Recommend a Game: Detroit: Become Human
Tired of turning time and again to the same old games? Sophie Wellington recommends taking a stab at Detroit: Become Human
As the next generation of gaming is well and truly underway, it’s worth looking back to some hidden gems you may have missed. Considering the popularity of franchises like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human perfectly fits the bill.
The cast in itself would probably persuade gamers and non-gamers to at least try it. There’s Clancy Brown (yes, that’s Mr Krabs), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), and Lance Henriksen (who has small roles in the Mass Effect and Call of Duty series), among some voice acting first-timers.
Much like the classic Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human allows you to play as three separate characters, all androids with very different desires amidst a global fear of android consciousness. This world is not a million miles away from a future we can imagine, of enhanced AI intelligence where robots can perform a lot of our daily tasks. There’s Connor (Bryan Dechart), who is created to investigate and hunt down any “Deviants,” androids who are found to be acting beyond their designated purpose. Markus (Jesse Williams) was built to care for his owner, but events lead him to become the face of android freedom and rebellion. Lastly is Kara, a sort of nanny android who takes away young Alice from her drunken father. Depending on how you play the game, the main protagonists may or may not interact with each other, but there are parallels between the three stories.
There’s something for everyone here, and it still feels fresh even after three years
As for the gameplay itself, it’s not really different or challenging. Instead, this is a very story-driven game that alters based on the choices you make. Detroit: Become Human does a great job of making sure your decisions do have a considerable effect on the ending, so you could play through it several times and have entirely different experiences.
The story really does have everything an audience would love: humour, action, mystery, and suspense. For me, the stand-out arc was Connor’s. His relationship with the grumpy detective Hank Anderson (voiced perfectly by Clancy Brown) was my favourite dynamic, but again you could completely turn this on its head if you were that way inclined. I can understand that with three playable characters it’s likely you’ll have one you love and maybe one you aren’t as invested in. Because of this, gameplay can become frustrating. However, if you are able to get past that, you will most likely come to appreciate all three storylines towards the end.
Detroit: Become Human places you in a dystopian, science-fiction universe that becomes more of a possibility as time goes by. The ending won’t definitively feel like an ending; there are aspects of it that can be satisfying but it does leave you with many unanswered questions. Whether or not there will be a sequel, it deserves to be considered one of the greats of decision-making video games, even though it isn’t talked about as much as The Walking Dead or Until Dawn. There’s something for everyone here, and it still feels fresh even after three years.
