrants, it also never really builds a sort of consistency that you can really appreciate.
Additionally, the narrative itself is a bit messy. It is good, and at it's core, I think it's a fun time. But I'm gonna be honest, 75% of the cast is super unlikeable and stupid. A cop loyal to the state with a rebel child who scorned them? That's a great concept. But in an actual playthrough, the cop in question is just kind of a jerk most of the time. The cool rebel, rocker, trucker man with a heart of gold? Sure, good idea, but when he's screaming at you to shoot at people against your will, or getting blitzed out drunk and needing to be babied like a 5 year old, that's not really a vibe. And we do not speak on the idiotic thieves. They're completely irredeemable, and every scene they were in made me actively annoyed and angry at the game. In a story about totalitarian regimes and migration through political persecution, there is no room for slapstick comedy, robber duos.
Zoe and Alex are perfect in every way, even if the voice acting left a little to be desired. It was clear a lot of time, effort, and thought was put into their characters and their characterization. But when 2/7 character are actually entertaining, even the best characters can't hold up the weight of the world.
Then there are just all the little bits of weirdness and jank that come with the game. Some of the explorable worlds are HUGE, but there's nothing to explore in them. Sometimes you'll engage with hostile characters, or will be put in situations you don't want to be in; however, because the game is dialogue based, you're forced to participate, even if you don't want to. The game constantly flip-flops between wacky roadtrip comedy and serious political commentary, and it feels like it has a hard time to stay on topic. And sometimes, the game shifts out of "game mode," and goes full "narrative mode," where you get extremely long, extended cutscenes. These scenes really are good, but it basically ignores your character entirely, which makes your actions feel irrelevant. You're not the main character in this story; you're just a conduit for all the much more interesting, cool things happening around you.
The game is entertaining but confused. It feels like the devs wanted to make a really interesting roguelike about escaping a corrupt nation, by roadtripping and completing minigames to reach your goal. But then, halfway through, it feels like they got really intrigued by the worldbuilding and story they made, and abandoned the roguelike idea halfway to focus on the narrative. Then, it feels like they ran out of time or budget, and had effectively two different games that they were forced to smash into one thing, hoping that it would be coherent in the end.
The roguelike mechanics by themselves are really interesting, and I would love to see a game that focuses on random adventures to escape a totalitarian country. And the narrative is sincere and interesting, and even though it can be sloppy at times, I did appreciate my time with it, and liked what it had to say and explore. But because the game was never able to pick a lane, it never was able to make either piece of itself excellent. This makes the end result extremely sloppy, unbalanced, and clumsy.
It's fun, but smudged and flawed. And inevitably, no matter how entertaining something is, if you're constantly distracted by all the flaws, you can never truly enjoy what it has to offer.
But there are also a lot of problems. Firstly, this is a narrative game, at it's core. Even if the narrative is interspersed over multiple playthroughs, this is a complete story. But because the story is not entirely told sequentially, things feel a little muddled. Some scenes will be striking and very emotionally impactful, but others feel like goofy jaunts, which gives this bizarre juxtaposition to everything.
The other problem is that this is definitively a game. Your main mechanics in this game are dialogue choices and minigames. There is a meta-game of managing your funds, but it's also not that important. Thus, because your main engagement with the game is either talking or playing minigames, they both have to be really strong. And while the game never lingers in one place too long, just like these migrants, it also never really builds a sort of consistency that you can really appreciate.
Additionally, the narrative itself is a bit messy. It is good, and at it's core, I think it's a fun time. But I'm gonna be honest, 75% of the cast is super unlikeable and stupid. A cop loyal to the state with a rebel child who scorned them? That's a great concept. But in an actual playthrough, the cop in question is just kind of a jerk most of the time. The cool rebel, rocker, trucker man with a heart of gold? Sure, good idea, but when he's screaming at you to shoot at people against your will, or getting blitzed out drunk and needing to be babied like a 5 year old, that's not really a vibe. And we do not speak on the idiotic thieves. They're completely irredeemable, and every scene they were in made me actively annoyed and angry at the game. In a story about totalitarian regimes and migration through political persecution, there is no room for slapstick comedy, robber duos.
Zoe and Alex are perfect in every way, even if the voice acting left a little to be desired. It was clear a lot of time, effort, and thought was put into their characters and their characterization. But when 2/7 character are actually entertaining, even the best characters can't hold up the weight of the world.
Then there are just all the little bits of weirdness and jank that come with the game. Some of the explorable worlds are HUGE, but there's nothing to explore in them. Sometimes you'll engage with hostile characters, or will be put in situations you don't want to be in; however, because the game is dialogue based, you're forced to participate, even if you don't want to. The game constantly flip-flops between wacky roadtrip comedy and serious political commentary, and it feels like it has a hard time to stay on topic. And sometimes, the game shifts out of "game mode," and goes full "narrative mode," where you get extremely long, extended cutscenes. These scenes really are good, but it basically ignores your character entirely, which makes your actions feel irrelevant. You're not the main character in this story; you're just a conduit for all the much more interesting, cool things happening around you.
The game is entertaining but confused. It feels like the devs wanted to make a really interesting roguelike about escaping a corrupt nation, by roadtripping and completing minigames to reach your goal. But then, halfway through, it feels like they got really intrigued by the worldbuilding and story they made, and abandoned the roguelike idea halfway to focus on the narrative. Then, it feels like they ran out of time or budget, and had effectively two different games that they were forced to smash into one thing, hoping that it would be coherent in the end.
The roguelike mechanics by themselves are really interesting, and I would love to see a game that focuses on random adventures to escape a totalitarian country. And the narrative is sincere and interesting, and even though it can be sloppy at times, I did appreciate my time with it, and liked what it had to say and explore. But because the game was never able to pick a lane, it never was able to make either piece of itself excellent. This makes the end result extremely sloppy, unbalanced, and clumsy.
It's fun, but smudged and flawed. And inevitably, no matter how entertaining something is, if you're constantly distracted by all the flaws, you can never truly enjoy what it has to offer.