This review regards the Chapter 4 update. A TL;DR version is at the end.
The Daedalus Project was kind of a spur of the moment 'what the hell' download for me and I am really glad I took the time to look this one over.
First, it should be said that a lot of clever world-building went into this game, which puts it head and shoulders above a lot of erotic offerings. And the choice to go with a thoroughly mid-century aesthetic and tone gives the parallel world hopping adventure the feel of one of Heinlein's 60s-70s novel. These are competent, confident sexy people doing amazing things by any means necessary. Your character just isn't sure if they are doing the right things. That lends the game a great hook that makes it far more interesting than another click-fap game.
The two missions I've played so far have been good. Surprisingly good, to be honest. I am a gay dude, so the first one wasn't particularly interesting to me on a romantic level, but man, that story. I love a good crime story and this was that. It was like playing Fiasco (the RPG) or reading Elmore Leonard. Bad people doing bad things and getting bad results. I don't want to spoil it, but it was a great opener to the concepts of the setting and tugged at the heartstrings a little.
The second mission was, the way I played it, queer as hell. And I have to give them double points for throwing in a bottom character who is neither a simpering sissy or a mindless drone of a sub. There was fire and wit and charm in there and a sense that he was trying to live life on his terms in a time and place where that was always going to be hard and likely to be fatal. And not to pretend I'm just in it for the literary thrills, the sex scene was pretty damned good.
In both missions there were clear moral choices to be made and they weren't pat and easy ones, either. I loved that. It added a layer of sophistication to the storytelling that elevates it above most of the offerings in this medium.
Also, this is a game where not just your story choices but your stat choices matter. How you shape your character directly impacts your chance of succeeding at various tasks in the game. If I have one complaint about The Daedalus Project it is that at least for these two (hopefully) early missions, the game very much rewards being a generalist, rather than a specialist.
The inclusion of photographic porn is handled well, in my opinion, and didn't jar me away from the stylized assets of the rest of the game. The images were well-selected, hot and on-point for a given scene, without really becoming the focus of it.
And lastly, the meta-narrative between missions, the politics and daily life in the culture of the company, is nicely mysterious, morally shady and you just know there is a second act twist coming at some point. I can hear Wash from Firefly in the back of my head saying 'Curse your sudden but inevidable betrayal!' I just don't know if it will the protagonist or one of his co-workers doing the betraying. I really want to know what the larger agenda might be.
TL;DR version: I am deeply impressed and hoping to see much more of this game, even with skipping all the het sex scenes. If you like Heinleinesque Spy-Fi adventure with optional sexy times, this one might be for you. It certainly worked for me.
The Daedalus Project was kind of a spur of the moment 'what the hell' download for me and I am really glad I took the time to look this one over.
First, it should be said that a lot of clever world-building went into this game, which puts it head and shoulders above a lot of erotic offerings. And the choice to go with a thoroughly mid-century aesthetic and tone gives the parallel world hopping adventure the feel of one of Heinlein's 60s-70s novel. These are competent, confident sexy people doing amazing things by any means necessary. Your character just isn't sure if they are doing the right things. That lends the game a great hook that makes it far more interesting than another click-fap game.
The two missions I've played so far have been good. Surprisingly good, to be honest. I am a gay dude, so the first one wasn't particularly interesting to me on a romantic level, but man, that story. I love a good crime story and this was that. It was like playing Fiasco (the RPG) or reading Elmore Leonard. Bad people doing bad things and getting bad results. I don't want to spoil it, but it was a great opener to the concepts of the setting and tugged at the heartstrings a little.
The second mission was, the way I played it, queer as hell. And I have to give them double points for throwing in a bottom character who is neither a simpering sissy or a mindless drone of a sub. There was fire and wit and charm in there and a sense that he was trying to live life on his terms in a time and place where that was always going to be hard and likely to be fatal. And not to pretend I'm just in it for the literary thrills, the sex scene was pretty damned good.
In both missions there were clear moral choices to be made and they weren't pat and easy ones, either. I loved that. It added a layer of sophistication to the storytelling that elevates it above most of the offerings in this medium.
Also, this is a game where not just your story choices but your stat choices matter. How you shape your character directly impacts your chance of succeeding at various tasks in the game. If I have one complaint about The Daedalus Project it is that at least for these two (hopefully) early missions, the game very much rewards being a generalist, rather than a specialist.
The inclusion of photographic porn is handled well, in my opinion, and didn't jar me away from the stylized assets of the rest of the game. The images were well-selected, hot and on-point for a given scene, without really becoming the focus of it.
And lastly, the meta-narrative between missions, the politics and daily life in the culture of the company, is nicely mysterious, morally shady and you just know there is a second act twist coming at some point. I can hear Wash from Firefly in the back of my head saying 'Curse your sudden but inevidable betrayal!' I just don't know if it will the protagonist or one of his co-workers doing the betraying. I really want to know what the larger agenda might be.
TL;DR version: I am deeply impressed and hoping to see much more of this game, even with skipping all the het sex scenes. If you like Heinleinesque Spy-Fi adventure with optional sexy times, this one might be for you. It certainly worked for me.
