Whispers of a Machine
Post-apocalyptic settings have always been popular in entertainment, and video games are no exception here. Especially in the RPG and shooter genres, this is an extremely popular setting, with the Fallout franchise as the most important title. And we’re not even looking at the countless zombie games that exist! But in the point and click adventure game genre this setting isn’t as common as you might think. With Whispers of a Machine, developers Clifftop Games and Faravid Interactive and publisher Raw Fury give us a new entry in an underrepresented genre in the adventure game world.
Sci-Fi Nordic Noir
According to the game’s webpage, Whispers of a Machine is “a Sci-Fi Nordic Noir that tells the story of Vera, a cybernetically augmented detective in a post-AI world, who investigates a string of murders and unravels a dark conflict over forbidden technology.” These murders happened in the sleepy industrial town of Nordsund, a place where there hasn’t been a homicide in over a decade. Needless to say, your presence shakes things up quite a bit. A trail of bodies follows, and Vera’s abilities are tested to the max.
Augment Your Reality
Vera isn’t your regular Central Bureau agent. She has been cybernetically augmented by a substance called ‘Blue’ and this gives her certain powers that normal humans don’t have. These secret weapons come in really handy in her investigation. Vera starts with three augmentations: muscle boost (gives her extra strength), biometric analyzer (for scanning someone’s biorhythm for emotional anomalies), and a forensic scanner with two modes (for scanning crime scenes).
Expect The Unexpected
During the game, the Blue will give you some unexpected and surprising augmentations. What these are is determined by Vera’s personality; the way you as a player choose to interact with other characters in the game. There are three personality types that guide the answers you can give: Empathetic, Assertive and Analytical. How you finish the game is determined by these personality types. This gives the game a unique replayability and gives you the opportunity to get some interesting achievements.
No Pixel Hunting
Aside from the above mentioned abilities, Whispers of a Machine has the gameplay and controls of a normal point and click adventure game. You can walk around Nordsund, talk to people, pick up items and investigate surroundings. Your trusty notebook is a great help with interrogations, allowing you to question people about a variety of subjects, including other people. There is no pixel hunting necessary, because holding the space bar shows you all the hot spots. How you handle them is entirely up to you, and not all of them are useful.
Choices Are Permanent
The puzzles make sense and can be solved with clues from the game. When I got stuck, I usually got out of it by thinking if I used all my augmentations or if I checked the entire room. Death happens, but the game will simply put you back right before you died so you can try again. There is no save option, so think carefully about your actions, because choices are permanent and you carry the consequences with you till the end of the game. The gameplay is very smooth and there is much to discover. Just make sure you remember that you have all these cool abilities!
Conclusion
Whispers of a Machine has splendid pixel art, great voice acting and an intriguing story. The developers have created a fascinating world that is a joy to explore, and a fascinating mystery to decipher. The difficulty is spot-on. With patience and logic, all the puzzles and problems can be solved and I didn’t find anything in the game that didn’t make sense. Throughout your investigation you are kept on your toes by revelations that play into Vera’s past and the game throws you plenty of curveballs too.
All in all, this makes for a very enjoyable game that makes you want to stay in this world long after you solve the case. Good thing you can try out some other personality types and jump right back in. I enjoyed this game immensely and can wholeheartedly recommend it.
Pros
Splendid pixel art
Top notch voice acting and music
Extraordinary world-building and story
Smooth game play
Perfect difficulty
Unique detective skills
Can be played in multiple languages
Cons
Can be finished in under 8 hours
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