Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today

One second you're solving wacky puzzles by suffocating a homeless dude using a pot lid on a barrel so you can steal his things. The next, the game is comparing itself to the holocaust. I think having serious themes in games is a good thing, but they're just not handled very well here. When Dead Synchronicity tells me that the camp's gangsters are prostituting a mentally ill girl, it's just to parade it around for shock value. A central idea in this game's story is that the protagonist is forced to do bad things in order to survive in the "New World." An equivalency is drawn between these actions which he takes and what the goons in the camp do, except it doesn't feel very legitimate since most of the hero's behaviour is a result of weird puzzle logic. I don't feel bad for having had to get kids to shoot a slingshot at some soldiers to advance a puzzle because it didn't make sense in the first place. It's just adventure game moon logic. The "Dead Synchronicity" time-shifting mechanic shows up as non-interactive cutscenes throughout the game but is never used until the very end. I was expecting for it to tie into the game somehow but nope, it's just there for some technobabble exposition that you'll see coming a mile away. It works okay as a point and click object combining puzzle game. It's very easy, objects are highlighted and the game will often rewind itself and automatically pick up objects or fire conversation options on it's own if you miss them. Just be prepared to be jarred by the lack of subtlety in the writing. Oh, and the ending is a giant cliffhanger that's never going to get finished. Enjoy.

I can't recommend it as its an unfinished game and the studio does not seem to have any plans of releasing the sequels. It really did feel like playing a prologue. Parts are well crafted and nicely made. Others are not. Overall, only get it if you have nothing else to play. It is good but feels like a waste of time.

This is the first game I helped crowdfund that reach publication, and I am very pleased with the result of my little investment. Gorgeous hand-drawn backgrounds, a chilling dark plot, believable sinister characters and some convincing voice acting combine to a truly immersive experience. Animation is perhaps a bit too choppy, but it fits the art much better than rendered objects would have. In fact, the great looking character artwork is probably what contributes most to giving the game a genuinely unique style. A highly impressive presentation, especially considering how small the team is. I am now eagerly awaiting a sequel, along with other titles from Fictiorama Studios.

Few point-and-click tales approach grittiness in such an unfiltered manner, which nonetheless doesn't feel gratuitous. Shocking moments have a point, the psychological and philosophical points are well balanced with the occasional need to "do what you gotta do". Extra star for avoiding the straight-forward villains & goodies dynamic. If you don't mind the somewhat open ending, give it a try - not many other games like it! A sequel would have been nice, though, to go deeper and tie up some loose ends...

Great atmosphere, in fact I think it is outstanding, obviously a lot of effort was made both for the graphics and the soundtrack. I enjoyed the story and many of the puzzles. Please make more episodes.