A Hauntingly Beautiful Noire Tale
When Critical Hit Games announced Nobody Wants To Die as their debut title with its reveal trailer, it instantly had my attention. Set in a dystopian New York that initially you could mistake for the 1920’s, the game actually takes place in the far future: 2329 to be exact. This world has a retro-futuristic tone that immediately struck a cord with me. The flying cars of the world look like classics of the past, whilst the clothing and weaponry also have that prohibition era theme, with tommy guns and pinstripe suits galore. It reminded me very much of one my all time favourite games in Bioshock. In this future New York, technology has expanded to new heights with the discovery of a substance known as ichorite. This substance allows citizens to have their brains scanned and encoded so in the unfortunate event they die, their consciousness and memories can be transferred to a new body. Due to the soaring costs of this practice, the rich have stipulated that customers have to essentially sign up to a subscription based service where you rent a body. This is such a cool and intriguing concept which, much like the fantastic Altered Carbon, just adds mystery and intrigue for the player from the get go.
The story of Nobody Wants To Die revolves around the protagonist James Karra, a troubled, yet brilliant detective who works in the Mortality Department and is haunted by the events of his past. Yes, it’s a theme in noir thrillers we often see but it is done here to perfection. Having recently transferred to a new body due to past events, James experiences hallucinations because of not properly synching with the new host. Right from the moment you take control of Karra, you are thrown into visions of his past which just made me so invested in the game from minute one. Whilst having to cope with his new body, you are thrown into a murder mystery plot involving some of the big hitters residing in New York, such as the mayor and his business associates. The plot deals with themes of mortality, self worth and the abuse of power in ways that I really didn’t expect. I don’t want to give that much away regarding the plot because I think it is absolutely imperative to know as little as possible.
I say this because the game is so damn good at keeping you hooked and enthralled, whilst constantly shrouding you in this mysterious dark noir thriller of a world. Aided by Sara, Karra seeks to uncover the true plot behind various killings. It’s a plot that is not exactly new in terms of themes and tropes but it is executed to perfection and in my opinion is amongst the best narratives I have seen in the past few years. The use of dialogue options is fantastic and creates replay ability along with the multiple endings on offer. It is like Cyberpunk, Blade Runner and LA Noire had a baby. Just a fantastic creation of a genre that is often left along the wayside in the video game space. The one down side to it is that it’s just not long enough; a playthrough will take you around six hours to complete. I desperately need and want more of this world!
Revel In The Reconstruction
Of course, gameplay is also important in pushing the narrative to new heights, and this game doesn’t disappoint. With this designed and advertised as a first person narrative adventure, it’s important to get your expectations right for this game. If you are looking for many shootouts and action sequences, this will not be for you. Critical Hit Games have chosen to focus mainly on the investigating side of crime thrillers, with near perfect results. When you arrive at your first crime scene, you are introduced to the main gameplay element which is reconstruction. Using the Reconstructor, a futuristic tool where you can relive and watch previous events, you must uncover the secrets of the crime scene. This is such a fantastic mechanic as you quite literally get to see how events play out in slow motion, whether it’s a gunfight aboard a blimp or a supposed suicide in a public building. It is so well done I cannot praise it enough. I loved using this tool to help find my next clue. Along with this tool, there are three other main tools: the X-Ray, the UV light and the camera. The X-Ray is another fantastic tool as it lets you see bullet protectory. All these tools help you collect evidence which you then use to piece together the mystery on the crime board back at your apartment.
The crime board is fairly self explanatory, as you have to piece together the evidence you have collected, using each clue you have obtained. It’s simple, yet satisfying, connecting the dots to the mystery and the dialogue is wonderful, explaining each clue and its connection. That is pretty much the basis of gameplay in Nobody Wants To Die, bar a few quick time events. It is certainly not going to appeal to everyone but I adored it. Another criticism levelled at the game is that it holds your hand too much and directs you to each objective. Whilst part of that is true, the developers have done a great job creating such wonderful conversations between James and Sara during the parts where you are directed to do something. This really wasn’t much of a problem for me at all. Another element of gameplay I love is the exploration of the crime scenes. Picking up random objects and inspecting them leads to new information regarding the story, which really helps flesh out the world and its characters. It is brilliant secondary storytelling that can often be left at the way side.
A True Homage Of Beauty
Along with its gripping story and innovative gameplay, Nobody Wants To Die possesses some of the best visuals I have seen in recent memory. The retro-futuristic city of New York is breath-taking. In scenes where you are in your car, I often stopped to admire the city itself. Buildings tower above you like giants, whilst Blade Runner style digital advertisements appear and catch your eye. Everything looks stunning, including character models which are top notch. Looking through crime scenes is also wonderful, due to the level of detail on display here by Critical Hit and they should be lauded for their work here. One small but important aspect I adore, is how good the rain looks. In a dark, brooding game like this, rain can be used to display the tones and emotions of the city and it’s so good I sometimes stopped just to look and admire. Lighting is also high quality and really helps create tense moments, particularly when you are trudging through the city slums on the outskirts. Character animations are also stellar, with the reconstructions of the crime scene showing off this aspect in beautiful haunting fashion. So much of this game reminds me of one of my favourite films of all time, L.A Confidential. It’s like imagining that film set in a dystopian future. I love everything about this game in terms of design and presentation. It is an absolute feat of graphical capability by the developers.
Similarly, the sound design and music in this game are incredible. The soundtrack is modelled closely to the aesthetic, with a classic soundtrack that, once again, you could mistake for being taken out of the type of films I have mentioned. The soundtrack slowly builds tension during the crime scene investigations and it truly felt like I was a detective in the 1920’s at times. In contrast, I found that the base music setting was too loud and overpowered some of the dialogue in the game. However, once I had found the right balance, that became a minor issue. Along with music, sound design is wonderful for the tools you use. Once again, using the Reconstructor is fantastic; you hear the sounds as you rewind time to uncover the story. Special mention should go to Phillip Sacramento and Keaton Talmadge as James and Sara, whose stellar voice acting really helps sell the story to the player. Great emotional range from both actors and I am excited to see what they appear in next.
Verdict
Nobody Wants To Die is everything I wanted it to be and more. It felt like a 1920’s detective thriller in the future and I loved every second of the mysterious twisting story that had me gripped until the very end. Stunning visuals that can compete with any AAA game on the market and a gorgeous soundtrack that helps heighten the tension and mood really seal this game as one of my favourite experiences this year. Its linear structure will not be for everyone and its short length left me wanting much more. But for a first attempt for Critical Hit games, this is a slam dunk. I just hope they return to this fantastic retro-futuristic world they have created. Now I’m off to get some ichorite and rent a body! See you in NYC!
