Strongly narrative action game

Detroit: Become Human is a single-player action game from French writer and director, David Cage. If you are not familiar with Cage’s studio Quantic Dream, it is a game studio known for interactive drama, and Detroit: Become Human is one of its titles. It follows the story of three androids as they try to defy the rules that their human owners set for them. It eagerly repurposes moments equating the struggles of the androids to historical events in real life, such as slavery and the Holocaust. It is a game that desperately wants to tell you something you’ve heard before and need to remember.

The flight of the three androids

The story of Detroit: Become Human is set in the titular Motor City in the year 2038. Advent technology has transformed society and sees androids entering every avenue of human life. In the game, these androids have replaced hired help to do tasks, such as caring for children, cleaning the streets, and even traveling the stars during space voyages. 

Like in the previous Quantic Dream games, Detroit: Become Human will follow the independent journeys of multiple characters. This time, three androids named Markus, Kara, and Connor. Markus is a caretaker whose peaceful relationship with his elderly charge is destroyed by the outside world. Kara, on the other hand, is a household maid who bears witness to her master’s abusive relationship with his daughter. Finally, Connor is an android programmed to help the police solve Android-related crimes.

The game will have you directing the three androids as they deal with their day-to-day activities. If you are familiar with games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, you’ll see similarities in terms of gameplay tenets. Detroit: Become Human comes with myriads of game genres to play. Since it has multiple characters, there will be various things that you’ll do, including investigating crime scenes, engaging in gunfights, and even solving environmental puzzles. The game presents all of these in a manner that’s both limiting and empowering.

You will control the characters much like a traditional third-person adventure. However, the game also inserts quick-time events or QTEs. By a series of button combinations, you can control the characters to do their task. In a way, this game is more of directing the characters through scenarios, with divergent storylines that pan out with every decision you make. 

Even if your decision ultimately leads to one of the characters dying, the game will continue. This makes a great reason to replay the game multiple times. It is also the kind of setup that attracts players to try the game. 

An inconsistent experience

Detroit: Become Human is not the first game to tackle artificial intelligence. However, Detroit: Become Human manages to bring something fresh to the table, mainly because of discussing subjects that are taboo in mainstream media.

Also, unlike other AI games, Detroit: Become Human is a strongly narrative game. In fact, this aspect is the game’s strongest asset, yet the source of most of its problems. The game is filled with storyline inconsistencies that make it such a frustrating experience at times.

There are a lot of facets to the story of the game that you cannot get where is it heading. It is as if the game is saying something, but it got buried under various clichés and melodrama.

Verdict

All in all, Detroit: Become Human is a playable game that can give you an enjoyable experience. The divergent storyline is a great way to entice players to replay the game, to see how the story will turn out had they chosen another option. However, regardless of the choice you make, the story remains overstuffed with scenes that stray away from the game’s main theme. There are so many topics discussed in the game that at one point, you just don’t know the story anymore. It’s as if Detroit: Become Human is a big-budgeted visual novel rather than a full-on video game.