else Heart.Break()

else Heart.Break() has many classifications: adventure, point & click, RPG, etc., but it is, in reality, a game about exploration. This motive runs through the fabric of the game, in its movement, storytelling, and progression and it takes another dimension with hacking. This game is the embodiment of the hacker culture which itself is a form of exploration. The drive, the motivation to find out what will happen if I change this, tweak that is what can easily make a player spend multiple hours in front of the screen. A mandatory addition to hackers’ must-play game list. As it often comes with games that strongly encourage exploration there is little to no hand-holding. You’re on your own and this can be repelling to some players. During the initial playthrough, I spent a couple of hours just walking around not knowing what to do and waiting for something to happen. A lot of the time even when you get a ‘quest’ you are often left without a clear goal and you have to ‘push’ the game progression yourself by stumbling upon the next chapter. The originality of the idea, the artwork, the soundtrack, and the sheer excitement of finding and modifying something for your benefit is why I must recommend that anyone with even a remote interest in the topics ‘covered’ by this game try it. However, if you don’t have the patience for running around for long periods trying to find something to do, occasional bugs that can interrupt the story progression, and lousy navigation and camera, this game is not for you. else Heart.Break() is a prematurely released masterpiece.

This Point-and-Click Adventure allows you to hack most any environmental object and change its basic properties. This is a great idea, which can lead to some clever solutions, and can teach you basic programming skills. Unfortunately, the game doesn't quite pull it off. The game is almost a complete sandbox, which is fine, but the problem is that there is a set goal to achieve, and nothing really points you in that direction. In fact, the game seems to do everything it can to lead you away from doing what you're supposed to do. I got the ability to hack by literally stalking some girl I'd just met (and wasn't interesting enough for me to even care about; I had to find in a walkthrough that I was supposed to find her interesting), following her as she stumbled half-drunk to her apartment, and then forcing my way into the underground resistance. Was I supposed to gather from the fact that my actual job was to walk up to random strangers and try to sell them cans of soda for $5 apiece that this was a creep simulator? Even after that, I wasn't sure what to do, what to hack, or why my code only worked about 40% of the time; I have experience in coding, and I know how it's supposed to work. The only character I found interesting at all is this strange old woman (unlike the characters I'm supposed to care about, she doesn't even have a name) who hangs out at the hotel dining hall all day. I started trying to develop a relationship with her, only to have her ask me to sit down with her one night. I couldn't, though; the game completely froze on me, and that was the last straw. The game also has a strange obsession with wanting you to tell people that your nickname is Seb. Why would I do that, when I've never once heard a Sebastian call himself that? I really wanted to rate this higher, because there are some great ideas here, but with the deeply flawed execution and numerous game-breaking glitches, I just can't recommend it.

Definitely underbaked. Even though this game has one of the best concepts i recall from recent gaming history (literally "Hack the word"), it has some of the most glaring flaws which pretty much defeat any steam. -First of all - quest log. I am sorry - at least store memories of player actually suppose to do. Better yet - along with his feelings. How the hell do i suppose to recognize that a protagonist suddenly decides to go after some chick. Let alone keep pushing after her when he's clearly been told she has a boyfriend. I mean i do realize that she is crucial to the plot progression, but this is utterly ridiculous situation and it portrayed quiet poorly. So much so that even she says "stop being so creepy". And on the side note - this is NOT pen and paper and i REFUSE to keep a notepad and a sharpie with me to write down everything. Otherwise i can't give less of a #### about what i suppose to do. Seriously - i have other stuff to do and to remember in my life - don't treat me from the first seconds like i suppose to give a flying #### about your game. Especially if you gonna hide supposed main feature of the game behind an hour of gameplay. Seriously. -Second. Map. Utter garbage. I am sorry - but what is this? Early 2000s? This game has a chronical condition of "where the #### do i go, what the #### do i do" kind of navigation from early 2000s games. It ain't fun. Give us responsive map which contains all the markers we need + all the learned markers also. -Third - view of the world. Listen - you either make a fixed camera or you make a camera which follows the mouse - not both, completely undercooked. I would've recommended either moving camera pov to player and giving us full wasd controls, or at the very least - changing camera controls to Q/E snap 45 degrees rotations. And even with these flaws i found enjoying myself from time to time, even though networking seems confusing at best, utterly undescriptive at worst.

else Heart.Break() is a wonderfully quirky game. It'll suck you right into its intriguing world and leave you dreaming about it at night. Spend the effort, get into it and fall in love with it like I did!