Played on PC
Nobody Wants to Die is a rare case when the announcement and immediate release of the game are separated by less than six months. The cyberpunk detective story was presented in March, and now, just over four months later, we can already see with our own eyes the New York of the future in the style of the New York of the past. The game captivates you at first sight. It’s even hard to believe that this is the debut of a young studio, and not another project from some seasoned Bloober Team. And such a comparison is not at all accidental. Both companies are based in Poland, and when playing Nobody Wants to Die, Observer sometimes comes to mind.
As much as I would like to see such beauty, I would not like to live in such a place
⇡#Neon and despair
These days it is extremely difficult to surprise with a picture. Technology alone is definitely not enough. Take some Immortals of Aveum – a fair amount of polygons and a riot of special effects did not help create a bewitching world. Nobody Wants to Die boasts both sophisticated filling and juicy style. The events take place in the 24th century, when, according to the authors, Art Deco will once again return to fashion.
Majestic and luxurious skyscrapers rise as far as the eye can see, obscuring the sky itself. The world is illuminated by neon lights instead of stars. Flying cars inspired by the classics of the first half of the 20th century ply along the airways. Only instead of tires and wheels there are miniature turbines. This New York simultaneously resembles both the metropolis from The Fifth Element and Los Angeles in Blade Runner. A haven for hundreds of millions of souls.
We get to play the role of James Carra, a policeman on forced leave. The last case ended in a terrible train crash. James even had to change his body. Which, of course, is unpleasant, but it’s quite commonplace for the future, because humanity has learned to transfer consciousness between bodies. All thanks to ichorite, a special substance that is implanted into the brain and actually copies the mind in real time. Therefore death is no longer the end. You just need to extract the substance from the skull of the deceased and transplant it into another head.
We can only shoot this beauty in a couple of scenes where we simply decide whether to pull the trigger
You may have already guessed the problem: bodies become obsolete and deteriorate, and there simply aren’t enough of them for all the consciousnesses. And although everyone is officially immortal, starting from the age of twenty-one you are required to pay a subscription for physical embodiment. No money – consciousness is removed and stored in the Bank, waiting for someone to pay for you. Capitalism has won again: the rich literally change their bodies like gloves, while ordinary hard workers barely scrape together to pay for another month in a decrepit body.
Therefore, the police chief’s request to extract ichorite from the millionaire’s corpse without unnecessary fuss is not at first perceived as a serious matter – just think, another overplayed representative of the bohemian got carried away by the entertainment and accidentally killed himself. However, the stakes are quickly rising. Arriving at the scene, James immediately senses something is wrong, and this premonition is immediately justified: firstly, the victim is not an accidental rich man, but one of the founders of immortality technology. Secondly, despite the outstanding reliability of ichorite, in this case consciousness cannot be restored. The hack turns into a dangerous investigation that risks shedding light on the dark secrets of the city’s elite.
Luckily for James, he won’t have to deal with everything alone. Sarah, a rookie police coordinator, will always be in touch. A lot of attention is inevitably paid to the interaction of these partners, and you determine the specifics of their relationship yourself – in the manner of Firewatch, in conversations you are free to choose your lines. Some answers have no effect on anything, while others affect further events. You shouldn’t expect a branching, non-linear story, but your decisions will determine some dialogues, individual scenes and the ending.
What’s a noir without a femme fatale in red?
⇡#Details are important
The artists did a great job so that you don’t run forward headlong, but look at every centimeter of the playing space. But still, Nobody Wants to Die is not only a walking simulator set against the backdrop of dark, grandiose landscapes and detailed interiors. Investigations are an important part of the gameplay. Technologies of the future are not capable of cloning the human brain, but are advanced enough to recreate a detailed picture of the past if there is data for analysis.
The detective’s main tool is a reconstruction glove, the principle of which is very similar to the abilities of the android Connor from Detroit: Become Human. First, at the crime scene, we need to find a clue from which we will begin to unwind the chain of events. The glove displays a timeline that allows you to rewind and rewind the scene. The moment that needs to be examined in more detail is highlighted on the scale. Rewind the picture to the highlighted episode, go to the active point, press the interaction button – James and Sarah will draw all the conclusions for you. It is almost impossible to reach a dead end in an investigation.
Crime scene work is little more than staging, designed to keep the player’s attention on the story. Overall the technique works well. Rewinding a virtually reconstructed scene back and forth is at least effective, and each new clue changes it. To advance, you periodically need to shuffle tools, switching from a reconstructor to a scanner or ultraviolet lamp. Gadgets in different ways serve the same purpose – to highlight the next interactive object that moves the investigation further.
The more evidence we found, the more events of the past can be seen
Thanks to constant interaction with the world (even by pressing the same buttons, without deep mechanics behind them), a feeling of immersion in what is happening arises. Reminds me of Quantic Dream projects with many QTEs for all occasions – from chases to taking a shower. Nobody Wants to Die is very tactile. James moves ponderously and slowly; you can see the suit, legs and arms of your protagonist, and any action that involves interaction with the environment has its own unique animation: open a door, press a button, take a pill or light a cigarette. There just aren’t enough honest reflections in mirrors.
The heroes incessantly discuss new evidence or chat about abstract topics. Convincing acting gives weight to conversations. Interactive dialogues allow you to express your own opinion on the issues raised. After all, they are extremely relevant today. The fantastic assumption of “immortality by subscription” is easily superimposed on the surrounding reality, in which corporations strive to monetize every aspect of our existence and extract maximum profit from it.
Capitalism implies equality of opportunity (at least it declares it). Immortality for everyone is not just a slogan, but a strictly enforced law. But the devil is in the details and breadth of interpretation. Your consciousness can be stored for centuries in ichorite, on a dusty shelf of a warehouse of debtors, for whom no one will ever pay a deposit for the transition to a new body. What kind of equality can we talk about if different layers of society are initially in unequal conditions, and in this version of the future even the Colt will not equalize them.
Arranging and making connections between clues is the only mechanic that requires a little mental effort
* * *
A stunning debut for Critical Hit Games and one of the biggest gaming surprises of the summer. Nobody Wants to Die does not revolutionize the genre, does not introduce anything previously unseen (except perhaps fantastically beautiful landscapes), but every aspect of it is executed at the highest level.
Advantages:
- Breathtakingly beautiful New York, organically mixing art deco, cyberpunk and the incredible detail of Unreal Engine 5;
- A fascinating story combines detective intrigue and social statement;
- «Tactile gameplay helps you immerse yourself in a noir future;
- Convincing acting.
Disadvantages:
- Two of the four endings are crumpled and do not give an idea of the true background of the story;
- The mechanics of investigations are too linear and simple: there is no room for mistakes or puzzles.
Graphic arts
One of the most visually rich games of the year. Every frame feels carefully staged. The landscapes are captivating, the interiors are filled with details. And the computer roars strainedly, trying to digest all this beauty.
Sound
Melancholy jazz and the inevitable rain are reliable companions in the investigation. And the outstanding acting deserves recognition. It’s a shame, as by awards season it will probably be eclipsed by bigger names.
Single player game
Nobody Wants to Die feels like a first-person interactive movie. There are no puzzles or intense action, but it keeps you engaged at every opportunity. Even when the hero only sadly looks into the abyss of the endless city.
Estimated time of completion
5 hours of admiring the beauty in the thickest atmosphere of neon noir.
Collective game
Not foreseen.
General impression
A stunningly beautiful, talentedly executed and intelligent adventure.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
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