Technobabylon

I recently completed the adventure game Technobabylon, and thought it was  well worth a post. I've enjoyed everything from Wadjet Eye Games, in particular the excellent Blackwell series, with the last game (the Blackwell Epiphany) being an absolute gem that I would probably nominate for best ending to a game & series ever. Based on this, I'd pre-ordered Technobabylon (actually I tried to pre-order it a second time, having forgotten that I'd already done so!) and wasn't disappointed.

It's a cyberpunk thriller covering a lot of the usual areas such as super-AIs, an enhanced form of internet that you can enter into more fully (the Trance), genetic engineering, and so forth. You control a few different characters over the course of the game, and gradually unravel the plot threatening the status quo. This is engaging and ties the game together, but I got more satisfaction from learning more about the history of the characters and the world they live in.

What minor issues I did have with the game were mostly of a technical nature - the game engine had erratic and unsmooth mouse movement in full-screen, so I switched to windowed mode after the first chapter. I got used to it, but I'd rather have played in full-screen to better admire the art. The very last section of the game had a couple of minor item/inventory related bugs, and one puzzle that I had to Google because I missed a visual cue. The puzzle itself was fine, but just a slight clue of where to look would have helped. None of this was game breaking though (and to be honest I usually accept that I'm probably going to end up looking up at least one or two puzzles in these kinds of games - I usually find that I had the right general idea but not precisely right execution, or it's a case of missing a small item somewhere).

The characters are very likable and very human, particularly the ones you control. There's plenty of humorous lines in there that made me smile or even chuckle out loud as they talk to each other or examine things. This is in contrast to the world itself, which leans to the grim side despite taking place in the city of Newton, which is a bastion of freedom and effective governance compared to much of the world living under authoritarian dictatorships or local warlords. There have been several nuclear wars, and even in Newton there is a sharp divide between the top and the bottom of society. One of the characters you control is unemployed, and though she might appear to receive generous benefits, with an apartment, food, and the ability to connect to the Trance, the details tell a different story. The food is unpleasant techno-gruel, her clothes are recycled one use overalls (no shoes), and the food machine only dispenses plastic rather than metal cutlery due to high self-harm rates in the apartment block.

It's this background and the details you discover as you explore that make the game so strong. By the end of it, you'll have opinions on the politics of Newton and the rest of the world, and on the choices and motivations of the characters, even without knowing too much of the specific details. It paints a broad picture without getting lost in the nitty-gritty - while I can admire games and fictional universes that do dive into the tiny details, I like being able to fill in parts myself. Hint at things via the choice of name or select notes about how they work, and I'll happily imagine the rest.

Technobabylon was a game that made me want to imagine more, and for that reason alone I think it'll stay a favourite of mine for some time.