Solace State: Emotional Cyberpunk Stories

O povo que reclama de política nos videogames ia ter um ataque vendo esse aqui, porque isto aqui, meus amigos, é um jogo que respeita o PUNK em Cyberpunk. Em meio às luzes neon e os implantes cibernéticos, às vezes o cyberpunk moderno se perde na estética e esquece do espírito anticapitalista que está na raiz do gênero. Esse aqui deixa o neon de lado pra focar nesse aspecto humano, e no processo, em meio às firulas cibertécnicas que ainda preenchem seu mundo fantástico, humanizar o processo imprescindível, ainda que enfadonho, da organização de movimentos sociais. É assim que se derruba um sistema! Os aspectos cibernéticos, apesar de presentes, são menos enfatizados que os biológicos, há muita menção de hormônios e de biotecnologia, interseção da máquina com o corpo, com o humano - isso é sempre a preocupação desse jogo, tanto que se anuncia como "Histórias Emocionais". As personagens são umas queridas, e apesar de serem meio simples, eu me emocionei vendo elas se reunindo aos trancos e barrancos para formar um movimento, vendo a gradual transformação de dramas pessoais em um ativismo político que nunca perde sua raiz emotiva. É um crime o quão obscuro esse jogo é pelo quanto de charme ele tem. A todos que gostam de VNs e anseiam por um cyberpunk que não tem medo de ser político ou vulnerável, recomendo pelo menos botar na wishlist e esperar uma promoção.

It's an interesting story with great art style, but both the world and the characters are a little simplistic and cartoonish. Still i enjoy playing it and having some freedom in plot and romance related decissions.

A very well-written game that basically anyone nowadays should play, as it reflects a lot of the evils of current society. It goes into depth about the plight of the downtrodden and the importance of community, learning to take your victories where you can and how vital it is to work both in small ways and when/how to choose when to go big. The characters are nuanced and varied, the plot balances highs and lows, and you'll come out of with a lot to think about.

I'm not normally a visual novel player, but after having followed this project for a couple years and becoming more intrigued at the tack it was using to approach some very close-to-real-world issues I wanted to give it a try. There's a unique blend of the fantastic (the kind of impact you have and info you gather on people through being an iconohacker is very much like Persona 5 Royal's Phantom Thieves) and the real, and balancing them from a moral and ethical standpoint with the greater cyberpunk narrative is both intriguing and thought-provoking. If you're looking for big action and huge setpieces, then this game, or really any visual novel game, isn't for you, but that doesn't mean the game isn't compelling, either. It isn't just regular choices being made here that lead to predictable outcomes (the game's multiple endings that I encountered provided many differences), but rather dilemmas about how we personally feel about the degree to which we should be willing to go for what we perceive as a just cause. The game constantly challenges you to ask this question of yourself, but never gets into its own head about a particular path being right. As a result it feels quite natural to play, and to see why something turns out the way that it does. Any game that makes me think and reflect after I get finished with it is worth a purchase in my book. Give it a try.

Engaging story, interesting characters and choices, opportunity to learn community organizing strategy.

A really interesting art style that took a bit to get used to, I really enjoyed the story and the relationships our protagonist has with her friends. Really enjoyable if you're looking for an alternative take on a visual novel.