What I liked:
The story is honestly one of the best I've seen in gaming in recent years. It's extremely complex and hard to follow at times, but it keeps you invested with great characters, dialogue, events, etc. The game's scientific focus that explains time-travel in a believable way made the story and concept that much better.
The way that the story was told was also quite nice. I liked having a mix of in-game cutscenes and the TV show that featured many of the same characters. It was cool seeing the in-game characters irl, as everyone is modelled after an actor (most of which are quite well-known). The show gave me a chance to chill and sit back for 30ish minutes while I got more of the awesome story and some payoff from the choices I chose. I also liked the 'ripples' that could be found in-game that would add some minor easter eggs in the show.
Junctions - although this game was criticized for having choices that aren't 'meaningful' and don't affect much in the story, I quite enjoyed seeing how the limited choices would play out and deliver a different narrative, even if it didn't have implications for the one ending of the game. Your choices determine some of the characters you work with and live/die throughout the course of the story - that's enough for me.
The game also looks really really good, especially with all of the time effects that come from your abilities or that just naturally occur in the game world. Using 'time blast' on a group of enemies is satisfying every single time.
The same is with the sound design - especially with sounds related to time, it's impressive how well the sound design conveys the notion of time manipulation, with the violent and jagged sounds of a time stutter, or a stretched out scream of an enemy killed in that time stutter. It's all perfect.
What I didn't quite like:
Although I always try to go for collectibles in any game, I don't like how integral these are to the story. Missing a document may deprive you of a key detail in the story. The amount of collectibles is also very high - constantly pausing the game to read them can get a little tedious.
Chronon Sources - the resource that is used to upgrade your abilities - are not earned in any way, rather they have to be found in places that are most often off the beaten path and easy to miss. In other words, players are compelled to go places where they may not feel is right (as NPCs you may be following in a given mission may make it super clear), otherwise they risk having weak abilities.
The combat is really simple, and seems to lack some basic features that most third-person shooters have: you can't use stealth, you can't use the scopes of weapons that clearly have them, you can't melee or even sprint outside of some very specific instances tied to your powers,
The quality of the show felt a little off. It's hard to explain, as I mentioned above that I generally liked the stories and the acting in the show. But the way it was shot felt like some indie FMV game.
A lot of other minor things bugged me, like missing subtitles for audio diaries, radios, as well as audio diaries only playing through one ear.
Conclusion:
If you're considering buying this game, don't expect some typical third-person shooter with an emphasis on action. This game is HEAVY on the story, and the TV show just might not be your thing. I did not enjoy this game for its deep gameplay mechanics or progression system, but rather the story that it told in different ways.
The story is honestly one of the best I've seen in gaming in recent years. It's extremely complex and hard to follow at times, but it keeps you invested with great characters, dialogue, events, etc. The game's scientific focus that explains time-travel in a believable way made the story and concept that much better.
The way that the story was told was also quite nice. I liked having a mix of in-game cutscenes and the TV show that featured many of the same characters. It was cool seeing the in-game characters irl, as everyone is modelled after an actor (most of which are quite well-known). The show gave me a chance to chill and sit back for 30ish minutes while I got more of the awesome story and some payoff from the choices I chose. I also liked the 'ripples' that could be found in-game that would add some minor easter eggs in the show.
Junctions - although this game was criticized for having choices that aren't 'meaningful' and don't affect much in the story, I quite enjoyed seeing how the limited choices would play out and deliver a different narrative, even if it didn't have implications for the one ending of the game. Your choices determine some of the characters you work with and live/die throughout the course of the story - that's enough for me.
The game also looks really really good, especially with all of the time effects that come from your abilities or that just naturally occur in the game world. Using 'time blast' on a group of enemies is satisfying every single time.
The same is with the sound design - especially with sounds related to time, it's impressive how well the sound design conveys the notion of time manipulation, with the violent and jagged sounds of a time stutter, or a stretched out scream of an enemy killed in that time stutter. It's all perfect.
What I didn't quite like:
Although I always try to go for collectibles in any game, I don't like how integral these are to the story. Missing a document may deprive you of a key detail in the story. The amount of collectibles is also very high - constantly pausing the game to read them can get a little tedious.
Chronon Sources - the resource that is used to upgrade your abilities - are not earned in any way, rather they have to be found in places that are most often off the beaten path and easy to miss. In other words, players are compelled to go places where they may not feel is right (as NPCs you may be following in a given mission may make it super clear), otherwise they risk having weak abilities.
The combat is really simple, and seems to lack some basic features that most third-person shooters have: you can't use stealth, you can't use the scopes of weapons that clearly have them, you can't melee or even sprint outside of some very specific instances tied to your powers,
The quality of the show felt a little off. It's hard to explain, as I mentioned above that I generally liked the stories and the acting in the show. But the way it was shot felt like some indie FMV game.
A lot of other minor things bugged me, like missing subtitles for audio diaries, radios, as well as audio diaries only playing through one ear.
Conclusion:
If you're considering buying this game, don't expect some typical third-person shooter with an emphasis on action. This game is HEAVY on the story, and the TV show just might not be your thing. I did not enjoy this game for its deep gameplay mechanics or progression system, but rather the story that it told in different ways.