You know, I love going to the theatre. I love going to see plays, and I love to see the stories that are told. Because, it`s not just the acting that makes a theatre play worthwhile, it`s the story too, and whether it`s a story that`s going to grip you in and compel you into it.
I can`t say that I`ve ever seen an ID game like the one I`m about to write about. It`s something completely different to what`s out in the ID market, and I can’t personally say I`ve seen a game quite like it before. Knee Deep is a ID game developed by Prologue Games and tells the story in the aftermath of a suicidal actor who has hanged himself. Is it a game that`s going to grip you into a story and compel you with it? Or is it a game that`s going to end in a disappointing story. Well, it may be basic, but I must be honest, I loved it.
Knee Deep is a story driven, conversational ID game, where you will take on the roles of several characters in the aftermath of the town, Cypress Knee`s most famous actor`s suicide. Set in a stage environment, you`re going to be telling the story from the point of view from the characters, with a camera angle and view based from the audience. You`re not only going to be telling the story, you`re also going to be listening to the story.
Now, Knee Deep is a game that is very, very conversational driven. In fact, 98% of the game is made up from answering a question and carrying on that conversation. You`re going to play as different characters and you`re answers are going to result in different routes and branches of the game playing out. It means effectively that there is more than one play through on offer for you to feast into. Alongside the game being very much conversation driven, it also adds another element to the game with several puzzles for you to feast into, that are compulsory to the game, and you must complete to progress.
It`s not a game that`s going to give you lots of action. If you are a gamer though that likes a good story, and a story driven game (Think of any of the Telltale Games) then you`ll love it. It`s a great story that`s compelling and with the number of branches that the game can play out, it`s a game that`s going to keep you playing at it. What did happen to that guy? What would happen if I chose a different option to explore rather than this one? There`s several possibilities, and it certainly isn’t something to fully complete in a quick playthrough.
But what strikes out to me most of all of this game, and as I mentioned earlier in this review, I cant say I`ve seen it anywhere else in any other ID game, but is the setting of the game, and the way the story is told. Where can you see great stories? Books? Films? And of course, the theatre. The way that Prologue Games have done it is quite different and unique, and it fits in incredibly well with the story. Playing through the story will mean taking control of a range of different characters in a range of different settings, and following with some of the theatre characteristics you see, they`ve pretty much played set the game out as if it was being performed to an audience in a theatre.
It`s a game that I`ve loved to play. I won`t spoil the story in any shape or form, but it`s a story that`s going to grip you and compel you into finding out what`s really happened. Who is everyone else in Cypress Knee and what are their roles? Is there anything that looked suspicious on the night he died? Or is he even dead?
Knee Deep is a great game that I can honestly say is a bit different to the ID market, and is a game that will be a great one if you`re after a great story.
A huge thank you to Wales Interactive for providing us with a copy of Knee Deep to review
Game: Knee Deep
Developers: Prologue Game
Publishers: Wales Interactive
Genre: Story
Price: £11.99 (From Xbox Store)