Orwell

Orwell is a great experience. It seems cumbersome at first - and even boring - but you quickly get hooked. Story is neither too short or too long - felt just right. It could use some more choice and/or gameplay restrictions (like the upload limit in the last episode). Overall - thrilling.

I was unsure of this game in the beginning due to some of the reviews but I'm glad I gave it a go as it's a lot better than some of the reviews would imply. If your looking for quick action and more interested in the instant action of FPS games , this is not for you , it's a thinking story driven game. Have you ever wanted to work for the secret service piecing clues together then this is a bit like that , fascinating , intresting and at times a bit of a chore but still brilliant in its own right. If your a bit of a old bugger like me you may remember on the Spectrum that there was a game based on the Yes Prime Minster program where every choice had a response, either good or bad and you had to search for the next question and then the next answer, well this is the same. If you want action then this is not for you , if you want story and discovery , then this is for you.

(This is a reprint of my original review of the game on Steam.) 'Orwell' is a fascinating first-person adventure game that explores the implications of online surveillance -- by having the player act as Big Brother! You play an investigator tasked with capturing perpetrators responsible for a lethal bombing. With the help of an investigative advisor, you collect Datachunks to build profiles of suspects. However, profile building is not a rote task because you'll need to pore through online documents, phone and chat transcripts, resolve conflicting information, and be judicious and definitive about which Datachunk to add to the profiles. Given that, your decisions in building a suspect's profile will have both short-term and long-term consequences, affecting how the story unfolds. 'Orwell' makes players reflect on, or perhaps even reconsider the value of and impact of surveillance on public safety. It's both entertaining and thought-provoking, and I was compelled to replay it twice more so that I can see how different decisions will yield different outcomes. With such high value in entertainment, intellectual stimulation and replayability for its price, 'Orwell' gets my enthusiastic recommendation.

Wow. I actually got this game recommended by my teacher in studies. The course was about the usage of media in our future. This game does really well in showing the oppotunities, but also the risks of governmental crime fighting through digital media. I found it really immersive to play the game and to experience the point of view of an data collector. Exspecially the beginning and ending of the game was really impressive. I was a bit impatient and skimmed a lot of the well written and well staged texts. I bet that's why I had trouble to understand every part of what happend. Yeah - there is a lot going on at parts. (A lot of files and hints coming in to review.) So it's really easy to loose track of what is going on in every detail. Mainly in the middle part of the game. For me I had no problem with this gameplay desicion because this makes it even more realistic, stressfull and immersive.

Didn't feel as I was investigating as much as following dots to dots