This is a cool little game. I enjoyed the atmosphere and most of the characters. However, it is very short and some of the mini-games are boring .
In addition, even if I agree with the politics, I do not like politics to be hamhandedly shoved down my throat. It is obvious that the creators of the game are very far left, and they go as far as calling the player stupid if they say something in-game that conflicts with leftist ideology. This, in addition to the tired trope of evil corporations being bad for the hell of it, was pretty annoying. Overall, I give it 2.5 stars.
Besides from the graphics and the music this game has little going for it.
Writing is below average. Starting with the intro. A guy falling to his death from a skyscraper, thinking to himself that it is "epic" to die that way. A little bit of bad writing wouldn't be a massive problem but in a game that's almost completely text based... it's not a +
World building. I don't know if they thought things through or just made them up on the spot and then went with the things. Again, not a problem, but in a game that is 5% game play and 95% reading dialouges, it is a big problem.
The puzzles. Plain garbage all of them. Mixing drinks. Doing pottery (as a hyper modern NWO cyborg, your globo homo megacorp has nothing better to task you with than doing pottery out of some funky material). The puzzles aren't difficult or anything but just boring and atmosphere killing. I don't know what they were thinking. Feels like they just wanted to be different (desperately).
Very much woke stuff coming up. I don't mind games being inclusive or anything but when almost every character feels like a token rather than original character, it's a bit much. About 1/3 of the characters have been lgbtq. Almost 100% of the women are high ranking strong leaders. Dialogues constantly veer towards discussions about racism, sexism, homophobia etc. The stance taking is so blatant that it reminds me of a stereotype.
The only good thing except for the musics and graphics is how the game forces you to interpret other characters. If you understand another characters motivations and feelings well enough, you're sometimes able to make practical use of it in a kind of mini game. It's an interesting take and makes the game more interesting. Too bad the mechanic is wasted on rather hollow carbon copy stereotypes.
I recommend this game if you like bad sci fi, pretentious writing, boring and simple puzzles and pixel art.
It's a satisfying experience that mixes cyberpunk, philosophy, pixel art and melancholic soundtrack into a very immersive gameplay. The Red Strings Club can make you think and rethink your own ideas when you have to take a choice, and you can see the consequences. I recommend it, even if you are not usually atracted for point&click video games.
