Story: 4.5 stars
Voice acting: 4.5 stars
Gameplay: 1 star, maybe less.
Graphics: 4 stars
Replayability: 1.5 stars
If you know what you are getting yourself into, this COULD be the game for you. But first and foremost, this is more of a walking simulator than it is an actual "game". That being said, here's my experience:
It was free for a console this month, I liked it enough to buy it on GOG. I was bored, it looked very simple, so I decided that's what I wanted at the moment. I read just a handful of reviews: "starts slow, but gets interesting". BOY does it start slow. As said, the teen drama was a turn-off, but the voice acting and writing was interesting enough to kept me engaged. After more minutes than I'd care to count, shit goes down, things get interesting, and I was hooked. Now by hooked, I'm not talking about Bioshock 1 plot-twist hooked, but more like "oh, this is interesting, I'd sure like to know more." So yes, the story makes up for the "crappy" gameplay.
Gameplay Dialogue: Again, as reflected in other reviews, the 1-3 seconds to offer a dialogue response is mostly bullshit. Realistically that's how long you have to offer a witty retort before you sound lame, but if someone asks you a question, MOST people aren't gonna huff in disappointment and move on when you didn't respond after 3.5 seconds.
Gameplay Controls: MY KINGDOM FOR A RUN BUTTON! Ok, I get it. If I ran everywhere the interjections of story bits and soundtrack moments might get missed, but the same thing happens with the limited dialogue response. Move rate is out of your control. After shit goes down, and that dude tells you the thing, you think you'd stroll around a leisurely pace? Hell no. My compromise? Give me a run button for 2nd playthrough.
Replayability: Only to watch someone else. I want to know how else things can play out, but NOT at that pace. I would, and did, watch my friend play so they can see the story, but without shortening playtime, I'd rather google the endings.
