Finished Chapters 27-30 tonight ("Freedom March", "Last Chance, Conner", "Crossroads" and "Night Of The Soul") and the character arcs of all three protagonists are converging in the epic climax of the game.

Something I've appreciated throughout this game is the 'butterfly effect' of where the choices you make take you. I'm finding it more and more fortunate that all three of my characters at this point in the game are simply still alive, considering what has happened to each of them at this point in the game.

To that end, I'm gobsmacked at the flowcharts that appear at this stage of the game and how utterly vast they are. What was amusing to me were my Twitch viewers commentary - one viewer who never played the game stated they want to buy the game to see what choices they'd make while another viewer who played the game said the 'got the itch' again to play it after watching my play-through since I made different choices.

Next week will see me complete this game with the final choice that Markus made at the pulpit and the ripple effects that will cause. I can't wait.

Played through Chapters 24-26 ("Midnight Train", "Capitol Park", and "Meet Kamski") and started Chapter 27 ("Freedom March") - things are getting quite intense for all three protagonists.

So far, all three people are still alive - Kara was an excellent liar, Conner opted not to make a fatal decision, and Markus politely made his mark on Capitol Mark.

The stories are reaching their apex and I should have the game done and dusted next week - this is going to be soooo worth it.

Played Chapters 21-23 and started 24 tonight ("The Bridge", "The Stratford Tower", "Public Enemy", "Midnight Train") and ... man, the emotions are real at this point.

Finding out why Hank is an asshole, Markus's execution of his plan, Conner's conflict, and Kara's trust being tested again are punch after punch to my emotional core.

David Cage may be hated and the allegory to slavery is repeatedly bashing me on the head, but the story and its' beats are simply powerful.

Finally, shout out to that flowchart for "The Stratford Tower"... that damned thing is MASSIVE.

Played through Chapters 18-20 ("Spare Parts", "The Eden Club", and "The Pirates Cove) tonight and I'm continuously stunned at how quick the QTE responses are in modern games, how you have to rethink following someone, and how elaborate the decision tree for this game can be.

Played through Chapters 15-17 ("Time To Decide", "Zlatko", and "Russian Roulette") and started 18 ("Spare Parts") tonight - the storytelling is so damned good in this game.

I feel like the game is really starting to find its' legs and deliver some action rather then just conversation and story discovery, see 'Zlatko' and 'Spare Parts'. I'm curious to know if this is just a minor bump in the intensity of the story or if this is the start of a spike of action that will climax with the ending.

Completed Chapters 12-14 tonight "On The Run", "Jericho", and "The Nest" and while Connor and Kara's story have a nice brief overlap and seem rather straight-forward, Markus's story feels more of a 'revenge' tale that is eventually going to go badly. I do like the relationship building between Kara/Alice and Connor/Hank - it feels like we've left the introductions aspect of the game and are now getting into the 'meat' of the story.

Played Chapters 10-12 "Fugitives", "From the Dead", and "Waiting for Hank" tonight - I'm filled with a bit of a dystopian dread with where the stories are going.

I have no idea how the game ends, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that each android is going to have a very serious 'something' happen to them (Kara will have to choose Alice vs. something, Connor will have to choose Hank vs. something, Markus is going to kill someone) and I will have to make a 'human' decision.

Continued tonight and completed Chapters 6 through 9 ("Partners" through "The Interrogation") and once again, I am completely in awe of the facial capture, motion capture, and voice acting of the characters.

It seems abundantly clear that Androids are the 'American Negroes' of the late 2030s and it's obvious to the point of nauseam. The 'back of the bus' riding, the interrogation scene (ironically, a black male android) and a early 20th century viewpoint of blatant disrespect and disregard of black people made me crystal clear what we were getting hit over the head with. Once I understood where the writers were coming from, I was able to go 'oh, I see what you're doing here' more often than not.

That said, the 'racial' issues aren't the only story beats that cause friction; Todd's story was one that hit close to home as a parent, and drew me in as hard as "Heavy Rain" and "Beyond: Two Souls" did in their stories. Quantic Dream are master story tellers, and I can't get to get back to this game.

Started the game tonight on stream and one thing is crystal clear - this is a statement making game. The fact that the Androids are straight up 2nd-class citizens makes for what seems to be a predictable story arc, but the differences between Connor, Markus, and Kara’s stories are quite interesting at the outset.

The story aside, I REALLY like the ‘flowchart’ aspect of the game and the possible ease of going back and seeing ‘what happened if’ and it’s hidden spiderwebbing of the story.

Controls and audio are what I expect from a Quantic Dream game (played Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls), but the visuals are so much more vibrant from the PS3 games to this release. I could only imagine the photo realism of a PS5 Quantic Dream game.