Rate top games(Warning: spoilers!)
The first two thirds of the game or so are brilliant: it combines fun gameplay with an engaging mystery and interesting philosophical questions on the nature of happiness and a functioning society. However, the third act drags to a screeching halt with extremely tedious gameplay, and the ending is both depressing and unsatisfying. I also find it a bit hypocritical for the game to be preaching about social justice (the whole "do you think women should continue to be oppressed" question) when it deadnames and overly sexualizes a trans woman and the black gay character gets killed off.
There are better cyberpunk games out there to play instead of this.
The first two thirds of the game or so are brilliant: it combines fun gameplay with an engaging mystery and interesting philosophical questions on the nature of happiness and a functioning society. However, the third act drags to a screeching halt with extremely tedious gameplay, and the ending is both depressing and unsatisfying. I also find it a bit hypocritical for the game to be preaching about social justice (the whole "do you think women should continue to be oppressed" question) when it deadnames and overly sexualizes a trans woman and the black gay character gets killed off.
There are better cyberpunk games out there to play instead of this.
Other reviews5
No amount of cyperpunk and lovely pixel-art graphics will outbalance the boring mechanics of mixing cocktails and sculpting vases.
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
Microsoft from Deutsch
What The Red Strings Club is: A narrative Point-and-click chamber game with Unique minigames, in which you make twisted Stuff with cocktails to get to the Light of the Dark Secrets of a Big Corporation's future.
What it's all About: Vision of The future, Hackers, Artificial Intelligence, Capitalism, Neuropsychology, Game Theory ... Typical Cyberpunk. A capitalist Vision for the Future with Hackers hurling against Large Corporations and Loners trying to live off information gathering.
What it's all About: The Red Strings Club is a Game that highlights people and human Emotion, in a World where negative Emotions can simply be eliminated with an Implant and where only cold Success can be achieved. It's about Considering why emphatic Skills are always undervalued.
The Story has its downright ridiculously unsubtle Moments, but for that it doesn't confuse, leaving room for subtle Storytelling in other Places. I can't imagine how difficult it is to find the Balance between Subtlety and Clarity-The Red Strings Club did it.
Conclusion: Anyone who has ever wanted to take a Test to find out how well you can listen and perceive subtle Things should play this Game instead. It's worth it.
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
Microsoft from Deutsch
Remeber the feeling you get, when the teacher asks you something in class and you only vaguely know the answer? It is hit and miss? If you are correct, you feel a shy sense of success, if you fail to answer correctly, it is frustrating?
Well, this is what you get in this game in my oponion.
Red Strings Club really has a unique approach to story-telling. You, a bartender, set the mood for those seeking shelter in your bar by crafting drinks tailored to the a certain character trait. Depending on the character trait that you "activate", you will get a different answer for your question. Sometimes the answer you would have hoped for and sometimes not, if you did not set the correct mood.
While the idea is great and not too similar to what "VA11 HALL A" does, it is also slightly frustrating at times. The game somewhat lives from being vague in its options, at times however too vague. You sometimes have very little to work with and you have to draw conclusions on what is availible to you.
At times it felt the game's progression did not follow the "good path" because my chances of doing the correct thing where comparable to rolling a dice. The story itself was fascinating and delivered a lot more think about and ponder than anything else in this genre imho.
However, the gameplay itself and the way you interact in the game where it bit of a letdown, I did not enjoy "playing" the game, I would rather just have listened to what it had to say.
On the other hand, it was just about clear enough to not be confusing, this is something that a lot of games do not get right with a similar approach to storytelling. It is definitly a game that you can play multiple times, which makes up for the short game time. I just completed the game in just about 2 hours (while being stuck at one point due to what I would consider an UI issue for about 20 minutes).
If you value a philosophical story, well written dialogues and are able to look over flaws in gameplay, I would recommend this game. If you actually want a "game", then better leave this out and watch a walkthrough.