The Beautiful Android Revolution
David Cage and Quantic Dream are at it again. The fourth attempt at blurring the line between cinema and gaming. Detroit: Become Human is an action adventure game with a major emphasis on player decisions. Released on May 25th, 2018 exclusively on PS4, its character choices aim to push the boundary of narrative storytelling in video games.
Graphics 2/2
Beautiful. That sums up the entirety of the visual fidelity in this game. Never before has facial animation been so mind-blowing. Every detail carefully every emotion that is being portrayed in the performance. Alongside the fascinating character performances and modeling, Quantic Dream did an incredible job creating a futuristic version of Detroit. A realistic futuristic version of Detroit at that. One that shows off the talent of this team by recreating industries that could believably be present in the near future. The visuals are so amazing they are practically hypnotizing. Detroit: Become Human effortlessly pulls you into its world and makes it almost impossible to step back into what feels like the past.
Story 2/2
Experience the android revolution. Through the lens of the androids at the forefront of it all. That’s the general premise anyway. The full story is an experience that’s so emotional it’s nearly inexplicable. Detroit: Become Human takes you through a roller coaster of emotions. And It’s a rollercoaster that changes every time you play it. As the ride continues, the individual stories begin to unravel onto each other. Each with their own driver and distinct way to behave. So much of the story is hard to express without opening the gate for spoilers, but the writer’s for this game did not hold back. They delivered raw and uncut stories that showcase the future of the world we live in now. It’s a powerful cultural masterpiece.
Audio 2/2
Bad sounds can do a good job of destroying the experience developers work hard to create. The team behind sound design for Detroit: Become Human brought this world to life sonically in a way that shines emphasis on the full experience. The sounds of the future coupled with the visuals truly sell the realism of this universe. These are all sounds that can be heard now and vividly imagined as sounds of the future. It’s the subtle details that really bring things to life though. The slight metal sound in the voices of the androids. Just audible enough to distinguish a difference between human and machine. One of the greatest highlights of the game: The chirping android birds.
Gameplay 1/2
If you’ve played one Quantic Dream game, you’ve played them all. Seriously, they all play the same way. Of course each one of them with their own small detail based mechanic, but the same none the less. The left analog stick is used for character movement while the right analog stick alternates between being used for camera movement and interacting with items. Most of the action sequences are played through various quick time events. Exploring the world is made easy with a zoom button that points to unique objects to helped add character and intrigue to the story. In this case, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix” applies but a little adventuring couldn’t hurt too much.
Fun 2/2
Detroit: Become Human is one of the most immersive video games on the market. It is simultaneously one of the best movies of the year. That’s what makes this game fun. It’s an overall fun experience with tons of replay value. It’s filled with captivating performances, amazing dialogue, emotion characters, and a living world. Detroit is a choose your own adventure story in full motion. Action packed, thrilling, and intense in every second. This game is at the highest points of fun not for what it lets you do, but for how it presents an experience for you to never forget.
To summarize: Detroit: Become Human is one of the most artistic pieces of theatrical work to ever be presented in a video game. A meaningful story is driven by characters that feel as real as a breath of fresh air. This is another game to show off when people ask if video games are art. The answer is: absolutely.
Score: 9/10