Whispers of a Machine

i'd recommend this game to any fan of the genre. puzzles are balanced. they are not too obscure and not trivial either.

This is one of the best point and click adventures I've ever played! The graphics, game play, voice acting and story are all excellent. I especially enjoyed the way your decisions form your personality and introduce matching mechanics along the way. I'll probably replay this again just to explore different choices and their related mechanics.

A noteworthy criminal case P&C game, set in a post AI apocalypse world. Rich dialogue with good voice actors. The puzzles are engaging enough to keep you brain engaged. Puzzles can also be solved in multiple ways, depending on the skills you have developed. You get pretty good hints for all the puzzles. But there was one time I got stuck: [spoiler] the two kids near the junk yard. Quite tiny detail you have to focus on there, and the vision mechanic only applies once for this specific purpose (in all other instances it is used to see in the dark). Could there maybe be more places where the vision mechanic is used to see things from afar? Just to get the player familiarized with it better? There could also have been a couple of more hints at this spot with the two kids, especially considering how many hints other puzzles got.[/spoiler]. Overall I can absolutely recommend this for fans of the genre.

This is a excellent adventure game. It has an intriguing plot and excellent world building - a world which the game reveals to you gradually. The gameplay mechanics are interesting with unique abilities through augments. There are different paths through the game based on a 3 pointed personality system. This does change how various puzzles can be solved, but if I'm honest it's just a gimick. The overall plot is entirely dependent on the final decision, so going back to try other paths isn't interesting. The paths aren't story related - just different ways of solving certain puzzles. So on paper it's a good concept but in practice it's redundant. Just play the game in your preferred style and you will reach the end. There are 3 endings to the game. They're all quite short and if I'm honest for the build up they're a little disappointing as they're open ended; two are a personal ending which does fit reasonably well and another is a larger impact but being left open ended is a little disatsifying. That may just be be though - I think it's always difficult to land the ending of a narrative adventure, so thats probably why the more personal ending landed better for me. The game has a strict auto save system to force you to commit to your choices. It's ok - but I think given that the overall game is the same on all paths with two binary choice at the end, it's just a frustration. Players should be allowed to play the game fluidly so they can change their chocies without a complete restart. I just watched a youtube video to see the other endings - there is just not enough variance in the game to warrant a complete playthrough. I think this save design was a mistake - it'd make sense if there was huge differences in how the game was played; as is it should have had a chapter system so you could replay each chapter to experience the differences in the game. But in honesty it's nitpicking. The game is engaging, it has a superb world to immerse yourself in and overall a satisfying plot. The writing is good and follows the "show don't just tell" ethos that makes good stories and exposition. The game leaves you wanting more which is always a good sign. If you liked the Kathy Rain games you'll like this - it's from the same developers albeit in different style (this is post soft-apocalypse sci fi story versus a horror story set in the modern era). And the same is true in reverse - if you enjoy this you will enjoy the Kathy Rain series. I strongly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys a good point and click adventure. I would say, play with a walkthrough at hand if you get stuck as some puzzles are a little obscure especially with the added layer of the augmentations and paths. The story is worth progressing without feeling guilt at getting tips. I played this on Linux with no issues.

If you are paying full price for this game, I recommend against it, however, if it is on for less than 5 dollars (75% off at time of writing), I would say this is an excellent purchase, and worth the money. Art wise, this game looks fantastic. Characters feel real in this world, and the toned-down details of the world-scenes let your imagination run a little bit. It's got its own style, and that style is consistent across the entire game. I enjoyed the topic itself immensely. It does a decent dive into pre-2022 conceptions of AI, and pulling forward that idea into a post-apoctalyptic future, where humanity has largely moved on, but still has some scars from the past. The only major thing that takes down the value for me is how the game ends. I will not spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that it feels like there is only one true option, and it just didn't sit as well as I think it should have. The game also has a choice system, but it only really builds during the start of the game, and I honestly don't think it really affects anything other than a single interaction. Probably could have been left out entirely. All else considered, if you enjoy a puzzly point and click (or even if you don't usually play them, like me), then this is an excellent option to consider, especially if it is on sale. Not good enough to pay full price for however.

One of the best, deepest adventures I've ever played, up there with but even surpassing Dream Machine and the Blackwell series. The voice acting is amazing, the puzzles are sound, there is innovation in the gameplay that I wish more mystery/detective games would use. The story, characters, writing are perfect, the world building is beyond that. A master piece where the only head scratcher is people giving this a negative review. How?

A point-and-click adventure with rich worldbuilding that flawlessly blends sci-fi and mystery.