God, this is the epitome of something that pushes the concept of what a game is. If you go into this thinking its going to be a point-and-click or visual novel like the tags describe, you will be sorrily mistaken. You do not make choices, there is no 'secrets' to be found, nothing happens when you click on items in the environment, nothing. This game is interactable in the same way that turning the pages of a book is interactable. In fact, that's more what it's like. It's not a visual novel, it's an audiobook with pictures. Do with that what you will.

The visual style is the biggest draw here, without a doubt. The game has such a unique aesthetic, combining photography, 3D models, and hand drawn characters under a super sharp grain filter that makes them look like they're being displayed on an old computer. The UI is also super cool and nostalgic. However, the game also has mysteriously poor performance for what it is. I say mysteriously because I'm not sure if the 'issues' are actual performance issues or if they're design choices. What comes to mind is the way the cursor clones itself over the screen as you move the mouse, like text boxes on old Windows versions. The transition fade out is also really choppy, but again, it's hard to tell if its intentional or not. The text boxes are also unsynced from the narration about 40% of the time, in both directions (text coming before narration and narration coming before text).

I also take great issue with the writing and the way its presented. Like, in something like this the writing must be outstanding to make up for the fact that there's literally nothing else to it. You don't need to install and run this software to see the cool pictures. However, the writing is... average to mediocre. It almost feels like it was written for tweens with how simple it can be at some points. Which is odd, because if the game's presentation visually is a homage to old computers and old Windows versions, those who were tweens during or after 2020 when this came out would not get it. The simple, dummed-down storytelling also clashes with the visuals in general, as the visuals make the game feel like it should be much more... adult? Like I understand it's about teenagers, but I struggle to imagine a teenager who wouldn't feel condescended to by the simple writing. And it's all made worse with the narrator, who almost seems to treat the story like it's a joke, reading some lines with such a level of ridiculousness that it makes ME feel condescended to. Some of the people in the Steam reviews said that it was a good design choice, and that it not only reflects how radio personalities talk, but also helps keep them engaged when the narrator randomly screams one of the words or adds his own comments. But I couldn't agree less. I think it majorly detracts from both the tone of the story, but also the experience as a whole. This kind of goofy narration could work, but not in a story about two kids having to travel to LA to save their parents who were kidnapped by a machine. It really makes me wonder who the target audience of this was age-wise. And also, I feel like I should mention that first of all, if you need a guy to be reading you a story in a goofy voice to pay attention, it's probably not a very good story because it should be capable of compelling you and holding your attention on its own. And second of all, the goofy voice did nothing to stop me from getting bored to the point where I felt the need to go on my phone.

Bonus points for visual style, but honestly, and unfortunately, you're better off admiring it from the screenshots in the Steam store page.