So, this is my first negative review ever. Never expected it to be in a game that I mostly enjoyed.

The game is beautiful, artistically. The characters are compelling, the voice acting GREAT, and the parallel storylines work really well in the context of someone stuck alone in the freezing cold, starting to allucinate. However, I take extreme issue with how the illusion of choice is implemented.

Throughout the game, you are forced (I tried sometimes to not respond, but I wasn't allowed; with one notable exception not pulling the gun on the russian guy ) to choose the emotion that the main character feels whenever he intervenes in conversation. I did not expect these choices to have too much of an effect in the overall narrative, but I did expect them to shape the story in some way. However, I was dissapointed. In spectacular fashion. Spoilers ahead:


There comes a point in the game when all your choices are rendered meaningless. Whatever you chose, in a certain conversation with Clara, she will pick your choices apart one by one and reveal to you that you are remembering things incorrectly. Literally, I had been walking around for 3 hours, taking my time to choose an interesting story, roleplaying Peter in a way that I found interesting, and then I find out that the game has been gaslighting both Clara and myself the whole time.

Then the only choice which really matters is to keep "lying to yourself" about the past and choose to remember asking for Clara to be kept as a co-author, or choosing to go towards the red light. And you would expect this choice to be significant. The difference between being lost in Peter's delusions or actually making it out alive, maybe. But no. ¿Wanna know what the difference is?.

One cutscene. At the very end of the game. Everything else remains exactly the same.

Now, do not misunderstand me. I think that this idea for a story is great. The guy lying to himself, not getting the girl due to his own lies and decisions, and everyone dying at the end would have made a great movie. If this game had been a movie made with the game engine, it would have been a great, memorable movie. And this review would have been a 9.5/10. However, it was supossed to be a game.

I, as the player, was not only encouraged but forced to take decisions that ultimately, not only did not matter, but were actively disregarded in my face. I do not think the format fits the story at all. I feel like I have lost my time with this game.

If you want a visual novel with some choices which actually produce (small but significant and rewarding) changes in the overall story, with a great visual style, go play Pentiment. This game, I cannot recommend.

So, this is my first negative review ever. Never expected it to be in a game that I mostly enjoyed. The game is beautiful, artistically. The characters are compelling, the voice acting GREAT, and the parallel storylines work really well in the context of someone stuck alone in the freezing cold, starting to allucinate. However, I take extreme issue with how the illusion of choice is implemented. Throughout the game, you are [i] forced [/i] (I tried sometimes to not respond, but I wasn't allowed; with one notable exception [spoiler] not pulling the gun on the russian guy [/spoiler]) to choose the emotion that the main character feels whenever he intervenes in conversation. I did not expect these choices to have too much of an effect in the overall narrative, but I did expect them to shape the story in some way. However, I was dissapointed. In spectacular fashion. Spoilers ahead: [spoiler] There comes a point in the game when all your choices are rendered meaningless. Whatever you chose, in a certain conversation with Clara, she will pick your choices apart one by one and reveal to you that you are remembering things incorrectly. Literally, I had been walking around for 3 hours, taking my time to choose an interesting story, roleplaying Peter in a way that I found interesting, and then I find out that the game has been gaslighting both Clara and myself the whole time. Then the only choice which really matters is to keep "lying to yourself" about the past and choose to remember asking for Clara to be kept as a co-author, or choosing to go towards the red light. And you would expect this choice to be significant. The difference between being lost in Peter's delusions or actually making it out alive, maybe. But no. ¿Wanna know what the difference is?. One cutscene. At the very end of the game. Everything else remains exactly the same. Now, do not misunderstand me. I think that this idea for a story is great. The guy lying to himself, not getting the girl due to his own lies and decisions, and everyone dying at the end would have made a great movie. If this game had been a movie made with the game engine, it would have been a great, memorable movie. And this review would have been a 9.5/10. However, it was supossed to be a game. I, as the player, was not only encouraged but forced to take decisions that ultimately, not only did not matter, but were actively disregarded in my face. I do not think the format fits the story at all. I feel like I have lost my time with this game. [/spoiler] If you want a visual novel with some choices which actually produce (small but significant and rewarding) changes in the overall story, with a great visual style, go play Pentiment. This game, I cannot recommend.