200 people found this review helpful
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8
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8
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 33.3 hrs on record
Posted: 16 Jun, 2022 @ 6:20pm
Updated: 16 Jun, 2022 @ 6:22pm

A masterpiece - visually, emotionally, morally, but also in terms of story and freedom of choices

Detroit: Become Human is an ambitious interactive and narrative game developped by Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls) and ported from PlayStation 4 to PC. It takes place in a near future (2038) where Androids have become a standard and share humans daily life, might it be for difficult and repetitive tasks, to take care of the household and children, or even to be the perfect partner who never complains nor says no.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821362980

These Androids look and sound like humans, but remain nonetheless machines designed to serve humans and obey their orders. You get to play three of them: Connor, Kara and Markus, attaching characters with intertwined paths who will make you question humanity, what it means to be alive and challenge your empathy. For some of those Androids have had an experience or shock that has triggered something inside of them - something that they are not supposed to feel: emotions.

And it is because of this context that the game feels realistic and plausible - it isn't a sci-fi game with spaceships or completely out of the reach technologies - and therefore the story feels relatable and raises questions about our future.

"You can't kill me. I'm not alive."

The whole game doesn't only feel like a movie that you can interact with: there are for sure a lot of cutscenes and dialogues, with a brilliant narration, but you can also count on exploration, investigation work with Connor, thrilling action, even some creepy moments and countless emotional times. The game relies on a quick time events (QTE) system, which will give you only a few seconds to perform some actions, dialogues or make tought choices.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821767797

What distinguishes Detroit: Become Human the most from other games of the genre in my humble opinion is the incredible number of choices and options. They actually matter and will have consequences, so you can choose your own gamestyle, define who you are and who you want to be, and deal with your choices. You think you can't get your character killed because (s)he is one of the protagonists? Guess again. It's like nothing I've seen before - Life is Strange and Telltale games are simply no match. For instance, there are over 40 different endings, so the game has a high replayability value. I hadn't even finished my first playthrough yet, that I wanted to try different choices already.

"28 stab wounds. You didn't want to leave him a chance, huh?"

I appreciate the flowcharts that you can check at any time and unlocks your route as you progress through the game. It gives you an idea on how many options there are and how everything could have turned out diferently. Even if you've finished the game once, you can replay it and follow another path - you still have many surprises waiting for you.

Another impressive fact about Detroit: Become Human is that it's not just voice acted, there are actual actors who have been captured, from trivial walking to performing spectacular stunts. No wonder it took so much time to film, but the result is incredible and worth the effort.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2820647940

Thumbs up for the amazing soundtrack as well: each of the three characters has a personal theme and epic musics that help creating the right atmosphere and feeling of total immersion.

Overall I'm happy with the PC port. I've played through the whole game with mouse and keyboard, but sometimes it can be a bit tricky (keep pressing 'Q', then 'shift' at the same time, and why not 'E' as well). Some of you might prefer playing with a controller, which is obviously possible.

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind."

Would I recommend Detroit: Become Human? Without a doubt, I can't recommend it enough. It has become my favorite narrative game and one of my favorite games in general. Do yourself a favor: buy the game and play it blindly without checking the flowcharts or any guides for your first playthrough. Choose your own adventure and forge humanity and androids destiny!
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21 Comments
⛄XTS⛄ 16 Sep, 2022 @ 6:34pm 
Excellent review! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! ♥
bingo bango 26 Jun, 2022 @ 10:30pm 
(spoiler) (2/2) Telling humans on television how they feel is supposed to work? I don't even remember the last bit anymore cuz of how boring it was. I felt like the writing got more and more lazy and less immersive.

Idk it just seems to me that this android stuff has a lot of potential, especially in a choice based game with these high quality visuals, but instead they go for this cheap ass story in the second half that I kinda expected would come but was hoping it wouldn't.

Again the beginning was great and if they kept it like that –not this Hollywood stuff where it all needs to lead to some grand finale– I would probably have called it a masterpiece too.
bingo bango 26 Jun, 2022 @ 10:29pm 
(Spoiler) I was extremely immersed in the first bit where it was more about individual cases of interactions between humans and androids. The mystery of to what extent they are actually alive, how do they firgure that out, how do they struggle and deal with it and most interestingly how do the humans react to that? Can an Android use words and actions to make someone believe they are alive (in a believable way!)? Maybe even plant a little doubt in the player here and there whether they might actually not be alive.
Instead they just had a moment where they hit a wall, break through and suddenly have a free mind.
The whole revolution thing also felt very superficial and was quite boring imo. The great hero leading the androids into freedom... telling other androids "you are free now" and so they were free...
Moviebuff83 19 Jun, 2022 @ 6:30am 
As far as reviews go, this is very well done! It's not too long, yet it's decently descriptive about how the game is played and what kind of tone the story seems to generally carry. It also lets you know that you'll be in for some unexpected turns and that that's part of its appeal. Your praise for it has definitely convinced me to add it to my Wishlist!

I'm in very strong agreement with you that these "Choose Your Own Adventure" types of games and stories are usually best played as blindly as possible, at least the first time through. Doing this definitely helps to immerse me in whatever character I'm supposed to be.

Again, great review! :cupup:
Ayuri 18 Jun, 2022 @ 2:36pm 
Thank you kindly! :CatWarm:

@MannekenPis
There are so many possibilities that I'm sure that she made a lot of different choices compared to you! I agree, even if some endings are a lot "better" than others... but I would still recommend playing it spoiler-free for the first time at least. You might regret some of your choices, as we all do in life sometimes. Worst case scenario you can always reload a previous checkpoint :steammocking:
Lilabeiby 17 Jun, 2022 @ 11:41pm 
Good review :qiaop:
MannekenPis 17 Jun, 2022 @ 4:56am 
Great review, Ayuri. For sure, this game is fantastic.

And your last remark about playing it without any guides is the best advice you could give for it.

I would like to add that the only thought I had in mind after the game was finished was to see someone else play it. So, I asked one of my goddaughters to do so. And I must say It's as fun as playing it, just seeing her reactions and the (different) choices she makes ... Then it'll be my turn for a second trip !
PunkSteve 17 Jun, 2022 @ 4:25am 
Great Review m8. :ss13ok::cybereye:
Ayuri 17 Jun, 2022 @ 2:07am 
Wow, thank you all so much for taking the time to read and comment my review! :CatWarm: Much appreciated! I'm very glad to hear that you liked it :steamthumbsup:
Purpleetea 17 Jun, 2022 @ 12:22am 
:cupup: