There's a lot of criticism of this game that is valid but exaggerated. The live-action episodes still work if you are playing online on Steam.

First and foremost, this is part live-action FMV game and you knew that coming into this. So it should not surprise you when I say a large proportion of this game is spent reading, watching cutscenes, and listening to dialogue. Unravelling this story as I played with the information I was presented as I was given it, cross referencing it to the live-action, and following unseen characters through email exchanges and such was, in my opinion, one of the most rewarding experiences narratively I've ever had in a game like this - and in one with time-travel, no less. Make no mistake, committing wholly on a first playthrough is very special. The live-action is engaging and not at all cringe, and the characters and sets appearing in both forms felt seamless.

I decided not to review the game until after I had played through a second time and witnessed the impact of the choices you are offered. I have read that the developers added them as a means of providing replay value but it is very much the usual trick of offering the illusion of choice and forcing events to play out almost exactly the same way, with only 2 or 3 significant exceptions. The changes are mostly spread out amongst individual shots in individual scenes in both the live-action and the gameplay. This is disappointing, but obviously there are enormous practical considerations at play - you do not want to devote the majority of your resources to creating professionally produced content that will go unseen by most players. This game was unusually ambitious as it is. That said, I do feel this is where part of the negative criticism is coming from. For a game about time travel that uses time travel as a mechanic, it is certainly not the best branching timeline out there. The "do everything" achievement is a bit of a lie since you in fact only need to complete one path, so if you play on hard and don't mind missing some content you can get all the achievements in one playthrough. Replaying earlier areas changes later areas, meaning you can go down in completion percent as you complete more of the game, and the 'quantum ripples' cannot be undone once done without starting a new game.

The actual gameplay itself is pretty neat. Much like Alan Wake (Remedy's previous title) you get a unique little 3rd person shooter with a variety of enemies and a solid committment to the gimmick. If you want the shooting to be challenging play on hard. Normal is more the challenge for people who are here for the walking sim aspect - and that aspect is gorgeous. I don't think I've ever simply walked through setpieces more beautiful and unique than the ones in this game. It's like being in a splash page instead of a panel in a comic.

The characters are endearing and well performed. The time-travel and it's consequences are hilarious. It heavily telegraphs that a sequel was planned and thus leaves a lot of tantalysing breadcrumbs behind by the end, but I assume a sequel will never happen. The ending is nevertheless far more satisfying than Bioshock Infinite. All in all it's a fun romp through time that rewards the curiousity of the player who vibes with it. Is it the greatest game ever? Hell no. Is it one of the best stories I've played out in a game? Almost certainly. So tl;dr, my 2c are you should ignore harsh critics of this one. If it looks up your alley you'll probably love it, and if it doesn't you'll probably just be bored.