Despite multiple people recommending this game to me, I actually had little interest in playing it for some reason. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think I had it in my head that it was going to be something along the lines of a poorly done generic Skyrim type game centered around the USFS.
I couldn’t have been further from the truth. That’s the beauty of the #VideoGameClub is that it pushes you into games that you might not have had an interest in playing. Fortunately for me, it was chosen for #VGCJuly2024
Right out of the gate the narrative is designed to captivate you by giving you, what I believe, is the illusion of choice. The game will pull in some of the information you select here but I don’t believe it has any real tangible impact on the game itself. The story, however, immediately tugs on the heart strings and does a great job of sprinkling in some intro mechanics for learning how to play the game.
Once you’ve made your way through the intro we get into the main story which is a partnership between your player character, Henry, and your boss, Delilah. Speaking entirely through handheld radios, the story continues to fill in more of Henry’s past while also pushing the main narrative forward. Delilah sends you out on some light exploration tasks to start familiarizing yourself with the environment and getting a feel for the flow of how the game will play out.
The story has some expected moments given the title and setting of the game, and it’s not too difficult to guess some aspects of the plot twists if you think about it for a bit. But if you just play it and let it be what it is, you’ll end up having an incredible journey that’s enjoyable and memorable. I found myself reminiscing of the game days after completing it which is always a sign of a good story.
I do wish that the decisions and choices you made in the conversations with Delilah had more impact in the game itself but I don’t think it loses any real value there. I will say, given the length of the game, I might be a bit steamed if I had paid a premium for it, but given its age, it’s often on sale for a very affordable price and you can frequently find it for less than $10 making it the perfect cheap and enjoyable game. If there were a sequel, I’d be picking it up for sure.