This demo checks all the mandatory boxes as far as what you're in your own right to expect from a point & click adventure game demo. For a playtime of roughly 15-30 minutes (depending on if you like to check on everything in each scene or not), the demo gives an overview on basic gameplay features - moving in and between the scenes, interacting with items/inventory, talking with other characters - as well as a glimpse of the quality of music, writing, animations and voice acting. Also includes a few environmental (character/item) puzzles and one pure logic puzzle. By the end of a demo, you should have every information you need to know if you want to buy the full game and go on from the rather intriguing ending cliffhanger.
DISCLAIMER: My rating and my review are based solely on what this demo has to offer as a demo. You can get an opinion on the game itself either by checking out reviews on the corresponding page, or by, you know, playing this demo. So... As stated in the store description, the Mainlining demo lets you play through the first two cases in the game, which is more than enough to introduce you to the core gameplay mechanics, despite of the short playtime (15 to 20 minutes, maybe?). It does everything a demo is supposed to do right: -Lets you learn the ropes, and lets you do it quickly. -Gives you a good grasp of what to expect from the full product. -Doesn't give out too much of the full game for it to keep its fair share of surprises. In the case of Mainlining, I strongly advise playing the demo before buying the game. Looks are particularly deceiving about this one. (Spoilers: It's not a hacking simulation.)
Since TD games aren't really my thing, I'm only going to review this demo based on what kind of content it offers and how well it does its job as a demo. I figure that people who want to know if they will like the full game will either look at the reviews for the full game or download this demo right away. This review is here to let you know if downloading the demo is worth your time or not. So, the demo for Infinium Strike basically offers you two tutorial levels to try out: one that explains the basic game mechanics while giving you instructions to follow for the whole level, and the other one introducing you to the various weapons and abilities you can use, as well as several (all?) types of enemies and what they do. I didn't find those tutorial levels to be very well thought out. The first one is a very barebones introduction to the most basic game mechanics (most of them you won't even need if you're used to TD games), then proceeds to just telling you which weapon to use and against which enemy, but fails to explain you why. The "advanced" tutorial does the opposite. It throws at you a comprehensive list of all the weapons, ship abilities, and enemies (which, by the way, are quite difficult to tell apart from each other on screen), but doesn't explain how to collect ressources, how to effectively use weapons, and such other basic things. All in all, each tutorial is lacking some crucial information you will only find in the other one. I felt like it would have been much better with only one big, longer tutorial introducing all the mechanics at once. I'm still giving this demo a slightly above average rating, because despite having only two flawed tutorials to offer, you should know by the end of it if you will like the full game or not. And that's what a demo is made for.
Let's begin with having out of the way the main "technical" issue most people seem to have in these reviews: The comics are available and accessible. You download them by accessing the Digital Comics in your library and looking at the extras tab, like you would for manuals or other extras for other GOG games. It will download a ZIP file with the app executable in your folder of choice. I have not bought DLC content on GOG yet so I don't know if other soundtracks or art books sold separately are using the Install button, but this one does not. Now for the comics themselves. I have yet to play Hotline Miami 2, but I think it's meant as an introduction to the different characters you get to play in that game (I recognized the duck twins from the trailers). Judging by the store description, you're supposed to read them before playing the game, but one of my main gripes is that a couple of them were a bit confusing and felt like it would only make sense once I actually played the game, which pretty much kills the purpose of an introduction. I would rather say these comics are "appetizers" more than proper full fledged introductions (especially considering their length). While the art style was nice, especially the covers for each issue, it was sometimes hard to make out what was going on in some panels, especially during the killing scenes. I know it's no trivial work and it's free, but I think it would have benefitted better from having colors, both for readibility and because it would have been more in line with the vibrant color palettes both games are known for. Each issue is also very short (about 10-12 pages each), but I don't strike that as a negative, as it translates well the frantic pace of the first game. As for the app (executable) you're required to use to read the comics, I'm neutral about it. Worked perfectly but I don't see how it enhances the reading experience in any way over simple .pdf files. Overall, a quick free read that is worth checking out.
I think your typical Fahrenheit experience could be described as this. *First third of the game: You find the story enticing, intriguing and well written. You can't stop playing because you want to know more. Great character development, especially for Lucas and Carla, and playing as both the murderer and the cops trying to get him adds a unique twist to it. You know this story is going to be the ride of your life. *Second third of the game: You're starting to wonder if you're still playing the same game or if they even kept the same team from start to finish. Weird stuff starts to pop up in your psychological thriller mystery. Enter the Matrix kind of weird. Plotholes and bad design choices make their entrance as well: **[spoiler]**a guy dying simply by being pushed on the side, a whole appartement trying to get a character killed (cardboxes and DVD cases included), a sequence where you have to FAIL the QTEs in order to proceed...**[spoiler]** You're also thinking there really are too many QTEs at this point, and most of them require you to stay focused on the button sequence, so much that you can't really pay attention to the actual cinematic sequence going on the background. Yet you keep playing because it still has very good moments (e.g. the asylum sequence) and you want to know where this is gonna get still. *Last third of the game: There is a major "plot twist" that instantly makes you regret you didn't stop while it would still leave you with a good impression. Past that point, you don't even care about the mess of a plot the game has become with all the clichéd tropes it throws at your face at an increasing pace. It's almost like the game became a parody of itself. You get out of it confused at first, then slightly angry, then you'd want to forget about that part and only remember about the good premise you enjoyed at first. Despite of all its flaws, I still enjoyed it for what it was. It was still a nice adventure game with some gimmicks to diversify the gameplay. Stay away from it if you hate QTEs (one of them is particularly hard, even on normal difficulty). Otherwise, if like me, you play it knowing it supposed to end like a mess (without spoilering any further why), you should still enjoy the ride for the 2/3 of the game.
