Platform: PC
Developer: Deconstructeam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: January 23rd, 2018
Genre: Adventure / Indie
Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10
Reviewed by Kikopaff
Cyberpunk is the new black. Its lawless subculture has seeped into the crevices of our lives at some point; think blockbuster films like The Matrix or Blade Runner, popular anime like Akira or Ghost in the Shell. And of course, cyberpunk is no exception to the gaming world. Just take a peek at the recent hype for CD Projekt Red’s (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) upcoming Cyberpunk 2077. It goes without saying that the forces of technology and its fast-paced evolution have been a major part of our lives. Deconstructeam is more than aware of its lasting touch on humanity and captures cyberpunk’s continual influence in their point-and-click espionage adventure, The Red Strings Club. Enter its underground bar, and get served a cocktail narrative mixed with dirty secrets, hidden agendas and a ruthless trio ready to shake things up. I’ve tasted the alcohol that The Red Strings Club concocts and it leaves you salivating for more, even after six hours of gameplay – a thirst you didn’t think you could crave.
Set sometime in the future, you enter the clandestine bar known as The Red Strings Club, operated by charming, information broker Donovan, who has run the club in the last two decades. Joining him is his partner and street-savvy hacker, Brandeis. Together, they make mischief magic and rebellion look cool. Donovan is infamously notorious for his cunning ability to fish for information from those who visit his espionage haven. How does he do this? With alcohol, of course. Through careful mixes of different spirits, Donovan can tap into the customer’s deepest emotions and drivers, forcing truth and confessions more candidly than you’d expect. Brandeis, on the other hand, gets his hands a little dirtier by hacking into corporations’ systems – all in the name of free will. The pair is unexpectedly visited by a malfunctioning android, Akara-184, who collapses and is on the verge of death. When Brandeis hacks into the android’s neural drive, a bank of its memories, The Red Strings Club unfolds into three phases, all under the overarching dilemma: Supercontinent Ltd, the mega-corporation responsible for the Social Psyche Welfare project. Essentially, a nice way of saying worldwide brainwashing, by manipulating humans’ emotions. Censoring emotions such as depression, wrath, suicide, are Supercontinent’s means of achieving the “ideal” world. As you play between the trio, it’s up to you whether you want to take Supercontinent to the ground or rise to its philosophy. Until the nail-biting ending, it’s your conclusion that determines who the culprit really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IELW1Mdzeak
At the core, The Red Strings Club is about happiness, free will and humanity. The game’s primary method of unpacking these concepts is through its dialogue and the conversations you have with its rich, vibrant and memorable characters. This is not your average conversational game. You won’t find small talk as you serve drinks, create technological organs or hack into people’s phone numbers. Instead, you’ll find yourself answering questions like, “Is marketing inherently evil?” or “What would you say is the most important thing to be happy in life?” More often than not, I found myself assessing my own humanity, why I believe in certain social constructs and what drives my behaviour and thoughts. It forced me to question the balance between truth and opinion, fact and experience. The Red Strings Club is a rollercoaster of emotions and is certainly not for the fainthearted. It’s uncomfortable, to say the least, but I appreciate that The Red Strings Club is a fresh take on our philosophy, done so in a poignant, respectful but thought-provoking manner. I’m still left begging for my own personal answers.
That’s one way of putting it.
In its first phase, you play as Akara-184, who is responsible for creating Supercontinent’s modules, organ-like devices that serve as human “upgrades” to suit one’s emotional needs and cravings. Modules are designed to achieve things such as increase your charisma on social networks, enhance your persuasive communication skills or nullify your thirst for ambition. As Akara-184, you determine which module is appropriate and slab it inside a client’s naked body. Using the potting wheel to shape the blueprint of the module feels a little awkward for your wrist and your patience. The controls require that you continuously click with your mouse to spin the wheel as you shape the module with the tools provided to get the best result. It’s a perfect activity for those who have a strong attention to detail, though it does take a bit of time to get used to. There’s an option for you to listen to chill, electronic music in the background as you work. The score composed by fingerspit is a wonderful, evocative soundtrack. Every track is mixed richly with piano, electronic vibes or strong bass that accentuates the mood of each setting. As the game only has a limited number of settings to explore, the soundtrack helps you to immerse in the world The Red Strings Club offers and doesn’t feel boring.
Let’s see if this module will open your eyes from the dullness of life.
In the second phase, you get to witness Donovan’s craft and give it a shot for yourself: mixology. Combining different spirits unleashes a customer’s bank of emotions. It could range from lust, paranoia, euphoria, depression, and so forth. Every emotion impacts the conversation’s mood and ultimately, what type of information you uncover. For example, mixing DeepDown Vodka and Tequilas Carlos Derecho makes Larissa ready to lustfully pounce at Donovan. High Roller Bourbon and Westword Absinthe together, unleash madness. Opening the can of worms always feels exciting, but requires some thought as you strategically choose which strings to pull and what questions to delicately ask. Pouring the alcohol and dropping ice cubes into the glass feels relaxing, and I find it ironic that such manipulation is done so with precision and delicacy.
Do you want a glass of sympathy or fear?
In the final phase, Brandeis takes the spotlight and you enter the wonderful world of random dialling, voice augmentation and sabotage. As exciting as this may sound, this was my least favourite segment of The Red Strings Club. Sure, the use of voice augmentation is clever and gives you the ability to access information, details and relationships you otherwise wouldn’t have found throughout your gameplay. Yes, it comedically satirises the use of the telephone and pressing your number keypad to call contacts almost feels a little ancient. But fishing for information by consistently dialling, remembering sequences of who you called first, who to call next, who did you call last, feels monotonous and repetitive. Donovan is always on hand to give you reminders for when you lose focus, but his instructions are vague and a little condescending, as he states the obvious but never gives you clues or leads.
The Red Strings Club showcases wonderful 2D pixel art and displays brooding, calming and colourful palettes that accentuate every mood of the game. Being in the club, for example, you’re swallowed in walls of reds, browns and light yellows. It actually feels like you’re inside a room that encourages intimacy and tempts you to unveil secrets. Inside Akara-184’s lab, you see purples, blues and pinks and it all feels scientific, futuristic. There’s incredible detail amongst wires, buttons and gears that feels authentic. The Red Strings Club is a gorgeous game and magically teleports you to its world of espionage.
Welcome to Supercontinent Ltd., how may I alter your emotions?
The Red Strings Club‘s bank of information, secrets and opportunities to sabotage are endless. The wonderful mechanic that the game offers is its replayability factor. During your gameplay, you are taken to a menu screen that shows you key decisions you made throughout your experience, travelling along the screen horizontally with what looks like red strings. Each string can take a different path and result in various factors, endings and conversations. Upon my second replay of The Red Strings Club, I chose drastically different responses, beliefs, alcohol and modules. What I witnessed was almost a completely different narrative. Some scenarios recycle the same dialogue, but overall each experience feels unique and is exciting to explore different facets of the narrative. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors that I wish the developers fixed, and was a little distracting especially for such an emotionally intelligent game as this.
The Red Strings Club is uncomfortable, in that it forces you to assess the meaning of happiness and free will. It’s a clever cyberpunk narrative that creatively encourages you to pull strings to influence according to your understanding of right and wrong. Playing the game through the eyes of three memorable rogues is a thrill and leaves a palette you’ll always taste. Some in-game mechanics such as excessive mouse-clicking and dialling sequences of numbers can feel a little monotonous, but there are enough mini-activities to keep you hooked and craving for more. If you enjoy games like VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action or any other cyberpunk mediums, this is a must add to your growing library of experiences. As Donovan says, “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,” and The Red Strings Club is exactly that – a pleasure.
Written by Kikopaff
Kikopaff is an avid fan of comics, slurps many bowls of ramen, and lives in the Land Down Under. When she’s not writing about video games, she is playing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI or buried in a Terry Pratchett book. She also loves cooking up a storm in her kitchen.
