I havent played this game in years, so i might have to replay to give a thorough critique, which i feel it needs, as a 2014 SJW game. I was there, as a 2014 SJW. so i feel this criticism is important. I actually wrote and rewrote this for a VERY long time, lmfao. The story's fine, characters are loveable, turing's there, whatever. My main contention is with actually one of my favorite characters, Jess, who has undergone a hybridization surgery to save her life, and looks like a cat woman. In this world, hybrids are humans who have decided for whatever reason to medically alter their genes to have animal parts, or something like that. They are used as this game's allegory for fantasy oppression, basically. or sci fi oppression. either way, creating an unreal class of people to be oppressed is not something that games should do unless they're prepared to really carry it through, and do the research. In this game, the Human Protection Act exists to make sure hybrids don't overtake humanity. Which... Remember that hybrids are human and these are all just references to real life, mostly racist legislature that the game updates to imagine in a cyberpunk society. Okay. So, you make a microaggression towards Jess, and she of course gets mad, tells her life story to you in detail so you understand... how bad hybrids have it, i guess?
It's just deeply uncomfortable to say something that you, as a player, probably can see will not be taken well, have to say it, and then see it not taken well! And that's where your knowledge of hybrids comes from. And i just feel like there couldve been a better way that feels way less exploitative of this woman's trauma, and way less personally offensive to me as a disabled person who gets a lot of this in my real life already and whatnot... And All this for a racism metaphor. Every confrontation with Jess has a weird vibe and she seems like the writers want her to just constantly be educating you. Which is not the role anyone should have, much less someone who... has been through a lot and has a lot better shit to do with her time.
Also, the term "genotypicals" makes me want to genuinely throw up.
The weird vibes with jess' treatment shine through in other ways i believe, but I don't remember this game fully... Only these parts because they really made me upset! Game is not even that bad otherwise. a little copagandic. but the narrative and the way hybrids were handled did not do it for me at all and it left a very bad taste in my mouth.
It's just deeply uncomfortable to say something that you, as a player, probably can see will not be taken well, have to say it, and then see it not taken well! And that's where your knowledge of hybrids comes from. And i just feel like there couldve been a better way that feels way less exploitative of this woman's trauma, and way less personally offensive to me as a disabled person who gets a lot of this in my real life already and whatnot... And All this for a racism metaphor. Every confrontation with Jess has a weird vibe and she seems like the writers want her to just constantly be educating you. Which is not the role anyone should have, much less someone who... has been through a lot and has a lot better shit to do with her time.
Also, the term "genotypicals" makes me want to genuinely throw up.
The weird vibes with jess' treatment shine through in other ways i believe, but I don't remember this game fully... Only these parts because they really made me upset! Game is not even that bad otherwise. a little copagandic. but the narrative and the way hybrids were handled did not do it for me at all and it left a very bad taste in my mouth.