Detroit: Become Human Review (Ayuri)
A masterpiece - visually, emotionally, morally, but also in terms of story and freedom of choices
Detroit: Become Human is an ambitious interactive and narrative game developped by Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls) and ported from PlayStation 4 to PC. It takes place in a near future (2038) where Androids have become a standard and share humans daily life, might it be for difficult and repetitive tasks, to take care of the household and children, or even to be the perfect partner who never complains nor says no.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821362980
These Androids look and sound like humans, but remain nonetheless machines designed to serve humans and obey their orders. You get to play three of them: Connor, Kara and Markus, attaching characters with intertwined paths who will make you question humanity, what it means to be alive and challenge your empathy. For some of those Androids have had an experience or shock that has triggered something inside of them - something that they are not supposed to feel: emotions.
And it is because of this context that the game feels realistic and plausible - it isn't a sci-fi game with spaceships or completely out of the reach technologies - and therefore the story feels relatable and raises questions about our future.
"You can't kill me. I'm not alive."
The whole game doesn't only feel like a movie that you can interact with: there are for sure a lot of cutscenes and dialogues, with a brilliant narration, but you can also count on exploration, investigation work with Connor, thrilling action, even some creepy moments and countless emotional times. The game relies on a quick time events (QTE) system, which will give you only a few seconds to perform some actions, dialogues or make tought choices.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821767797
What distinguishes Detroit: Become Human the most from other games of the genre in my humble opinion is the incredible number of choices and options. They actually matter and will have consequences, so you can choose your own gamestyle, define who you are and who you want to be, and deal with your choices. You think you can't get your character killed because (s)he is one of the protagonists? Guess again. It's like nothing I've seen before - Life is Strange and Telltale games are simply no match. For instance, there are over 40 different endings, so the game has a high replayability value. I hadn't even finished my first playthrough yet, that I wanted to try different choices already.
"28 stab wounds. You didn't want to leave him a chance, huh?"
I appreciate the flowcharts that you can check at any time and unlocks your route as you progress through the game. It gives you an idea on how many options there are and how everything could have turned out diferently. Even if you've finished the game once, you can replay it and follow another path - you still have many surprises waiting for you.
Another impressive fact about Detroit: Become Human is that it's not just voice acted, there are actual actors who have been captured, from trivial walking to performing spectacular stunts. No wonder it took so much time to film, but the result is incredible and worth the effort.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2820647940
Thumbs up for the amazing soundtrack as well: each of the three characters has a personal theme and epic musics that help creating the right atmosphere and feeling of total immersion.
Overall I'm happy with the PC port. I've played through the whole game with mouse and keyboard, but sometimes it can be a bit tricky (keep pressing 'Q', then 'shift' at the same time, and why not 'E' as well). Some of you might prefer playing with a controller, which is obviously possible.
"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind."
Would I recommend Detroit: Become Human? Without a doubt, I can't recommend it enough. It has become my favorite narrative game and one of my favorite games in general. Do yourself a favor: buy the game and play it blindly without checking the flowcharts or any guides for your first playthrough. Choose your own adventure and forge humanity and androids destiny!