Surprisingly engaging puzzle gameplay, with a nice degree of depth and variety, though it does sometimes suffer from "figure this mind bender out in 2.5 seconds or you die". On top of that, it is in desperate need of a dedicated climb button - way too many deaths / lost time because "turn around" was interpreted as "hurl yourself into danger". I would also, to some degree, question how well the gameplay sections really feel integrated with the rest of the experience.
The primary draw here is obviously meant to be the story which is... something of a mixed bag? I do enjoy the characters, though I never feel like there's enough interaction with either K/Catherine to get too attached either way. Additionally, despite the framing of this as an exploration of questions around relationships, freedom, commitment, etc, it is absolutely framed as a good vs bad story. In fact, the bad choice is bad to a comical degree that really kind of sucks away any attempts at nuance.
As I said, the gameplay and story sections feel very segmented, but the bar sections, in particular Vincent's conversations with his friends, are fun. The other patrons' stories (the only crossover with the night sections) are fine seasoning, though not anything mind-blowing.
If this delved more into the fleshing out Vincent's two possible relationships and created an actual dichotomy between two valid choices, it would be quite a bit more compelling. As is, it's a somewhat so-so story with solid gameplay so... eh, it's pretty good.
The primary draw here is obviously meant to be the story which is... something of a mixed bag? I do enjoy the characters, though I never feel like there's enough interaction with either K/Catherine to get too attached either way. Additionally, despite the framing of this as an exploration of questions around relationships, freedom, commitment, etc, it is absolutely framed as a good vs bad story. In fact, the bad choice is bad to a comical degree that really kind of sucks away any attempts at nuance.
As I said, the gameplay and story sections feel very segmented, but the bar sections, in particular Vincent's conversations with his friends, are fun. The other patrons' stories (the only crossover with the night sections) are fine seasoning, though not anything mind-blowing.
If this delved more into the fleshing out Vincent's two possible relationships and created an actual dichotomy between two valid choices, it would be quite a bit more compelling. As is, it's a somewhat so-so story with solid gameplay so... eh, it's pretty good.