Detroit: Become Human – Decisions, Decisions

From the studio that brought us Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, Detroit: Become Human is a game full of twists and turns where each and every decision can mean the difference between life and death for every character involved. This game is the epitome of replay value and I highly recommend playing it before reading this review.

Personal Overview

I played this game once when it initially released in 2018 and I loved it. Beyond: Two Souls is one of my favorite games of all time and is what I consider to be a masterpiece in storytelling. Detroit: Become Human is yet another outstanding game from the mastermind David Cage.

I recently had a bit of a depressive spell where I just couldn’t get into any new games I tried. While it wasn’t the fault of those games, I just couldn’t enjoy my time with them. Then, I tried to replay this game and I was instantly hooked again. It brought me out of my current slump for the duration of it’s runtime. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

The Good

There’s quite alot to love about Detroit: Become Human. Here are my impressions:

Masterful Storytelling

The game is about a future where androids are programmed to be obedient to humans and serve them without hesitation. These androids are programmed in different ways; some are housekeepers, janitors, clerks, and much more. They essentially do all of the work a human could do but are more cost effective.

However, the game takes a turn when some of these androids become self-aware and desire to be free. From then onward, the story develops into something quite special; there’s a plethora of twists and turns that leave a lasting impression after the credits roll. The storytelling is emotional and unforgettable. This is masterful writing at its best.

Phenomenal Character Development

You switch between three main characters, each with different backgrounds and goals. You grow to love each character in slightly different ways and the story unfolds in insane ways based on your choices. As time progresses, you’ll begin to notice how each characters motives have changed. The character development is simply amazing.

The supporting characters are nothing to scoff at either; they’re either very likeable or do a good job at making you hate them. They all serve their purpose in incredible ways. It’s this character development that makes your choices feel meaningful as you want to see your characters make it through to the end.

World Building

As the title suggests, the game takes place in a futuristic Detroit. The city of Detroit is represented in a great way. Every location feels unique and varied; from the downtown shopping districts to the suburbs, there’s alot to see and explore despite not being open world. You can really get a sense of the way androids are treated by the outstanding world building.

I can’t forget to mention the asthetics and sound design. Both are rather impeccable and complement the story tremendously. The lighting and visuals are some of the best I’ve seen on a PS4 and that’s saying something. The art direction is top tier and I couldn’t have been more impressed.

Branching Choices/Replay Value

As I mentioned in the intro, this game is the epitome of replay value. Every choice really does feel like it makes a difference. Even minor dialogue options can have large repercussions later in the story which is beyond mind-blowing. Every decision matters. If that’s not a selling point, I don’t know what is.

Being my second playthrough, I got to see things I never saw in my first, to include the deaths of main characters where I didn’t think possible. What’s crazy is that your playthrough can be lengthy or quite short as you can potentially lose all major characters very early on depending on how you go about your choices. This makes every decision thought-provoking and it makes every second count as you only have a limited amount of time to make the decision.

The Bad

While the game boasts some amazing aspects, it’s not without its flaws. Here are a couple gripes I had with the game:

Slightly Wonky Controls

The controls work as designed for the most part but there were a few instances where I did get stuck on objects that you would think I could simply walk around. The most frustrating was when I’d get stuck in doorways when another NPC was nearby, slightly blocking me from entering. Luckily, this only happened on rare occasions.

Graphical Glitches

Like my previous con about the game, this was a rather rare occurrence. There were times where the framerate dropped for longer than I’d hoped as well as a few graphical glitches that were a little immersion breaking. Despite this, I didn’t have trouble tuning back into the game due to the several aforementioned pros.

Conclusion

Detroit: Become Human is a must play for those that enjoy branching narratives as well as phenomenal world building and character development. While it isn’t a flawless game, it sure comes close. I can’t wait to see the next product that David Cage and Quantic Dream deliver as I’m positive it’ll be quite exceptional given their track record.

Verdict: 9 – Amazing

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