Detroit: Become Human – Review of this month’s PlayStation free monthly game
If you haven’t already, there’s still time to grab this month’s free monthly game, Detroit: Become Human, from the Playstation Store. Being a fan of Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls, two games made by the same developer, Quantic Dream, I was ecstatic to learn it was one of the free monthly games for July. I’m only sad I didn’t purchase it sooner.
If you’ve played Heavy Rain and/or Beyond: Two Souls you’ll be familiar with the mechanics, the quick time events, and knowing that whatever decisions you make will have a huge impact on the story. Detroit: Become Human works in the same way.
Set in the not so distant future where Androids have become a norm of every day life, mainly being used as workers for menial jobs, you play as three different characters: Connor, Markus and Kara. Their stories are all different yet very connected. Oh, and they are all Androids.
At the start of the game we are introduced to our first Android Connor, who by all means is more advanced than the likes of Markus and Kara. He is sent as a negotiator to help the police with a situation involving another Android, one who appears to have become defective. This particular Android has killed its owner and has taken the owners daughter hostage, holding her at the top of a sky scraper, and Connor is sent to negotiate with him to try and talk him down. This is only the start of seeing how your decisions can impact the story, as depending on what choices you make, you can save the girls life… or possibly end up killing her.
What looks to be an isolated incident soon becomes apparent that there are more and more Androids becoming self aware, a “deviant” is what they like to call them. Markus and Kara have very different stories but they both also become “deviant”, aware that they were made to be slaves and no longer wanting to live like that. Connor, on the other hand, is different. He’s made, in essence, to investigate why the Androids are becoming “deviants”. Who better to understand the mind of an Android than another Android, right?
I’ve only had one play through so far, but I have started another one in an attempt to make better decisions. On my first play through, what I thought were good decisions didn’t turn out well for my characters, and the story unfolded in a different way to how I wanted it to. I also lost 3 characters during my play through (not all playable characters, but characters that were a part of the story). That’s what I love about these types of games though, it tests your moral compass and decisions you thought were for the best turned out for the worst, and there’s nothing you can do about it (unless you go back and re-do the chapter… but I wasn’t going to do that).
I don’t want to say too much else in case I spoil it for those who have yet to play, but it’s definitely a game with lots of replay-ability. I’m already on my second play through ready to make different decisions to my previous game, but on my journey through I saw potential for lots of different scenarios and endings and I have no doubt that my second play through won’t be my last.
I just want to keep everyone alive and have a happy ending… is that too much to ask? 🙂
Detroit: Become Human is available as a free monthly game on the PlayStation store until 5th August 2019.
