Tag: mind games

Pokémon Ranger – RIP My Touchscreen:

Posted on by in Gaming

The first Nintendo game that I ever played, was, like many kids, a Pokémon game. However, I wasn’t playing a ten-year-old child out traveling the world and making creatures fight one another. I was a Ranger, out protecting the people and Pokémon of the world I lived in. For those of you who haven’t heard of the Pokémon Ranger series, first off, you are missing out. This game series is great fun and really puts the focus on getting to know the world around you and helping the people in it.

Instead of training Pokémon, you “capture” them which is essentially a minigame in which you draw circles around the creature in question to calm it down. Once calm, it’ll happily help you with a task before heading back out into the wild, unharmed and happy. Different Pokémon can help you with different tasks such as helping you up cliffs, cutting down trees and powering various electrical switches.

As you start the game, you proceed through the usual menus of picking your name, gender, and appearance, etc. However, the only Pokémon you will have by your side throughout the entire game is either a Minun or a Plusle, aka the cutest little beings ever and if anyone ever hurts them, I’ll destroy the entire universe. After a quick tutorial on how to “capture” Pokémon, your character is made a fully-fledged Ranger and you fly off to the base to receive your first mission. The game’s story is split up into a series of missions that have you traveling around the region helping citizens and rescuing as many Pokémon as you can.

LOOK AT HOW CUTE THEY ARE. LOOK AT THEM.

I know this will sound cheesy, but the Ranger series is really all about the power of friendship. It strips back everything you know about the PokĂŠmon franchise, taking away all the TM’s and advanced tactics that seem so common in the main series, leaving you with a single tool at your disposal. Most of your missions involve an injured, panicked or scared Pokemon putting themselves or others in danger. With the help of those around you, you can bring peace and resolve the situation. The more missions you complete, the more missions open to you and the more challenging Pokemon you can tame. The “enemies” in the game are the goofiest possible, the Go-Rock Squad. They are basically a group of evil musicians that wander around angering the Pokemon with their… unique methods.

The Ranger series is a trilogy of games, mostly sticking to the tried and trusted formulae. The stories all follow a Ranger trying to protect the people and Pokemon of their homeland and immerse you in the world. You don’t feel like a passing stranger in the Ranger games, wherever you go people recognize your character like a Ranger and will happily chat with you, even asking you to help with their own problems in later games through side quests. By removing the battling system completely, the game’s focus on its story and character really flourishes and I highly recommend the series, alongside the Mystery Dungeon games which have some twists in there that shocked little Caitlin to their core.

There is an element of “catching them all” for the completionist like myself but instead of having 200 Pokemon in a computer, you have a “Fiore Browser”, which lists acts like the Pokedex from the main series but instead of listing statistics and natures, it tells you how the Pokemon can assist you during captures e.g. slowing down the target, making your capture more effective, etc, and what their “Field Move” is – such as cutting down a tree.

These guys are extra, with a capital E.

In the first game alone, there are 213 different Pokemon to encounter and capture, with enough variety in the process for you not to get bored. You can have a few Pokemon in your party at once and utilize their abilities to help you on your missions, never willingly putting any Pokemon or person in harm’s way, in comparison to the ridiculously violent 10-year olds. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Although you can only have one “partner” Pokemon at a time in the games, you do get a Pichu playing the Ukulele as your partner in the third game so… best game series of all time, everyone goes home and stop trying, you can’t beat perfection.

Anyways, that’s all I really had to say about the Pokemon Ranger games. My good friend (spacelady who made our fantastic logo), reminded me of how much I love this series so here we are. Apologies that it’s shorter than usual, it’s the last week of my placement so everything is a little bit all over the place.

As always, like, comment and follow the site both here and on Twitter – @OurMindGames. I recently got accepted for a press pass to EGX in October so I can’t wait to bring you all amazing content from the convention!

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.

Alien Isolation – In Space, Everyone Hears Me Scream

Posted on by in Gaming

First things first, I’m not good with horror. Be it movies or video games, I prefer to immediately switch it off and go find literally anything else to do. Most of my experience with horror franchises is through watching various lets plays on YouTube, or through hiding behind my friends as they play it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy horror, I love the paths that it can follow and the tropes it can delve into without drifting too far from the norm. For example, my interest in psychology means that games that make use of sanity mechanisms or more subtle horror are fascinating to me, I just struggle to play them all the way through.

Part of this is due to anxiety. Horror games and their tendency to rely on jump scares, does not mix well with a tendency to have a panic attack when I get flooded with too many stimuli. Some people don’t do well with gore or can get too overwhelmed by all the events that are unfolding, meaning that for a lot of people, the horror genre of media is often one they can’t experience properly. Which is a bit sad, since there’s so much talent and enjoyment out there to experience.

Personally, I’ve never played Alien Isolation. Partly because it never really came on my radar of games to play and partly because I’d watched a few clips of others playing it, screamed my head off and had to go calm down in another room. However, one day when I was very unwell and had nothing to do, I was watching YouTube and ended up binging the entirety of Cryaotic’s playthrough of the terrifying extra-terrestrial game. The horrific alien and weird androids aside, the atmosphere and storytelling of the game are astonishing. Sure, there’s a few pacing issues but no matter what section of the game you are in, the constant paranoia and fear of the alien never truly subsides. EVEN IF YOU’RE IN SPACE.

I would not vacation here, nice air ducts and tech facilities but Alien kept eating my friends and family, 1 Star! – Probably Ripley, Trivago.

However, the simplistic nature of this survival horror game is what makes it such a staple of horror. Being based off a popular horror franchise helped massively with its appeal but when even five minutes of gameplay can unsettle you so drastically, you know you’ve done something right. Whether it’s the scrawls on the walls of the space station, the footsteps of the alien as it draws closer to your hiding spot or the constant paranoia that stalks you around the ship, Alien Isolation orchestrates an atmosphere of horror that fills you with a sense of dread that haunts your every move.

The most powerful aspect of this game is in the title. Not the alien, though that thing is horrific. It is isolation. Although you do interact with various people throughout the game, 90% of your time exploring the space station’s various nooks and crannies are spent in solitude. In fact, most of the people you come across are more likely to put a bullet between your eyes than help you open a door. The only person you can trust in those lonesome corridors is yourself. Sometimes you can go nearly twenty minutes without any dialogue or cutscenes, just the player and Ripley, staring into the darkness and praying that nothing is staring back.

It is in these quiet moments where the horror reaches its peak. You are instantly more aware of every creak in the pipes, every panicked breath escaping Ripley’s chest and the lines between reality and the game’s fiction seem to blur. People often talk about how they get sucked into books and games like it’s unfolding right before their eyes and they are just swept along like a leaf in the raging rapids of a river. Sure, jumpscares can be effective in keeping the players on their toes but the fear quickly fades. Meanwhile, with that constant sense of dread and each sound effect sending a shiver down your spine will stay with you long after the dramatic sequence has ended. The best games have a profound impact on you, and I think I speak for many people when I say, I don’t like walking under air ducts anymore (DON’T EAT ME I DON’T TASTE NICE I SWEAR).

I think the Alien needs to see a doctor, that’s not a healthy amount of drool. Or hygienic. GROSS

Humans are inherently social creatures. Even introverts like myself, need company from time to time, especially in distressing situations. Sometimes just letting someone know that they aren’t alone can be the greatest comfort you can give. So, the isolation that the game is so fond of, is probably the most powerful tool it has at its disposal. Sure, the big murderous alien is powerful but like many game mechanics, you can end up being more irritated with it than scared.

The alien is a known quantity. Once you’ve died to it a few times, you understand how it works and what you can do to avoid it. Loneliness and the darkness of the space station, however, are unknowns and this can be far more terrifying. We always talk about the dangers of the unknown, those gaps in our knowledge that could prove catastrophic. Our imagination runs wild with all the possibilities, something those with a mental health condition can understand better than most, as our mind becomes our greatest enemy. All the horrors in the shadows that you envisage, could just be products of your terrified brain, as it struggles to comprehend the events unfolding around it.

The first time you meet the alien, when it’s tail curls towards you and you’re certain it’s the end, is breathtakingly terrifying. The following sections are filled with panicked breathing, praying that it doesn’t see you even though you’re making an obscene amount of noise and sighs of relief when you see a save station. The combination of suspense, fear and paranoia culminates in a heart-stopping sequence that I think anyone who has played the game will remember far too vividly for their liking. This is the best part of Alien Isolation. It is you, in isolation, with an alien. (Wow Caitlin, it’s the title of the game, you’re so witty)

On a scale of 1-10, that’s a big old NOPE NOPE NOPE.

Despite all this marvellous suspense and paranoia that Alien Isolation builds up, it does fall flat in places. Once you’ve built up all this suspense, you need to do something with it. It’s a bit like building a house but instead of stopping once it’s complete, you add a conservatory. Then a pool. Then a third floor. Then a moat and drawbridge. At some point, you need to make use of all that you have been building, otherwise, there was no point in building it in the first place. Alien Isolation has some phenomenal moments of horror and primal fear, but it could’ve had so much more if the game flowed just a bit more smoothly.

Overall, I think Alien Isolation is one of those horror games that proves that it could terrify you with a tin can and some rice if it tried hard enough. You don’t need immense amounts of gore or zombies to traumatise your players, just have them stalked by a murderous, basically invincible creature! I would be excited to sit and play this some time, but I need to find a friend who is brave enough to join me first. I would also have to play it at midday in the sunlight with all the doors and windows locked and probably a bat next to me to protect myself.

Could I get some personal space? Please? NO, I DIDN’T MEAN THROW ME INTO SPACE!

What game would you like me to talk about next? I’m thinking we stick with the theme of isolation and loneliness in games and talk about Firewatch! If you’ve got any suggestions, drop them in the comments, leave a like on this article and follow my site if you want email notifications for whenever I publish a new piece! (Also follow me @OurMindGames on Twitter for all the behind the scenes goodies)

Stay away from air ducts,

CaitlinRC.

Professor Layton – This Article Reminds Me of A Puzzle

Posted on by in Gaming

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a massive fan of the Professor Layton games. As a kid, I was always (and still am) a major nerd when it comes to puzzles. Logic puzzles, riddles, you name it. So, when wandering through a game store, looking for something to spend my birthday money on, I spotted Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I read the back, saw the word “puzzles” and was instantly excited – running over to my mum and showing her with a massive grin on my face.

The puzzles, the story, the characters and the music are all a part of what makes this series so impactful to people like me. It reminds me of Agatha Christie, just with a bit less murder and trauma (though Miracle Mask STILL MAKES ME CRY). It was a passion I shared with one of my closest friends, Olivia. We used to sit and watch the cutscenes during lunchtimes, chat about the characters and share inside jokes that others had no clue about. To this day, we still share the occasional meme about it.

To this day I still frequently come back and play through the games again. It’s interesting to see which puzzles I find easier now that I’m older. For example, I’m a lot better at sliding block puzzles nowadays than I was as a kid – I cannot tell you how high the move counter was back when I was eleven, mainly because I think it stopped when you got to 999. I’m still horrific at visualising what a cube should look like when you fold up the given net but that’s why we have walkthroughs.

My brain cannot cope with these types of puzzles

The Layton games take a lesson from the Star Wars films, where the first three games are not canonically the first in the timeline. Once the creators realised the popularity of the games and the loyalty of it’s fanbase, they created the prequel trilogy which delved into the past of the character’s, explaining how Luke and Layton met, what Layton’s past was like and introducing fan favourite Emmy (aka my ninja wife). Each of the six main games are brilliantly written, with emotional interactions and dramatic twists throughout, all pieced together by the brilliant mind of gaming’s favourite gentleman.

Here’s a CaitlinRC synopsis of each of the games, in canonical order:

  1. Spectre’s Call – Introduces Emmy, you get to meet Luke in the days before his time with Layton – features sadness, soul resounding music, rooftop jumping crows, corrupt police, a whole lot of mist, Emmy’s quest for sweets and giant over the top mechanical creations (LOOKING AT YOU DESCOLE)
  • Miracle Mask – A more Layton focused game, we switch between his teen years with his best friend and the present day – with carnival shenanigans, Luke on a feisty donkey, EMOTIONS, the robot revolution, a terrible storybook, the blame game, Indiana Jones but cooler and child endangerment.
  • Azran Legacy – Ties up many of the loose ends in the series, with a world travelling adventure with our favourite envoy of ancient civilisations Aurora who just needs LOVE AND HUGS OK. Probably the most emotional of all the games – with BETRAYAL, the most dramatic egg hunt ever, terrible parenting, A VERY TRAUMATIC FINALE, bridal vanishing acts, Duck Layton and snowmen.
  • Curious Village – Probably the hardest game in terms of puzzles but also very heart warming. You meet Don Paolo aka Oh God Its Him Again and get to spend time with sweetheart Flora, featuring – cat chasing, Tetris Hotel Edition, WHY DOES THIS VILLAGE HAVE A DRAWBRIDGE, angry Ferris wheels, far too many chess puzzles, sewer exploration and Layton having the most dramatic escapes ever.
  • Pandora’s Box – Probably the oddest out of the games, considering some of the twists and turns but still an intriguing story and good moments of suspense, following the myth of Pandora’s Box and trying to uncover what its true nature is. Featuring – angsty vampire grandad, the weirdest train ride ever, disturbing disguises, treasure hunting, THAT HAMSTER, Layton being a badass, a very odd baby and dramatic revelations over tea.
  • Lost Future – Time travelling hijinks, future versions of themselves and a whole lot of emotional upheaval. Thrown into Future London, Layton and Luke try to track down the missing prime minister and scientists, whilst avoiding the eye of “Evil Layton”. Featuring – furious rabbits, far too many stairs, STOP HURTING LAYTON HE DESERVES HAPPINESS GODDAMIT, angry youths, the destruction of London, ridiculous massive robots like what the hell where did you get all the resources for it and crying in a river.
Why are Layton villains always so extra?

There are also three additional games in the Layton universe, that take place separately – Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, Layton Brothers Mystery Room and Layton’s Mystery Journey. There is also a feature film based around Layton which is genuinely good (surprising I know) called Professor Layton and The Eternal Diva. Layton vs Phoenix follows an intriguing story with courtroom segments and puzzle segments whilst Mystery Room is a series of condensed cases in a more “investigative style” following Layton’s son Alfendi and his … strange alter ego. Meanwhile, Mystery Journey follows Layton’s daughter Katrielle, who is searching for her father through establishing a detective agency and solving cases.

Although the games have not yet been ported from the DS/3DS consoles, a few of them are available on mobile – which you should give a shot if you haven’t experienced the series before. Mystery Room is a good starting point, it gives off a Sherlock Holmes vibe whilst staying true to the Layton narrative. Plus, the first few cases are free so if you don’t like it, then your bank account doesn’t need to worry!

A well-designed game series is one you can come back to and enjoy it more each time you play it. I’ve played through all the games more times that I can count but manage to discover something new every single time. Whether its character dialogue providing subtle hints to future events or quiet references to past games, it is clear how much love and care the developers put into these games. Every puzzle, every spoken line, every chord of the music, it is all given the attention it deserves to make these games shine. (Though Layton’s appearance in PL vs PW is a tad unsettling)

Note to self: Don’t stand between Layton and the truth.

I can’t exactly explain why, but the Layton games have always brought a sense of calm and peace to me, even when my anxiety is running rampant. I often listen to the soundtracks to cope with my panic attacks, focusing on the music and the memories it evokes in order to slow my heartbeat and breathing back to a normal pace. I’ve built up an association between the series and my happy memories, to the point where I know even talking about the games can put a smile on my face.

We should aspire for our lives to have a positive impact. Be it through spreading a message, raising awareness or just bringing joy to people, if your work can make the world around you a better place then you have lived life to the fullest. Humans are inherently social and cooperative creatures, forming unbreakable bonds with friends and family members, sharing experiences be they good or bad. For me, the Layton games have been that source of light. It’s something I can share with my friend. It’s given me so many good memories and provided me with a coping mechanism for the anxiety I’ve fought all my life.

I could ramble on for hours about these games, but I think you should experience them for yourselves. Try any of them and let me know what you think of them, as well as any games you would like me to talk about in a future article! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch the cutscenes from Miracle Mask and cry like the grown adult I am.

If you play any of the Layton games, play this one.

Be sure to like, comment and follow the site for updates on all future content 😊

See you soon,

CaitlinRC (@OurMindGames)

That Dragon Cancer – Hard hitting tales that need to be told:

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Just a warning before I start talking properly, this article is about That Dragon Cancer. For those not familiar with it, it tells the story of a family and their struggles against cancer. They share memories of their son, Joel, such as when he went into remission, to their last few days with him. It is a heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, especially to anyone who has lost a loved one to cancer. If you have lost someone and that wound is still fresh, I suggest not reading this article. I know personally how painful those reminders can be, and I do not wish to cause that pain in others.

If you haven’t experienced it, I’d play it yourself first. I cannot put into words the strength of the emotions it induces.

————–

To those of you who are still here, let’s talk. In the UK, one in two people will get cancer in their lifetime. Nearly everyone has either lost someone to cancer or knows someone who has. It has become one of these things that we just accept as inevitable, like taxes or rain. Yet, the devastating impact it can have on every aspect of your life – as either as the sufferer or an observer, isn’t something we should roll over and accept.

In the early summer of 2015, I lost my grandmother to cancer. Though I only really got to see her a couple of times a year due to the distance between Edinburgh and wherever I was living at the time, she had a profound impact on who I was as a person. To this day she remains one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I see her in the birds in the trees and the squirrels roaming the Cardiff parks, I hear her encouragement whenever I struggle, I see her in my mum’s eyes and in my own. It doesn’t feel like four years since I last saw her, yet the calendar doesn’t lie to me.

It’s not all sad though. My grandmother beat cancer once. Breast cancer tried to beat her, but she conquered it. I’d never have gotten the chance to get to know her otherwise. I have so many warm memories of her – encouraging me to pursue computing even though she had no idea what I was talking about, helping me finish a puzzle on the floor of the living room. When she knew she couldn’t beat cancer the second time, she made the decision to live out the rest of her life the best way she knew – with her family. I didn’t get to spend those last days with her, I wish that I could’ve, but I was in the middle of exam season, blissfully unaware of what was going on.

Race For Life is one of many events that raise money and awareness about cancer.

The last memory of someone is the one that sticks with you the most. We visited her in the hospital just before Hogmanay (it’s New Year’s for Scotland basically). Even now I can still recall every sign on the doors I passed, every passing conversation between the doctors and nurses, even the smell of disinfectant lingers in the back of my nose as I write this. Though my gran was all skin and bone at this point, the light in her eyes hadn’t faded. I don’t think anything could’ve broken that woman’s spirit; not whilst there were still birds to fade and nature to explore.

She could see how nervous I was, so started chatting away about what I’d been up to and what comics I was reading, drawing me out of my shell slowly. I remember leaving the room clutching a piece of paper, on which I had drawn a diagram of the code I was working on and she had drawn a rough sketch of an old piece of farm equipment she used to use, back when her, papa, my aunt and my mum all lived on their chicken farm. I don’t know what happened to that drawing, I think it might’ve gotten lost in a suitcase or mixed up with some paperwork. I wish I still had it, as a reminder.

They’re never truly gone. They live on, in our hearts and our memories.

That Dragon Cancer isn’t like any game I’ve ever played. You go into the game knowing what will happen, knowing that Joel isn’t going to make it and you are an observer, looking in and catching glimpses of tidal wave of emotions that the family goes through. It is a tale of love and loss, joy and hope, pain and fear. It’s not there to provide a moral or some philosophical point to ruminate on, it’s just there to tell you the story of Joel and his family, no matter how hard it may be to hear. Of course, you root for them, praying that somehow, they will triumph and find their happy ending, smiling wide at every happy giggle that comes from Joel and every peaceful moment the family get amidst the storm that rages around them.

The scene that hit me the most, one that I feel everyone should play through or at least watch, is the doctor’s office scene.  For any of us who have ever had to sit in a doctor’s room and hear the words that they wished would never be spoken, this scene speaks volumes. You start by spinning a toy that makes different farm animal noises and jokes, to make Joel laugh, a bittersweet feeling when the doctor begins to speak. You hear how the chemotherapy has failed, how this wonderful little boy has so little time left to live, and that toy becomes a vessel to hearing the tormented inner monologues of each person present – from the doctors to the suffering parents.

To all the doctors and nurses out there, who have to give bad news to people. Your strength is phenomenal and your compassion is amazing.

The music and the visuals in this game are what ties it together. They can each be harrowing and beautiful, perfectly encapsulating the emotions of the scene and drawing you into it completely. You forget for a time that you are playing a game, instead living the tale of Joel through the eyes of his family – allowing their hope, joy and grief to become your own. For those of you who have lost someone, it feels like an echo chamber, reflecting all those feelings back at you. Your memories dart in, between piano chords and scene transitions.

The game reminds you not just of the loss, but of the joy and happiness that those we have lost brought to us. This is a lesson that I feel can apply to more than just cancer, be that loss through accidents or mental health conditions or just old age. Losing someone does not diminish their impact on the world and on who we are. I wouldn’t be studying computing now without my grandmother. Birdsong wouldn’t make me smile; I’d never pause to smell the freshly bloomed flowers. I am who I am because of her and because of all the people I’ve lost, as well as those who are still such a major part of my life.

Although it is a narrative piece, involving little “gameplay” on the part of the player, there are little minigames that you can play in each scene – such as steering Joel away from the tumours. One scene has you wandering through a hospital reading the messages sent in by the game’s supporters, telling their stories of love and loss and fear and hope and grief. If you spend any time with this game, I guarantee that most of it will be spent wandering those hallways, reading every card possible and catching a glimpse of the lives of those touched by this disease. This game’s power doesn’t just come from Joel’s storyline, it comes from the fact that this story is not uncommon. So many people experience their own version of Joel’s life, be that with their siblings or grandparents or close friends.

An adorable minigame, until you realise that the timer is the time passing and the collectables are all the treatments and medications Joel had to have.

I can see myself in the shoes of Joel’s family. Sometimes, I’m the dad, trying desperately to fight back against something so much bigger than myself, falling deeper into the dark ocean when I fail. Other times, I’m the mother – praying that some higher power will realise that this disease needs stopping, that so many good people could be saved if someone just intervened. In these situations, we fight for control over something we can never control, grasping for a sense of purpose or something, anything we can do to make it better. We try to fight an enemy that we feel we can never defeat.

Joel fought and won time and time again, despite all the tumours and the pain, he kept fighting and winning. Yet, he couldn’t win forever. After a long time of fighting, the little warrior was given peace. Despite all the pain and the grief that the Green family went through and are still going through, they chose to make a game. A game that highlighted the amazing moments Joel brought to their life and the devasting impact the disease can have on a family. They chose to raise awareness, to create hope and to remind people that cancer can be beaten. Hopefully, in the future, we will find a cure. We will be able to stop any family going through the agony of losing a child to this monster, allowing a little boy like Joel to grow up happy and healthy – as all children deserve to.

To anyone going through this, you are not alone. To anyone who knows someone who is, be there for them. Sometimes when we feel as if we are drowning, we need to be thrown a rope, to pull ourselves out of that abyss before it consumes us. If you can, donate to cancer research, take part in the Race For Life (like my wonderful mother did last weekend 😊) or just be a shoulder for those who need it.

Thank you to Joel and his family, for telling your story.

– CaitlinRC

Detroit Become Human – Robot Revolutions:

Posted on by in Gaming

For those of you that know me, you’ll be aware that I am a computer science student studying at university at the time I am writing this. For the past six years of my life, the computing industry and more specifically, Artificial Intelligence, has been a key interest of mine – touching my literary interests, my career ambitions and even my choice of video games. Obviously, I am nowhere near an expert, but I always enter games based on computational theories or methods, with a sceptical mind. This means that hacking minigames or games based in future dystopias containing robots, tend to turn my head and not always in a good way.

So, where do I come down on Detroit Become Human? Well, David Cage games and I have never really gotten on, especially considering the portrayal of their female characters – such as Maddison from Heavy Rain being limited to be a romantic interest to protagonist Ethan or attempting to force Jodie into several relationships in Beyond Two Souls. So, walking into Detroit Become Human, I was worried, to say the least.

Androids are always a … interesting topic for games to focus on.

DBH follows a similar formula to other David Cage games, in that your decisions and responses to quick time events, have a significant effect on the fate of your characters. You follow three different androids as their stories unfold and intersect with one another, with whether they survive to enjoy a happy ending being entirely dependent on your unique choices. Out of the three characters, I feel that only one of them really is worth following the story of – that being Kara.

Kara is an android owned by deadbeat dad Todd and is responsible for looking after the house and Todd’s daughter Alice. Almost immediately after the game begins, Todd’s abusive behaviour towards both Kara and Alice, causes Kara to break from her programming and flee into the night with Alice in tow, protecting the little girl from her father’s abuse – potentially killing him in the process, depending on your choices. The entirety of her character arc, is mostly about learning to be free, protecting this little girl and trying to escape the society that wishes to scrap her for parts. It is eventually revealed that Alice is also a robot but your attachment to this little one is not affected by this revelation, in fact, considering how this version of America treats androids, you want to protect her even more.

Kara’s story makes you think about the ethics of Artificial Intelligence – a subject that has been highly debated since the topic was founded. Kara and Alice clearly care deeply for one another, with Kara putting herself in danger to protect the young android, showing she is capable of love and affection and fear and bravery, raising the question about whether she deserves to be free to live her life, just like any living, breathing creature on the planet. In the ending I got, Kara and Alice manage to escape to Canada alongside their friend Luther, to live their lives without the fear that followed you for the entirety of her parts of the game.

These two genuinely care for each other and it shows from the very first level.

Then you have Connor. Connor is a detective unit of android, designed to assist with the investigation of crimes and works alongside a human who thoroughly dislikes androids, who can slowly become more than just a “android created by Cyberlife” or can work to oppress his own people and ensure the androids never get the freedom that they are fighting for. Connor’s story can be sweet, his buddy cop relationship with Hank and slowly becoming more “human” is a joy to see but it doesn’t have the same emotional connection as Kara and Alice do, so it does have the better moral dilemmas such as allowing fugitives to escape or refusing to execute another android just to gain information that could help a case.

Finally, we come to Markus. He starts out as an assistance android to an old painter, who treats him kindly and they get along very well. However, disaster strikes in the form of the painter’s douche of a son whose actions cause his father to have a heart attack and blames it on Markus, resulting in him being destroyed and thrown onto the scrap heap. He survives, reassembles himself and goes on to become the leader of the revolution for android freedom. His choices can affect whether Kara escapes to Canada successfully or whether hundreds of civilians and androids die in the explosion of a dirty bomb. This use of a “minorities struggle” is where my problem with Detroit Become Human lies.

I love storytelling games, but the writer of Markus’s storyline is attempting to shove in a narrative about the fight for equality, be that in women’s rights, LGBT+ rights or the struggle that minority groups go through every day just to have something “edgy” to put on the back of the box. Normally, I’d support games that raise awareness of these issues, but this storyline doesn’t feel genuine. It feels forced in by a writer who clearly has never truly struggled in life or experienced true oppression, like so many communities in our world fight against. It cheapens the effect of this so-called “fight for freedom”, feeling more like a story gimmick than a genuine message about equality or freedom.

Oppression isn’t always obvious, it’s subtle. It comes across in the tone of someone’s voice or the subtle body language of the people you walk past on the street. It doesn’t wander around with a giant neon sign saying LOOK AT ME! We shouldn’t be taking such a critical issue such as minority group’s struggle against racism, oppression and prejudice, and turning it into a quick plot point in a video game. They. Deserve. Better.

The civil rights movement and other campaigns for equality such as Black Lives Matter, share very little except the aesthetic of “fighting for equality” with DBH. The only way the androids receive their freedom is by choosing peaceful solutions at every turn, even if it means watching as your fellow androids are gunned down for protesting peacefully. The fight for equal rights is not just about peace, it’s about people being willing to die for what they believe in such as Emily Davison diving in front of the king’s horse and becoming a martyr for the suffragette cause. David Cage claimed this game was not meant to be a political statement, meaning that the resulting storyline seems so much more shallow and makes the impact of the stories told in the game, seem worth so much less.

This scene is so emotional and this moment is well done, just a shame it was a small glimmer of good in a pile of mediocre.

In conclusion, I feel that DBH had real potential. Even the portrayal of artificial intelligence made sense in the context, though was not entirely accurate (I’ll let them off, it is a video game after all). However, the storylines they chose to follow let down their entire premise, seemingly jumping on a bandwagon of including revolutions and fights for equality in media, instead of following its own unique blend of storytelling and the consequences of our actions. Maybe next time get writers who have experienced those events, to tell the story, instead of doing it yourself Cage.

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh this week, I thought I’d go for a more realistic approach to a game that I did have hope for. Can’t always be nice after all.

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.