I did not like it. There's almost no gameplay, but there's a lot of running around in the hub area and it's very convoluted, the map and compas are not helpful. The plot is revealed in a series of flashbacks, but the tone is very artsy and theatrical, I did not vibe with it. Got the game based on a recommendation, even though the game didn't really apeal to me, should've listened to my gut.

Talking about why exactly I love this game is a bit frustrating because it requires spoiling huge chunks of one of the greatest stories ever written. So instead I will talk about the general concept of it. As you may know this game won a Peabody Award, which is the Pulitzer Prize but for radio/video, and it deserves it one thousand percent. The ideas put forth in this game are massive, with labyrinthine concepts like the god spiral and inherited trauma that are navigated with a deftness I have never seen before and probably will never see again. It even uses its medium as a playable videogame to its benefit. But what truly elevates this game from "story" to "legend" is that it constantly finds new ways to stop your heart cold and make you realize you were watching from the wrong angle all along. I was constantly gasping and saying "Oh my GOD" as my mind exploded. It's a master class in misdirection, unreliable narration, and shocking twists that come like machine gun bullets. I know this is an old adage and it usually leads to disappointment, but believe me, you have to experience this game blind to feel the full weight of its punches.

What may turn some people off is the fact that there is no gameplay. I don't mean "a little gameplay," "hardly any gameplay," I mean none whatsoever. This game could probably most accurately be called a "3D Visual Novel". In fact, some of the chapters are little more than movies that you press a button to advance through. But the story is so insanely good, that you will spend hours in front of the screen just like I did. Also, the graphics are pretty bad, with the optimization following close behind. There is a section where you turn on a flashlight and it easily drops the FPS by nearly 20 every time. But in the grand scheme of things, these are tiny nitpicks, and easy to leave behind.

After all, not everything can fit in the backpack.

1000xRESIST is a futuristic dystopian thriller game driven by a non-linear story about betrayal, love, loss, friendship, identity, memory, control, trauma, and many more things. Ultimately, it's the story of a lonely girl who happened upon a role she didn't choose leading to loneliness and isolation who did what she could to cope with her situation. The story is shared through memories, but inconsistencies start piling up and we learn that memory is a construction and does not necessarily reflect the truth.

I really enjoyed this game and I loved the way the devs implemented the ending chapter/epilogues. There are several endings, all of which you can explore. You get to make certain choices about the fates of prominent characters which coalesce into one cohesive finale, and you're not locked out of any of them. The story was interesting and told in a very gripping way, where I was eager to find out more about what was/had happening/happened in the world. The game is arguably more visual novel with some gameplay elements than it is a GAME game, but it was incredible all the same.

I finished the game just shy of 10 hours having thoroughly explored everything, though I suspect the average gameplay would be slightly longer (maybe 11-12 hours?) as I'm a relatively fast reader.

If you've read Never Let Me Go and wanted a video game version of it, this is basically for you.

AVOID | LACKING | MAYBE | WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE