I give this 5/5 because it offers an experience unlike other games. I could reduce the score because of a short playtime, or lack of gameplay, but that would miss the point of what the game tries to accomplish. The gameplay amounts to this: You have a database of video clips, none more than 3 minutes long, and you can input search terms to explore this database. However, you can only access the first five results of any given search. So, you have to listen to the information you hear in the video clips to think of new search terms that will narrow down your searches and provide you access to more of the videos. It is actually one of the only games that reminds of Shadowrun for the SNES, in that regard - which is amazing. (You can also add tags to the videos, presumably to make them easier to organize and rewatch later, but I did not bother with this.) It seems like there is no win condition, except to watch enough of the videos (or perhaps certain salient ones). As you progress, the game starts doing stuff that eventually leads to an ending. But I don't know how close I am to watching every video, and frankly I am curious to go back in and dig up some of the details of this story that are still unclear to me. I think it's worth playing, especially for such a low price. It kept me 100% engrossed and immersed.
Pros: -It's a 90s game with a 30s aesthetic in 2017 -Feels like something I could have played in the 90s, calling to mind Mega Man, Mario, Contra, and many other inspirations that I noticed as I progressed -Worth buying for the art and music alone -Good challenge despite being short. My playtime was 7 hours on Regular (normal), however Expert (hard) difficulty unlocks after beating the game for people who need more -Has 2player co-op (though I haven't tried it) -There are only five different guns and four different accessories ("charms") to collect, however they provide a satisfying amount of depth and customization since they are all useful and distinct Cons: -The NPCs only have one dialogue and do not move or develop at all -Likewise, no interesting secrets to discover in the overworld (that I've found) -Might feel too difficult and frustrating for casuals -Might feel too short and easy for hardcores
