City of Broken Dreamers (Ch.14)
Just finished this behemoth of a game. Fucking Prime! In a Los Angeles that is beyond “Hotel California’, corruption is everywhere. Corporations exercise extreme prejudice and power struggles between countries are imminent. While working as a merc for corps, you figure out your life is just another liability. Until one job sets off events that change the face of the city forever. Be cautious of everyone. This world is out to get you.
STORY
First off - City of Broken Dreamers’ story is straightforward. Don’t expect an unusual story angle. With expectations limited, this game goes above and beyond to build a world complementing the Cyberpunk-ish Noir story. Memorable locations, in depth dialog and characters who interact. This is a full-blown rollercoaster ride from Philly Games, going way deeper than 2018’s Depraved Awakening.
In my 20+hr playthrough, about 95% of what CoBD has to offer was shown to me. From chase sequences to stealth missions, sultry dialog to heartfelt emotions - this game goes the distance. You start out as a merc, questioning what your role in Neo-Los Angeles will be. The Japanese have done a number on Americans and since, life has been different. There are citizens living with a disease - and because of it, they’re outlawed to different parts of the city. Corporations prey on the poor as the elite bask in power. It all seems plausible.
Along the way you will meet a questionable cast of agents and outlaws, either harming or helping your quest. It’s a set story mostly, but you get choices that do impact shallower levels of the game. Not every choice is labeled in a way that makes sense, which is frustrating - but you can reroll which does save you time. Just safe often. You will be able to lose out on characters along the way, so be wary of the danger you put those around you in.
The worldbuilding of this game is impeccable. Whether civvies are scolding Milchers, youngsters are yelling how fucking prime things are, the conflict between the Augments and the Red Moon or the futuristic way AI plays a part in your quest - the creator spent years building all these layers that help ground and enhance the main story. By the time you hit the end part of the story, you instantly recognize locations and phrases because of the consistency. There’s even a special dialect for one subset of inhabitants. That’s an amazing feat of worldbuilding.
Jake Murphy (MC) seems somewhat of a passive tool to me, but luckily there is character development throughout the chapters. People get scarred and those scars will show. It feels off that you spend chapters protecting someone who is ultimately stronger than you, until you realize it’s about building bridges over becoming stronger. Along the way people can get a change of heart and it definitely creates conflict for your mission. I would have liked even more sacrifice to give weight to the story, but by the final days people are so scarred it probably gets hard to write a story that contains it all.
Information is everywhere. You want to know about Ghosts? Why are Milchers frowned upon? Why news channels in this city are corrupt? Why AI and VR sextoys change the face of pleasure forever? How drugs are getting flooded into the city? All this narrative is secondary to the main story, but helps in selling the world and its characters. Side characters are somewhat hit and miss. Some are charismatic and great, others feel like a jukebox on repeat. Dig deep enough and you’ll find something for each character - even Glenn.
The MC might be the blandest part of the writing. He’s never really allowed to develop, often sacrificing his own growth to further others - unless it’s about sexual encounters. By the end he sounds tired, but a far more responsible human than the merc he was at the start. The main antagonist is pretty one-dimensional too, but luckily there are more than enough distractions to make this story interesting.
Storywise CoBD is amazing. Small support characters like Abby and Betty even come with their own backstories and it shows the dedication of the developer. There’s even a Glossary where you can read up on backstories if you don’t remember things as well. You will find a little story in every corner of this novel. Just figure out where to look for the answers you seek!
PRESENTATION
This game looks impressive. Characters have a doll-like look and it might seem cartoon-ish or anime-like at times, liking it is a matter of preference. The scenery looks as realistic as it could. Bright neon lights, sunny skylines, rain showers over characters, big explosions, futuristic cars - it looks larger than life. It might be the most impressive thing about this game.
You can often tell GDS-infected by their looks. Robots and augments usually lack human facial details. Apartments and clubs are styled appropriately and the supporting cast has so many wardrobe changes it borders a fashion show. Meanwhile we never really see the MC, who has one shoddy look and keeps it throughout the game mostly. This game is not about you, but about the world around you.
Sex scenes are often average in variety, but there are so many - especially near the end chapters. There’s about 10 sex scenes that are really memorable due to what happened in probably over 40 scenes. Animations are good enough for me and often look amazing together with the many renderings these scenes bring. There are definitely filler sex scenes, but some kinkier ones if you’re daring to step out of the beaten path.
Music! Usually sound is an afterthought, but this dev dedicated specific soundtracks for CoBD. It might be a bit repetitive after 15 hours, but it understands the ambiance of the city very well. Small sound design helps sell the action scenes without making it corny or too action-focused.
GAMEPLAY
Story choices let you collect points which in turn lock or unlock small story paths for people. It’s a visual novel and you’re in for the ride, but the way you approach the set pieces does give you a sense of individuality. You will get locked out of content with just one playthrough and because a playthrough became 20+hrs, it might become a chore replaying to see all scenes.
For completionists, there’s a scene and picture gallery - along with a picture puzzle game in some of the scenes. You look at certain scenes where the game tells you about a clue, you find it and you get a picture reward. It’s simple, but adds a layer to the investigative nature of the story.
OVERALL
It’s not finished as of yet, but you can tell how it all ends from here. City of Broken Dreamers is an outstanding visual novel and a feat in Noir Cyberpunk storytelling. It looks great, sounds the part and makes you feel a lot of things. If you can invest time to let the story build, you will get to know the interesting world this story basks in. A world that is begging for more stories because there’s just so much happening it is easy to get overloaded. Take your time and you will enjoy this giant of a game. Can’t wait for the final chapter to be released. I mean - this game has an intro movie. That alone tells you enough about the quality.
9/10, but making it 10/10 because of sheer length and passion of developer.