Many video games as of late are likely to have a predictable and run-of-the-mill plot. It’s changing into more and more tough to discover a distinctive and well-told narrative, however Sundown Customer has taken that problem and fired on all cylinders with its debut title1000xRESIST.

On the floor, 1000xRESIST is a narrative about surviving an apocalyptic alien incursion. However in unraveling its roughly 1,000-year timeline, 1000xRESIST delves into quite a few significant themes together with household, humanistic nature, and the adaptivity of the thoughts. I even discovered a factor or two about myself alongside the way in which. It’s nonetheless a sci-fi story, but it surely’s not afraid to get a bit deep because the story unfolds.

These anticipating intense or tough gameplay in any kind gained’t discover it right here. In reality, for probably the most half, 1000xRESIST is usually an journey sport with some gentle gameplay components sprinkled all through. However these components serve the precise objective you’d hope for in an expertise like 1000xRESIST: to reinforce the narrative. After experiencing this roughly 15-hour journey, I don’t assume I’d need it some other manner.

1000xRESIST (PC [reviewed], Swap)
Developer: Sundown Customer
Writer: Fellow Traveller
Launched: Could 9, 2024
MSRP: $19.99

Recreation of Clones

The story of 1000xRESIST begins over 1,000 years after an alien species often known as The Occupants visits Earth, bringing with it a weapon; a illness that results in the near-extinction of the human race. The illness is brutal. Folks begin to cry, earlier than all their bodily fluids are finally forcefully expunged from their our bodies. Definitely not a pleasing finish for humankind.

A bunch of six sister clones, all named after their objective—Principal, Knower, Fixer, Healer, Bang Bang Hearth, and Watcher—reside in an underground bunker serving their creator, the ALLMOTHER. We play because the Watcher, who has the particularly distinctive function of having the ability to observe the recollections of the ALLMOTHER by means of a course of known as Communion. We are able to observe the recollections and study extra about life earlier than the Occupants arrived, in addition to the final 1,000 years since they bought to Earth.

On the time of the Occupant invasion, ALLMOTHER—whose title was Iris—was in highschool. In your first communion as Watcher, you expertise the trials and tribulations of Iris, going about her highschool life. The Occupants seem and the illness begins infecting everybody at her college, besides her. However earlier than you may end your first Communion, Fixer finds a approach to intrude with the reminiscence; to warn you that issues within the bunker, and extra particularly with ALLMOTHER, might not be as they appear.

For a narrative-driven expertise like 1000xRESIST, the story is crucial half. And fortunately the story right here doesn’t disappoint. 1000xRESIST makes use of quite a lot of types all through the telling of its story, mixing laughs, cries, scares, and confusion. The early chapters drip-feed you adequate to satiate your urge for food for solutions, whereas additionally prompting extra questions on what’s happening on this world. In the long run, you get the solutions to a lot of the questions, and the unanswered elements really feel supposed for the participant to fill within the cracks with their very own theories.

Clonesome Dove

I often battle a bit getting by means of dialogue-heavy video games. It’s not that I don’t like them. Who doesn’t love a superb story? However whether or not I need to or not, I ultimately discover my thoughts wandering a bit. 1000xRESIST finds a number of methods to stop that from taking place.

From a narrative perspective, there are tons of comical laughs and delicate third-wall-breaking segments that maintain it feeling contemporary. Sundown Customer’s writing had me genuinely trying ahead to every line. To make it even higher, every line of dialogue from each character is absolutely voiced with an excellent solid of voice appearing whose stellar performances solely make the narrative much more surreal.

Then there’s the gameplay. For a lot of the sport, every chapter goes by means of the same cadence. You’ll begin within the underground bunker within the current day. You’ll stroll round and discuss with the opposite sisters, then carry out a Communion the place you expertise a reminiscence of Iris. In the course of the Communion, you’ll stroll round fixing very gentle puzzles with a useful technological machine that permits you to bounce ahead and backward by means of numerous occasions on demand. For instance, it’s possible you’ll need to enter a room that’s blocked off in your present time. You may merely bounce to a different time the place the doorway is open, stroll in, after which bounce again to your present time.

Not one of the puzzles are tough in any regard, and principally simply function a enjoyable little gameplay ingredient between the storytelling. There are additionally a number of Gravity Rush-style segments the place you will need to go searching you and right-click on particular highlighted factors of the world you’re in, leaping from one to a different to shortly climb to excessive areas or cowl bigger distances shortly.

Gameplay is supplemental to the precise drive right here, to progress the story and discover the narrative intimately. You may’t fail or get a sport over display, and also you in all probability gained’t end up trying to find a tough puzzle answer in your cellphone or something like that. However it does provide a pleasant change of tempo between the generally hard-hitting narrative at play.

The Rolling Clones

On the finish of every chapter, you’ll find yourself again on the underground bunker the place you may run round and discover the bunker, known as the “Guarden,” and work together together with your different sisters to achieve much more perception into what’s happening, in addition to get their enter in your observations. The character design of the entire sisters is rather well completed. Every sister’s namesake describes their objective within the Guarden, which additionally molds their character primarily based on what they’re tasked with doing within the bunker.

You’ll solely scratch the floor at first. Every sister will begin to open up and present you an increasing number of of their character as you progress by means of 1000xRESIST. Though the sisters are clones, all of them have their very own personalities. It’s a lineup of characters I didn’t count on to care a lot for once I first met them, however by the tip, I appreciated every of them for various causes.

The Sword within the Clone

Although small within the grand scheme of issues, there are some minor points I had with 1000xRESIST. First is how the save system works. On the finish of every chapter, you’re introduced with the choice to avoid wasting. Nevertheless, you can even save through the sport as properly—proper in the midst of the chapter, for instance—so long as you aren’t at present in a dialogue phase. Merely open the menu and click on Save Recreation. However that save doesn’t appear to avoid wasting the precise level you’re at. As a substitute, it simply creates a save level at first of that chapter.

The primary time I skilled this, I had no clue. I used to be a few hours right into a chapter, nearing the tip, when all of the sudden I had one thing come up and needed to step away for some time. I went into the menu and saved my sport, solely to return again later, and upon loading the save needed to begin over at first of the chapter. I attempted this a number of extra occasions simply to see if it was a fluke, however each save simply loaded at first of its respective chapter. It’s an unclear choice that would result in some annoyances for gamers taking a break.

I additionally had a little bit of frustration making an attempt to navigate the Guarden, which you spend lots of time in. It’s fairly large in measurement, which is necessary, seeing because it’s the final bastion of the apocalypse. However you solely get a easy compass-style indicator on the prime of your map to seek out sure characters to work together with. Even after exploring the corridors and a number of ranges of the Guarden all through my 15-ish hour playthrough, I nonetheless discovered myself operating round misplaced, making an attempt to determine methods to get someplace because of the considerably maze-like movement of it. It’s a cool setting and I can definitely respect the element that went into it, however traversing it (which you’ll do usually) will be fairly a ache at occasions.

The Twilight Clone

1000xRESIST is a story masterpiece. It’s a testomony that video games will be gentle on the gameplay, however nonetheless inform a narrative that rivals all different kinds of media if completed correctly. It’s clear that Sundown Customer drew inspiration from different sci-fi story-heavy titles like NieR: Automata. Narratively, 1000xRESIST holds its personal and tells a charming, intriguing, and thought-provoking story, paying homage to the titles that impressed it versus counting on them.

For those who get pleasure from a superb story that may make you chuckle one minute, maintain again tears the subsequent, then audibly mumble “WTF?” proper after that, do your self a favor, and take a look at1000xRESIST. I’m extremely impressed with Sundown Customer’s potential to inform a narrative with its debut title. It’s one that may persist with me for some time, and I’ve already caught myself nonetheless fascinated by it, regardless of having completed it just a few days in the past. I can’t wait to see what Sundown Customer does subsequent. Hekki ALLMO.

8.5

Nice

Spectacular efforts with just a few noticeable issues holding them again. Will not astound everybody, however is value your time and money.

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