I'm kinda torn on this. The big issue with me is that I'm of two minds: I love the concept, but because of that, I have far more problems with it.
So the good, as previously mentioned, is the concept. A private investigator where we follow a mystery is fun. There's a big gap between the first two chapters, and the next two chapters, which I consider a positive because it shows improvement. The visuals and writing both improve from 1 & 2 to 3 & 4.
However, I got issues with the world feeling kinda half-assed. If you're going to set it in a specific period, it'd be good to actually...build a world in that period. The fact that there's a bunch of women in important jobs? The dialogue and way they talk? The actual detective work? Even down to the actual style and clothing. There's just...a lot that you end up noticing. And the thing is, the issues aren't major, but they're the kinda thing where when you notice it once, you notice it over and over and over again.
An example of this is that while the game APPEARS to be influenced by detective noir films, which are generally from the 40s-50s, but the main character is a veteran of the Vietnam War, which America properly entered in the 60s. Then there's a character called Sam, who's a father figure for the MC, who apparently seems to have no experience in war? So a seemingly middle-aged man apparently has no combat experience, having been draft age and physically fit. Then in Chapter 4, the MC uses a phone from the 1920s!
Another clear indicator is the aforementioned gender roles. In the AVN we have a female mayor, two female detectives, and two female boxers. Keep in mind, the first EVER all-female boxing show in the US was in 1979. Meanwhile, they're walking around in booty shorts and crop tops, modern modern cocktail dresses, designs that literally didn't exist in the period. This is the big issue, there's no concise world being made, so I don't believe in it. It feels like an AVN which WANTS to be post-WWII, and that would be interesting! Maybe seeing some Russians involved, former Nazi-sympathisers, immigrants from the war. The dev wants me to take the world seriously, but I can't because it doesn't work on it's own.
Another issue is the writing. As I previously mentioned, the first 2 chapters are worse. The writing in particular is rough. The MC is an idiot and has zero clue what he's doing. You'd think a man who hid from the Viet Cong would have any sort of observational skills. He speaks very literally and without much nuance, and most characters in the story will include awkward dialogue or just be very blunt. Chapter 4 is certainly a marked improvement, but ultimately the characters don't really get any better. Honestly, one of the only ones I properly like is Carl, because he actually has a personality. Every woman is basically just snarky and sarcastic, there's nothing else there. I mean I love archetypes, but when every single character plays the seductress/femme fatale, it's boring.
Ultimately, I think it'll get better, so I'll likely change my review, but there's too much grating me to offer more than a 6/10.
So the good, as previously mentioned, is the concept. A private investigator where we follow a mystery is fun. There's a big gap between the first two chapters, and the next two chapters, which I consider a positive because it shows improvement. The visuals and writing both improve from 1 & 2 to 3 & 4.
However, I got issues with the world feeling kinda half-assed. If you're going to set it in a specific period, it'd be good to actually...build a world in that period. The fact that there's a bunch of women in important jobs? The dialogue and way they talk? The actual detective work? Even down to the actual style and clothing. There's just...a lot that you end up noticing. And the thing is, the issues aren't major, but they're the kinda thing where when you notice it once, you notice it over and over and over again.
An example of this is that while the game APPEARS to be influenced by detective noir films, which are generally from the 40s-50s, but the main character is a veteran of the Vietnam War, which America properly entered in the 60s. Then there's a character called Sam, who's a father figure for the MC, who apparently seems to have no experience in war? So a seemingly middle-aged man apparently has no combat experience, having been draft age and physically fit. Then in Chapter 4, the MC uses a phone from the 1920s!
Another clear indicator is the aforementioned gender roles. In the AVN we have a female mayor, two female detectives, and two female boxers. Keep in mind, the first EVER all-female boxing show in the US was in 1979. Meanwhile, they're walking around in booty shorts and crop tops, modern modern cocktail dresses, designs that literally didn't exist in the period. This is the big issue, there's no concise world being made, so I don't believe in it. It feels like an AVN which WANTS to be post-WWII, and that would be interesting! Maybe seeing some Russians involved, former Nazi-sympathisers, immigrants from the war. The dev wants me to take the world seriously, but I can't because it doesn't work on it's own.
Another issue is the writing. As I previously mentioned, the first 2 chapters are worse. The writing in particular is rough. The MC is an idiot and has zero clue what he's doing. You'd think a man who hid from the Viet Cong would have any sort of observational skills. He speaks very literally and without much nuance, and most characters in the story will include awkward dialogue or just be very blunt. Chapter 4 is certainly a marked improvement, but ultimately the characters don't really get any better. Honestly, one of the only ones I properly like is Carl, because he actually has a personality. Every woman is basically just snarky and sarcastic, there's nothing else there. I mean I love archetypes, but when every single character plays the seductress/femme fatale, it's boring.
Ultimately, I think it'll get better, so I'll likely change my review, but there's too much grating me to offer more than a 6/10.
