4/5
This is my favourite Quantic Dream title and I think it's easily their best. But it's still Quantic Dream and it's still a David Cage scenario, which himself is a pretty controversial person (most importantly not the best writer either). Many people downrate this game massively due to him, but I think this game is a case where you need to separate the art from the artist. And what I mean by that is that this is not David Cage's game. Yes, he was involved for the most part, but there are many more people on this team worth noticing that made the game good, and you downrating it because of him is an insult to the team.
Detroit: Become Human is an incredible cyberpunk adventure. The story is set in near future where humanoid androids are used in everyday work routines, until they decide to "wake up" and put an end to what is pretty much enslavement of their species. The point of the whole game is to test your morality and to understand whether should these machines be considered as a new intelligent species or simply machines, and all of your choices lead to different outcomes. Even though this game leans into a very particular conclusion, you absolutely must admire it because it shows off it's ideas in a really powerful way, and in the end, it still gives you multiple choices instead of locking you into one. (SPOILER) It's just kind of funny that you're supposed to play the game the "peaceful way" and simply march your way into a literal holocaust camp.
You know how these types of games always say they've got this crazy number of different endings, and it's always overblown - not in Detroit: Become Human. It's truly amazing watching how different playthroughs are between different people. I'm very happy that everyone lived in my first playthrough, because I could not stand watching some of these characters die. Upon completing the game, I've decided to see some of the other outcomes, and man was I impressed. Small choices matter more than you could ever think, not just in the endgame, but in early stages as well. Yes, some endings are incredibly hard to achieve, you would have to purposefully fail multiple times over and over again in order to achieve them, but they are there and they are very different from the other endings, so it's a very big point in my book. And I must mention that having these path maps when you end a chapter is a great addition to the game and I wish all choices-matter games had these.
When it comes to these choices, they feel very engaging. You're free to explore places, find lore-friendly items and choose different dialogue options. The more you discover, the more options you will have further down the story. Cutscenes are very good, but what I really like is that playing the game feels much more immersive compared to other Quantic Dream titles. QTE feel really good and even though it uses a big number of different combinations, they're not that rapid to be annoying.
The story pacing is good, some may find switching in-between these characters unnecessary fast at the beginning, but believe me it pays off and it tells these parallel stories very well. Obviously, Connor's part is the best, followed by Kara's close behind and then Markus', somewhere off long in the distance. Connor's story is just really interesting and much more creative compared to others. Everyone loves Connor. He's the ultimate deviant hunting machine, (SPOILER ) that himself turns deviant in a crazy plot twist or simply puts an end to his own people depending on your choices. The way the dynamic between him and Hank works is just great. Connor coming back from the dead for the 5th time is comical and the way their relationship builds up is wholesome, but at the same time, man can this campaign be so depressing if you choose differently. Kara's story is more about humanity. People are flawed and this story shows that, in this case, some androids are truly capable of caring and loving more than people. I do wish Alice was written better, because pretty much everything in Kara's story revolves about her. While mentioning Alice, this game has some really great side characters. I truly wish we could have more of Luther, but he, just like many other characters, had a really good platform but was simply underdeveloped.
Now, Markus' story is a bit weird and it needs questioning. It's absolutely hilarious how he's portrayed as this "android messiah". He points at an android, and the android suddenly "wakes up". I always wanted to know what does he even show them for them to suddenly gain this conscience. Let's just go with the idea that whatever the first android experienced was a trigger that produced a software instability that is now, in conclusion, a virus, which was later transferred onto another android when they connected. But then, where was the original distinction between consciousness and sentience? Was it in autonomy of decision-making, is it experiential factors, in perception, in ability to feel fear or pain, to have a moral compass and to make ethical decisions? It gets quite philosophical when you think about what exactly makes a species an intelligent species, and Detroit just avoids mentioning or answering any of it.
I don't want to say that Markus' campaign is unimportant, it is probably the most important campaign to your overall progress in the game, as you have to decide whether you will lead these protests peacefully or start a revolution against the humans, which affects public opinion and with that the other two campaigns. But this story just feels really rushed. Yet, if it wasn't for Markus' story, this game would feel absolutely pointless. Why would you play the other two scenarios if you had no effect on how humans treat androids. I feel like the whole Jericho thing could have been a really good story, but I just don't see a way for it to fit within the time frame of the other two stories, and that is what kind of limits it too.
It is also weird when you think about how unrealistic these androids' capabilities are. They simply hack into everything and everywhere - no matter the type of the android. It's a lot of why's and how's with this story, but for a sci-fi game I find it pretty decent.
And something else that has to be mentioned. Graphics look great. Rarely facial animations get buggy, but overall, it's a very nice looking game. I've particularly liked the way this game uses the depth of field effect. The focus is always on the thing you're looking at, and everything in front of it and behind it is in a blur that is visually appealing, per my taste. I must mention that I really liked the vibe Zlatko's basement gave off. The horror genre is definitely something this game could have stepped into more. And the soundtrack feels bit of like you would find it in a high-budget Hollywood movie, it's kind of generic but it still sounds good.
I also just love the way Chloe interacts with you in the main menu. I wish more games used some of the things this game introduced.
I believe that if this game had proper story material, it would be a transcendent piece of media. Besides that, what is presented in Detroit: Become Human is still more than enough for me to recommend it. It's emotional, it's enjoyable, it's exciting, it's sad. It can trigger all kinds of emotions depending on the way you play it.
