The Red Strings Club

Once in a while, a video game would come along and transcend the medium. 'Undertale' uses the RPG genre to slyly comment on human's violent tendencies; 'Kentucky Route Zero' uses vector art and stage play-like narrative and design to ponder the meaning of life; and now, we have 'The Red Strings Club' exploring the meaning of being (trans)human through a tale about freewill, fate and love. As a cyberpunk sci-fi game, 'TRSC' makes philosophical discussions about (trans)humanism and freewill interesting. The game invites you to reflect on your current beliefs about these deep topics without being judgemental. Whether you are open to other opinions, undecided, or stubborn about your views, 'TRSC' is a very accessible game to play, nay, experience. 'TRSC' does all this through three mini-games: creating module implants in style of crafting pottery, mixing drinks, and making telephone calls. These unconventional mini-games may be disparate, but the developers managed present them organically within the well-written story. If you have played the developer's Ludum Dare competition entries 'Zen and the Art of Transhumanism' and 'Supercontinent Ltd', you will be familiar with two of the three mini-games. The highlight of 'TRSC' is the mixology mini-game, in which you create cocktails to tune into your clients' souls, so that you can extract the needed information out of them. What a unique way to reimagine an interrogation scenario in a game! I particularly enjoyed the game's sound design. The sounds of an ice cube hitting the glass and alcohol filling a vessel help ground the otherwise futuristic, surreal game. Rarely do I feel the need to replay games, yet I immediately replayed 'TRSC' upon my first playthrough to explore different decisions and dialogues. The leisurely pace of the game allowed me plenty opportunity to think and reflect. 'TRSC' is one of the finest games crafted to date, and it's worth checking out even if you're not into video games in general.

This game is so good, so good, so good that i wish i could by it again. The most important and in what it really shines is the narrative. The story is extremelly well written and a special attention is given to details. Characters are few, but are so well constructed you have to think a lot before making a move. This is really a pearl, I miss so much games like this. There are a few puzzles and minigames inside it but so you don't get bored with so much text, but very qualified text. I'll tell you this: this game is AMAZING. A true narrative and i think that anyone who likes good stories should buy and play this. Just so you know this is the first review I gave to ANY game in GOG. I loved so much my experience I logged in to compliment the game. I will also look for their creators to congratulate them for this so much pleasent experience. This is not a game, but a short history very well written. Thank you for this!

Very satisfying indie gameplay and minigames completely marred by "right-think". Overall, it really felt Cyberpunk after being told I'm stupid for not accepting debunked statistics as fact. I should start learning double-think now so I'm ready for the homogenous future of sameness awaiting me. I rather wish I could give a positive review. However, I cannot give more than a single star after getting preached at in a video game I bought to enjoy and divert myself from daily life. My disappointment is immeasurable. This game had so much promise. Outside all that, this game has a fundamental flaw with it's storytelling by presenting you with unique thoughts and various sci-fi tropes, then failing to follow through. Rather rough on the storytelling side. The mechanics are what kept me playing more than anything. There's plenty of bartending games out there, go play one that cares about good content instead of agenda pushing. TL;DR I love bartending type games, but look elsewhere for your shot of indie coffeehouse vibes unless you enjoy being degraded by the developers of what you purchase.

If you like story and well written characters then this game is a must have. A truly unique experience. I fell in love with The Red Strings Club. An addictive but not demanding game. Story 5/5 Music 5/5 Inspiration 5/5 Replayability 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Gameplay 4/5 Art style 5/5

The plot is interesting, the script is pretty good over other games. The pixel art and soundtrack is great and does not speak of the Cyberpunk style that attracts so much attention. The gameplay is not nothing of the other world but it can be said that it is original and certain "puzzles" are interesting to solve in their different forms. For the price in which it is and for what it offers it is a gift and it is worth buying it ... ---------------------------------------------------------- La trama es interesante, el guion es bastante bueno por encima de otros juegos. El pixel art y banda sonora es genial y no habla del estilo Cyberpunk que llama tanto la atencion. El gameplay no es nada del otro mundo pero se puede decir que es original y ciertos "puzzles" son interesantes de resolver en sus diferentes formas. Por el precio en el que está y por lo que ofrece es un regalo y vale la pena comprarlo...