0 
0 Gamedec is a cyberpunk-esque point-and-click game developed by Ansher Publishing that was previously released on Switch and PC before making the switch over to PlayStation.
Dying to become a detective?
Gamedec is certainly a unique game, that I think you would struggle to find any game that is of similar playability. I haven’t seen a game like this before, and when I heard that it was coming to PS5, I knew I needed to try it out, especially considering my day job is somewhat similar.
Gameplay
Set in the 22nd century in dystopian Warsaw City, virtual reality has taken over, becoming a way of life. Both the rich and the poor use it to escape the reality of life itself, however, there are always consequences when it comes to living a life that is not your own. This is where you, Gamedec come in, you are a detective whose work is to solve mysteries involving virtual reality by collecting clues and making deductions. The game is adaptive to your choices as the player, meaning it is more than likely that you as a reader will be led down a different path that is dissimilar to mine.
Gamedec certainly has a uniqueness, I do not think you would’ve thought that you would as a detective within the game be looking for people in virtual worlds where people visit to enable their fetishes. Gamedec has done this well, and Ansher Publishing has created a game where the stories are not something you would typically imagine, offering a variety of missions that are not similar to one another. These stories are so unique, that I, a detective in the real world, have never come across these types of stories before.
When you begin the game, you are offered the opportunity to first chose what type of play through you would like, this being the easier option of ‘normal mode’, or the more testing option of ‘true detective’ mode. For my play-through, I chose ‘normal mode’, and I would honestly hate to see how ‘true detective’ mode looks and plays because I believe I would’ve struggled. In addition to this, before beginning your play through, you are offered the opportunity to create your own character, choosing either the pre-set characters or creating your own from the variety of cyberpunk-esque options.
Once you have finished with the ancillary parts of the game, you are thrust into the world of Gamedec, immediately beginning the mysteries that come with being a detective. It is important that you are alive and awake when playing this, as you have to use your wits to investigate what you have been hired to do. This is simply done by collecting clues to make deductions. In addition, you are afforded the opportunity to earn points through the dialogue options you have selected, which in turn can be spent on the skill tree, making it easier to deduct or search for clues.
This is a really interesting concept, which I think on paper, would get anyone excited, however, it’s not as straightforward. The ‘codex’ menu which is used to store your clues and deductions, is not user-friendly. I struggled to use this menu, and when I had collected enough clues to trigger a deduction, I was not told of this, and I would simply find out about this when I went to look at the menu after a period of confusion. This seemed to be a theme when the game first came out on Switch and PC, so it is interesting that this has not changed after 2 years.
Although it can be some sort of a struggle, this does not take away from the uniqueness of the story. It is effectively impossible to collect all the clues and complete all the deductions in one play-through, meaning that there is plenty of replayability within the game. I also did not think for one moment that one of the reasons I would die in this game would be because a unicorn had exploded and killed me.
Graphics & Audio
I was fortunate to experience Gamedec on the PS5, and I luckily did not run into any frame rate issues or glitches. I personally really liked the art style of Gamedec as it stuck to what the game set out to do, which was a cyberpunk experience. The cartoonish art style used as the game’s graphics really suited what the game was trying to do, especially considering it was focused on the idea of a virtual reality in which people lived their lives. In addition to this, I enjoyed the contrast of the graphics when you were transported to different virtual reality spaces, such as in the first mission when you have to go to find out where the rich client’s son is, you will be transported to a dark and gritty virtual reality, which fit the theme well.
The game does not feature any voice acting, although this may be because that would require a lot of voice acting, which means that this game is very reader heavy. I think the game would benefit from some sort of voice acting, so then it is not as heavy. The soundtrack is no different, it does not necessarily add to the game. Although I think the soundtrack does add to the gameplay that is been shown on screen, there is nothing special or memorable about it.
Longevity
Gamedec features 15 hours of gameplay, however, I think it offers many more. This is due to the replayability of the game, as the main point of the game is to detect clues and use them to decipher what has happened. The game practically makes it impossible for the player to get all the clues on one play-through, therefore meaning that when creating a new game to go again, the player can find different clues and therefore create a different experience. This is certainly a massive positive of the game, as your experience and play through will be unique to another player.
Final Thoughts
Although I did enjoy the game (once I was able to figure out what I was required to do), I believe that the concept of the game sounded a lot better on paper. I don’t necessarily feel like the way the game was presented fully was transferred to what the player experiences, especially considering that Gamedec was first released on both Switch and PC, with there being almost a 2-year gap for the publishers to perhaps address some of the issues that were previously stated. If they were able to make the codex menu more simple, I think it would greatly improve the game, and make the experience more enjoyable. However, I do think the uniqueness of the game is certainly a massive positive, and the storylines that have been created and used within the game offer a unique experience that most games would not offer. I do think the game is worth checking out, however, the price might put some people off, with this being currently £29.99 on the PlayStation store.
It is with these points in mind, that I will be awarding Gamedec with a Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
