Looking to explore a stylish cyberpunk world as a detective where choices matter? Gamedec looks to provide that experience in what feels like an old-school traditional isometric, point-and-click adventure, and the early build for the game feels quite promising.
In the world of Gamedec, the not-so-distant cyberpunk future offers people the opportunity to spend considerable amounts of time in virtual reality, where they can meet, play, fall in love, and much more. Of course, with such expansive virtual worlds, there is bound to be crime relating to theft, assault, and even murder, and this is where a Gamedec, short for Game Detective, comes in to figure out what has occurred.
Familiarity In Cyberpunk
In many ways, the themes in Gamedec are similar to those seen in Ready Player One, or if we look back a little further in time, the film Surrogates from 2009. In this early build for the game, players begin in their apartment and asked to choose from several backgrounds that help identify the main character.
Was your character born in the high city, or the low? Does their background including scraping by with a need for physical altercations, or do they possess medical knowledge to pinpoint certain conditions of the people that need to be investigated? This is all up to each player, and the results are interesting, with certain background choices providing special information depending on a situation.
Each decision and subsequent actions will allow players to unlock additional traits of similar theme, all of which drastically affects how one investigates, and how people react to your Gamedec in turn.
No Combat, No Problem
In fact, one of the best things about Gamedec is its apparent lack of a combat system in the traditional sense. Yes, there is violence to dish out and suffer in turn, but it appears that most of the core gameplay consists of being a detective. Inspect, hack, interrogate, and make use of a broad range of perks based on your personal backstory to advance in unique and interesting ways.
Instead of traditional combat mechanics, AnsharStudios appears to be strongly pushing the idea that individual choices have real consequences, and this does seem to be the case inside of the game. Without getting into spoilers, NPCs will react both positively and negatively based on how one speaks with them, which will ultimately alter the type of information one receives, and the deductions they make.
The result is a detective experience that feels far more realistic than too many other titles in the genre that allow players to solve most of their problems with their fists. The realism here is that the Gamedec is just one person, and the odds of being able to beat the information needed out of everyone is highly unlikely, especially since these NPCs range from powerful figures in business to young, naïve children, and combat would seem highly out of place in this regard.
An Interesting Story, So Far
As for the actual mystery to solve, we were only able to catch a glimpse at one case in this preview. A wealthy business tycoon has requested your Gamedec services to help his son, Fredo, who has been inside of a game for far longer than is normally safe.
It becomes quickly apparent that this young, spoiled teenager uses the virtual reality technology to buy everything his heart desires, including the best-looking cosmetics, in-game items, and on an island paradise, sex.
From there, much of the dialogue with NPCs that is meant to aid in this investigation reveals that much of what happens in the virtual world is fueled by deviance, misdirection, and a shield of anonymity. This young teenager may have been lured into a virtual paradise with the promise of sexual adventures, but we soon discover that this may all be part of a much larger plot, with Fredo being merely a pawn in a larger game.
We cannot wait to see where Gamedec goes in terms of a full story, as what we have seen so far looks to promise an entertaining experience where decisions matter.
Source: Gamedec Closed-beta
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