Paid choose-your-own-adventure experience
Who Are You, Mr. Cooper? is a premium adventure experience from The Last Fairy Tale team. This choose-your-own-adventure indie game puts you in the shoes of an unwilling participant caught in the middle of a massive conspiracy that threatens to send the city of Staighrem into chaos. Find and talk to the right people, solve puzzles, and make decisions that will have far-reaching consequences.
Its visual novel approach and massive replayability value justify the short playthrough that Who Are You, Mr. Cooper? offers. In terms of story, though, it doesn’t have the range and completeness of Route 96.
A steampunk Orweillian story
At its core, Who Are You, Mr. Cooper? feels like it’s heavily influenced by literary works, such as Brave New World or 1984. Visually, its stylized lines and overall art style are similar to the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles sub-series. The game uses it to great effect, highlighting its steampunk premise and giving it a unique personality. Accompanying its visuals is a somber soundtrack that adjusts accordingly.
For the gameplay, it does have a range of discrete and largely different storylines you can pursue depending on your choices. You play Wilson Smith, who was entrusted by a dying colleague to find the mysterious eponymous character. You may or may not meet him in the end as you travel across the 13 districts of Staighrem, each offering an opportunity for the story to branch out.
Note that some players find the game chaotic mainly because it combines too many things at once. Having the player manage inventory and stats on top of puzzle-solving and tracking stories can make it overwhelming. The fact that you can complete a playthrough in less than half an hour also doesn’t help. Still, with enough attempts, you can piece together the entire story.
Massively replayable with complex storytelling
Overall, Who Are You, Mr. Cooper? is a good entry for players who are willing to forgo animation for a simpler visual and a complex, layered story. Its dystopian premise in a steampunk setting makes the multiple storylines equally pressing, although the gameplay makes it difficult to appreciate at first. Its need to offer multiple gameplay experiences makes it feel cluttered and rushed at times.
