Imagine a world where we created the perfect solution for everything, a world where artificial intelligence is as natural as the blood running through our veins. Why should we continue doing our boring jobs? Why should we bother cleaning our houses or looking after our babies if an android can do this for us? Life would become heaven on Earth and there’s no way that we’ll give up on our modern slaves. But what if they are more than mere robotic tools? What if they are able to think, able to feel, able to love? Will we still (ab)use them to our advantage or will we see them as a second species, sharing the same Earth?
Welcome to Detroit
Detroit Become Human is the new interactive experience created by Quantic Dream and takes you to a near-future Detroit, the year is 2038. In this modern version of Detroit, technology has taken a huge leap forward thanks to the geniuses of Cyberlife, creators of intelligent androids. Androids are available for everybody, there are even rental programs for those unable to afford such a machine. There’s an android for everything and they have basically become everyday objects. Humans use them to clean their houses, take care of their gardens, carry their shopping bags, fulfill their sexual desires and all other things they can dream of. The rise of androids in the city was applauded by the man in the street since it made life much easier. Although life got easier, a lot of jobs became irrelevant for humans, forcing them to live on the streets. Needless to say, this caused a lot of tension between humans and androids.
This tension is the main theme of the ‘game’ and right from the start you’ll feel like an outcast in a world ruled by human beings. Detroit isn’t a happy place for androids who are aware of their surroundings and emotions. Those androids are called Deviant and you control a couple of them during your journey.
Meet the androids
The first android you’ll control is named Connor and is the least emotional one of the bunch. Connor is a special type of android created to track and kill Deviants. His only goal is to investigate worrying crime scenes involving a different Deviant. The first scene takes you to a rooftop apartment where you need to rescue a little girl from the hands of its Deviant care keeper. Although this introduction is meant as a small tutorial to the crime scene investigations, it also shows us how emotional the androids truly are. What we saw on the rooftop wasn’t a merciless killer, it was a misunderstood care keeper who only looked for the love of his family.
Depending on how you scored during your investigation, you’ll have a different outcome to the scene, whatever happens, the main structure of the game remains the same. This means that everybody will play as Markus in the next chapter, although your action as Connor already counts towards one of the multiple endings. Enough about Connor for now, let’s talk about Markus. Markus is introduced as a soft and carrying android, put in charged to make the life of his master more pleasant. Carl, the master of Markus is an old painter who sees the human behind the android. He knows Markus is capable of more and has a lot of great things to say. Playing as Markus puts you in a rather strange position. If you venture outside the mansion, you’ll learn that the world isn’t as friendly as your master. Humans don’t like androids that much and to be honest, everything about it feels like modern slavery. Markus has to stand in the back of the bus, Markus can’t cross the street without being assaulted and there’s no way he could simply explain his feelings. It’s here where you’ll start to realize just how emotional this journey will become.
The last android you’ll control is called Kara. She’s a household android who’s forced to take care of Todd’s house and child Alice. The relationship between Kara and Alice is the cornerstone of Kara’s arc and it’s by far the most fragile story the game has to offer. Kara will be faced with domestic violence, abuse and a lot of other things no living being should ever be confronted with. Don’t expect this to be a walk in the park, prepare for some of the hardest moments you’ll ever witness in any type of game.
Take control
Of course, a lot will happen to these three androids, which I won’t spoil in order to give you the same type of experience I had. Don’t look for spoilers online, Detroit Become Human is meant to be played with your intuition. The game offers you a lot of dilemmas but it won’t grant you enough time to think everything over. It’s your first response that’s most likely also your final, leaving no room for overthinking, just for intuition. It’s great to see how this game manages to put you into positions you would rather not be in, making hard decisions and sacrificing something for the greater good is all part of it. Now, you might wonder what an interactive story like this has to offer from a gameplay point of view?
Well, first things first, this isn’t your typical game. Consider this as an interactive drama rather than a third person game. If you keep this in mind, it’s probably the best in its genre. Although the focus always remains on the story, Quantic Dream did listen to the complaints of gamers. Compared to their other products, you’ll find the most actual gameplay here. The Connor chapters all play as a crime scene investigation game that would make fans of CSI proud. Find clues, reconstruct crimes and eventually trap the killer, it’s all rather exciting! Kara and Markus combine Quick Timed Events with exploration of their environments. Sounds rather straightforward but both androids end up in interesting locations. Markus, for example, will rise up as leader of the Deviants, forcing him to make even harder decisions. Whatever happens, the player always remains in full control of the story and of the android’s actions. Sure, you’re looking at an interactive movie, but without you, there wouldn’t be a script.
The flow of time is always cruel
Since you’re in full control of the story, it also means you’re able to see what path you took during a certain chapter. After each chapter, you’ll see your Flowchart. This is an interesting tool showing you the path you picked and the outcome of the chapter. Some chapters only have one outcome but most chapters have a couple. For example, if you picked violence over peace as Markus, your revolution will have a different outcome. The fun part of this flowchart is the fact that you can try to alter it immediately after completing your chapter. Once you completed a chapter, you can easily select and replay it, offering you the possibility to see what would have happened if you tackled things differently.
This possibility was added due to the critique on Quantic Dream’s earlier games where you had to finish the entire game before you would be able to see an alternative ending. I think it’s a great addition for those who want it but I personally never used it. I wasn’t always happy with the way things ended but those things happened because I chose to follow a certain path. Without suffering there won’t be anything worth fighting for. If you’re playing this for the first time, I truly recommend you to stick with your first decision since that’s the one that really shows how human you truly are.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Trying to explain and captivate everything Detroit Become Human has to offer is an impossible task. As said before, this isn’t just a game, it’s an interactive drama and above all, it’s a personal journey that will question your humanity. The game throws dilemma after dilemma at you and it forces you to think about subjects no other game dares to even mention. What shocked me the most about it, is the idea of a future like this. Would the human race really respond to a new lifeform this way? Are humans truly this hard and emotionless? Would we make the same mistakes as we did in the past? It’s filled with questions like these and it takes you from one shock to another. Detroit isn’t a Happily Ever After, it’s the harsh truth of our humanity or our lack of it. It’s amazing that a game can make you feel this involved with the lives of a couple of androids. If you plan on playing this, take a day off, and prepare for some heartbreaking moments. The main game can be completed in around ten hours while seeing everything will take you around forty hours. Just be sure you have some wipes close to you.
Conclusion:
Rating Detroit Become Human is a hard task since it’s not really a game, it’s an interactive drama. If I look at it like that, and honestly, there simply is no other way to look at it, I can only conclude this is the best I’ve seen so far. The story got me straight from the start and I couldn’t shake away the emotions I felt while playing this. No other game ever moved me like this and no other game dared to question my own humanity ever before. It’s more than just a story, it’s a wake-up call for everything that could go wrong if we misunderstand ‘those who are different’ once again. If a ‘game’ manages to grab my attention from the first second until the last one, forcing me to rethink my decisions for days after the ending, it leaves me no choice but to grant it with a perfect score.
